{"collection":"Theosophy","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/archive_org_26_20200115/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/archive_org_26_20200115","id":"archive_org_26_20200115","license":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","rights_basis":"archive_org_open:open_license:http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","source":"archive_org","source_url":"https://archive.org/details/26_20200115","summary":"","tags":["Theosophy"],"text":"' % \n\n\n\nVOL. XXVI, No. 1 r> ; >. - JULY \n\n\nrca \n\n\n1928 \n\n\nNo \n\n\n101 \n\n\nPUBLISHED BV \n\nTHE THEOSOPHIGAL SOCIETY \n\n\nA2, - KVAR\u00bb \n\nwjtisa.- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOPHI \n\n\nUL \n\n\n\n\n0.0 \n\n\no \n\n\n. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n\nSubscription price, $1.00 per annum; single copies \u2014 \nPublished by The Theosophical Society \nat 64 Washington Mews, New York, N. Y. \n\nJuly; October; January; April \n\nAddress ,11 \u00bb m mume..io\u00bb\u00bb to F. O. Box M, Station O. New York \n\n\nJULY, 1928 \n\nThe 7 heosophical Society , as such , is not responsible for any opin \ndeclaration in this magazine , by whomsoever expressed , unless contained \nofficial document. \n\n\nSelf-Glorification or Self-Conquest \n\nI N the first two Gospels, there is a story of gentle' irony at the expense of \nthe non-discerning disciples. The Master had entered into a ship, to \nsail across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples had forgotten to take \nbread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And the \nMaster charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. \nAnd the disciples reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have \nno bread. \n\nOne wonders which of them first saw the point of this delightful and yet \npathetic incident; to whom do we owe its recording for posterity, to teach us \nnot to be too literal minded? A like problem arises regarding the discourse \nof the Buddha with which we are concerned, and which also warns against \nthe leaven of the Pharisees: against those who pay tithe of mint and anise \nand cumin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy \nand faith; who love salutations in the marketplaces, and for a pretence make \nlong prayers. \n\nIn the story to be narrated, it is not certain to whose excellent memory \nand fine sense of humour we owe the record of the Buddha\u2019s words. Tradi\u00ac \ntion, in this matter wholly to be relied on, tells us that, at the first great \nCouncil of his disciples, shortly after his bodily death, the great disciples \nrecalled and recorded his discourses, while on the beloved disciple Ananda was \nlaid the duty of putting each discourse in its proper setting, restoring the \n\n\nCONTENTS OF VOL. XXVI, NO. 1 \nJuly, 1928 \n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS. \n\nTHEOSOPHY.*. \n\nA BACKGROUND FOR CHELASIIIP. \n\nWHY I JOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. \n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD. \n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME. \n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS. \n\nT S. ACTIVITIES; Convention Report; Letters of Greeting \n\nREVIEWS. \n\nQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. \n\n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL dulihi \\ \n\n. , . , . \u2022 ,+ t i,| s Society is to form the nucleus of a \n\nThe P*l nclpa \u2019 J\u201c d \u201c f Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, \nUniversal ro ^ subsidiary ob j ec ts are; The study of ancient and modern \ncaste or colo . sciences and the demonstration of the importance \n\noShstud^Tnd the investigation of the unexplained laws of nature and the \npsychical powers latent in man. \n\nEntered a. aecond^am matter September S. .\u00bb\u00ab. \u00ab th. \u00b0\u00ae\u201c \u00ab N ' W Y \u00b0 rk ' N ' Y \u201d \n\nAct oI March 3, i*79* \n\nCopyright, 1928, by The Theosophical Society \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\n- T -\u00ab *\u00a3*\u25a0*\u00a3 \u201d =:= \n\nsense of humour. . ^ concerned, it is not recorded that the \n\nIn the discourse with whlC * \u2122 6 Buddha is depicted as going alone to visit \nbeloved Ananda is present. T evidently filled a conspicuous place \n\na group of self-mortifying ascetics. ^ in the India of to-day; \n\nIndia of S \u00bb \u2022 bad cl spite. -\u00bb \n\nthe most sensational of these \u2022 M ' tbe \u201e\u201e charac ter drawme and \n\nevidently fashionable then, as . those tha t we find in others \u00a9 \n\nthe keen humour of this story reC order, and we may conjecture either \n\nwhich Ananda may well have bee or t hat the Buddha himself \n\nthat the beloved disciple accompanied hi ^ & delighted auditor, \n\ntold the story on his return ^ Master was living at Rajagnha, on \n\nOnce upon a time, says t y \u2019 . ,. t a ce rtain mendicant pilgrim, \n\nVulture Peak. A, that \u201cno * ^diag in the park:\u00abf \n\nNigrodha by name, that is, Ba y wag taken from a n Indian fig tree, \n\ndevout Queen Udumbanka, whos in al i three thousand pilgrims, \n\nwith him were many mendicant P R \u2019 - ha a pious householder, whose \nNow it happened that there ^ arden tly desired to see the Budd a. \n\nname was Sandhana, a > g on d the householder : \n\nAnd this came into the mind M t {or t he Master is in retirement, \n\n\u25a0\u2022This is not a fitting time to see the \u2022 ^ disciplining their minds \n\nnor is it a good time to visit his . , { j were t0 go to Queen \n\na nd hearts, for they also are ^ ^ dweUing there?\u201d \n\nFig Tree\u2019s park, to visit the pilgnm B * y \u2019 and incidentally draws an \n\ntL \u00abta narrator finds a '\u201cf ^ he tells us. forthwith set \n\noutline portrait ol the b\u201cf\u00bb f\u201c Banyan Then follows one \n\nout for the park, to pay his visit totn P IP {ramedi whoS e stately \n\nd .ho* set passages, ^h\u201d\u2122To the B^dhist dLourses. W. \u00ab. \nrepetition gives a peculiar c , m the wide rest-house ol the \n\nthat the self-mortifymg pilgrim* ga in debate concerning \n\nQueen\u2019s park, were not as weALring, with a shrill and \nrighteousness and the law, \u2022 kinds 0 f common tales, such, for \n\nmighty noise, they were rel g ta ik of ministers, talk of armies, \n\nexample, as talk of kings, ta o d drink an d garments and couches, \n\ntalk of terror, talk of war, talk \u201c k \u00b0f kinships and cars, of villages and towns \n\nIt is exactly like the mental mrfley of thmg^ ^ ^ ^ ._ ida \u201e tica i \ncolumns of a modem newspaper a ^ Qrchestral enumeration in the \n\nr; ! wis <\u25a0 *\u201c of \n\nthe Book of Daniel. \n\n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\nThe pilgrim Banyan, who seems to have been somewhat better than his \nmendicant companions, saw Bond, the householder, approaching from afar, \nand tried to quiet the noisy crew: \n\n\u201cGentlemen!\u201d he said, \u201cGentlemen, be less noisy! Make less noise, for \nhere is one of the ascetic Gotama\u2019s adherents coming, the householder Bond. \nWhite-robed adherents of the ascetic Gotama dwell at Rajagriha, and this \nhouseholder Bond is one of them. And these worthies delight in freedom \nfrom noise, they are well bred in their quietude, they speak in praise of quietude; \nperhaps, if he saw that our assembly was free from noise, it might occur to \nhim to pay us a visit.\u201d \n\nWhether from shame, or merely through curiosity, the mendicant pilgrims \nconsented to be silent. \n\nThen indeed the householder Bond came up to where the pilgrim Banyan \nwas, and, coming up to the pilgrim Banyan, he saluted him with courtesy and \npoliteness, and sat down beside him. Seating himself beside the pilgrim \nBanyan, the householder Bond spoke thus: \n\n\u201cFar different is the manner in which these sectarian gentlemen comport \nthemselves when they are assembled together, roaring with shrill and mighty \nnoise, relating many kinds of common tales, such, for example, as talk of \nkings, robbers and ministers,\u201d and so on, through the whole imposing list of \nthemes, \u201cfar different is this indeed from the practice of our Master, who abides \nin the forest, seated in meditation, seeking quietude and silence, pondering \nwisdom, with heart intent on hidden things, devoted to retirement.\u201d \n\nNettled by this mild reproof, the pilgrim Banyan said: \n\n\u201cGo to, householder! Knowest thou with whom the ascetic Gotama \nconfers? With whom does he hold converse? With whom does he clarify \nhis understanding? The understanding of the ascetic Gotama is injured by \nthis habit of solitude, the ascetic Gotama does not know how to conduct a \nmeeting, he cannot carry on a debate, he is really not in the current of things. \nYour ascetic Gotama, with his habit of solitude, his ignorance of meetings and \ndebates, his limited outlook, is like a cow going round in circles! Look you, \nhouseholder, if the ascetic Gotama should come to this assembly, we should \nshut him up with a single question, we should bowl him over like an empty \nwater-jar!\u201d \n\nSo the pilgrim Banyan warmed himself up with intemperate speech. And \none may doubt whether in the whole cycle of Buddhist scriptures, there is a \nfiner touch of humour than this. For this passage, like all these records, is \nto be recited aloud by devoted disciples, whose reverence for the Buddha \nknows no limits. Consider with what a twinkle of the heart they would \ndescribe their august Master walking in circles like a cow, and then consider \nthe fine dramatic irony of the sequel. \n\nFor we are told that the Master, through the principle of divine hearing, \npure and surpassing that of men, heard this edifying talk of the pilgrim \nBanyan and the householder Bond, and that, hearing, he straightway descended \nfrom Vulture Peak and came to the bank of the lotus pond where the peacocks \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nwere fed, and walked to and fro, taking the air on the lawn of the peacocks. \nThen the pilgrim Banyan beheld the Master taking the air on the lawn \nof the peacocks, beside the lotus pond, and, seeing him, thus addressed his \ncompany: \n\n\u201cGentlemen, be less noisy! Gentlemen, make less noise! There is the \nascetic Gotama, walking to and fro, taking the air, on the lawn of the peacocks \nbeside the lotus pond. And that worthy delights in freedom from noise, \nhe speaks in praise of quietude; should he see how imbued with quietude is \nthis our assembly, he might think well to come and pay us a visit. And should \nthe ascetic Gotama come to our assembly, we should ask him this question:\u2014 \nWhat, worthy Master, is the Law of Righteousness which the Master teaches \nto his adherents, trained in which the Master\u2019s adherents win serenity, recog\u00ac \nnizing this Law as the firm foundation of their spiritual life?\u201d \n\nWe are told that the pilgrims became silent; perhaps they cherished a \ndelighted hope of seeing the Buddha walking in circles like a cow, or bowled \nover like an empty water-jar. \n\nStraightway the Master came over to where the pilgrim Banyan was. \nAnd the pilgrim Banyan said this to the Master: \n\n\u201cLet the worthy Master come! Welcome is the worthy Master! The \nworthy Master has been a long time making up his mind to come to us! Let \nthe worthy Master be seated; this seat is prepared for him!\u201d \n\nThe Master seated himself on the seat that was prepared. The pilgrim \nalso seated himself on a low seat beside him. Then the Master said to the \npilgrim Banyan, seated by him: \n\n\u201cOn what topic, Banyan, were you engaged here? What was the theme \nthat was interrupted?\u201d \n\nThe pilgrim Banyan, saying nothing whatever about a cow walking in \ncircles, or a rolling water-jar, thus answered the Master: \n\n\u201cWe saw the Master walking to and fro on the lawn of the peacocks beside \nthe lotus pond, taking the air, and, seeing him, we said, Should the Master \nvisit this our assembly, we should ask him this question:\u2014What, worthy \nMaster, is the Law of Righteousness which the Master teaches to his adherents, \ntrained in which the Master\u2019s adherents win serenity, recognizing this Law as \nthe firm foundation of their spiritual life? This is the topic that was inter\u00ac \nrupted when the Master arrived.\u201d \n\n\u201cIt is difficult, Banyan, for one of other views, for one of other practices, \nof other purposes, of other mental habits, for one following other teachers, \nto understand the discipline which I give to my adherents, the discipline \nthrough which my adherents are established in serenity, recognizing it as the \nfirm foundation of their spiritual life. But come, Banyan, ask me a question \nconcerning your own teaching of extreme self-mortification: in what conditions \nis this self-mortification perfected' and in what conditions is it not perfected?\u201d \n\nThe Buddha turned aside the question regarding his own teaching by \nsaying that it was difficult to understand. Without doubt he realized that, \nwhile there was a spark of genuine spirituality in Banyan, the great mass of \n\n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\nmendicant pilgrims with him were full of cavilling, stony ground on which no \nprecious seed should be sown. But there was a still more definite reason, a \nrule framed by the Buddha himself, which he formulates in another discourse: \n\u201cWhoever has been an adherent of another sect, and wishes to enter the dis\u00ac \ncipline of this Law of Righteousness, desiring admission to the first degree, \nand afterwards to the second degree, must first remain on probation for \nfour months, after which the disciples of strenuous heart will admit him to \nmembership in the first degree, and afterwards to membership in the second \ndegree of the Order of disciples. But even in such a case, the difference \nbetween individuals is taken into account.\u201d It was not a favourable moment \nto explain this wise rule to Banyan; but, if his desire for light was genuine \nand strong, he would presently find it out. So, for the time, the Buddha \nparried the premature question, and introduced the whole subject of self- \nmortification, thus finding a motive for the special theme of this discourse. \n\nHow unfavourable the occasion was for expounding the Law of Righteousness, \nthe narrative reveals; for when the Buddha had answered Banyan as just \nrecorded, the swarm of mendicant pilgrims began to shout with exceeding \ngreat noise, \u201cMarvellous, Sir, wonderful, Sir, is the superhuman gift and \npower of the ascetic Gotama in holding back any pronouncement regarding \nhis own teaching, and turning the conversation to the teaching of others!\u201d \n\nTo the credit of the pilgrim Banyan, we are told that he imposed silence on \nthese ironical mendicants, and spoke thus to the Master: \n\n\u201cWe, Sire, are believers in penitential self-mortification, we hold that \npenitential self-mortification is essential, we practise penitential self-mortifi- \ncation. In what conditions, Sire, is this penitential self-mortification per\u00ac \nfected, and in what conditions is it not perfected?\u201d \n\nIn reply, the Buddha enumerates a long series of practices, which may \nwith advantage be condensed. There is, first, a certain anarchism in manners, \noften characteristic of youthful radicals even in our own enlightened age, \nbeginning with curt speech and culminating in a scrupulous abstinence from \nthe use of water, whether internally or externally. It is worth noting that \none finds the same abstinence among the hermits of the Egyptian desert, in \nthe third and fourth centuries of our era. Next come scruples regarding \nfood, the refusal to eat cooked food, precise rules as to accepting gifts of food, \na punctilious spacing of the times of eating, whether once a day, once in \nthree days, or once a week, and so forth; practices also found, carried to \nextreme exaggeration among the Egyptian solitaries. Indeed, one may \nsuppose that this drift to meticulous formalism in the Egyptian desert may \nwell have frustrated a spiritual movement originally of the greatest promise, \nso that it was necessary for Benedict to frame a new rule, on spiritual prin\u00ac \nciples. Then come self-mortifying postures, such as standing bareheaded in \nburning sunshine, or lying on a bed of thorns or spikes. There is a quaint \nnote on this kind of practice in the records of the Egyptian hermits, exactly \nin line with the Buddha\u2019s teaching: \u201cThe brother went to his cell, and fell \non his face upon the ground, and for three whole days and nights he wept \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nbefore God. And after these things, when his thoughts were saying unto him, \n4 Thou art now an exalted person, and thou hast become a great man,\u2019 he used \nto contradict them, and set before his eyes his former shortcomings, and say, \n\"Thus were all my offences.\u2019 \u201d \n\nAfter enumerating many penitential self-mortifications, the Buddha said, \n\nWhat thinkest thou, Banyan? If they be thus earned out, is penitential \nself-mortification perfected, or is it not perfected?\u201d \n\nBanyan replied that, in his view, self-mortification was in fact perfected \nby these practices. But the Buddha said: \n\n\u2018\u2018Even when these self-mortifications are perfectly carried out, I say that \nthey are subject to certain impurities.\u201d \n\n\u2018\u2018In what way, Master, when these self-mortifications are perfectly carried \nout, are they subject to impurities?\u201d The opening of the pilgrim\u2019s mind and \nthe softening of his self-righteous heart are indicated by his addressing the \nBuddha as Master, in contrast to the rather abrupt \u2018\u2018ascetic Gotama\u201d, used \nby the other mendicants. The Buddha\u2019s reply introduces the essence of the \ndiscourse, which is in principle closely akin to the criticism of the Pharisees: \n\n\u2018\u2018An ascetic, Banyan, enters on a penitential exercise. Because of this \npenitential exercise he is delighted with himself, filled full with self-satisfaction. \nWhen this so happens, Banyan, it is an impurity. Again, Banyan, an ascetic \nenters on a penitential exercise. Because of this penitential exercise he exalts \nhimself and despises another. When this so happens, Banyan, it is an im\u00ac \npurity. Once again, Banyan, an ascetic enters on a penitential exercise. \nBecause of this penitential exercise he becomes infatuated, he becomes intoxi\u00ac \ncated and falls into negligence. When this so happens, Banyan, it is an \nimpurity. Once more, Banyan, an ascetic enters on a penitential exercise. \nBecause of this penitential exercise, he receives gifts and gains honour and \nfame. And because he receives gifts and gains honour and fame, he becomes \ngreatly pleased with himself. When an ascetic, thus gaining gifts, honour \nand fame, is greatly pleased with himself, this, Banyan, is an impurity. Once \nmore, Banyan, an ascetic enters on a penitential exercise. Because of this \npenitential exercise, he receives gifts and gains honour and fame. And be\u00ac \ncause he receives gifts and honour and fame, he exalts himself and despises \nanother. When this so happens, Banyan, it is an impurity. Once more, \nBanyan, an ascetic enters on a penitential exercise. Making a distinction \nof foods, he says, \u2018This commends itself to me; this does not commend itself \nto me.\u2019 That which commends itself not to him, he steadily rejects, but that \nwhich commends itself to him, he eats greedily, becoming infatuated with it, \nnot recognizing the sin and danger in this gluttony. This, Banyan, is an \nimpurity. Once more, Banyan, an ascetic enters on a penitential exercise, \n\n\ntogs grown from Mt things grown from sprouts. ^ \n\n~~ Mow who \u201cfS'iaT'S'htZiS.: \n\nthose who give aims. This. \n\npuHtg. Once more. Banyan *<\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 \n\nan TsceticTnks about among those who give alms, ^inlungjo hnnjetf, \n\nSTiSM* he ma, nourish ^ \n\nare not free from impurity. It is indeed \n.. tr E sire that one who practises self-mortifying penances may be taintec \nand much more, that he may be guilty of any on, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n* % \n\n\n\ndoes not commend itself to me.\u2019 Nor, saying this, does he steadily reject \nthat which does not commend itself to him, nor does he eat greedily that \nwhich commends itself to him, becoming infatuated with it, not recognizing \nthe sin and danger in this gluttony. In that measure is he purified. Nor \ndoes he enter on a penitential exercise moved by a desire for gifts, honour and \nfame, with the thought that kings, courtiers, nobles, priests and householders \nwill pay him honour. In that measure is he purified. Nor does he grow \njealous of some ascetic or Brahman, saying, \u2018That fellow lives lavishly; he \neats every kind of food, grinding them all together with his thunderous jaws!\u2019 \nIn that measure is he purified. Nor, seeing some other ascetic or Brahman \nhonoured, esteemed, highly regarded, respected among those whom he visits \nfor alms, does he think, \u2018 People honour, esteem, regard and respect this fellow \nwho lives lavishly; but they do not honour, esteem, regard, nor respect me, \na true ascetic, living a life of austerity!\u2019 Nor does he nourish ill-will and \nresentment against those who give alms. In that measure is he purified. \nNor does he seat himself in some place where he will be seen of men, nor \nslink about among those who give alms, thinking to himself, 4 This is a part \nof my penance!\u2019 Nor does he practise secretiveness, dissembling his views, \nand thus falling into deliberate lying. In that measure is he purified. Nor, \nwhen the Tathagata or an adherent of the Tathagata, teaching the Law of \nRighteousness, follows a method worthy of approval, does he reject it. In \nthat measure is he purified. Nor does he nourish wrath or enmity, hypocrisy \nor deceit, avarice or envy, craft or guile; nor is he obstinate or conceited; \nnor does he entertain sinful wishes, falling under their sway; nor does he \nhold false views, becoming addicted to delusive opinions, nor grow worldly \nminded, p-asping after riches and turning away from renunciation. In that \nmeasure is he purified. \n\nWhat thinkest thou then, Banyan ? If this be so, is self-mortification \npurified or not purified?\u201d \n\n\u201cTruly, Sire, if this be so, self-mortification is purified, it fails not of puri\u00ac \nfication. It has reached the summit; it has penetrated to the inmost core!\u201d \n\nNot so, Banyan! Not yet has self-mortification reached the summit nor \npenetrated to the inmost core; rather it has only touched the outermost bark.\u201d \n\n\u201cHow then, Sire, may self-mortification reach the summit and penetrate \nto the inmost core?\u201d \n\nIt is a wise question, showing something of the grace of humility. We shall \non a future occasion consider the Buddha\u2019s wise and gracious answer. \n\n\nTHEOSOPHY \n\n\nP ERHAPS it would, be an auspicious beginning, if we were to try to make \nclear what The Theosophical Society is, whose guests we are to-night, \nand at the same time to say what it is not. The Theosophical Society, \nwhich has invited you to this lecture, is the representative, the continuation, \nof The Theosophical Society founded here in New York by Madame H. P. \nBlavatsky, W. Q. Judge and others, in November, 1875. It has maintained \na continuous life for more than half a century, working for the same ideals, \nadvancing toward the same goal. It is in no way connected with other \nsocieties calling themselves Theosophical, which are under the guidance of \nMrs. Annie Besant, Mrs. Katherine Tingley, or whoever it may be. \n\nWhen the subject of this lecture was being considered, the conviction was \nreached that the most useful and timely theme would be the relation of the \nMasters of Wisdom to humanity; the relation of those divine powers\u2014divine \nin wisdom and love\u2014to the life and destiny of the human race; a relation \nactive throughout the ages, active at this moment, active, as we hope and \nare convinced, throughout the centuries to come; carrying on the same work \nof beneficence and illumination until its consummation, when all of humanity \nthat is willing has reached the height of spiritual development which the \nMasters of Wisdom already exemplify and embody. \n\nIf we speak of the relation of the Masters of Wisdom to humanity, we suggest \na picture of light and shadow strongly contrasted: the light of the Masters, \nand the heavy Shadows of our human life; and, if we look back through cen\u00ac \nturies of history and consider the cumulative tragedy of the life of mankind, \nrace after race gaining a certain attainment,\u2014intellectual, artistic, spiritual, \nmaterial,\u2014coming like a wave to its crest, and then, like a wave breaking \nand disappearing, we may realize how great, how long continued, how com\u00ac \nplete that tragedy has been. Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians have so \ncompletely vanished as nations, that we have to dig their memorials out of \nthe earth. Still older peoples have not even left a name, while it would \nseem that the most ancient of surviving civilizations, that of the Chinese, is \nobstinately determined to hack itself to pieces and disappear. \n\nIt is already seriously debated whether this Western civilization of ours \nmay not be on the same path; whether we have not reached, or will not soon \nreach the culmination of our attainment, moral, intellectual, artistic\u2014and \nit seems to be in the main mental and material; it is questioned whether, \nhaving thus reached our culmination, we shall not also disappear, to be cov\u00ac \nered over by the merciful earth like the Babylonians and Assyrians. This is \n\n\n1 From stenographic notes of a lecture by Charles Johnston, on April 28, 1928, on the occasion of the \nConvention of The Theosophical Society. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\none of the problems we may consider: must we inevitably share the fate of \nthese dead nations, or is there something that may be done to ward off destruc\u00ac \ntion, something, perhaps, that we ourselves may help to do * \n\nWe have that long panorama of shadows, of vanished and ruined races, \ngoing back, not for millenniums only, but for millions of years, each race \nhaving its birth, its maturity, its death, and then, for most of them, complete \noblivion; and, in contrast with these endless shadows, ceaseless effort by the \nMasters of Wisdom to enlighten, to redeem, to enkindle this stumbling human\u00ac \nity, for whom every step forward is a fall; the Masters of Wisdom, working, \ntoiling, labouring endlessly, with infinite beneficence and resource, infinite \npatience, infinite sacrifice. If we thoughtfully study one of the mam themes \nof The Theosophical Society\u2014the great religions of the world\u2014we may \ninterpret them in this sense: namely, the divine expedients used by the Masters \nof Wisdom, by the Lodge of Masters, in the heavy task of saving humanity \nwhich so often seems determined on self-destruction. \n\nWe may begin such a survey with ancient Egypt, and the Mystery teaching \nof the divine Osiris, who is, perhaps, the earliest of the Masters of Wisdom \nwithin the period we call historical, to undertake a mission to mankind, \nendeavouring to impart such wisdom and knowledge and virtue as mankind \nwas ready to receive. His great task culminated in a sacrificial death, and \nhis body was dismembered and scattered through the land of Egypt. This \nis the history of a great Master; it is at the same time a symbol of the primor\u00ac \ndial sacrifice of the Logos; of that synthesis of the spiritual consciousness of \nmankind, which again and again makes the sacrifice of supreme self-giving, \n\nin the effort to redeem the human race. \n\nIf we come next to those wise scriptures of ancient India, the great Upani- \nshads, we shall find one theme running through them all: namely, the wisdom \nof the Masters, their eager desire to impart this wisdom, and the path toward \nthem which they would have us seek and follow, so that we too may share \ntheir eternal treasure. \n\nIn a certain sense, we may say that the message of the Masters of Wisdom \nis that of a conditional immortality. They do not teach an inevitable im\u00ac \nmortality, an immortality inherent in, or even to be thrust on, every human \nbeing. The Masters of Wisdom teach no such inevitable immortality. \n\nWe may easily illustrate this. Take first a sentence from the Upanishads: \n\u201cFoolish children seek after outward desires, and come to the wide-spread \nnet of Death; but the wise, beholding immortality, seek not for the enduring \namong unenduring things\u201d; and compare with it a like pronouncement of \nJesus: \u201cEnter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is \nthe way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that enter in thereby. \nFor narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few \nbe they that find it.\u201d \n\nThere is no inevitable immortality for those who do not earn it. In truth, \nmortality is a fate which would overtake us all, were it not for the divine \ninterposition of the Masters of Wisdom, who stretch out to us immortal \n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHY \n\n\nhands of help and succour. So the Upanishads are full of the teaching of \nwisdom which reveals the path whereby we may ascend to their immortal \nworld, passing through the Gates of Gold to the Masters\u2019 heritage of im\u00ac \nmortal life. \n\nThe Upanishads teach the wisdom of Atma, the Supreme Self of all beings; \nthe same divine Life which Philo of Alexandria later called the Logos, the \nDivine Mind, the collective spiritual consciousness of our universe. They \ntell us that, while each of us may seem to be a wanderer and exile, lonely, \ndesolate in our world of shadow and of sorrow, we are in reality neither alone \nnor desolate, but undivided, unseparated rays of the Universal Self, the Logos. \nWhat is needed to secure our immortality\u2014an immortality which is still \nconditional, until this victory is won\u2014is the realization of our oneness with \nthe Supreme Self. The Upanishads show how, step by step, we may mount \nthe golden stairs; they tell us what we must leave behind; what we must gain, \nas we tread the small, old path; what we must achieve; with the promise that \nwe shall in the fulness of time be initiated into the fulness of that eternal, \nuniversal Supreme Self of all beings. \n\nIn their essence, the Upanishads may date from the same period as the \ngreat Osiris,\u2014let us say, twelve or thirteen thousand years ago. In the course \nof ages, their sublime teaching began to be obscured in the hearts and minds \nof lesser men, men of smaller spiritual stature, diminished valour, contracted \nwisdom. About the time of the Buddha, twenty-five centuries since, this \nancient teaching was altogether obscured in the general understanding, and \nits place was taken by a false view concerning the Self. Therefore, we find \nthat superb sage, Siddhartha the Compassionate, known as the Buddha, \nthe Awakened, attacking this false view of the Self. The Awakened One \nbegan by awakening in his own splendid soul and spirit the ancient Wisdom, \nthe ancient Power, the ancient Love of the Masters and of the Logos. Then, \nwhen he had reached full enlightenment, tradition tells of a dramatic scene. \nThe Buddha, after gaining the Light, had fallen almost into despair over the \nhopelessness of communicating that Light to mankind, so callous, so full of \ndelusions and false desires. As he sat thus despondent, there appeared to \nhim great Brahma, who may represent the Head of the Lodge of Masters. \nBy strong and eloquent pleading, the great Brahma at last persuaded the \nBuddha at least to make the attempt; perhaps a few might listen, perhaps \na few might understand. \n\nWe may fancy that they held a conference as to ways and means. So \nmany expedients had been tried, for the most part with little fruit. The \ndisease of the time was philosophical egotism, which falsely transferred to \nthe temporal, personal self the absolute being of the divine and universal \nSupreme Self; and we may suppose that the Buddha, counselling with great \nBrahma, worked out this plan: It would be possible, perhaps, to win recruits \nfor immortality, for the Lodge of Masters, if he could first knock out of them \nevery trace of egotism. If this process led to their extinction, that would be \nunfortunate for them; but, should they happily survive, awaking again, as \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\n!hem er Ssdo m the sHL er B S ud e dha f sTvT\u2019 H ^ ^ ^ P \u00b0 SSible t0 teach \n\nthe idea of egotism in the \u201c a \u00b0 y and eVei T wa >\u2019- to attack \n\nmental image of the body which ^ \u2019 f at the false sel i built upon a \nof life, the one VSSto *t\u00a3 in Z* ^ tte Central -Hty \nmust bow down which all tte lTJl 16 \u2122 rse - to which all other persons \negotism which is\u2019 ^2eS,g eveTiL ^ \u201c\u2122J \u00ab\u201c \u201c\u2014e \n\nthis out first of all F\u2122\u2122 fw \u2022 The Buddha set himself to kill \n\ning, this part which nelZ LT \u00b0r TV\u2122 part of his ^ch- \n\nof positive splendour 1 thaii^re'tl^TT 018 ^ 6 ^ ^ \u2122 y Seem less fuI1 \nThe false self is attacked and d J Upan f ads -- but the splendour is there, \nness which it masks may be revealed 6 \u2019 ^ '' * ** ^ ^ spiritual conscious- \n\n\u2014 Upanishads: *o ...oh \u00abh, \nthe small, old path choked bv S u \u2019^ 8 \u201c ne Mortality; but, finding \nmighty ann to Zr a^y that ZT' \u00ab by * U the P\u2122er of hi \n\nthat there is any \u201c\u201c \u00ab atly d \"\u2122 \n\nmen worship. It is a delusion \u00ab\u00ab\u2666 * . \u00ae g \u2019 the faIse - usurping self that \n\nbecomes even a possibilitv Those ^ \u201d ay con< l uered before salvation \nthereupon, in the traditional i r T 7>u h \u201c\u2122 g . hU teachln k accepted it, \nfor the homeless life- that is thev & fin 11 6 uddblsts \u2019 left the household life \npersonal self-seeking'\u2019of J 7 SUrr \u00ab ndered aP Personal ambition, . \n\n>.yi\u00bbg: -To the B^ddh, , 7 X ?\u00b0\u201c, \u201cL'T \u201c\u00bb\u00bb Um, \n\nrefuge I go; to his Order for refuge I go \u201d P LSW \u00b0 Rl * hte ousness for \nformula, they did in realitv sacrifios ti Vi Pronouncing this sacramental \nSelf .. all. but mh\u201d r^ie wrTh The f . \u2019 eS \u00b0 lism ' ,hich is \"\u00ab \n\nSelf- Then, pressing^ *\u2122 \u201c d U \" iV \u201c s \u2018 1 \n\nthe fulness of time to theVllV r \u00b0 f egotlsm > the >' attained in \n\nof .he high rr \u25a0\">*- \n\nresponsibility for the spiritual life of aU mankind \u00b0 f Maslers: \n\ngrea t T ff \u201e C \u201df ^Te \u201cS wX^h\u201d?\" \u00ab\u201c\u2022 \" \u00bb\u201d d \u00ab* \nas the Incarnation ofJesus\u00b0^ Z YT\" *\u00b0 \u201c r \u2122 dd \n\nEastern teaching, the tLchL o Z I T! fa \u2122 iliar \" th th ' aneient \nwe shall at oncf \u201e,K\u00ab fde'tv *7^*1?* \u00ab\" B \u00ab ddha \u2019 \n\nolder efforts of Masters Once V V t T eachm S and purpose with these \n\nforces, entrusting^ one of ffs honoured ^ \u00b0 f MaSterS ****** * \nmission to mankind,\u2014which seems bent o^^fT a tremendous and tragical \nhistory, through determined egotism and tlI Se \u2019 f ' destructlon at every period of \nshall find an identity and at the \u00ab forfeiture of immortal life. We \n\nPlan. The great uLhh^ds set th 7 \u2122\u2019 \" \u00b0 f method and of \n\nfalse self by revealing the snlend emse ves t0 destroy the egotism of the \nteaching wa\" nu\u00a3%\u00a3fV\u2122 ^ ^ this \n\nwas once more enthroned, the Buddha P ^ th \u00ae ,do1 of the false self \n\nperhaps we may say trusted that th ^ u 1WSe ^ to smash that idol; and, \n\nY say, trusted that those who survived and came through on \n\n\n\nWe find the Master who is known as the Christ-the Anointed-pursuing \na method at once the same as to its goal, and somewhat different in mea . \n\nHe seems to have determined to do two things. The Buddha, in teaching \nthe unreality of the false self, tried in every possible way to bring his followers \nto deny and abjure the false self; among other means, he showed with crystal\u00ac \nline clarity that all the evils of life are the offspring of egotism, and of egotis \nalone Because of egotism, mankind is beset with misery miseraWe in birth \nmiserable throughout life, miserable in death; and, he s aid, 11* \n\nthere is only one way of escape, and that is the destruction \ni is the root of all misery. So he used the lever of sorrow, as \nlever of abnegation, to persuade us to abandon our idolatry of self. \n\ngoal: the conquest of self as the way to immortality. \n\nwords: \u201cHe that loveth his life shall lose it; \n\n; world shall keep it unto life eternal\u201d: the \n- \u2022 - l,\u2014 yet with a difference. While \now, which men so greatly dread, and before \n\u2014 * \u25a0 1 -r in another way. \n\nn sorrow,\u201d he said in effect, \u201cbut accept it, and learn its \nConquer self, conquer egotism, by accepting sorrow. \nr Wisdom, he invariably carried out his own teaching wit \nlid the Buddha. Therefore, his life, from its inception, rests \n;e of sorrow, which was his peculiar contribution, we may \nual mission of mankind; as the words of the ancient prophet \nressed it, \u201cDespised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, \nAth grief \u201d This acceptance of sorrow has a purpose in no \nn the purpose of the Buddha. It is a part of the path which \nnd tread courageously with valiant heart, if we are really to \nand win immortality. To use a homely expression: there is \nly one end;\u2014if we have pleasure at the one end, we shall \n3 ain at the other. The only way is to take the whole stick \ne acceptance of sorrow is an inevitable part of the lesson of \nidha accepted suffering and sorrow with a fulness which has \neded, as did also Christ; but the Buddha used the lever of \n\nTaps be right in thinking that Christ sought to break the idol \n>t another way; a way which is infinitely appealing, because \nsacrifice which it involved: namely, to break down egotism \nmg force of pity, of compassion. Here is a group of persons, \nid imprisoned in his own egotism as in a coat of steel. If pity \nfir hearts, this egotism would melt away as snow banks melt \nT'Wpfr.re Christ taught compassion. The parable of the \n\n\nescape from misery, \nof egotism which \u2018 \nhe used the 1-. \u2014 \n\nChrist had the same \nTime after time, he used the same 1 \nand he that hateth his life in this \nteaching of the Upanishads and of the Buddha, \n\nthe Buddha used the lever of sorrow, \\- \n\nwhich so manv men are arrant cowards, Christ met sorrow \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n14 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nC0 Z andment 1 glV ? unt0 y0U \u2019 That ye love one an \u00b0ther as I have loved vou \u201d \n-compassion, to melt the hardness of our human hearts 7 \u2019 \n\nto drive ro S me 0t th?s y trL teaC H hmg ', by by injUnCti \u00b0 n that Christ sought \n\nl fL M :r,L w i dom r chin8 over \u00b0\u00bb>\u2014 ^ \n\nAs Krishna, \u00a3 ,he Ma^VZ'r ^ fl \u00b0\u2018 \n\nBhagavad Gita; \u201cWhenever there is a withering of The Law^' ^ ^ \nof lawlessness, then I manifest myself for th\u00bb g ^ ^ L ? and an uprising \nthe destruction of such as do evil\u201d Th/ * th al 7 atl0n of the n ghteous, and \n\ntion, -for the dJStoof \n\nof the law of Karma; and, since it is the law we shaikh lm P ressive expression \n\nThe principal matter is that, whenever the need arises the Ma t\u00b0 **' \n\nintervene in our human life. eS \u2019 \u2122 Ma ters of Wisdom \n\nTo return to the point from which we started \u2022 v\u2122. *u \nTheosophical Society \u2014but net ti, \" u d ' You are the S uests of The \ncence on the part of members of The^h &n ' V ^ rt \u201c e or extraordinary benefi- \naH of us, the river \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3^ \n\nmany of us believe (you will not find this written in oS ConStioT Cty \u2019 \u201c \nit m any sense an obligation of members to believe it but it is the de\u2019 15 \nviction of many of us)-The Theosophical Society itself is such an efforT \u00b0\u00b0t \nan incarnation of wisdom and power and love L* Q \u201e * an effort, such \n\nconditional immortality as is represented bv the t u tea chmg of that \n\no PP o rtu \u201e ily; r r may <\u00bb\u00bb \n\n\u2022hey, foLri\u201e g \u00a3*\u00a3 ?, h aTX ?\u2022 WiSd \u00b0\" \u2019 C \u00b0 \n\nspecial upgrowth from the animal world-supermen ,n the 10 \"\u2019 Kpt ^ eat & \nare superanimals? permen in the sense that we \n\nhave hoped for the success l u T./'*\u00bb We \u201c\u201d ld 1\u00bbrdly \n\n\u00a3 * \u00ab**\u25a0 \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 t \u201dX\u201c, h \u00a3eThe l o he T \n\nssii'S isr z'xzsi r pat the \n\nevolution, with a far greater scope and \n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHY \n\n\nDarwin ever dreamed. We further hold \nMasters who have been named, and manj \nevolutionists in a sense that makes Darwir \nof one syllable. The Masters of Wisdoi \nsweeps through infinite ages and pervad \ntionists of Darwin\u2019s school perceive onl \npart of the great picture of evolution, of \nglimpse. We hold that other part to b \nsee an ascent from below,\u2014and they do \nhope to see humanity go far higher than the \nimagine. But we hold also that \n\nSome astronomers and physicists \ntruth. For these astronomers, ou: \nhalfway between the immensity of \nthrough boundless reaches of space, \nverging toward extinction. \u2018 \n\nthink of an incandescent world (\u2014 \n\nveloping, or condensing, into a geological world*\u00a3 731 \u2122\u2019 T \n\n\u00ae,\u00b0 , here are gl6ams and glimpses of a descent from above \nevolutionary ascent from below; but, as yet, no real insight into the \nthere is a descent of Spirit into Matter, in part to consolidate \nand in part, infusing itself progressively through Matter \nagain toward its source, to transform Matter into self-conscious c \nSpirit Soddy holds that the process he depicts, the alternation \nincandescent and geological worlds, may take place again and \nprobably taken place times without number in the beginning \nuniverse This is altogether consonant with our teaching- it \nforth in the Buddhist scriptures and in the ancient Puranas \u2019 \n\nAnd we hold that each one of these great terrestrial or \nits harvest of spiritual perfection; that, from tl \nage, an older epoch of universal life, the Mast \nremaining with this our world in order to gua \nours through its infancy and nonage,\u2014our hutr \nshows itself so sorely in need of the teaching \nunwilling to accept that teaching, headstrong \nsatisfaction of egotism, even though i \nThis, then, is the source from whii \nThey are the golden grain, garnered \nspiritual guardians of mankind, of our \ntheir ministering guardians, who ma \ninfinite path of Life. \n\nThis, then, is the goal toward which \nfind the hidden treasure, as it is.calle \nChrist; the hidden treasure of our imm \nmay be won. This is our message, as \n\n\nmat each and every one of the great \nmore whom we hold in reverence, are \nseem like a child, speaking in words \nn have a concept of evolution that \nes innumerable worlds. The evolu- \ny half the problem. There is one \nwhich they have not even gained a \n\nB of vital im P\u00b0 rt - The Darwinists \nnot carry it very far upward. We \nbest of them has been able to \nnot less important is the descent from above \nJ are [ eehn S va g\u00abely after this supplemental \nour substantial and middle-aged sun stands \nof an orb, tenuous as a spider web, dispersed \n* .and a sun grown old, shrunk and shrivelled \nWe find physicists like Frederick Soddy who \n, once more, finer than gossamer, gradually de- \nl like our familiar Earth. \n\nanteceding the \ntruth that \ninto Matter, \nto raise Matter \nomniscient \nbetween \nagain, and has \nless past of the \nis clearly set \n\nplanetary days bore \nharvest of an earlier \nom are carried over, \nde this humanity of \nh, from day to day, \nand so desperately \nnined on the fullest \nand extinction. \n\ncome the Masters of Wisdom. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ni 6 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\nwe fain JuM ^auTa^TZZZyTe^e ^But^^n \u00b0 f Wisd \u00b0 m Whom \n\nsssr \n\nyours, if you will accept it and fulfil the r find thls treasure, which may be \nConsider for a moment the^ 10nS neces ^ ^r its attainment \nday, the present hour. There are va\u2122 SC10usness of men at the present \nchurches echo the word immortality but \u00b0! immortaI >ty-the \n\nwaning courage. Taking it all i\u201e all the 11 Wth flaggln & force and \n\nPurely material: comfort andalii 7177\" ^ 7 ^ ^ \u00ab* \nbody, and amusement of the personal self A1 \u00b0 f the material \n\nrings of the majority of people are d w h ff thlngs the heart- \n\nm a deserted garden, wrapping itself about a\u2019 77\u2019 hke W,ld convolvulus \ns rangled to death. TheTruth2 Lt ?\u201d*** that * being \n\nthe comfort of the physical body on the defeet 7 7 mankind are set on \nthe logical thing to do is, to dig their r, tatlon of the Personal self then \nthat there is no conceivable immortality fo/rT forthwith - for the reason \nbound themselves to what is mortal Thk hT' \u2022 Th \u00ae y have deliberately \nus a re reasonably grateful that it is ' No oJ Y \u201c m \u00b0 rta, '-and some of \nt is immortal. They have staked their lites on wh T** ** * m \u00b0 ment tbat \n\nTWnk Sm h ^ thC b \u00b0 dy are do \u00b0med to death \u201c t0 ,ose ' Both \n\nThink what it would be, if mankind or o \u2022 \n\nwere to hold instead the splendid ideal 7^\u00b0\" \u00b0 f manki \"d, \n\nfoiro of sacnfice, of self-abasement of Jff \u2022 M f Sters of Wisdom, by every \nforth to mankind through long centuries have been holding \n\nof years. If we were to accent the \u00b0 ng millenniums, and even millions \nstruction of egotism, through purificatkmof if 7 thr \u00b0ugh the de! \ncompassion and indomitable heroism th through a clean life, through \nspintual consciousness, what a tran -f \u2019 h [\u00b0 Ugh the search for wisdom anH \n\n{JHTnT ati \u00b0 n Pr \u00b0 mising a golden a^arfi\" 7^ W \u00b0 rk in the world \nfabled Golden Age of the past g ^ finer and splendid than the \n\nis rt hlS ' then \u2019 1S \u00b0 Ur opportunity. This is the \n\nis the great career, if you wish n\u2122 ? ? the P r \u00b0mise held out to us rt \n\ntreasure which the Masters of Wisdom ha! 7* \u00b0 f Pr \u00b0 mise: the splendid \npearl of great price, of which Christ aVe offered through the a^es \n\nthat very realm of the Masters th! hkkT\u2019 ? ^ kingdom of heaven namely 6 \n\nxx - *\u25a0\u00bb>\u00ab\u00bb\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 ,re * sore *X \nxx sr * ** xttxx ? r- \n\nKots, all the evil that has \n\n\nTHEOSOPHY \n\n\n17 \n\nbeen done in his name. Even those who would not call themselves Christians, \nspeak with reverence, with love, with admiration of him whom they consider \na marvellous figure in the past; whom we hold to be a living Master in the \npresent and in the future, with the Buddha and the Great Companions \nThe scriptures with which we are most familiar have the same teaching of \nthe Lodge of Masters. Throughout the Old Testament you will find the \nrecord of Messengers (translated \u201cangels\u201d and thereby somewhat obscured) \nlike those who came to Abraham, foretelling \u201cthe destruction of such as do \nevil. There are like Messengers in the book of Daniel; and there is that \ngreat passage in the second book of Esdras, where on the holy hill, Esdras \nsaw the Sons of Wisdom, and he said, \u201cWhat are these? He answered and \nsaid unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put \non the immortal\u201d; the Masters of Wisdom, as we believe them to be. In \nthe New Testament, supplementing the central figure of the Master Christ, \nin the fourth chapter of the Apocalypse, there is again a picture of the Lodge \nof Masters, just as in the Bhagavad Gita and in the scriptures of Buddhism. \n\nBut it will not profit us if we leave the Masters of Wisdom in the Suttas \nand the Apocalypse. Our problem is, to find them here and now, through \nthe sacrifice of our egotism, the purification of our hearts, through loyal service, \nflaming aspiration, fiery devotion. These are the means. These are the \ngolden steps of the everlasting pathway to the House of Eternity. \n\nThis is our opportunity; the opportunity which, however inadequately \nand imperfectly, I have tried to bring before every one who is here to-night \nas a hope, and, perhaps, to some, as a radiant splendour. \n\nThis is our opportunity. This is the Path. Let us take our courage in \nboth hands and determine that, whatever be the cost, we shall seek the aid \nof the Great Companions and set forth on that immortal pathway, with the \nsame goal toward which they press: to bring humanity out of darkness into \nlight, out of death into immortality. \n\n\nKeep thine ear open to the counsels of wisdom so that, if not wise now, thou \nmayest become so in thy future years and may die a wise man.\u2014 Cowles. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA BACKGROUND FOR CHELASHIP \n\n\nT HE purpose of this note is to outline, as simply and briefly as possible, \ncertain salient features of a background, drawn from the study of \nTheosophy, against which the subject of chelaship may be viewed in \na less misleading perspective than when, taken out of its proper context, it \nis considered only in the terms of our ordinary Western thought. \n\nChelaship is a state or stage of spiritual life\u2014as definite and as impossible \nto evade in spiritual growth as is the corresponding stage of childhood in physical \nand mental growth. The word \"chela\u201d means child; but as it is a matter of \nspiritual childhood, the first requisite for its understanding is some apprehen\u00ac \nsion of spiritual life, in contradistinction to the ordinary personal life \n\nIt is futile to attempt to define spirit. At the basis of every science, implicit \nin all speech, there are certain undefinables, which can only be pointed to; \nonly be known as they are seen and experienced. Spirit and matter are two \nsuch undefinables. The theosophical philosophy presents these two as two \naspects or facets of the essential Unity of Being, from which comes the duality \nthat characterizes all manifestations of Being. They are the opposite poles \nof conditioned existence\u201d, the whole manifested universe reflecting their \nmutual interaction and interpenetration. Spirit descends into matter in\u00ac \ncarnating more and more of itself; and as it descends, it draws matter up \nanimating it, and building it into more and more highly organized forms to \nserve as vestures or vehicles of the spirit. In this view, therefore, the evolu- \nlonary process, the process of becoming, which we see throughout the whole \nmanifested- universe, is an essentially dual movement. The ascent of, or \nrom, matter is concomitant with, and caused by, a descent of, or from, spirit \nThe one movement cannot be separated from the other, and the teaching of \nscience, w ich focusses attention solely on the ascending sequence of animal \nforms, needs to be supplemented by a recognition of the other half of the \n\nTirimoT'r/ 6 pr0gressive descent of the incarnating spirit. As material or \nanimal life comes to us from below, so spiritual life comes to us from above \nj.e share in each; neither is, or can be, pure in us. We cannot know \u201cpure \npnt any more than we can know \u201cpure matter\u201d, but we can-know the \ndirection in which we must look and move, if we are to see it more-clearly \nand to incarnate it more fully. We must look above ourselves; move from \n\n7 0 a T f WC ^ n0t y et -~ Ieani ng. pressing, out from our own nature \nto what is beyond our nature. \n\nare Th s e o r t f Wo Wh ?f We define \u201cspirit\u201d, though it enters into all we \n\nimm h t 0U f. llf / 15 ,ts hfe ln us - though it is manifest wherever we look, \n\n\u2018\u201c a11 of nature - we see - nevertheless, that in order to point to it \nmost d^ectly, we must use a term of ill repute in modern thought-the \nadjective supernatural\u201d. The spiritual life is a supernatural life; a life \n\n18 \n\n\nA BACKGROUND FOR CHELASHIP \n\n\n19 \n\n\nthat comes to us from above and that leads us to what is above There is \nno power arising from nature itself that can enable it to transcend itself \nThe driving power of evolution and of upward progress is not in nature; it is \nm supemature. It is not a push; it is a pull. \n\nJ*\u2122 ^ g \u00b0 fUrth T' r kt J US try t0 recognize wh *t this means in terms of \nown experience. We identify at once the two opposing currents in our \nconscious life; the one arising from beneath, pertaining plainly to the vesture \n\ncart 5 ^ TT\u2019 ^ Spmt itSelf ' Jt ' s concerned with the animal \n\nDernet, T'\u2019 \u25a0}' 1StS \u00b0 f ^ flesh the cravin S f \u00b0r safety, ease, pleasure, the \n\nperpetuation of its own existence, and the exercise and gratification of its own \n\nenergies. But even more closely it concerns itself with the psychic vesture- \n\nwith our pictures of ourselves, which we seek to maintain at all costs, and \n\n, \u00b0 \u2122 P ^ SS the \u201c Up \u00b0 n aI1 . about us tha t we may see them reflected back to \n\nIt is the To 7 S rf^ wZ e 1S th , e greater part of ambition, and all of vanity. \n\nselves tn r (1 S< f 5 a WOrd may thus be de K raded ) of what we consider our- \n\nmanKeste?\u2019- ^ h \u00b0 pe t0 become = of what has been incarnated and \n\nall thlt if m fiV\u00b0# \u00b0 f 7 hat IS bey \u00b0 nd and above us ' R attaches itself to \n\nit turns that\" a\u00b0! g \u00b0\u00b0 , 7 US: bUt t0 the extent t0 which attaches itself, \nit turns that good into evil; for it makes good operate to hold us where we are, \n\na barrier to our rising to what is better. On the other hand, we recognize \n\nourselves an opposite current, coming from above, bringing with it ideals \n\nlit . \\ n ,al T **! h*\" <** \u2014 \u00ab*\u25a0\u00ab* - their authentidtyfult \n\nThoueh \u00ab ? P f\u00b0 f * he d \u201c reS th * Psychic nature,, \n\nthough, as we have just indicated, many of them come to be reflected in and \n\nservfeTfTh } vi 6 psycblc selb Tbls current from above prompts us to the \nservice of these ideals, to the service of truth, of righteousness, of the welfare \n\nof others; to the setting aside of self for something higher than self Our \nseTf U a r nd 1S seli US mte ^ netrati \u00b0ns, the conflicts and the compromises, of \n\nR * rl f 7 and day by day we act out this nature in good and ill \nBut both above and below what we are\u2014what we thus incarnate day by day\u2014 \n\nwe are conscious of unplumbed depths of what might be that are constantly \ncalling to us; of evil unimaginable with which the selfishness in ourselves is \nyet of one piece, and on the very brink of which, in moments of lurid self- \nrevelation we sometimes see ourselves to stand; and, on the other hand, of \ngood of heroic loyalties which shame our faithlessness, but before which, \nour shame is lost in worship; of Being that is of itself beauty and truth, wisdom \nand power and love, and which stretches upward \u201cwithout bar or wall\u201d \netween it and the Supreme. And this, too, though it infinitely transcend \nus, is felt to be of one piece, not with what we are, but with that to which we \naspire. We see or sense it as the living stream from which our ideals flow \nto us. It is not our self, but it is the source, the creator, of all that is of worth \nm our self. It is more than the source; it is the end and goal. It is both alpha \nand omega, the first and the last. It is more intimate than the self; and \nonly in it can the self, losing itself, realize itself. It is not nature; it is super- \nnature. Its life is the spiritual life. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n20 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThis should serve to indicate what we are talking about when we talk of \nthe spiritual life. It is not a matter of vague yearnings, of pious platitudes, \nof kindly, generous impulses, of dreamy reveries or church services, of humani- \ntarianism or mere morality, of the keeping of the commandments or a blame\u00ac \nless life. It is the upward striving of the whole man, in response to the drawing \npower of what is above him. It is the abandonment of nature, in reliance \nupon, and for the incarnation of, supemature. As we stand, we are creatures \nof the borderland. Three courses are open to us: to continue as we are, of \ndivided loyalty, divided purpose, undoing with one hand what we do with the \nother, forever stultifying and nullifying ourselves; or we may claim citizenship \nin either country, in life with the spirit, or in death with the body,\u2014but only \nat the cost of leaving the other and giving ourselves wholly, in undivided \nloyalty, to the one we choose. \n\nWe turn now to the second way in which we must draw upon Theosophy \nto supplement our modern thought. We may introduce it by recalling the \nold, unsolvable problem as to which came first, the chicken or the egg. Wher\u00ac \never we look at life we see maturity and infancy side by side; the oak, the \nacorn, and the growing sapling; but we have already noted that the view of \nthe universe, and particularly of human evolution, which science offers us, \ntraces the ascent of life from the germ of the single cell to the point where man \nis to-day, with no indication whatever as to whence that germ came or toward \nwhat maturity we are growing. Theosophy supplements this view, not only \nby pointing to the descending current of spirit, but also by its knowledge of \nthe Masters, of perfected men, and of the great hierarchy of spiritual being \nthat stretches unbroken to the Eternal. It shows us that our life of \nbecoming is the offspring, the child, of life that has become, that is. \nMan is not the orphan that science depicts; he has his Father in the Heavens, \nand his Father\u2019s Fathers; who have become even as he must become, and they \nmanifest, in its maturity, that to which his infancy must grow. It is from \nthem and through them that the current of spiritual life reaches him. They \nare the realized embodiment of all to which he aspires and strives; it is their \nlife, imparted to him, which enables him to aspire and to strive. But over and \nabove the life which they thus transmit to what is beneath them, they remain \nthemselves; not abstract spirit, but its concrete, personal embodiment. So \nKrishna, speaking as the Eternal Spirit, says to Arjuna: \u201cI established this \nwhole universe with a single portion of myself, and remain separate.\u201d \n\nWe should now be in a better position to understand what is meant when \nwe translate ch\u00a3laship\u201d as spiritual childhood. It implies that the ch\u00a3la \nhas entered into the spiritual life, and that he has a Father\u2014mature in the \nspiritual life. But it implies more than that, for that would be equally true \nof the infant, and there is a distinction between infancy and childhood. \n\nPerhaps we are born as spiritual \u201cinfants\u201d from the moment that we \nresolve, consciously and irrevocably, to claim citizenship in the spiritual \nworld, giving our undivided loyalty to its laws and aims, so that, however \noften we fail to maintain its standards, we never cease to struggle to maintain \n\n\nA BACKGROUND FOR CHELASHIP \n\n\n21 \n\n\nthem, and are no longer of doubtful will. Let us say that this is \u201cbirth\u201d, \n\u2014though the mystery of birth must go far deeper. Between birth and \nchildhood, however, intervenes the period of infancy, in which the little one, \ndependent at every point upon his parents (or upon those who stand in the \nplace of his parents), has not yet learned to recognize them or to identify \nthe source from which his needs are met. He must first gain the control \nand use of his senses and faculties; and until he has himself accomplished \nthis, his universe must seem a very impersonal one. Food arrives, descend\u00ac \ning out of the blue at more or less regular intervals, more or less con\u00ac \ncomitantly with the increase of certain interior sensations which the food \nallays, and sometimes apparently expedited by sufficiently lusty wails. The \nsame wails may tend to remove other ills\u2014such as stray or misdirected pins \n\u2014but, on the whole, the infant\u2019s world must be a place where things just \ncome, and you have to learn to take them as they come. It is by taking them \nas they come, by using them for his own growing life, that his faculties are \ndeveloped. The parallels between this and the rudimentary stages of the \nreligious life are obvious and need not be elaborated. Such spiritual infancy \nis not childhood or ch\u00a3laship. \n\nPhysical childhood, as distinct from infancy, is marked by the facts that \nthe use of the senses has been gained, that parents or nurses are recognized, \nand that the child is conscious of his own relation to them and of his member\u00ac \nship as one of his own particular family. The child\u2019s world is no longer an \nimpersonal world. He may still be very largely ignorant of the grown-up \nworld, and of the actual interests and labours of grown men and women; but \nhe is not ignorant of their existence, nor of the fact that it is through them \nthat his needs are met and his own life guided and ruled. At just what point \ninfancy passes into childhood it would be difficult to say. The infant \nbecomes the child, and any process of becoming is a gradual one. Only \nafter the transition has been made can it be recognized and the difference \nperceived. But it is noteworthy that our adult memories do not reach back \nto infancy. At the earliest point they touch, we see ourselves as children, \nconscious of our parents and of our membership in the family; and it is prob\u00ac \nable that these earliest memories mark the completion of the transformation, \n\u2014in a certain sense the completion of \u201cbirth\u201d, for the infancy that lay behind \nit is as veiled to our adult consciousness as is the pre-natal state itself. It is \nfrom that point that our personal consciousness has been of the same kind \nas it is now, and that our adult life has arisen. It is the same in the spiritual \nlife. The spiritual infant must grow into, must become, the spiritual child, \nthe ch\u00a3la, through acquiring the use of his spiritual senses and faculties, \nthrough the recognition of his parents and guardians, and of his dependence \non them and through the realization of himself as a member of his own par\u00ac \nticular family. It is from that point that his adult spiritual life arises; and \nch\u00a3laship is the growth, the pressing forward to that adult life. \n\nThere is need to remember, however, that when we translate from the speech \nof the East into that of the West and think of \u201cch61a\u201d as meaning \u2018 child , \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n22 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nwe run grave risk of colouring our thought with all those connotations which \nchildhood has for us to-day, and which are very different from those which \nit had in earlier times among Eastern peoples. There a son was supposed to \nbe an asset, not a liability. His loyalty was to his father and his family; \nnot to himself. He went where they went, served them and those they served.\u2019 \nTasks and responsibilities were assumed by him as soon as he had strength \nto accomplish them; and it was through these that he was taught and grew \nto manhood. There could be no more complete antithesis to chglaship than \nthe spoiled child too often considered normal to-day\u2014who looks to his \nfather only to supply the capital for his self-indulgences, and turns to home \nonly for shelter, and to escape the consequences of his acts. \n\nHenry Bedinger Mitchell. \n\n\nIn general one only asks advice so as not to follow it; or if one do follow it so as \nto reproach the person who gave it .\u2014 A. Dumas. \n\n\nAs nothing reveals character like the company we keep, so nothing foretells \nfutunty like the thoughts over which we brood .\u2014 Newell Dwight Hillis. \n\n\nWHY I JOINED \n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\n\nF EW of us know why we joined. Most of us know how, and we 1 ke to \nthink that is why, and to tell it. It is easier to tell about those things \nwe do not understand than about those things we do understand In \nthe former case, we have all the latitude in the world; in the latter, the limi- \ntations are unromantically indisputable and definite. \n\nYet-we do know that we were led into The Theosophical Society by a \nfavouring and watchful guidance, and we will not permit anyone to persuade \nus that it was a \u201cfortuitous happening\u201d. Do we not look down-deep down \ninto ourselves\u2014and make every sincere, silent effort to respond to'Those w \ncall for what belongs to Them (mark those words: we belong to Them); and \n\nare we not grateful in feeling that we have heard that call. \n\nTust like yourselves, I cannot recall the past, and, if I could I should very \nlikely be astounded at some of its personal assortments and combinations \na nd 'interrelations- but I do remember the occasion when He who regulates \nthings in His own\u2019way for our best interest, first introduced me at this time. \nYhat introduction made it easy for me to \u201csign up\u201d many years later without \n\na U was'somTtime in the summer after I was born. The fruit was still green \non the trees and there were also many flowers. My mother did just as they \nall do Awaiting her opportunity one day when others of the household were \naway' she took me up to a vacant attic room, just to have me to herself to \ncaress and fondle where none may see or observe or know-as she thought \nWhat would she have said could she have seen this stranger whom she thought \nshe held in her arms, standing up in front and all around, filling the room, and \nalso being without amongst the trees and the flowers? \n\nMarvellously beautiful and vital is nature when we see it from the real side \n\n_responding to the charm of the spiritual world with silent, brilliant adoration, \n\neach kingdom and species in its own way, all joining in one worship of that \nexalted realm which induces all things to express their motives. Life, that \nday was in every atom, in the sky. in the twitter of the birds which I could \nfeel\u2019 but not hear, in the tremble of all the leaves, in the deep solid fragrance \nof the shrub, in the glowing self-confidence of the rose, in the perpendicular, \nunabashed height of the sun-flower, climbing up to its crown of glory. \n\nMy mother believed that her gestures, as she teased me, were gentleness \nitself to me they contrasted violently with the glowing, peaceful, unified \nmdetude of mv world. Not quite here, I could not manipulate that brain \nr\u201c\u00abrd\\ta. body Which she held on her lap. I begged he, to be sdent; \n\n23 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2 4 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto hold me up: was not everything else looking up ? But there was no fear, \nno resentment, no pain; only I was somewhat aghast at this strange person \nwho made such unlimited assumptions\u2014who took such liberties. I help\u00ac \nlessly pawed the air and clutched at heaven\u2014only to grasp the world while \nshe poured on me all the joy of her heart; unknowingly she blessed me and \noverwhelmed me with the Master\u2019s happiness and love. And so that day I \naccepted I joined; under protest, but without pain or sorrow. \n\nThat is all for that\u2014because children grow up. As they grow up, they \ngrow down down into a personality to forget (almost\u2014not quite). As they \nbegin to grow away from their mothers, the world comes forward and \n\u2018\u2018mothers\u201d them with the insistent effrontery of its learning, its culture, its \nstandards\u201d, and its blinding infamy. \n\nThen Those who wait and watch must again have recourse to appropriate \nmethods to remind us of what we must not forget. Do you not remember \nhow, when you were children, and houses were not well heated, good house\u00ac \nkeepers covered all the floors with heavy carpets after first spreading news\u00ac \npapers on the boards, and how they always took the carpets up for spring \ncleaning? 6 \n\nI hark back to one of those spring cleanings. Carpets up, newspapers \ngathered together and piled in a heap in the corner, and myself wandering \nabout the house disturbed and disconcerted by the confusion. I rummaged \namongst those old papers and found myself trying to read an illustrated article \n(it was the illustration that caught my eye) about Theosophy, theosophical \nintelligences\u201d, Adepts, akasha, \u2018\u2018reincarnating once every three thousand \nyears\u201d-my word, what a \u201cfind\u201d for a small boy! I guess thirty to fifty \nper cent of the English words were not in my vocabulary nevertheless I \nunderstood enough to make an indelible impression, more \u2019than enough \u2019to \nevoke a deep and mysterious interest, and to recall to me the peculiar memories \nof that day when my mother magnetized me and drew me in Suddenlv \nfeeling that I possessed something of real worth and value, I instinctively \nsecreted the paper with the mental reservation to seek the first favourable \nopportunity to sneak it out and read it again in secret. \n\nFortunately for me, my \u201cfind\u201d was too well hidden. Had I found it I \nshould have learned it\u201d, and have fixed certain errors and false impressions \nin my mind until it got stale. How well I remember, during my persistent \nsearch, that I constantly satisfied my anxiety by having recourse to the original \nfascinating, illusive impressions until the yearning for \u201cTheosophy\u201d sank into \nthe marrow. Oh, how we crave those things which are taken from us' \n\n\u201cmo U the C r h \u201dtoem keeP \u201c Up \u2019 and d \u00b0 Wn> and the world continues to \n\nA few years later:\u2014I am playing with my boyhood friends. In a corner \nof the garden is a new-made pile of discarded books waiting to be carted away \nWe bombard each other with those old books to our hearts\u2019 content, until the \nlawn and flower beds are covered with leaves and \u201cscraps of paper\u201d. With \nall our ammunition used up, the game is \u201cbusted\u201d. We pause; there is a \n\n\n\nmomentary relaxation\u2014a letting go\u2014waiting for something else to happen \n\nIbsoTd TV 0 , S \u00b0T thing \u201d AS 1 Stand stiU - abstractedly and un- \n\nabsorbed, I slowly realize that one of my companions has his eye warily on \n\na book cover that I unconsciously hold in my hand. Now, it is or was cus\u00ac \ntomary for bookbinders to paste paper on the round of the margins of the \nleaves to hold the stitches firm, and also on the inside of that part of the \n\noowltht r\u00b0 UndS ag3inSt thC StitChed margins of the leaves - As I \nlooked at that cover fragment which I involuntarily (?) held, I observed that \n\nP P PaStC \u201cIT ,nS ' WaS a fragment of P rinted matter, and my eye \ncau g ht the word Karmendnyas\u201d. I knew where I had seen that before- \n\nf 6 ' gh ng the memory of the lost newspaper and of the never-to-be- \nforgotten summer day, flashed up into my mind. Fearing detection and \ncatechizing, I quickly dashed it down, but not before full advantage had been \n\nonWcai\u00b0th my rr 10 \" and my mem \u00b0 ry and interest in mysterious theos\u00ac \nophical things had again been sharpened and stirred to the depths \n\nc a ^l r0m r Cin i if 1 Say_inCredibly skilful watchfulness and kindness to \ncatch me just in the moment of abstraction, and spring a reminder on me? \n\nhat episode drove things home deep and clinched them. Thereafter I would \nfor more'^ *** th \u00b0 Se lHUSiVe im P ressions - and P\u00b0nder on them and yearn \n\nWhat of religion? Yes: I was sent to Sunday School in the good old regu- \n\nWm 11 TiT f e , standard offenn g each Sunday; admonitions, catechism \nhymns Bible study n everything. Annual Christmas party with its boxes \nof candy and oranges and sticks of peppermint, which we stuck in our \noranges and sucked. Did you not do the same? What? You did not? \nNow the saints preserve you-your childhood was neglected The olace \nwas good and as usual, discipline too lax even to evoke misbehaviour. The \nSunday School not only had me for years, but for the best years; yet with its \nalmost total spiritual blindness it could not match the few incisive strokes \ngiven just at the right time, at the right place, in the right way. \n\nVisitors came to our home, when I was about eighteen years of age from \nanother city. They stayed a long time, and, while there, formed the acquain- \nance of a Russian artist who talked Theosophy to us. A great deal of my \n? uno f^y was satisfied; more was stimulated, and\u2014well\u2014I was easily drawn \nm. While the interest was still leading, and apprehensions and doubt at \nhome were pending, I settled everything by asking for the usual application \nblank, and signed it. \n\nNow please be careful. Of course we are all alike because we are not only \nourselves, but also several others; nevertheless, your personal circumstances \nare peculiarly and exclusively your own, so, if you rip up a lot of carpets, and \ndestroy a lot of valuable books, and get left and don\u2019t catch me, I am afraid \nyou will not get much sympathy. \n\n\nB. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\nPART I, SECTIONS 1-6 \n\n\nTHE POWERS OF THE LOGOS \n\nT HE great Upanishads were compiled as Instructions for disciples pre\u00ac \nparing for Initiation. They contain philosophical teaching, and also \nmany stories, generally in the form of spirited dialogues, of great \nbeauty and eloquence, or ironical, but always radiant with spiritual wisdom. \nIf we think of what is here translated as a part of these Instructions, we shall \nhave little difficulty in understanding its significance. \n\nThe theme is the Logos, the divine creative Word, which Philo called the \nMind of God, with its progressive manifestation in the Universe and in the \nSpirit of man. Further, the Sections here translated were especially designed \nfor disciples who knew the Sama Veda. If we remember that the Sama Veda \nis a collection of hymns which are in effect magical incantations, and that \nthe lines which make up these hymns are in the main taken from the hymns \nof the Rig Veda and set to music, we shall be able to understand most of the \nallusions, which were familjar to these disciples. \n\nThe Logos as a unity, as the divine One, is represented by the syllable \n\u201cOm\u201d, as pronounced with vibration of magical potency. So the divine \nWord vibrates, sounding with magical potency, and from its sounding the \nUniverse is made manifest. In the highest manifestation, the One becomes \nThree: the mystery of the Trinity in Unity. In the text here translated, \nthis Highest Triad is symbolized by the form of chant called \u201cUd-gi-tha\u201d, \nhere rendered by the three words,\u201c Loud Chant Song\u201d, to suggest its threefold \nnature. The Sanskrit word generally translated \u201csyllable\u201d literally means \n\u201cthat which cannot be diminished\u201d, and is, therefore, a fitting term for the \ndivine One, as well as for Om as a unit of speech. \n\nOm, then, symbolizes the One, first made manifest as the Triad, here repre\u00ac \nsented as the Loud Chant Song. Then come the progressive manifestations \nof the Triad through emanation. The text carries us at once to the outermost \nor lowest emanation, here called \u201celemental Earth\u201d, to be thought of, not as \nbrute matter, but rather as the crystallization or consolidation of Spirit, to \nbe raised again to its divine form by the progressive infusion of Spirit; just \nas ice becomes water, steam, invisible vapour, by the infusion of heat. There\u00ac \nfore, we are told that \u201cof elemental Earth the Waters are the essence\u201d; the \nWaters are the principle of Life, or Prana, that form of Spirit which first acts \non Matter, causing the first transformation from mineral into organic Matter, \nhere described as \u201cthe Growths\u201d, the earlier forms of plant and animal life. \nAfter these earlier forms comes Man, of whom \u201ccreative Voice is the essence\u201d; \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n27 \n\n\nthis is the ray of the Logos, \u201cthe true Light, which lighteth every man that \ncometh into the world.\u201d It is regarded as a divine perceptive power, and also \na power of action, symbolized by the magical energy of a divine invocation or \nincantation. So we come to the Rig Veda from which are taken the invoca\u00ac \ntions of the Sama Veda, and thence to the Loud Chant Song, symbolizing the \ndivine Triad in man and in the Universe. Thus the wave of manifestation \nreturns to its source; the divine cycle is completed. So the disciples were \ntaught to regard the manifested Universe and the Spirit within themselves \nas the magnificent music of the divine creative Word, the Logos. \n\nThe true Light lighteth every man that cometh into the world, whether he \nrecognize that Light or not. So there are those who know and those who \nknow not; but \u201cwhat he accomplishes through wisdom, that, verily, possesses \ngreater virtue.\u201d \n\nThen comes the parable of the Bright Powers and the Dark Powers. Since \nthis is teaching for disciples, there is no attempt to reveal the ultimate origin \nof evil; more important for them is the existence of evil, and its potential \npresence within themselves. So they were told an ancient tale which shows \nthat every power, though in essence divine, holds within it the possibility \nof misuse, and therefore of evil. For example, because the Dark Powers \npierced Mind with evil, we can form imaginations which corrupt as well as \nimaginations which stimulate and raise us. Then, when all the powers of \nman are purified, so that his consciousness is raised to the higher Triad, the \nDark Powers in vain assail this divine being; they are shattered as a clod of \nearth which is dashed against a firm rock. The life of man has risen above \nduality; he no longer discerns \u201codorous or malodorous, for he has cast away \nevil.\u201d Then, perhaps, he is fitted to comprehend \u201cthe origin of evil\u201d, and \nthe part which evil plays in the manifestation and dissolution of worlds. \nAnother universal symbol is used in the sentence, \u201cWhatsoever through this \nprincipal Life he eats or drinks, through this he guards the lesser lives\u201d: to \neat means to gain bodily experience; to drink means to gain mental, or sub\u00ac \njective, experience. When, through the \u201cprincipal Life\u201d, the Higher Self, \nall the powers have been purified, then all experience is sanctified, he eats and \ndrinks consecrated elements, as in the Sacrament. All experience, purified \nand ordered by the Higher Self, makes for spiritual wisdom and power. Thus \nhis experience ministers to \u201cthe lesser lives\u201d, the different powers manifested \nby the Spirit. But he who, \u201cat the time of the end\u201d, at death, has not con\u00ac \nsciously brought himself under the guidance of the Higher Self, is said to \n\u201cdepart\u201d along the weary pathway of compelled rebirth. \n\nIn the sentences which end this Section are a series of names, like Angiras \nand Brihaspati. In the original, there is in each case a play on words; they \nseem, therefore, to be mnemonics, to fix in the memory of the disciple the \nessence of the teaching which has gone before. \n\nIn the following Section, the Sun, as always in the Mystery teaching, is \nthe great visible symbol of the Logos, as in the eloquent verse \u201cthe Sun of \nrighteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.\u201d Here, the Sun is likened \n\n\n+ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n28 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\nto the principal Life, which is the Logos and the Higher Self, as an undivided \npart of the Logos. When the Sun rises, \u201che sings aloud for beings\u201d: it is the \nancient tradition of the music of the spheres, echoing the divine music of the \ncreative Word. The Sun is spoken of as fire, and also as \u201cSound and return\u00ac \ning Sound.\u201d There is the thought of the Sun as vibrating forth perpetual \nenergy, and also as being not the source of that energy, but as reflecting it \nfrom the true source, the Logos; thus radiating energy as a cliff sends forth \nan echo. \n\nIn the next paragraph, the \u201cdistributive Life\u201d, which binds together the \nforward Life and the downward Life, seems to correspond to the power called \nFohat, which is in a sense the intermediary between Spirit and Matter. This \nbalanced force gives the magical energy to the Sama chant, and to \u201cwhatever \nother works there are possessing strong virtue.\u201d \n\nThen the primordial Triad, symbolized by the Loud Chant Song, is corre\u00ac \nlated with other triads, as Heaven-Interspace-Earth, Sun-Breath-Fire. The \nsentences enjoining the singer of the chant to seek refuge in the Sama, the \nRig, the Seer, the Divinity, the measure, the song-form and the region to \nwhich he is to chant a hymn of praise, show the division into seven closely \ninterrelated principles or phases of the chant, and thus stand as a symbol of \nevery sevenfold manifestation of the Logos, including sevenfold man. Finally, \nhe draws close to the divine Self which sent him forth, and there is good hope \nthat his heart\u2019s desire will be fulfilled. \n\nThe same return to the divine source and home is taught in the parable of \nthe Bright Powers and Death. The Bright Powers are the divine forces of \nmanifestation, embodied in the descending series of emanations. In the outer \nand lower emanations, in the more material aspects of life, they are subject to \nDeath, for all material forms are of necessity mortal. Then, with the great \nreturn toward Spirit, the divine energy ascended through the emanations, \nhere symbolized as the Rig verse, the Sama chant, the Yajur sentence; they \nentered into the \u201cmagical vibration\u201d which is the first and highest manifes\u00ac \ntation of the Logos, and thus, reunited with the being of the Logos, they \nbecame immortal, fearless. So also he who, thus knowing, enters into the \nbeing of the Logos, thereby is immortal. \n\nThen comes the mysterious story of Kaushitaki and his only son. It would \nseem to picture the task of the disciple, since the spiritual man is spoken of \nas a son. When that son has been born and attains his strength, he manifests \nmany powers, here described again as sons. As the text has been handed \ndown, it reads, when the sentence recurs, \u201cthen mine (my sons) shall be \nmany\u201d, instead of reading, as before, \u201cthen thy sons shall be many\u201d. If this \nancient reading be correct, it implies that the many powers of the spiritual \nman are the powers of the disciple after he has attained. And this would be \nin full accord with spiritual reality, for there is no solution of continuity; the \ndisciple becomes the adept, he is not replaced by the adept. This story ends \nwith a sentence in form equally mysterious: \u201cThus knowing, that which has \nbeen ill chanted from the station of the sacrificial priest, he perfectly fulfils\u201d; \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n29 \n\n\nthe meaning seems to be that, when he has attained he does perfectly \nwhich, as a struggling disciple, he had done imperfectly; the immortal completes \n\n^IthMah^dybeen noted that the Sama chants are for the most part Rig \nverses turned into magical song, infused with the vibration which givw em \nmagical potency. So it is said that \u201cthe Sama chant rests upon the Rg \nverse\u201d This relation is used as a symbol of an inspiring force wit m a ve ic e \nor vesture Thus the fire of Life is breathed into \u201cearth , as in the story \nin Genesis, forming living beings. So the great Breath blows through 1 the \n\u201cinterspace\u201d; in one sense, it is the electrical energy in the air which gives \nbirth to the thunderstorm, but it is also the whole sum of energies which \nmove in space. \u201cEarth, interspace, heavens, lunar mansions are symbol \nof four planes in ascending order; each is shown as infused and energized \nby a co-ordinate power, here symbolized by \u201c the fire of Life, the great Breat , \nth y e Sun. the Moon\", and in each case \u00abe a,e told that the relation between \nthe plane and the force which energizes it is like the relation between g \nand Sama: between the verse of a hymn and the same verse energized by \n\n\u201cThen wecome again to the Sun as symbol of the Logos. J he ry^ outer \nwhite radiance of the Sun, called the photosphere. Beneath and within this \nis the darker body, in part revealed when a section of the photosphere torn \naside by an electrical cyclone which causes a sunspot: the 'nner Sun w ic \nis the storehouse of solar energy, with the photosphere upheld by it as the \nwords of the Rig hymn are upheld by the magical vibration of.the^chanL \nFinally we have the symbolic representation of the Sun as the div \nMan, golden-coloured\u201d, like the Ancient of Days in the Apocalypse, whose \n\u201ceyes were as a flame of fire\u201d; an image of the tremendous potency of the \n\ncreative Logos. \n\nTHE DIVINE CREATIVE WORD \n\nOM: As this unchanging Sound he should reverence the Loud Chant Song; \nfor beginning with Om, he chants the Loud Song. This is its expansion. \n\nOf manifested beings, elemental Earth is the essence. \n\nOf elemental Earth, the Waters are the essence. \n\nOf the Waters, the Growths are the essence. \n\nOf the Growths, man is the essence. \n\nOf Man, creative Voice is the essence. \n\nOf creative Voice, the hymn of the Rig Veda is the essence. \n\nOf the hymn of the Rig Veda, the chant of the Sama Veda is the essence. \n\nOf the chant of the Sama Veda, the Loud Chant Song is the essence. \n\nFor the Loud Chant Song is of these essences the supreme essence, the spiritual \n\nan Which'is^the Rig? Which is the Sama? Which is the Loud Chant Song 5 \n\u2014thus it is considered. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3\u00b0 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nCreative Voice, verily, is the Rig; Life-breath is the Sama; the unchanging \nound Om is the Loud Chant Song. These, then, are a creative pair; Voice \nand Life-breath; Rig and Sama. Then this creative pair is joined together \nin the unchanging Sound Om. For when the creative pair come together \nthey mutually fulfil desire. \n\nHe is a fulfiller of desires who, thus knowing this, reverences the Loud \nChant Song as the unchanging Sound. \n\nThen, venly, this unchanging Sound is affirmation. For when one affirms \nanything, he says \u201cOm!\u201d Affirmation is obtaining. He is an obtainer of \ndesires who, thus knowing this, reverences the Loud Chant Song as the \nunchanging Sound. \n\n\nThrough this unchanging Sound the threefold wisdom acts. With Om, \none calls aloud; with Om, one praises; with Om, one sings the Loud Chant' \n\nfor the honour of this unchanging Sound, because of its might, because of \nits essence. \n\nTherefore both accomplish work, he who thus knows and he who knows not. \nBut different are wisdom and unwisdom; what he accomplishes through wis- \n\nvi\u00b0r?ue thr \u00b0 U8h faith \u2019 thr \u00b0 Ugh the S6Cret teachin g> that, verily, possesses greater \nThis, in truth, is the expansion of this unchanging Sound. \n\n\nWhen the Bright Powers and the Dark Powers strove against each other, \nboth coming forth from the Lord of beings, the Bright Powers laid hold on \nthe Loud Chant Song, saying, \u201cThrough this we shall overcome them!\u201d \n\nThen they reverenced the Life-breath in the nostrils as the Loud Chant Song. \n\nsmelk h!ftfc Da J k P \u00b0 We ^ PIe , rCed * W \u2018 th eViL Therefore - through this, one \nsmells both odorous and malodorous, for this is pierced with evil \n\nAnd so they reverenced creative Voice as the Loud Chant Song. Then the \n\n\u201c a P n T rSPi r e r * ,? th 6ViL Therefore \u2019 th \u00abmgh this, one speaks both \ntruth and untruth, for this is pierced with evil. \n\nAnd so they reverenced Vision as the Loud Chant Song. Then the Dark \nPowers pierced it with evil. Therefore, through this, one sees both seemly \nand unseemly, for this is pierced with evil. y \n\nAnd so they reverenced Hearing as the Loud Chant Song. Then the Dark \n\nshouM bfh d H r, eVi1 ' Theref \u00b0 re ' thr \u00b0 Ugh this ' both what \n\nAnd cn what should not be heard, for this is pierced with evil. \n\nAnd so they reverenced Mind as the Loud Chant Song. Then the Dark \nPowers pierced it with evil. Therefore, through this, one imagines both whit \nshould be imagined and what should not be imagined, for \n\nSong d StSiJit iC ^D e n nCipaI Life th6y reverenced a s the Loud Chant \n\nstriking against afiJ^? P ? W6rS feU \u201c P ieces> as one would fal1 in pieces \npieces so he fa ll\u00ab \u2022 \u2022 r \u00b0 C ^ USt as \u2019 spiking a brm rock, one would fall in \n\nselks toL^ti hSi fi P16Ce t d6SireS 6Vil f \u00b0 r \u00b0 ne wh0 thus knows - or who \n\nseeics to harm hun, for such a one is a firm rock. \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n3i \n\n\nNor, verily, through this principal Life does he discern odorous or malodor\u00ac \nous, for this has cast away evil. Whatsoever through this he eats or drinks, \nthrough this he guards the lesser lives. So, verily, at the end, not finding \nthis principal Life, he departs, at the time of the end he gives up the ghost. \n\nAngiras, verily, reverenced the principal Life as the Loud Chant Song. \nIndeed they think that it is Angiras, for it is the essence of the members. \n\nTherefore, verily, Brihaspati reverenced this as the Loud Chant Song. \nIndeed they think that it is Brihaspati, the Great Lord, for creative Voice \nis great, whereof this is lord. \n\nTherefore, verily, Ayasya reverenced this as the Loud Chant Song. Indeed \nthey think that it is Ayasya, because it proceeds from the mouth. \n\nTherefore, verily, this Baka son of Dalbhya knew. He became master of \nchants for the people of Naimisha. Of old he sang for them their desires. \n\nHe, verily, is a singer of desires who, thus knowing this, reverences it as the \nLoud Chant Song. So far concerning the Self. \n\nAnd so concerning the Bright Powers. He who gleams in the sky, him \none should reverence as the Loud Chant Song. When he rises, verily, he sings \naloud for beings. When he rises, he drives away darkness and fear. He, \nverily, drives away fear and darkness, who thus knows. \n\nThis principal Life and that Sun are alike. For this is fire and that is fire. \nThis principal Life they designate as Sound, and that Sun as Sound and as \nreturning Sound. Therefore, let him reverence the one and the other as the \nLoud Chant Song. \n\nAnd so, in truth, one should reverence the distributive Life as the Loud \nChant Song. When he breathes forth, this is the forward Life-breath; when \nhe breathes downward, this is the downward Life-breath. And so that which \nis the binding together of the forward Life-breath and the downward Life- \nbreath\u2014this is the distributive Life-breath, this is creative Voice. There\u00ac \nfore, without breathing forward, without breathing downward, he sends forth \ncreative Voice. That which is creative Voice, that is the Rig verse. There\u00ac \nfore, without breathing forward, without breathing downward, he sends \nforth the Rig verse. That which is the Rig verse, that\u2019is the Sama chant. \nTherefore, without breathing forward, without breathing downward, he sings \nthe Sama chant. That which is the Sama, that is the Loud Chant Song. \nTherefore, without breathing forward, without breathing downward, he \nchants the Loud Chant Song. \n\nAnd so, whatever other works there are possessing strong virtue, such as \nkindling fire with the fire-sticks, running a course, drawing a firm bow, these \nhe accomplishes without breathing forward, without breathing downward. \nFor this cause, one should reverence the distributive Life-breath as the Loud \nChant Song. \n\nAnd so, in truth, one should reverence the unchanging sounds of the Loud \nChant Song: that is, the syllables Loud, Chant, Song. The forward Life- \nbreath is \u201cLoud\u201d, for through the forward Life-breath one arises; creative \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n32 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n*\u201c \"*-> <* <\u25a0 W. ^ \n\nJST-T&i '\u201cST?': Ea \u00ab h i\u00bb \u201cSons\". Sun, \n\nVeda. vrfy. is -IZVy^ Vf\" 8 '' \u00bb\u00ab\u201c \n\np^r\u201e7SJl k Lth\u2019f h th \u201c mflk ,vhieh is tL - k - v3>fSS: \n\nsevere. al reSs': * h ' rf h \u00bb^ These one fhouid \n\nof ,*f \"\"\u00ab\u25a0 \u00bbe *to chan, a hy n,\u201e \n\nformed, in the Seer who sang it in tl^ Ty* .^ mn ^ rom whlch the Sama is \nthis Divinity he should seek refuge y \u201d t0 P\u2122ise,-in \n\nof ,vhich he k to ch \u201c*\u00bb h >\u2122 \n\na hymn of praise. He should seek ref 0mi ^ th whlch he ls to chant \n\nchant a hymn of praise. ^ *\u201d 10 reglon tow ard which he is to \n\nFinally, drawing close to the divine Self u u \u2022 \nmeditating on his desire Then th \u2019 6 s ^ oud sing praise, steadily \n\n\u201c* Jhieh he^sh^T^ \n\nTh^sJhle^wl^ \u201c\u201d h \" nging S \u00b0\u201d d \u201c *>\u00bb To\u00abd Chan, Song. \n\nOf the Ved S a ht ^^^overed themsdv eat >h W fh t f0rth int \u00b0 the triune Wisdom \nwith these they covered themselves thk \u2122th ^ muslcal measures - Because \nBut Death perceived them there as one ma musical quality of the measures. \n\nSO^o n th V e e sia 0n c e hanrso et ILo S Y\u2122\u2019 ^ maJcaTvibration, Om; \n\nl*iz%z:r d \u2019 0m - \n\ninto that unchanging^ounVthe iTaZl ^vf Unchanging Sound . goes forth \n\nf \u00b0 rth ** ** - i B^ G \u00b0 ing \n\nunchanging Soundfthlt^Sich is^he ^J^ hant that \u2018 S the int0ned \nLoud Chant Song That heaveni q - ned Unchanglng s \u00b0und, that is the \nintoned unchanging So^d \u201cr Tntont\" Is lhe Lon ? \u201c\u201c\"f Song. he is the \nonward. \u2019 ning the ma g>cal vibration, Om, he goes \n\n\u201cHun, verily, I have praised in song, therefore thou, my son, art one only.\u201d \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n33 \n\n\nThus Kaushitaki addressed his son. \u201cBut do thou meditate upon the rays; \nthen thine shall be many.\u201d So far concerning the Bright Powers. \n\nAnd so concerning the Self. He who is the principal Life, him one should \nreverence as the Loud Chant Song; for intoning the magical vibration, Om, he \ngoes onward. \n\n\u201cHim, verily, I have praised in song, therefore thou, my son, art one only.\u201d \nThus Kaushitaki addressed his son. \u201cBut do thou meditate upon the Lives \nas many; then mine shall be many.\u201d \n\nAnd so, verily, that which is the Loud Ch^nt Song, that is the intoned \nunchanging Sound; that which is the intoned unchanging Sound, that is the \nLoud Chant Song. Thus knowing, that which has been ill chanted from \nthe station of the sacrificial priest, he perfectly fulfils,\u2014he perfectly fulfils. \n\nThis earth, verily, is the Rig verse; the fire of Life is the Sama chant. This \nSama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung \nresting upon the Rig verse. This earth is Sa; the fire of Life is Ama. This \nmakes Sama. \n\nThe interspace, verily, is the Rig verse; the great Breath is the Sama. This \nSama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung \nresting upon the Rig verse. The interspace is Sa; the great Breath is Ama. \nThis makes Sama. % \n\nThe heavens, verily, are the Rig verse; the Sun is the Sama chant. This \nSama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung \nresting upon the Rig verse. The heavens are Sa; the Sun is Ama. This \nmakes Sama. \n\nThe lunar mansions, verily, are the Rig verse; the Moon is the Sama chant. \nThis Sama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is \nsung resting upon the Rig verse. The lunar mansions are Sa;.the Moon is \nAma. This makes Sama. \n\nAnd so that which is the white radiance of the Sun is the Rig verse; the \nindigo-coloured, very dark, is the Sama chant. This Sama chant rests upon \nthe Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung resting upon the Rig verse. \nThe white radiance is Sa; the indigo-coloured, very dark, is Ama. This \nmakes Sama. \n\nAnd so this divine Man, golden-coloured, who is seen within the Sun, has \na golden beard and golden hair, even to the tips of the nails he is all as bright \ngold. As is the golden lotus, so are his two eyes. His name is the Highest, \nfor He is raised on high above all evils. He who thus knows, rises, verily, \nabove all evils. The Rig verse and the Sama chant are His two songs. There\u00ac \nfore, the Loud Chant Song is His. Therefore, he who sings the Loud Chant \nSong is named Chanter, for he is the singer of this. He is Lord of the realms \nbeyond that Sun, and of the desires of the Bright Powers. So far concerning \nthe Bright Powers. \n\nc. J. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\nT HE Student is never solemn. The rest of us, when we first met after \nthe Convention, were feeling, if not solemn, in any case somewhat \nsubdued; for although our verdict, if put to it, would probably have \nbeen that it would rank as the deepest and best of the Conventions held so \nfar, the fact remained that many of us had been active participants, and can \nanyone be satisfied with his contribution when he knows that life itself would \nnot be too much to give, and when necessarily he measures his mite against \nthe single Word which would \u201cput the spirit of a lion into a dead fox\u201d? We \nmust learn, however, when reviewing the past, not only to see where we fell \nshort of our own ideal, that we may approach it more nearly when similar \nconditions recur, but so to detach ourselves from the picture that we can see \nthe event as a whole, and thus gauge its total effect on the different planes \nof being. \n\n\u201cIt was a great success\u201d, said the Ancient; \u201cdue in large measure to unity \nof spirit, to self-forgetfulness, to trust. Distant Branches of the Society, \nand members who are not able to attend in person, are participating more \nand more,\u2014many of them devoting the whole aay to intellectual and spiritual \nco-operation with us, for love of the Masters, for love of their Cause. This \nis a distinct addition to our Conventions, because such contributions are likely \nto be impersonal in the real sense of the word.\u201d \n\n\u201cAt first\u201d, the Student remarked, \u201cit made me feel as if I were something \nthe dog had brought in and intended to bury later on, when he had time. \nI quickly reacted from that, however, and after a glance at the Empyrean, \njust to remind myself it was still there, I tried to hold on to that recognition \nwith one hand, and to the feeling of being \u2018 yon object\u2019 with the other,\u2014and \nthen, to think. The result\u2014with the Convention still working in me\u2014was \nquite illuminating; or in any case I found it so. \u2018You can and must become \na ch\u00a3la,\u2019 they had said,\u2014for that seemed to me to be the keynote of every\u00ac \nthing that was said. From one hand, dismally, something murmured, \u2018Im\u00ac \npossible!\u2019 From the other hand, serenely, something whispered, \u2018There is \nnothing real in you except that which is chela already.\u2019 And there was I, \nsitting in the middle! First, and deliberately, I examined the voice that said \n\u2018Impossible\u2019, for I knew enough, on general principles, to be sure that this \ncame from below, and it had been suggested at Convention that it is far \neasier to study the make-up and ways of our lower nature than of the higher. \nNear by, it sounded like a single voice; but I recalled its instigations of the \npast, and examined them, to find that instead of a single voice, scores of differ\u00ac \nent voices had blended, as the strands of a rope unite to make it one. An \nincident of several months ago came back to me: a decision, and a wrong deci\u00ac \nsion. It was child\u2019s-play, at that distance, to separate the converging but \n\n\n34 \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n35 \n\n\nseparate strands: there was sloth, and the desire for comfort; there were the \ndifferent promptings of Rajas; and then, turning quickly to look at the stifled \nprotest from above, I found that it, too, instead of being a single voice, had \nbeen made up of a multitude,\u2014pleading, warning, reminding, threatening. \n\u2018It looks as if the difference of one vote did it,\u2019 I said to myself. Then, in a \nflash: \u2018A house divided against itself, surely; but the government rests with \nthe majority, and every decision you make, from morning till night\u2014what \nyou wear and eat and say and do or leave undone\u2014is the result of a poll; and \na single vote may decide it. Kill or convert one of those swinish elementals, \nand you might reverse the polarity of the whole business. One vote out of \nhundreds\u2014probably thousands\u2014may be all that is needed to pitch you \nheadlong into ch\u00a3laship!\u2019 And the same thing is true of others. We think \nwe\u2019re a million miles from it\u2014a paralyzing projection of our rationalistic or \nwiseacre or false-humility litter\u2014when our actual experience proves that \nthere may be no more than one miserable and already half-starved elemental \n\u2014perhaps no more than the wilting Willy who keeps on saying, \u2018I\u2019m so tired; \nI\u2019m so tired\u2019\u2014tottering between us and Victory! If it\u2019s the last straw that \nbreaks the camel\u2019s back, and the last drop that finally capsizes the boat, it\u2019s \nalso the last bite at his shackles that sets the prisoner free,\u2014just the thousandth \nof an inch between himself and liberty!\u201d \n\nThe Ancient beamed at him. \u201cA happy thought\u201d, he said. \u201cThere may \nbe those who will act on it.\u201d Then, after a pause,\u2014quizzically: \u201cI hope \nyou will!\u201d \n\n\u201cThere was more laughter during Convention than at any I have attended \nbefore. It was odd.\u201d The Philosopher interjected this, evidently seeking \nan explanation. \n\n\u201cTears and laughter are not far removed\u201d, suggested the Historian. \u201cSome\u00ac \ntimes I think there must be much laughter in the Lodge. A man who fought \nin Mesopotamia during the war, told me that when all his brother officers had \nbeen killed, and he was left with a handful of men, most of them wounded, \nand every hope gone,\u2014jokes had poured out of him for the first time in his \nlife, quite spontaneously, and that his men had responded as if they hadn\u2019t a \ncare in the world.\u201d \n\n\u201cWhat became of him, incidentally?\u201d asked the Student. \n\n\u201cThey fought on, and were rescued: help from Headquarters.\u201d \n\n\u201cGood omen!\u201d \n\n\u201cThat depends upon the point of view\u201d, the Historian retorted. \u201cYou \ndon\u2019t stop to ask what the rescue cost the rescuers,\u2014or how the rescued felt \nabout it! So far as we are concerned, the Convention, in spite of its success , \nwould be a tragic failure unless we fought our way through .\u201d \n\n\u201cTranslate, translate!\u201d the Student protested. \n\n\u201cQuite unnecessary\u201d, replied the Historian. \u201cWhat was the Convention \nabout, anyhow! The point is that as the fruit of a united aspiration, of a \ncommon, unselfish effort,\u2014someone shall break through to carry the Light \nforward,\u2014to \u2018keep the link unbroken\u2019, as H. P. B. phrased it. Only a ch\u00a3la \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n36 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ncan do that,\u2014but he need not be a ch\u00a3la of high degree. The only requisite \nis that he shall be a product of what has already been produced,\u2014a child of \nthe inner life of The Theosophical Society. Possibly he is not yet in our ranks, \n\u2014though I hope he is\u2014several of him! You will remember, however, the \nParable of the labourers in the vineyard. Pray heaven there be no murmuring \nshould the last again prove to be first. I do not think there would be. Jeal\u00ac \nousy is a very low and vulgar fault. It seems to me that our present member\u00ac \nship is extraordinarily free from it. Those who win through will be the first \nto acknowledge, and with joy, that they owe their liberty to the sacrifice and \ndevotion of the many, who for years have toiled, apparently unrecognized and \nunrewarded,\u2014and who have not toiled for pennies, not even for spiritual \npennies, but solely for love of the Lord of the vineyard, and of the high and \nnoble ends for which he labours.\u201d \n\n\u201cAny criticisms of the Convention?\u201d asked the Recorder. \n\n\u201cSeveral\u201d, the Student replied promptly. \u201cFor one thing, I do not think \nthat nearly enough was said under the head of misconceptions, which flourish \nlike weeds, while truths of any kind cannot so much as stay alive unless cease\u00ac \nlessly tended and trimmed, watered and cultivated, shielded and sprayed. \nHow, otherwise, can a truth live in this world\u2014truth being of the Spirit! \nI know that I, for one, sprout misconceptions overnight. A few I have torn \nup by the roots; others I am cultivating lovingly, vigorously, as if they were \nchoice plants,\u2014roses or what not. I believe I have as good an understanding \nof chelaship, for instance, as most students of Theosophy. I know that it \ninvolves becoming consciously the pupil of one who has attained to Wisdom, \nthat is to say, a Master. I have bravely amputated the idea that a chela \nis one who \u2018might have descended from a long line of maiden aunts.\u2019 But \nI often suspect that I should be better off mentally if my mind, on that sub\u00ac \nject, were bare soil, thoroughly worked over with lime, than I am to-day with \nthe miscellaneous vegetation which encumbers it.\u201d \n\n\u201cMy friend\u201d, said the Ancient, \u201cwhile what you say is true enough as \napplied to some people, I am afraid that in your case the trouble is different \nand perhaps more serious: I am afraid that you know a great deal more than \nyou do,\u2014which is only another way of saying that you are self-indulgent \nand lazy.\u201d \n\nThis was plain speech indeed; but the Student did not flinch. He is devoted \nto the Ancient, and the Ancient to him; besides which, whatever his faults, he \nnever quarrels. \u201cI plead guilty\u201d, he said; \u201cbut I stick to my point none the \nless: I think that more ought to have been said at the Convention about \nmisconceptions of Theosophy, including the farcical pretensions of those \nwho unwarrantably use the name. Have you heard of Mrs. Besant\u2019s latest? \nHaving discovered \u2018the great world father\u2019, or \u2018world teacher\u2019, in the person \nof Krishnamurti, she now announces that the Brahmin wife of an Englishman \n\u2014a Mrs. Rukmini Arundale\u2014is the \u2018great world mother\u2019; and she makes \nthis announcement as \u2018President of the Theosophical Society\u2019! I wish she \nwould call herself \u2018Pope of the Universal Church\u2019, or \u2018Empress of the United \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n37 \n\n\nIndies\u2019, and have done with it. Her unconscious bouffonneries would kill \nTheosophy if anything could. No wonder that misinformed people, who \naccept her claims and the claims of her followers at their face value, and who \nimagine, therefore, that she represents in some way the movement of Madame \nBlavatsky and Judge,\u2014despise Theosophy and all its supposed works.\u201d \n\n\u201cWell\u201d, said the Philosopher, \u201cI suppose, in the last analysis, all of us select \nour own gods, and it seems to me to be good Theosophy to do so; but Mrs. \nBesant\u2019s mania for selecting gods for other people, though humorous, would \nbe neither original nor noteworthy, if she did not call herself a Theosophist \nwhile doing it. No need to worry about her followers; they want that sort \nof thing, or they would not follow her. No need to worry about her gods \neither. Some people would rather appear ridiculous than not appear at all. \nNo, there would be nothing serious about it, from first to last, if it were not \nfor the harm she does to a word\u2014 Theosophy\u2014which we have such good \nreason to respect and love. The more she misuses it, the greater our obligation \nto defend it,\u2014above all, by trying to exemplify it in the sanity of our own lives.\u201d \n\nThe Historian now closed the subject. \u201cI fully agree\u201d, he said; \u201cbut you \ndon\u2019t understand Mrs. Besant: she\u2019s just playing with dolls,\u2014again.\u201d His \nemphasis on \u201cagain\u201d, made his meaning sufficiently clear. \n\n\u201cEnough said\u201d, the Recorder commented; then, turning to the Student: \n\u201cYou have other criticisms of the Convention?\u201d \n\n\u201cYes\u201d, replied the Student; \u201cI have: I wish that something had been said \nabout misdirected effort. I believe that a great deal of honest effort goes to \nwaste. There are members who work at themselves, year after year, from a \nstrong sense of duty\u2014the study of Theosophy having convinced them that \nthey should strive to conquer their faults, and to move as far as they can along \nthe path of spiritual progress\u2014but who never seem to get anywhere. I have \nmy eye on the Philosopher: comment, please!\u201d \n\n\u201cThe aim of such members, as you have defined it\u201d, the Philosopher replied, \n\u201csounds to me to be dreadfully soggy. I don\u2019t wonder they never get any\u00ac \nwhere! \u2018To move as far as they can along the path of spiritual progress\u2019; \nthat\u2019s just it. Listen: Smith met Brown in a London fog. \u2018Where are you \ngoing, Brown?\u2019 he asked. \u2018Oh, I\u2019m tramping along, tramping along\u2019, Brown \nanswered. \u2018 Where are you going to ? \u2019 \u2018As far as I can \u2019, said Brown. \u2018 Where \ndo you expect to land?\u2019 asked Smith. \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019, said Brown. I am \nafraid that is very much like the efforts of some students of Theosophy,\u2014 \nand of other students too, for that matter. It would be wiser to hold on to \na lamp-post until they find out where they are! \n\n\u201cIt would be better to dream dreams of scaling impossible heights, than to \n\u2018tramp along\u2019 in that resigned or lugubrious spirit; better still, to dream those \ndreams, with a definite objective for the next month\u2019s effort. Vagueness of \naim, however, is not the only trouble. For lack of knowing where they are, \nor, to drop my simile, for lack of self-knowledge, people waste their time and \nenergy in attacking a surface symptom, while leaving the disease untouched. \nThink of some man whose chief fault is egotism. He always thinks that he \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n38 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nknows better than others, and in any dispute or controversy, he is convinced \nthat he is right. Even when forced to recognize that he was partly wrong, \nhe will manage to convince himself that the balance of rightness rested in \nhis favour. We will assume that at one time he was explosive in his annoyance \nwhen people opposed his will or his ideas; that, as a result of his explosiveness, \nhe was constantly in trouble, and that he was brought at last to realize that \nhe must try to control his tongue and his manners. Assume that he works \nat that with considerable success over a period of years, helped by the fact \nthat whenever he does explode, he suffers. He has connected cause and effect \nto that extent. But he is supposed to be, and tells himself that he is, an aspir\u00ac \nant for discipleship. Has he ever asked himself what causes the tendency to \nexplode? If so, is it possible that his answer has been, \u2018Force of character\u2019, or \n\u2018Quick temper\u2019, rather than the truth, which is \u2018Egotism\u2019? In any case we \nwill assume that he remains blind, even intellectually, to his major defect; that \nit never occurs to him to connect what he suffers from his \u2018explosiveness\u2019, with \nits underlying cause; that, partly for this reason, he continues to like and to \nadmire in himself the very trait which his best friends detest, and that he \nactually feeds his fault by his admiration of it, and therefore, of course, makes \nprogress toward discipleship impossible. He is moving, in so far as he is \nacquiring self-control; but, like the man in the fog, he is moving in circles. \nAt times he feels this, and becomes rather discouraged; but he quickly recovers \nfrom that, because fundamentally he has an opinion of himself which he has \nprobably built up in the course of many lives,\u2014a sense of superiority to others \nwhich it would take a surgical operation to remove, unless he should someday \nwake up sufficiently to begin the long labour of undermining it for himself. \nOddly enough, an individual of that type can say in all sincerity that he knows \nhe is a vile and miserable sinner, and perhaps will weep, with equal sincerity, \nwhen he thinks of some Master\u2019s sacrifice and suffering! Inevitably, of course, \nhe reinforces his dominant vice by the inferences he draws from these per\u00ac \nformances. Everything serves that kind of mill as grist. It is omnivorous. \nHopeless failure will be seen only in terms of the pluck with which it was \nendured. Life, in effect, has no lessons, except that the sense of superiority \nis uncommonly well founded. \n\n\u201cThat is only one type out of many. My text is that we cannot expect to \nget anywhere in the spiritual life until we become sufficiently detached from \nthe personality to see it with some measure of truth. Sweeping condemnation \nis just as unintelligent as self-satisfaction. If you need a horse and own one, \nand cannot exchange it for another, it is certainly wiser to get to know it, \nand its ways both good and bad, than to persuade yourself on the one hand \nthat it\u2019s a gem, when it isn\u2019t, or to curse it all day long as useless, when you \nare compelled to use it all the time,\u2014more especially in this case, seeing that \nit was you who made the brute,\u2014with the joke again on you inasmuch as \nthe same old horse, or, rather, what you make of him in this life, will turn up \nin your next life as the only means you will have, either to plough your fields \nor to drag your chariot through the skies.\u201d \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n39 \n\n\n-I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m mixed\u201d, said our Visitor. \u201cAre you comparing the \n\npersonality to a u ho J se ^ mixed\u201d, the Philosopher replied, laugh- \n\n* U ^Some & oi us have a dreadful way of using analogies without explaining \nthem,\u2014 a habit which I condemn strongly in oti*.! J^IthTi ?\u00a3\u00a3% \nthe personality to a horse; I was trying o conve detachment, as \n\nserve us as an instrument, and that we should study * \u2122th * have added \n\nwhich they so largely consist What we nee 0 back to its original \n\nrea \"y \u201cr\u00b0 k ^i\u00a3 \n\nthat someone asked him what was the trouble. Inmp^ \u00ae ism is bad \npocket a catting from the m\u00ab ^ ^ ^ \n\ngrieves \u2122 \u00a3XJtk' \u201c^\u201c3SaS\u00ab\u201c ^ \n\no^the\u2019tenth^imiversmy'o\u00a3 l the e Bntkh 1 auack|on t Ostend^and^Zeebre^gw\u2014 \n\nthe \u2018Vindictive\u2019\u2014one of the most splendi g , \n\nmmz&ssm \n\nat Daventry to broadcast speeches at the ceremonies I \n\nISilfie \n\nbut they have been done by Ge = or \u00a3* is. I find \n\nGerman vote, and contemptib \u00a3 ^ doubtkss inspired the idiot or \n\nit less offensive than the pu co ld-blooded murder committed \n\nSLSve 1 rtf fitted for \u2019the pure love of God\u2019. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4 o THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nBoth kinds should be hung, but the \u2018pure\u2019 and pious murderer should be \nwhipped through the streets first. The Daventry authorities should be \ntreated on the same principle,\u2014vigorously too. I know they do not represent \nthe real England, any more than the Germans and Irish here, represent the \nreal America; but I fear they represent England to about the same extent. \n\n\u201cYour news item is almost worth a cable to the London Times , the His\u00ac \ntorian commented. \u201cSomething like this: 'Referring Daventry and Ostend \nanniversary speeches, a loyal Christian urges no further public references to \nCrucifixion as likely revive feeling against Jews, contrary to spirit of Locarno \n(sob).\u2019 \u201d \n\n\u201cI wish you would send it\u201d, said the Student. \n\n\u201cUseless\u201d, the Historian replied; \u201ceven slightly dangerous: Daventry and \nthe Pacifists would think it an admirable suggestion. They might even intro\u00ac \nduce a bill in Parliament to give effect to it legally,\u2014and heaven knows what \nParliament would do with the bill,\u2014probably compromise by allowing draped \nreferences to the Crucifixion, on Good Fridays and in Churches only. Things \nsaid in Churches don\u2019t really count, you know. \n\n\u201cWell, we must think of other signs of the times which tell a very different \nstory; of such a book as Religio Militis , by Austin Hopkinson, which is really \nnoble in spirit and purpose, and which I hope will be reviewed at length in \nthe October issue of the Quarterly; and of such articles as those by C. O. G. \nDouie, entitled \u2018Memories of 1914-1918\u2019, which are appearing in The Nine\u00ac \nteenth Century and After (probably the best of the English magazines). Some\u00ac \ntimes I wonder whether, \u2018 as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats , the \nKing is not separating both nations and individuals, more effectively than \nwas possible during the war. Men could then hide themselves in uniforms, \nothers were swept along by the current of mob-emotion; while now the need \nfor disguise is removed; the current of emotion, if there be any, runs toward \nPacifism and the condonation of evil. In that sense, men are as naked as \never they are likely to be; they are not afraid to say what they think; and while \nit is true that such nakedness is always ugly, and that no man can rightly \nsay anything until he is afraid to say anything, the fact remains that the \npresent condition of things is almost ideal, if it be desired, as I am supposing, \n\u2018that the thoughts of many hearts\u2019 shall be revealed.\u201d \n\n\u201cI am sorry to change the subject\u201d, the Philosopher remarked at this \npoint; \u201cbut I am anxious not to lose the opportunity of referring to what I \nsaid about The Face of Silence , that book by Dhan Gopal Mukerji, to which \nyou gave a good deal of space in the last \u2018Screen\u2019. You quoted me correctly \nas saying that \u2018the author is inclined to see things couleur de rose.' In order \nto determine, so far as possible, how much \u2018haze of glory\u2019 he had really added \nto the facts, either by omission or commission, I sent for two books about \nRama Krishna, both published in India by his followers. One is entitled \nGospel of Sri Ramakrishna, or , The Ideal Man for India and for the World , \nand the other and larger book (nearly 800 pages), Life of Sri Ramakrishna. \nThese make it perfectly clear that the author omitted anything and everything \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n4i \n\n\nthat would not be pleasing and attractive in his very interesting, stimulating \nand instructive picture of the life of a \u2018holy man\u2019 as lived in India. The \ntestimony of Rama Krishna\u2019s most ardent native admirers proves\u2014in any \ncase to a student of Theosophy\u2014that he Whs not even a chela, much less a \nMahatma; that he was a remarkable psychic who had been side-tracked by \nhis psychism, and that, if further assurance were needed of India s present \nspiritual blindness, it could be found in the attribution of the title of Mahatma, \nGreat Soul, to such men as Gandhi and the central figure of Mukerji s boo . \nTake one fact out of hundreds that would demonstrate the truth of what \nI say: Rama Krishna was everlastingly going off into trances\u2014in the midst \nof conversations and at any other time\u2014over which he had no control what- \never, and from which his disciples had to rouse him by shouting in his ear, or \nby violent shaking. There have been many Christian saints who were no \nbetter in that respect; but we know what to think of them\u2014how far they \nwere from chelaship\u2014and at best we can think no better of this \u2018holy man , \nthough I must add that he was extraordinarily tolerant in his attitude toward \nthose whose religious beliefs were different from his own. \n\n\u201cWe are back at chelaship again!\u201d said the Recorder, \u201cand I am going to \nintroduce now, before we adjourn, my pike de resistance on that subject. I \nappealed to Cavd for something of the kind\u2014I am supposed to be undu y \nbusy at this time\u2014and Cav<f, who already was swamped with other work, \n\nwrote what follows out of charity: ... , \n\n\u201cMuch has been said and written on the subject of chelaship; little under\u00ac \nstood I remember in the old days that anyone who took up a vegetarian \ndiet, wore his hair long, and would not kill a fly for anything, was considered \nas a probable lay-chela, at least. And if he went to India\u2014well that ended it ; \nwhen he returned he surely was one. No wonder dear Judge often looked \nso wistful and so tired. Those were simple, innocent days enough,\u2014the forms \nof misunderstanding were just so crude; but though the forms have changed, \nthe misunderstanding still remains. \n\n\u201cI who have written much on the subject, should seem hardly the one to \ntry it again, especially when others, far better qualified, have also apparently \nfailed The words are there, clear enough one would suppose; and yet over \nthem rests some kind of an enchantment that prevents the great majority of \nreaders from grasping their significance. Rather do strangely m istaken notions \nfollow their perusal, if any definite notions at all. What emboldens me \nto another effort grows from my recalling to mind the initial experiences \nof one student many years ago, which, as has been my privilege on occasion \nhe told me of in some detail at varying intervals. It happens that personal \nexperience will sometimes strike home when a general treatment fails. \n\n\u201cIt was back in the old days. He had read many books with profit, but \nthen came the first volume of Letters That Have Helped Me. Thatwas the \nturning point for him, he told me, from Letter XII on, through \u2018 To Aspirants \nfor Chelaship.\u2019 He knew then what he wanted, what he must have: and here \nwere his practical directions into which Light on the Path, The Voice of the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n42 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nSilence , and the rest, fitted perfectly. He was determined to become -a chela, \nto find his Master and to be accepted by him. He read and re-read until \nhe almost knew those pages by heart; he studied them, striving to gain their \nutmost meaning, all that they offered of radiant hope, every possible hint of \nthe best manner in which to proceed. \n\n\u201cOne fact stood out boldly: he must do this for himself, in silence and alone. \nThen he saw that the becoming \u2018 a chela in reality \u2019 meant the acquirement of \n\u2018certain spiritual principles\u2019, which obviously he completely lacked since he \nhad no least idea where he should apply. \u2018So much the better\u2019, he said at this \npoint, \u2018there is more to this than appears\u2019; and he kept repeating to himself \nthe words: \u2018You must then reach a point other than that where you now \nstand, before you can even ask to be taken as a chela on probation.\u2019 \u2018Fine\u2019, \nhe said to this, \u2018 nothing cheap about it. It takes a man, and will make a man.\u2019 \n\n\u201cWhat \u2018spiritual principles\u2019? These were not specified. \u2018No harm\u2019, he \nsaid, \u2018 in having them all! \u2019 So he looked himself over very carefully and \nsearchingly for several days in this light, and concluded at the end that he \nhad rudiments of some spiritual principles, \u2018 physical and astral bodies of them \u2019 \nin his phrasing, but not in the least any \u2018 Manas or Buddhi of them \u2019, which he \nshrewdly suspected was the meaning intended by calling them \u2018spiritual\u2019. \nOf others he frankly confessed that he could not find a trace,\u2014the class, there\u00ac \nfore, he resolved first to strive after; his reasoning being that he could more \nreadily build a physical or astral thing than create on higher planes. So one \nby one and little by little, he struggled at set acquirements, his eyes always on \nhis coveted goal, which he loved the more as he dwelt with it and toiled for it. \nThis helped him greatly with the underscored injunction \u2018to get rid of the \nstrength of the personal idea\u2019, which at first was difficult; for after a while he \nfound that living with his goal and increasing his love for it, preoccupied him \nmore and more, and he had less place and less time to consider himself, save \nas a limitation of the vision of his goal. So on these lines he constituted himself \na disciple, acting both as guru and aspirant, constantly re-adjusting his angles \nof approach, modifying his rules, increasing his demands upon the lower side \nof himself, which he saw as the neophyte, as his efforts opened the path \nbefore him. \n\nAt one place he went astray for a while. He looked about for some one to \nserve. First he thought of Judge,\u2014Judge whom he would much have loved \nto serve. But a little reflection showed him how dangerous this attempt \nwould be for a long time to come, and that even to try to serve Judge would \nprobably end in Judge\u2019s serving him\u2014the reverse of his purpose. Then he \nconsidered several of the less important members, making a few indefinite \nefforts. Finally the light dawned. \u2018lama fool \u2019, he said: \u2018 the Letters tell me; \nthe chela I must serve is the Theosophical Society\u2019; and he did, in every way \nhe could devise or discover, for the sake of that goal which quivered, bathed \nin golden light, in his heart. \n\nOne reaction he had was revealing. He told me of his surprise when a \nfellow student commented on the hardship of working alone and unnoticed, \n\n\n43 \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\nand that he had replied: \u25a0 That ^' h g 0 \u201c\u00abtn\u201d\u201dhc woods'and \n\n\u00bbed >\u00bb \u2014 \u25a0\u00bb \n\nunnoticed until I have made m\\ sel There must be a distinct limit \n\n.\u2022Did he succeed? is tto\u00bbu. this reach can \nto what may be revealed of the depths o y understand what the \n\nbe said. Later on he told me that he had come ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ \n\nChristian Master meant in the P hr \u201c \u2019 because so much higher and \n\nthe Path extended, the Goal was farther ahead because so ^ ^ \n\nnobler; what had been one S now perceived; the radiance flooding \n\nnot stop to possess, because of the g y P it was a n he and all \n\nthe Path was the very life and presence o the Master, t . ,, \n\n\nThe best rules to form a young man are: \nalone upon what has passed in company; \nvalue others that deserve it. Temple. \n\n\nto talk little, to hear much, to reflect \nto distrust one's own opinions, and \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS \n\n\nDear \n\n\nApril 18th, 1910. \n\n\nou do not write very often, but I can say sincerely that when you do it is \nwell worth while. Indeed so worth while, that, as Editor of the Quarterly, \nI must ask why you hide your light under a bushel, and do not give others \nthe benefit of your ideas. You can write, and anyone in our ranks who can \nwnte should write, for writers are few. Therefore, will you not consider this \nan official appeal from the Quarterly to send in whatever is in your head to \nsay which you think would be useful ? I prefer leaving the choice of subjects \nto the writer whenever possible, for his work is likely to be more spontaneous \nand vital as he delivers his message from his heart instead of grinding out \nsomething on order. 6 \n\nIt is an interesting time, not only from the general worldly standpoint \nwhere much is going on that is new and important, but particularly from our \nspecial standpoint, because our present status and work are all brand new. \nNever before has the Movement lasted through the end of the century; there- \nore there are no precedents, no experience, no customs, to fall back upon. \n\nis a problem changing daily, from the standpoint of the Masters themselves \nand hence is of intense interest to all of us who try to catch the ideas of the \nMasters and carry them out in our work. What will they consider it wise to \ntry next: Is this or that effort a success in these new conditions, or have \n\nthk? P T n \u00b0u W \u00b0 rth Wh ' le? Sha11 we tf y t0 move in that direction or in \n\nQuestion mlrl T 0r for th&t? Life is - in a <*nse. * constant \n\nh mil. jnark, or rather our theosophical work is; and, as that is our life, \n\n\u201d S * ful1 of P^ancy, full of surprises. We never know from day to \nday what change or turn of events may come, and we must all of us stand \n\nInd^m I**\"? 7 t0 thr \u00b0 W r y 311 \u00b0 Ur conce P t i\u00b0 ns of what is wise in the work \nand travel along an entirely different road. \n\nThe partial ability to do this is the great heritage we have from H P B \n\nShe stirred up our minds so violently, brushed away so many traditions and \n\ncustoms of thought, forced us to absorb ourselves in a philosophy so utterly \n\nJmN that Tr that W6 \u2019 m \u00b0 St \u00b0 f US \u2019 Can face a revolution \n\noverboard ' \u00b0 rdlnary P erson gasping for breath. We threw \n\n. \u2018 ' \u2019 cr inspiration, all our inherited preconceptions of life and \n\nreligion, and took a new system. Now, with this freedom of mind, and lack \nprejudice, and capacity for wide judgments and tolerant opinions we are \n\nwSZ ylltd T r* nti \u201c\" y W \u2018 Stern way 0f thinki \" E ' \u201c nd \u00ab\u00bb'\u00ab\u2022 into \n\nWestern ideas and ideals in a way that few Westerners seem able to do. We \nhave acquired an immense perspective: we judge from a srreat height \u25a0 and \ncan respect and understand the other fellow\u2019s point of view. When it dfffem \nfrom ours we usually know why, and sympathize instead of blaming \n\n44 \n\n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS \n\n\n45 \n\n\nAll these reflections are but following along your train of thought as indi\u00ac \ncated in your last letter. I hope you will remember something of what you \nwrote, otherwise I shall be unintelligible. But it all makes life very inter\u00ac \nesting, very stimulating, almost exciting, and it is, a pleasure to see that you \nappreciate and understand it so well. \n\nI meant to write more, but my available time is up and I send this scrap \ninstead of waiting. \n\nYours as always, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nNovember 12th, 1911. \n\nDear- \n\nIt has been so long since you wrote your letter of April 16th that I wonder \nwhether you remember having done so at all, and not yet receiving a reply. \nBut your letter has been on my desk all these months, and I have been look\u00ac \ning forward to a time when I could answer it. There is so much to do and \nthere is so much going on, that time slips by amazingly. \n\nDo you feel the spiritual current which is flowing under the surface of \nthings? It is stronger than it has been for several thousand years, and before \nvery long, not perhaps in our life time, but soon, we are going to have one of \nthe greatest religious revivals which the world has ever seen. In many ways \nthe time is ripe now, but not in all ways, for there are a lot of ideas in the \nmind of the world which are obstructions, and which first will have to be swept \naway. Take such an idea as Socialism. So long as people think that it will \nremedy pain, trouble and sin, we cannot hope that they will fall back on \nfundamental religious principles for their solution of the problems of life and \nliving. Therefore,'before we have the actual coming to the surface of the \nnew religious movement, we shall have to bring Socialism all the way to the \nsurface and let it prove itself a failure. There are other obstructions of the \nsame kind. \n\nSo I can picture the Masters working ceaselessly to ripen all these modern \nWestern fads and fancies, until the force in them comes to a head, explodes \nand exhausts itself. Then will come the time we have been working for and \ndreaming dreams about for so long. I think we shall all be there to do our \nquota in the great work. And it is not all going to be religious propaganda, \nby any means. That would mean, after all, only a partial regeneration of \nthe world. It needs attention on all planes and in all ways; and, unless I \nam very much mistaken, the plans contemplate a pretty general housecleaning \nwhich will go from the top to the bottom of human life. There are a mass \nof silly ideas about democracy and republics and the fitness of people to govern \nthemselves, which have to be knocked on the head at the same time. \n\nIt is going to be a very interesting world to live in when these great forces \nbegin to move outward and to express themselves in human action and human \ninstitutions. Let us all pray that we shall be there, and shall be fitted to \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n46 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nplay our little parts. Let us do what we can to get ready now for our share \nof the work. No one can be spared: all will be needed. How to prepare? \nWell, it has been borne in upon me recently, that we already are, inside, the \nvery highest thing of which we can think. I mean that literally. I do not \nbelieve that we can even imagine a state of being, or a kind of virtue or power, \nwhich does not already belong to our souls. Just as we are so often told that \nwe cannot know a thing until we are that thing, so I believe that we cannot \nthink or imagine any thing which we are not already. So our way to prepare \nourselves for the future work is to do two things. One is to externalize here \nand now what we already are inside; and the other is to think of the thing we \nshould like to be, and the part we should like to play, and ask the Master to \ngive us that. We shall only be asking him for what we already are, and for \nwhat he already wants us to be and to do. Bid high, too! Hitch your \nchariot to a star. Do not be afraid to ask for too much. The Masters like \naudacity. \n\nBut all this has very little to do with your letter. It is what is in my mind \nand heart to say, however, so I say it. In your letter you tell me a little bit \nof some of the trials and troubles and circurrfstances of your life. You have \nindeed had a hard time, but instead of sympathizing with you I feel almost \ninclined to congratulate you, for it is only to those who are worth while that \nthe Masters give that individual training which is designed to bring out the \nbest that is in them; and it is evident to me, both from what you say and from \nyour point of view in saying it, that you have been getting that personal \ntraining. But we grow very tired at times, and then it helps us to receive a \nword of encouragement and cheer from a fellow disciple. \n\n******** \n\n\nWith kindest regards to \n\n\nI am, \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nOctober 24th, 1912. \n\nDear- \n\nI have left unanswered your letter of June 23rd, but as I do not usually take \nfrom three to six months before answering letters, I shall content myself, \nby way of apology, with the statement that I went to Europe early in July, \nand only returned a fortnight ago. \n\nI like your letters even if they do come at long intervals; and this one in \n\nparticular was of interest to me because I was extremely fond of-, and \n\nwas the person in New York with whom he corresponded regularly during his \nrecent years of travel. I shall miss him; and yet I think that his best interests \nwere served by his getting a good rest before the next period of manifestation. \nHe had gone about as far as there was any hope of his going in this life. \n\n\nletters to students \n\n\n47 \n\n\n. , , , r am sure would be a matter of great \n\nIt is very interesting mdeed , , d be the means of bringing you, and \n\ngratification to him, that his dea ^ f \u00b0 hood int0 touch with the Church, \nthe other members m your neig \u2019 lergym an who conducted the \n\nWhat you write ate *\u00bb \n\nservice pleases me exceedingly, and P ^ the society \n\nconnection to the benefit of the cle gym ^ and the time left you to do \nThen what you say of your h ideas\u2014about ourselves first, and then \n\nit, interests me, as we all a . ted\u2014and these are wrong ideas, funda- \n\nabout those with whom we are assorted and because vre areassum- \n\nmentally wrong, because we leave jut actua lly do the things in the \n\n,,,e \n\nhim, and that the amount of this,, wh h ^ upon how much he con- \n\nthat of the world, depends not upon ou 1 - tQ be \u00a3a ithful, obedient and \nsiders it wise, at that time, to iS 1V J- much making ourselves unobstructed \n\nwilling servants; but our pa P J Therefore what we accomplish, in \nchannels for his force to work thr gh- our intelligence, our opportum- \n\na worldly sense, depends, ^ upon ^ abil Y, tQ have a big outward \n\nties, but upon whether or not the timers rip ^ ^ ^ \nmovement that will make a sp g mid dle-aged; until 1675. Yet when \n\nMolinos was never heard of until ears later, he is said to have \n\nhe was arrested by the Inquisition seven or g who did this? \n\nhad a million followers. Do you suppose {ollower , H e tried \n\nIgnatius Loyola worked fifteen years^ g^ ^ failureS) t in S o \n\none thing after another and llowers Then when he was middle-aged \n\nfar as they trained him and h ' ^ WQrn out> the hour struck; and before \n\nhfdira v\"eS later,.\u2019the ^iSldTthat \n\n** *\"*\u25a0 ^ WS S6Ven f \u00b0 ll0WerS \n\ndid this? , ;<\u25a0 to be ready, when the hour strikes, to serve \n\nMy friend, all we have to do is how ignor ant we \n\na, channels for the M \u201c l \u201c*.bounded great institutions with \n\n\u00ab-> -a \u00bb d \u2122*\u2018- But ,heycle \u201c' \n\nnot know whether it is the plan S thought that it was not; but in \n\nfa this da, and genet..,on or noti ^ve ^ < ^ cha \u201e ging , and \n\nrecent year, I have begun to believe th ^ the outer and \n\nthat we are still to see a mov m ueh; because we know that his \n\npowe'y andrihekittle wdiich^we can contribute, wil, be \u00bb \u00ab \u2014\u2022 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n48 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nfor the best interests of the world. The main thing is to be ready, always \nready; and we have been given many years of peace and quiet in which to \nget ready. As is said in the beginning of the second part of Light on the Path , \nwe all of us must feel how inadequately prepared we are: so we all have plenty \nto do. \n\nPlease give my best wishes to-. \n\nWith kindest regards, I am, \n\nSincerely yours, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nSeptember 30th, 1913. \n\nDear- \n\nI was very glad to get your letter of the 17th of August, and I am sorry \nthat circumstances have prevented an earlier reply. It interested me greatly \nas illustrating not only your, but what I feel sure is the point of view of many \n\nothers .There has been a great deal of bewilderment and honest \n\ndoubt as to the future, and as to the course which is being followed at New \nYork. This, of course, is because of our limitations here. We too had to \nlearn, had to feel our way, had to break entirely new ground; and all this \ntook time. \n\nI think most members fail to realize that never before in the history of the \nworld was there just the situation which followed the successful carrying of \nthe Movement over the century. The Lodge itself was experimenting, and \nhad to feel its way. It wished to push the wedge, forged by H. P. B. and by \nJudge, as far into this material civilization as was possible, and the Masters \nhad very limited instruments with which to do it, and they had to watch \nmost carefully for all kinds of inevitable reactions, both now and hereafter \nWhat was the line of least resistance? Undoubtedly, in this country, some\u00ac \nthing along Christian lines; and so, as we had sense enough to see it, the work \ntook on a Christian colouring. We deliberately tried to put the accumulated \npower and light, back of our Theosophical ideals, into the ordinary religious \natmosphere of the day. We have been unexpectedly successful, and will be \nmuch more so. We make the past work of H. P. B. and Judge fruitful and \nwe gam ablemcruits to carry on the ideals. A few, a remarkably few,\u2019 like \nin England, and one or two over here, thought they saw in this some \nkind of departure from, and treachery to, the teachings and work of H P B \nThey left to do what they thought right. Another class, considerably larger\u2019 \nwaited in some doubt and perplexity, but with faith, and perhaps some hope\u2019 \nand are now beginning to see light. * \n\nYou ask if the T. S. really did come close to being wiped out. Yes. It was \nnip and tuck for a time, and those who carried it through, both inside and \nout, were so exhausted that for some years there was little doing but marking \n\\ t \u2122 6 , and pre P ann S for the future. But that period of resting and preparing \nended some years ago, and since then the work has grown more and more \n\n\n\n\nletters to students \n\n\n49 \n\n\nT , \u2022 cf :ii the time for wide-spread outer activity, \nvirile and vigorous. It \u00ab ^ blic acc laim. Those things bring \n\nb\u201d the live Lire is there, healthy, gro.inf, and get.\u2122 \n\nstronger day by day. \n\n****** \n\n* * \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\nP. s. If you get discouraged a f \n\nKali Yuga is warfare,\u2014 and we, who see _ \u2019 :\u201e fnrv nut of defeat. \n\n\nIt is better to be unborn than untaught- Leighton. \n\n\nHe must be a wise man who \n\n\nknows what is wise.\u2014X enophon. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREPORT OF THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE THEOSOPHICAL \n\nSOCIETY \n\n\nMorning Session \n\nOn the morning of Saturday, April 28th, 1928, at 10.30, the Annual Convention of The \nTheosophical Society was called to order at 64 Washington Mews, New York, by the Chairman \nof the Executive Committee, Mr. Charles Johnston. Temporary organization was effected \nby the election of Mr. Johnston as Temporary Chairman of the Convention, and Miss Julia \nChickering as Temporary Secretary. It was voted that a Committee on Credentials should \nbe appointed by the Chair, with instructions to report as soon as practicable. The Committee \nappointed was: Mr. Henry Bedinger Mitchell, Treasurer T. S.; Miss Isabel E. Perkins, Secre\u00ac \ntary T. S.; Miss Martha E. Youngs, Assistant Treasurer. \n\nAddress of the Temporary Chairman \n\nMr. Johnston: During the period in which the Committee on Credentials carries out its \nwork, it is the privilege of the Temporary Chairman to try to express to the members present \nthe very sincere welcome of the local Branch, and to try to express for all of us something of \nthe profound happiness and real joy that we have in each one of these Conventions. As the \nyears pass, our treasures multiply and we add Convention to Convention, each one with its \nmeasure of spiritual life and, let us hope, of permanent accomplishment. The Convention \nthis year, it has been said, should have the note of stillness, that stillness in which it becomes \neasier to perceive the spiritual presence of the Masters. Perhaps we should use that stillness \nalso in another way, to try to look ahead. You will remember the letters in The Occult World \nwhere a Master speaks of an avalanche in the Karakorum Mountains, and of taking advantage \nof the intense stillness that followed it to try to see the spiritual facts of the situation, in detail. \n\nThe first thing we should remember is that a period of stillness is the very opposite of a \nperiod of relaxation. There must be nothing like resting on our oars, no cessation of the \nhighest kind of effort. On the contrary, we should use such a period to see what dangers \nlie ahead. The enemy has not been reformed or converted, although the enemy always tries \nto persuade us that he has been. We have a tragic example of the way to win the war and lose \nthe peace, in the world to-day. We shall be wise to take advantage of that world situation \nto notice what are the factors which caused the victors to lose the peace, and to guard against \nthose dangers in ourselves. \n\nPerhaps the first is the possibility of jealousy, always subtle and generally working under \nthe skin; then wounded vanity, as there was in some of the nations during the war and after it; \nthen material self-interest of one kind or another\u2014seeking something for oneself; then, perhaps \nmost dangerous of all, sentimentalism masquerading as charity. If we keep these in mind \n\n50 \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n5i \n\n\nand are on our guard against them, we shall be in less danger of losing the peace as the victors \nin the World War are tragically losing the peace which they won. \n\nWe must remember that the enemy is not converted, has not turned good; and that the enemy \nin ourselves is as vigorous as ever. So in this Convention let us see the dangers, and at the \nsame time let us see the splendid opportunities which may be used to our profit if we will \nguard against these dangers. We have an opportunity such as no people have had for thou\u00ac \nsands of years. We hardly realize the greatness of it, and what a splendid gift the Masters \nhave given us in that opportunity. As the Convention advances, perhaps that will be brought \nhome to us more and more clearly and with greater promise and greater joy. \n\nThe Committee is ready to report. \n\n\nReport of the Committee on Credentials \n\n\nMr. H. B. Mitchell: The Committee has examined the credentials submitted, and finds \nthat the following Branches are represented either by delegates or by proxy, entitled to cast \nninety-eight votes, and representing six different countries: \n\n\nAussig, Aussig, Czecho-Slovakia \nCincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio \nGateshead, Gateshead, England \nHope, Providence, R. I. \n\nJehoshua, Sanfemando, Venezuela \nKrishna, South Shields, England \nMiddletown, Middletown, Ohio \nNewcastle, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England \n\nWhitley Bay, Whitley \n\n\nNew York, New York, N. Y. \n\nNorfolk, Norfolk, England \nOslo, Oslo, Norway \nPacific, Los Angeles, California \nPittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania \nToronto, Toronto, Canada \nVenezuela, Caracas, Venezuela \nVirya, Denver, Colorado \n\n\nAfter the Report of the Committee on Credentials had, on motion, been accepted, the \nTemporary Chairman asked that the permanent organization of the Convention be effected. On \nmotion duly made and seconded, Mr. H. B. Mitchell, as President of the New York Branch, \nwas unanimously elected Permanent Chairman, Miss Perkins being elected Permanent Secre\u00ac \ntary, and Miss Chickering Permanent Assistant Secretary. Mr. Mitchell then took the Chair. \n\n\nAddress of the Permanent Chairman \n\nThe Chairman: Once again you have conferred upon me a great honour. Once again I \nthank you for it, though I realize that with that honour go an opportunity and responsibility \nwhich I can only very inadequately fulfil; for the Chairman of these Conventions, if he is to \nbe such in more than name, should focus the thought and feeling, the collective aspiration \nand will of the Society as a whole, and should reflect them back so as to aid them to come to \nclearer self-consciousness and expression in the minds of all our members. It is not an \neasy thing to do; yet it is something that needs doing, and, whether adequately or not, it is \nsomething that I must attempt. \n\nI am quite sure that the first feeling we had as we assembled, that which had risen to the \nsurface of our minds and hearts, was gladness and gratitude; gladness that we were here, and \na deep-springing, overflowing gratitude for all that we meet here, for our fellows and for all \nthat the Society means. But deeper than that, and stronger than that, is something in which \npersonal feeling and all thought of self are largely lost,\u2014the resolution to be true to the responsi\u00ac \nbilities that are ours, to fulfil the trust that our predecessors have handed on to us, the trust \nthat the Masters themselves have reposed in us. \n\nI do not think that I shall run any risk of being assumed to have forgotten, or to be violating, \nthe free character of the Society, if I ask permission to say what I have to say from a point of \nview, both of the Society and*of our work, which well may not be shared by some of you here \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nv I \n\n\n52 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto.da y -wh,ch certainly no member of the Society is under any obligation to take or to share. \n11 there be those who are not in agreement with me, I shall beg them to remember that I am \nonly exercising the privilege, which is accorded to all members by our Constitution, of asking \na tolerant hearing for views that are honestly held. \n\nnf I / h \u2018 h ' S be . un< ?f rs *\u00b0\u00b0 d ' 1 want to take my stand u P\u00b0 n thc statement, made by the founders \nof the Society, that it was initiated by the Masters of Wisdom, by that great living Brother- \n\nW Striven t men 5 erfec i \\ the EIder Br0thers of our race \u2019 who, throughout all the ages, \n\" 0 f Uard and Jr u,de the ev \u00b0lution of mankind, and from whom have come all the \ntwVrr rel \u2019 gl0ns -. The founders of the Society were explicit in their statements that \ntheir action m creating it was under directions that had been received from those Elder Brothers \no ours, and that therefore, through the pursuit of its stated objects, the Society may fulfil \nIn theT SeS \u00b0 f , Ma , SterS ; a \" d \u00a3 erve th em as an instrument in guiding the evolution of mankind. \n\nthe mislten n ofthe P s r t f The \u00b0 S \u00b0 phy : Madame Blavatsky deals with the meaning and \n\ne mission of the Society from this point of view, and sets forth what it was hoped that it \n\nt ri? n r p 1: \u2022 1 is , pointed out that from the great L \u00b0 dg * * Ma ^ \n\nof \u2022 r eaC ^ Century \u2019 SOme new \u00b0 utgiving of f\u00b0 ree \u2019 an outpouring of spirituality \n\nf mysticism, a new impulse to the spiritual progress of humanity. Madame Blavatskv savs \n\nha \u2019/7^- C f re l \u00b0 d j S \u00b0\u2019 We Can traCe these movements back, century by century through Ill \n\nmenf ed a , y: ^ ^ \u00b0 Ur S \u00b0 C ' ety iS but 3 part \u00b0 f that great - age ' old Theosophical Move- \n\n22. the S T eqaence ' representing the cyclic outgiving for the closing quarter of the \n\nneteenth century. In the past, no one of these movements has been able to continue true \nto its purpose, so as to bridge the gap between one outgiving and the next; but such continuance \ns pcssrble and whether or no our Society is to achieve it, rests with us. That is o ur 0 pp 0r \ntumty, and our responsibility: to keep alive in the world, until the new outgiving in 1975 an \nm trument the Masters formed for aiding the upward progress of the human race As I have \n\nori d '\u00b0Tf mbe t r \u00b0 f he !f y ,S UndCT the least obligation to accept this view of the Society\u2019s \nongin and function; nor under the least obligation to believe in the existence of MasterT Yet \n\n\u201cIt* beIle , ve - and have to believe in them; and it is from this point of vie Jfn \n\nto day ol our work ' reSP \u00b0 nSibiHty that rests U P\u00b0\" if we hold it, that I want to spkk \n\nimpartial hearing the anneal nf ;+ if ,, tn a ta Se \u2019 lf cou d be & lven an honest, \nand souls that III td/fS \u00a3 and^ Wts and minds \ninto the thought of the world much mi^ht h * the eaven of truth \u00bb thus introduced \n\nthe conditions then wuththose that erist to beaCC \u00b0 mp, ' sbed - As we look back, and contrast \naccomplished by The Theosophical Society * ^ 566 ^ ^ accom P lished > and \n\nHtt 1 .iST* this ; l or otherwise * may we \" \u2014 d ab - d for our \nhas had such far-reaS annual \"Z T \" S Sma \" a ha \" as this \u2019 t0 claim \u2018hat it \n\nbe understood, it m\u201cst be r\u201ch Z ^ tha UP \u00b0\" ^ WOrld \u2019 That is our claim; but, to \n\nThe Theosophical Society we are not cn ^ \"f, S3y 11 ,? S been done fhrough Theosophy and \n\n2 srsMs. szssr \n\n\n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n53 \n\n\nThink of a great factory whose machinery is controlled by electric power. The power house \nis not in the factory. It may be hundreds of miles away; beside the coal mines, or at some \nwaterfall, where nature\u2019s energies are so transformed as to be serviceable to man. Yet all \nthat controls the machinery in the factory, all that makes possible its great production, is the \nelectric power that is led into it, from the distant power house, along two wires that terminate \nin a small junction box. From that box other wires, within the factory, lead to the switch\u00ac \nboards, and thence to the separate machines. If the junction box were not there, or if the \noutside wires from the power house did not reach to it, not a wheel would turn, or, if turning, \ncould be stopped. That junction box is a symbol of the place and function of The Theosophical \nSociety in the spiritual thought of the world. We are very small, very insignificant; yet we \nserve as a terminal, as a junction box within the world, into which the Lodge force and trans\u00ac \nforming life, its ideals and will and guidance, can flow, and through which it works its work. \n\nThe great thing that differentiates our age from those that are past, is that, because of the \ncontinuing existence of The Theosophical Society, there is in the thought of the world to-day, \nsuch a terminal of spiritual consciousness,\u2014of conscious recognition of the existence of the \nLodge of Masters, of the existence of the spiritual world, of the existence of a goal toward \nwhich mankind is moving,\u2014the consciousness of the inner life of discipleship, and the possi\u00ac \nbility of entering it consciously and fully. At no corresponding time, in the cycles of past \ncenturies, has there been such a terminal of consciousness. Our own movement has been \ncarried further than were any of the past. \n\nFifty-three years have passed since the Society was founded. We have reached and left \nbehind the half-way mark in the race that we were set to run; and we can, as I said, look back \nand see stupendous changes in that more than half a century. Many of them are reflected, \nin the closing pages of the Key, and elsewhere in Madame Blavatsky\u2019s writings, as the hopes \nwhich the founders of the Society had for the result of its work, when the Key was written, \nnearly forty years ago. It was hoped that if the Movement could continue, as it so far has \ncontinued, true to its original purpose into the present century, the fetters of dogmatism, of \nmisunderstood creeds, of class and racial prejudices\u2014fetters of many different kinds, binding \nand confining the freedom of thought and of the spirit\u2014might fall away; that science might \npush its way deeper into the finer forces of nature; that theology might become more free and \ntrue. As we look back we see very remarkable progress in directions in which The Theosophical \nSociety has consciously led the way. On all sides, barriers have fallen; limitations have been \nswept aside; and science is to-day dealing with forces of which it knew nothing fifty years ago. \n\nLet us take one science as an example,\u2014physics. Its fundamental concepts of matter and \nmass have been wholly changed since the opening of the twentieth century; and matter has \nbeen largely dissolved and resolved into energy. The discovery of the Roentgen and X-rays \nis little more than thirty years old. The discovery of radium and the radio-active substances \nfollowed them, pointing the way to the intra-atomic forces, and showing that the atom itself \ncould no longer be regarded as a fixed, indivisible entity, but that it must be considered\u2014more \nas Theosophy said it should be considered\u2014as a miniature solar system: a central nucleus \naround which, like planets, electric particles revolved, mirroring in little what the heavens \nmirror in great. Physics has pushed its way behind matter\u2014or behind what it had thought \nof as matter\u2014to centres of electric energy, and to forces, finer, subtiler, and far more potent \nthan those it had known before. Its progress has all been in the directions indicated by \nTheosophy. \n\nSimilar changes have taken place in the other sciences. In modem chemistry, ancient \nalchemy, which a generation ago was held up to scorn as the very quintessence of superstitious \nignorance, has now been rehabilitated. It had to be; for with the discovery of radium we saw \nthe transmutation of the elements taking place before our eyes. In astronomy, Newton\u2019s \nlaws are being questioned\u2014as approximations, valid only within a limited range. Archaeology \nand anthropology are steadily pushing the age of man back, further and further, toward figures \ncommensurate with those for which Madame Blavatsky contended. Turning from science to \ntheology the changes are no less marked. The religions of the East are approached in a very \ndifferent spirit to-day than they were fifty years ago; and in the West itself, much of the old \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n54 theosophical quarterly \n\n- \u2014 - **\u00ab. **. \n\nJ\u201c2 T \u201c\"\"-\u00bb*\u2022*\u2022 w * \n\nanother side to the picture; and this other side th h \u2022* u UP \u00b0 n ltmany tlmes - But there is \ncems us vitally. ' Slde ' though \u201c has ^\"ived far less attention, con- \n\n^SSSSL\u201cStTSS,* poi \" ,ed ' \u00bb> \u00ab'\u25a0 \u00ab\u25ba \n\nreligious thought, is capable of perversion and has mC ? ase of freedo \u2122 that has marked \n\naside barriers and loose fetters ^thTt Z' 1 expenenced Persian. One cannot sweep \nAnd evil has \u00b0PPf-,ty for evil, as well as good, to arise \n\nW, \u201e\u00ab by . great \n\nthat it is a battleground,\u2014that all that W \u2022 h cleared, only to reveal \n\nTruth is a' two-edged sword; knowledge and noweMead Ca . Pa ^' e \u00b0 f being used gainst us. \nto receive them; and freedom, degenerating^to Zt J. , 0n,yt0 u destr ^ \u00bb those unfitted \nTo contrast the conditions T \n\nconvinced that we are living in the midst of a resolution \u00ae .\u00b0^ a . generatlon a S\u00b0. >s to become \nscience and religion, political ideas and social customs habits of th 1? ,mmediate effect s upon \nis as radical as any that the history of a thousand vrare * o\u00a3 thought and popular philosophy, \ntrast shows, by many and unmistakable sitms thlt , r \u201c ords ' More , than this, such a con- \nthe course of this revolution has so far been largely donated bvf ** U \u2019 timate outcome \u2019 \nnot descending from above. Transmutation of th\u00bb i 4 d forces nsin g from beneath, \nto be permanent and fixed, has been proved as we noteda mom che f stry had thought \n\nbut a present, continuing fact. It is profoundlv ago, to be not only possible \n\ncovered should be those which degrade \u2014not rbl ^ fi . Ca \u201d t that the first transmutations dis- \nIt is the same wherever we boS'tTor in bk WW ^ 8 \u00b0' d ' bUt debasing gold to ' aad - \nand syncopated rhythms? They arfa re su~ J \u201c ^ m \u00b0 dern music? our \u201d \nOur dancing? It is an imitation a reflection of nee sava ? e mualc > o\u00a3 the African drums, \nfashion of speech? Does it come down to us from the^^T 't XVheace comes our modem \ncultured? Obviously not. It is a slender of ^ r! PUnStS ' fr \u00b0 m the schoIars . from the \nlanguage is being flooded by the colloquialisms and idioms^f t0 ^ \u2018! hterate - 0ur En ghsh \nover by the educated of the speech of the upeducated-^f their\" lmmiEra \" ts \u2018 14 is a taking \n\nstop with what has so far been accomplished, if the freed ^ lf ltS WOrk were to \n\nto be thus left as licence, and its great ideals, given to the \u00b0 m u' Whlch 14 has ,a boured were \nhas taken and used them, more would be lost than has h ^ ' Were to be left as the world \nis still at stake, still at hazard; and ^ haS been gained \n\nm the battle that has been evoked, if we fail to oush th! M ' f \u00b0 r ,f we suffer defeat \n\nwhich has been immediately set us, all that has so fa^b M \u00b0 Vement further tow ard the goal \npoured out into the Movement, may react and be ^e^L^V^ acom P hshed . a| l that has been \nwho have entrusted it to us. d agamst lt_ and against the great Lodge \n\nLet us turn once again to the closing chanter nf v t* \nto make clear the factors that must determine the future^ \u2122* osophy ' where H - P- B. tries \nTheosophy is not at stake, for it is everlasting Truth and e Society * She P oi nts out that \n\nsense, is the Theosophical Movement at stake-for it too , exis4s e4eraaIly \u2018 Neither, in one \n\ngreat Lodge of Masters. But it is made very dear h^t TlTe rT ' ^ * the hands of the \n\nof the Movement in this century\u2014is at stake Theosophical Society\u2014the fate \n\nof its founders. This is at st^e; S32KI\u00a3\u00a3 the - d sacriS \nenfrely, upon the degree of selflessness, eamestn^ d/vori 6 ' St \u00b0 ensue \" da Pends, almost \nthe knowledge and the wisdom\u201d of those who Tme .tf/^ ' aSt ' but not Ieas \u2018- open \ndestiny of the Society will be placed when the founders are dead ^W ^ T* Wh \u00b0 Se hands the \n\n* w e are those in whose hands \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n55 \n\n\nthat destiny now rests. We are those who are thus trusted. It is upon us, upon our selfless\u00ac \nness, earnestness and devotion, and last but by no means least, upon our knowledge and \nwisdom and ability to understand and meet the need, that success or failure, victory or calami\u00ac \ntous defeat, must rest and turn. \n\nWe assemble here to-day therefore, as I said in the beginning, so profoundly sensible of the \nresponsibilities that are ours, and of the magnitude of the issues that are involved, that all \npersonal feeling, all thought of self, are lost in the resolution to be true to the trust imposed \nin us. We approach our work as the soldier advances to battle; glad and grateful that his \nopportunity has come, but hearing already the sound of the guns and knowing that the supreme \ntest of his manhood is now at hand. So must we advance to the test of our souls,\u2014of our \nselflessness and devotion, of our wisdom and understanding. \n\nWe ask ourselves what is the crucial need. How are we to meet the perversions of the \ntruth, the resurgence from beneath, against which we must contend? We must meet them \nby their opposites; by truth that is not perverted, by a life and a power that are drawn from \nabove. Let us think again. Why is this battle ours? It is because we have been entrusted \nwith the power to win it. To us has been given that which the world needs. What is it that \nwe have been given? what differentiates our consciousness, our philosophy, our Movement \nfrom all else in the world to-day? It is, I think, two things. First, knowledge of the Lodge \nof Masters as a living Brotherhood, as a living organism and fact in Being. Throughout the \nwhole human race, in each religion, there is belief in some Master. They may not give him \nthat name; but whether it be Buddha or Christ or Krishna, whether we look to India or Pales\u00ac \ntine, Egypt or China or the vanished Aztecs, we find some Master is recognized as the source \nof their religion, as their guide to the realities of the spiritual life. The recognition of a Master, \nand the possibility of divine inspiration, is not, therefore, our special contribution to the world. \nBut the recognition of the Lodge of Masters as the Lodge, the recognition that all the great \nreligions of the world have been drawn from the same source and reflect the same truths, the \nrecognition that all the great spiritual teachers of mankind are brothers and belong to one \ngreat Brotherhood, one living organism, the clear recognition of the hierarchical principle as \na fact in life, in nature, in the essence of Being itself,\u2014that, I think, is the peculiar prerogative \nof The Theosophical Society and of students of Theosophy. \n\nYet, like every truth that Theosophy has brought or fostered, it has been, and is being, \nperverted to ends the opposite of its own. It has been re-echoed as a lie by innumerable \nself-deluded psychics or conscious charlatans. Tame and pocket \u201cAdepts\u201d, future \n\u201cAvatars\u201d, are led on exhibition round the country; \u201cesoteric teaching\u201d is offered at a \nprice; and the names of Masters, like the name of Theosophy itself, have been dragged \nthrough the dust. There is no escaping this. It is part of the condition of the battle. \nYou have to \n\n\u201c. . . bear to hear the truth you\u2019ve spoken \n\nTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools\u201d. \n\nBut the value of gold is not lessened because some\u2014seeking short cuts to wealth\u2014have \npurchased worthless mining stocks. \n\nWith the recognition of the Lodge as the Lodge, and the consequent clear perception that \nmankind has been, and ever is being, guided in its evolution by wisdom that descends to it \nfrom above\u2014not the haphazard invention of something acting from beneath\u2014with this comes \nthe recognition of the other half of the evolutionary process; the half which science has ignored. \nWe see that the ascent from matter has been concomitant with a descent from spirit. We \nperceive them to be but the two halves of one whole; and this perception is the second thing \nwhich differentiates our thought from the thought of the world about us. \n\nScience has presented clearly the evolutionary ascent of animal life. It has exhibited the \nlong sequences of forms, leading from the single cell through organisms more and more complex \nand differentiated, more and more responsive to wider ranges of environment, more and more \ncapable of spontaneous action and of conduct determined by inner purpose rather than by \nouter necessity. It points to the physical organism of man as the highest term yet attained \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n56 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nin any of those ramifying sequences,\u2014highest in the sense that it permits the functioning, \nthrough it as a vehicle, of what is assumed to be the broadest and highest type of consciousness. \nMany other organisms have greater physical strength, many are longer lived, many have keener \nsenses, many seem better adapted to their environment; but no other, known to science, gives \nevidence of incarnating so high a spirit, of being capable of expressing and sustaining equal \nspiritual values and purposes. Yet of this descent and progressive incarnation of the spirit, \nscience says nothing. \n\nAbout six months ago, Sir Arthur Keith, one of the foremost of the English biologists who \nstill adhere to the Darwinian theory in its original form, likened the evolution of man, through \nthe sequence of lower animal forms, to the evolution of the automobile. Let us consider his \nsimile, and think of the development of the automobile, picturing the series of successive models, \nfrom the earliest and crudest to the most highly perfected of to-day, as placed in a long row \nbefore us. We are puzzled to know just where to begin. What was the earliest and crudest? \nBehind the automobile, as we call it, was the steam engine, and the bicycle; the carriage drawn \nby horses, the ox cart, the wheelbarrow, the sled; the pole, one end of which is carried, one \ndragged along the ground. Man power, animal power, steam, oil, gasoline, electricity, mag\u00ac \nnetism. How many different sciences and arts had to be developed to make possible the \nautomobile as it is to-day! Physics and chemistry and metallurgy, steel and copper and \nbrass, the making of glass and of cloth, the growing and treatment of rubber. And all have \nbeen combined and introduced into that sequence of more and more efficient and smooth \nrunning vehicles, in pursuance of a single purpose\u2014the purpose of man to transport himself \nand his possessions from one place to another. \n\nWe look at that sequence of vehicles. Science asks us to see how each form developed out \nof that which preceded it. In one sense we see that this is so; that the automobile arose from \nthe wheelbarrow. But in another sense it is not so at all. The automobile arose through the \ndevelopment of that one unswerving purpose which runs throughout the whole sequence, \nwhich devised the wheelbarrow and every succeeding form, realizing its end only imperfectly \nin each, but learning from each how to realize it better. The actual evolutionary force has \nnot been something in the vehicle, but in the will of man. The evolution has been the evolu\u00ac \ntion of a purpose, coming to more and more complete fulfilment as it came to clearer self- \nconsciousness of the betterments that were possible, and reached out to embody them. The \nhistory of the automobile is the history of the progressive incarnation of a purpose; and though \nthat purpose lives and is manifest in the wheelbarrow and the ox cart and the car of to-day \nit is no one of these, nor all of them together. It is a thing of the spirit, not of matter \n\nIt is so with the evolution of mankind. Man is not his body. His body is the vehicle he \nhas devised and uses. His history is the history of the progressive incarnation of his spirit, \ndescending from above into the world of matter, striving toward that goal which we have \nbeen told is the object of all evolution-the attainment of full and true self-consciousness. He \nhas built himself vesture after vesture, drawing matter up and animating it in higher and \nhigher organisms through which he can express himself more fully, into which he can incarnate \nmore completely. But never is he wholly incarnated. He always transcends himself; and \nthat which is above stnves to descend, to draw up that which is below. \n\nThe descent of spint with the ascent of matter; these two need to be seen as a single whole. \nBut the world does not so see them, and science gives no thought to spirit or to the purpose \nof the evolution that it studies. Because these are ignored by science, popular thought ignores \nthem also, and does more\u2014denies them. Many scientists may also deny them, but science \nitself does not. It only says it is not competent to deal with them. Science fishes for truth \nwith a net adapted to certain kinds of truth, but which lets other kinds pass through it. It \nhas set itself to trace the sequence of forms, but not to pronounce on the spirit which created \nthem. But because of this, the man in the street has said: There is no spirit, no cause- the \nsequence is complete without them; life and consciousness are but a ferment in matter*and \nhave arisen from beneath So he sees his most fundamental purposes, his deepest identities, \nhis highest values, as products of the slime. In that view religion becomes to him no more \nthan the survival of primitive superstition and ignorance, and his sophistication rejects all \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n57 \n\n\nthat gives meaning and value to life, turning back to identify himself with the mere animal \nin him, which is all that he recognizes as real. \n\nThe great need of the world to-day is to realize that the true life of man is not the life of the \nbody, but the life of the spirit; that this spirit descends from above, and that only as he reaches \nup to what is above, can he lay permanent hold upon it. The theosophical view of evolution, \ncould men's minds be brought to accept its truth, would go far to meet that need. In our \nhands has been placed the antidote for the poison of the age. \n\nThere is no limiting the power of consciousness or the effect of thought. A man\u2019s philosophy, \nhis view of truth, the ideals he has set himself, enter into all he does. It is true that all he \ndoes reacts upon his philosophy; the action is not all one way. But what a man holds to be \ntrue is that which, consciously or unconsciously, he will act out. If his philosophy be false, \nso will be his actions. The world has been misled by science, even as it has been misled by its \nown desires. It needs the gift of truth that has been given us; and we must give it. \n\nIt has been said that Theosophy is intellectually an attitude, practically a method, ethically \na spirit, and religiously a life. It might not be a far-fetched supposition, recognizing as we do \nthat the life is the goal, to think that the hundred years span, which is our special concern, \nmight properly be divided into four quarters, each stressing one of those fourfold divisions of \nTheosophy. There would be, first, the imparting of intellectual knowledge and the creation \nof an intellectual attitude. Next would come the development of a practical method for \napprehending and assimilating that knowledge; and in the third twenty-five years\u2014the cycle \nwe are now entering\u2014there should be the growth and rule of an ethical spirit. Surely we can \nsee that, if the truth that life comes from above were really apprehended and assimilated, it \nwould yield an ethical result. It would make us live our lives no longer under the dominance \nof what rises from beneath, no longer with the idea that we are separate beings, to find our \nhighest aims in the gratification of a separate, personal self. Instead, it would make us live \nour lives as ambassadors of the Most High, as representatives of something infinitely greater \nthan ourselves. Nothing has value save as it represents something greater than itself. The \nking rules by divine right, if he rule at all, if he be in fact a king. The soldier obeys his captain, \nrepresents his captain; and the captain his colonel; and the colonel his general. The \ncommander-in-chief represents the will of the nation. The servant has the dignity of his \nservice, is clothed with the dignity of that which he serves. Everything that is, has dignity \nand worth only because it represents something higher; and that which is greatest is worthless \nunless it represents something greater still. \n\nSurely that recognition must bring an ethical spirit, the spirit which the world needs, and \nwhich alone can make all that the Society has so far accomplished, all that the Masters have \npoured out upon it, all the sacrifices of our predecessors, come to a fruition that shall be good \nand not evil. \n\nWe are told that Theosophy was given to the world to become the foundation of the future \nreligions of humanity. A living religion can be founded only on a living spirit. Looking out \nupon the churches of to-day, we see to what a great extent their old foundations have been \nswept away. They fell from the living spirit to the dead letter of their creeds and dogmas; \nand when these crumbled and had to be discarded, it seemed that there was very little left. \nIt was the old story of throwing out the baby with the bath water. But though the new \nfoundations are not yet recognized, we, who believe in Masters, know that they are being laid. \nMore, we know that stones, which must enter into them, have been placed in our own hands. \nSuch a stone is our belief in Masters, the knowledge that we have been given of the existence \nof the Lodge. Before the races of men were as closely knit together as they are now, before \nwe saw the whole universe as one, and recognized that the chemistry of the stars was not other \nthan the chemistry of our own earth, a religion could be given as the religion of a single tribe, \nas the teaching of a single Master to his \u201cchosen\u201d people. Drawn though it in fact was \nfrom the great Lodge, from the great common store-house of spiritual truth, it could still bear \nthe appearance of being unique; and in the earlier days of greater isolation, that appearance \nmight be an aid, rather than a barrier to its acceptance. But to the modem mind, truth, if \nit be truth, must be universal; and nothing that seems unique, that stands out in contradiction \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n58 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto all else we know, can be easily accepted, either in itself or in witness to something beyond \nitself, until that contradiction is removed. Therefore it is that now and in the future, the \nmost convincing evidence of the truth of any religion cannot be the uniqueness of its founder\u2019s \nlife and teaching, but the fact that they typify and manifest something that is universal and \neternal, something which, in transcending, nevertheless continues and supplements our own \ndeepest experience. The knowledge of the spiritual hierarchy as inherent in the nature of \nBeing, the knowledge of the Lodge as the Lodge, and the knowledge that all religions are but \nreflections, however partial or distorted, of the same proven laws of spiritual life and con\u00ac \nsciousness,\u2014such knowledge must be a part of the broader foundations on which all future \nreligions shall rest. \n\nThe Theosophical Society has, then, gifts to give and a mission to fulfil. To us has been \ngiven that which the world needs; and the responsibility is ours for that which has been entrust\u00ac \ned to us. We cannot force it on the world, against the world\u2019s will; nor are we asked to do so. \nBut we are asked to keep it as we have received it, living and potent, against the time when \nthe world shall seek it. We are asked to keep the terminal of living truth alive within our \nown consciousness, and so within the consciousness of the world, that the Lodge force may \ncontinue to enter and work therein. But for truth to live, in any consciousness, it must be lived \nthere; and it is in this that our responsibility lies, and the test of our fidelity. If we cannot \nif we do not, make our own lives an expression of the spirit of Theosophy, if we cannot seek \nand find our highest good in its service, acting as the agents, however humble, of the great \nHierarchy of Spiritual Being,\u2014if we cannot so view and live our own lives, how can we expect \nthat the world will be convinced of truth which we ourselves reject? The battle-ground remains \nin us, though our mission lies in the world. \n\nIt was then requested that the Chairman be empowered to appoint the usual Committees \non Nominations, on Resolutions, and on Letters of Greeting. This having been voted the \n\nReport of the Executive Committee was called for, Mr. Johnston as Chairman being asked \nto speak first. \n\n\nReport of the Executive Committee \n\nCha J rman \u2019 The duty of the Executive Committee is to represent the \nhole Society and to form the principle of continuity; therefore a part at least of the Executive \nCommittee, and the greater part, is always in being. It overlaps from Convention to Conven- \nlon and is continuous in life. That function imposes upon the Executive Committee a corre\u00ac \nsponding responsibility to look back and to look forward, and, so far as lies in its power, to insure \nthe mntmuity of.direction and of movement in the Society, as representative of the Society\u2019s \n\ntaken l i, u , Io \u00b0 k forward \u2019 we shaU record - of \u201curse, first such activities as have \n\ntaken place which are referred to the Executive Committee. \n\nLooking back (I am expressing for the moment my own individual view), one thing is very \n\n\u201c\u2018I\" f* laS year ' and that \" \" COndHion \u00b0 f Stra \u201c\u2019 S \u2018\u2122 ^ere must be n The \nTheosophical Society, because, as our Chairman has just reminded us, our function is to \n\nmust be firm B f tT *** re%i \u00b0 nS \u00b0 f humanity \u2019 That stone must be solid and \nmust be firm But there is a quality in this strain which has been conspicuous and which is \nnot right, and that is its inequitable distribution. \n\nI remember a story about some people carrying a burden. One said to the other \u201c This is \ntremendously heavy, I had no realization how heavy it was!\u201d The other said \"Oh do v \ncarry? I just lean on.\u201d I think that that is something which eveiy oneoucould Lttably \n\nf the latS tb Un \"? the IaSt SiX m \u00b0 nthS ' have bee \" carrying 7 r have we beening on\" \nf ' then we kno 7 at any rate . \u2018hat there has been inequitable strain. I did not say \n\nenced,-SequHaWe.^ b \u201c m \u00b0 re Strain than tha -perf- \n\nLet us see what can be done about it First dihVpntlv tn trv \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n59 \n\n\ntime, take up, not a magazine, \\\u00a3TU ^ ^ find a privilege a nd ,oy in streng \nmany of us know our history as a Socie y * telling statements as regards our relatlon \n\n\u2022 + \u25a0) TVint is a second direction in things that have to be done. E ry y \n\nMore j actically: there are all k \u201c ds \u00b0 n f\" g halves for meetings. They waUr \nrealizes that these chairs, by Sa^sl Nobody has to move them -bout or arrange \n\nthlt'they be\"\u2019^TTXhapp\u00ae. spont^X I\u2018 J a Je \n\n- - do ^ \n\n^me and get something all the tune! that B memb er says, I \n\nEOO T h aUs what Is wrong, and it has to be put n*fc \u25a0\u00a3\u00a3 \u2122 ought to be in line. \n\nJuy do not know how to put chairs in ^ 1 * Opposing the committee were to \n\nHoi about counting to see? Would you know how to put the \n\ngo off to the Antarctic regions wi romo i ex matter than the order of the chairs, \n\nw ^v.oirc in nlace? How about some more comp weU w hat are you going to do. \n\nCh t+-c difficult complex, something ought to be don . Have you the knowledge, the \n\n. / v _ n .ov Well, I see what the trouble is, d practised medita- \n\nVetlell. have you meditated? \n\ntion\u2019 Meditation consists in bringing . { meditate, know how to act. \n\nsothat you will know real vahi*- \u00a3T\"E\u00b0 off\u201d maturely, merely bemuse \n\ncounsel-something that we should habituaUy ^ u this the way to do it. \n\nyou see something that might be> done. A P P q\u00a3 the habit o{ leanmg on instead of \n\nand then set about it. But for heaven s sa ,g The real way t0 heighten the potential, \n\ncarrying! That is what makes the mequi the theosophical life intensely, \n\ntollcrease the voltage, the whole Pressure oftece.^ ^ ^ ^ ^ and then until the \nfrom the momentjou wake m t^ e morn, ^ ^ & positive fidd o{ force instead o a ra er \n\nZTsen a se a o\" burden. personally-I am not speaking officially for the \n\nit then? Did you say,\u2014the flowers splendid banner forward throug \n\nforce more will, more energy. \n\n,\u00a3\u201e,k. must si SO sssry.no. ton on .mi\u00abP Thntopon. \n\n\u2122., T o \u201cSi\u201c ~ \n\nsibility is real, when you recog^ ^ ^ ^ \n\nhas to be recogmz _ Executive Com- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6o \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nCommittee on Nominations Committee on Resolutions \n\nMr. J. F. B. Mitchell, Chairman Mr. E. T. Hargrove, Chairman \n\nMiss Mary Kent Wallace Miss Anne Evans \n\nMr. George M. W. Kobb <5 Dr. R. E. Torrey \n\nCommittee on Letters of Greeting \nDr. Archibald Keightley, Chairman \nDr. C. C. Clark \nMrs. John W, Regan \n\nIt was then asked if other members of the Executive Committee would add to the report \nalready made by its Chairman. \n\nMr. Hargrove: I am exceedingly glad that the Chairman of the Executive Committee \nsaid what he did say. Perhaps the same idea could also be expressed in this way: one man \nsays, I am a member of The Theosophical Society; another says, I belong to The Theosophical \nSociety. In the Army, if I am not mistaken, no one would say, I am a member of such or \nsuch a regiment, but always, I belong to such a regiment. Now if we belong, we belong \u2014 \nwhich means that we feel as one of a family feels,\u2014that we are responsible, and that every\u00ac \nthing that concerns the regiment, concerns us. It has been well said in this connection that \nthe soldier learns that by putting the interests of his regiment ever before his own interests\u2014 \nin that sense, by identifying himself with a greater self he obtains a greater freedom, not a \nless. By shedding his littleness, he acquires bigness. \n\nThere are those among you who are in the habit of referring to some of us as the Ancients, \nand it is customary for the more talkative of these \u201cAncients\u201d to address you at the Conven\u00ac \ntion. We must do so with mixed feelings, I think; with a feeling of intense pleasure and of \njoy, a feeling of great responsibility and privilege, but also with a feeling\u2014increasing as the \nyears pass\u2014almost of desperation,\u2014desperate with desire to give whatever we have to give, \nto pass on to those who have not been quite so long in the Movement, whatever of experience \nwe may have garnered; desperate to say the right thing, to say the thing that will help the \nMovement itself, and yet realizing that year after year and year after year, we have done \nour best, and then asking ourselves sometimes with what result. \n\nYou would not be so unkind as to suppose that this implies any feeling of superiority on \nthe part of these so-called Ancients. I assure you that that is not the feeling. But there \nis a great longing, and even a remnant of hope, that some of you may make better use of our \nexperience than we, alas, have been able to make of it. \n\nIt was my duty, a few days ago, to look over a number of old papers and records of the \nSociety, and I realized then, as perhaps I had never realized before, the extraordinary progress \nthat the Movement has made in some vital ways. It has been raised many planes since its \ninauguration in 1875. I said \u201cthe Movement\u201d, but I mean the attitude of members of the \nSociety, the receptivity of members of the Society. They have come to appreciate Theosophy \nin its spiritual significance as they did not do years ago. Its spiritual significance was clearly \ntaught from the very beginning, but no one understood it, or hardly anyone. While com\u00ac \nparisons are odious, I cannot resist repeating what was in my own mind when I thought of \nthe Theosophical Quarterly and compared that magazine with what I occasionally see of \nother magazines quite falsely supposed to be representative of Theosophy. If any proof \nwere needed as to which is the representative of Masters, a glance at those magazines would \nsupply the proof. Take one instance,\u2014the realization by our members that if they would \nknow and serve the Masters, they must know themselves. \u201cMan know thyself\u201d from the \nvery beginning of time has been the teaching of Masters; \u201cMan know thyself\u201d in thy nether \nregions and in thy higher regions. If you look at a Quarterly, you will find pages of in\u00ac \nstruction under these two heads,\u2014\u201d Letters to Students \u201d, \u201c Letters to Friends\u201d, \u201cFragments\u201d, \nand so on. Then look in those other magazines for the same light, and if you can find it you \nare welcome to it! \n\nOf course, going back to those old records of the Society, remembering again the old troubles \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n61 \n\n\n\u25a0 f u p B and her \u201cphenomena\", made me wonder \n\n\u00a7\u00a7ili mmm \n\n\u00bb tl *,b\u201e M b.v. tLTEiS \n\nwere vitally interested m beUef in im mortality in companson w,th, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6 2 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nvery early days, of the phenomena, and so forth, as a preliminary to restating the purpose of \nit all. I found in a very old issue of The Theosophist (1885), in an article on spiritual progress, \nthe statement that the only mission of the Society is to rekindle the torch of Truth, so long \nextinguished for all but the very few, and to keep that Truth alive by the formation of a frater\u00ac \nnal union, the only soil in which the good seed can grow.\u2014As soon as the Society was founded, \na great call went out to mankind, and goes out to-day to all who will listen: \u201cTurn you to \nthe stronghold, ye prisoners of hope!\" How many heard that call? How many responded, \nand how many respond to-day? There is no need to remain prisoners of hope. You can \nburst the gates open if you will, because the Masters have burst them open for us, and nothing \nremains but the illusion that those gates are closed. There is no one here for whom those \ngates have not been opened, and I repeat that there is nothing but the illusion that they are \nclosed that keeps you from passing through. And yet that truth has been announced at \nConvention after Convention, since Conventions were held. How many have believed it? \nHow many have risen in their own souls and said: If that be so, I pass through. \n\nThere is a saying in one of the old books: When even the body is an illusion, how can we \nspeak of necessity\u2014the Vedas speak of necessity only for the guidance of the ignorant. Part \nof our trouble is that we are hypnotized by the idea of necessity,\u2014a misunderstanding of \nKarma. We believe that we are bound and held by the chain of our sins, or the chain of our \nlimitations, and therefore that this, that or the other thing is an insuperable barrier for us. \nYet even the body is an illusion; and the truth of the matter is that all things are an illusion \nexcept Masters and chdlaship. Therefore, if you seek reality, it is only with those two things \nthat you Van deal. H. P. B. said it; Judge said it; everybody has said it. Yet what do we \ndo? Limp along, and limp along, and groan about our burdens, and \"lean on \", as Mr. Johnston \nsaid; and what they are crying out for us to do is to rise from the illusion of our barriers\u2014or, \nif you choose, quietly, serenely to accept them as an illusion, which is all you need to do; then \nin the flash of an eye, seeing that truth, to act on it. \n\nI am greatly tempted to refer, no matter how briefly, before closing, to a subject that has \nalready been touched upon and that is the subject of science. There is considerable danger \nthat we shall be hypnotized in part by science and all this talk about science. I think Pro\u00ac \nfessor Mitchell was exceedingly charitable to science. What I mean is that we could, for \ninstance, discuss the Roman Catholic Church as represented chiefly by its saints, who, though \nnot perfect, certainly interpreted their religion as well as it can be interpreted. If we think of \nscience, and choose to think of the very best representatives of science, we of course know that \nthey recognize the limitations of science, and that they say, one and all: \"We do not pretend \nto know anything about the soul and similar things\u2014that is not our province\u2014we confine \nourselves to the facts that we observe, and we leave it to others to deal with whatever else \nthere may be in the universe.\" If, however, you wish to obtain a true picture of the Roman \nCatholic Church, you must take into account not only saints, but others who are quite ordinary \npeople; and you must consider their superstitions. In the same way, when it comes to science, \nyou must think about those who have their superstitions. What are the facts? If you take \nthe universities and colleges in the United States at the present time, most of those who are \nsupposed to teach science are rank materialists in every sense of the word\u2014avowedly so\u2014 \nand are destructive of the morality and spiritual life of American youth. I am sure that \nProfessor Mitchell will agree with me in this. He happened to be speaking of the good side \nof science,-^nd, as a general rule, it is the duty of students of Theosophy to seek the best in \nother people's views. Yet,-not always. It is true, for example, that, in one sense, science \nhas made amazing progress. It speaks no longer of \"matter\"; it speaks instead of \"energy \" \n\nIs that really such amazing progress? Oh, it is a step; but so long as consciousness, as aspira\u00ac \ntion, as love are looked upon as the products either of matter or of energy, I confess it does not \nseem to mo to matter in the slightest degree whether scientists label the source as energy or \nmatter. They have changed their terms to that extent, but their philosophy is exactly the \n\n\n1 nen let me ask you this: what good has all this progress done to them or to anybody else \nm terms of human happiness, of human well being? I am not including spiritual happiness, \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n63 \n\n\ndrives you wild. It automobile at the rat C ontribu- \n\nyou any happier to be able to tw ** $ , used t0 clinE to modem P u \" d ^ veredthat \n\nhas probably torn your ne *\\ ^ t has gone . because it has recen ^ vstem 0 f plumbing\u2014 \n\nfailure on the P a in then another and another, an fi Y dsomet hing wrong. \n\nrsKfKSi.-**--\u2014 \n\nhas tremendously advanced ^ ^ that the only I \n\nAs for the explanation of thmgs, al all . Take, for example, aWtl^^ \n\n^t2^%u^Tdo d s\u00b0\" of \u201c fiftem m^^do something mthe imyjf \nof 6 them 1 knows. The \n\nget results from Jhand, is probably just as narrow in h,s way, \n\nlaziness. Another is staleness. \u00a3 P becomes stale if he keeps aliveJW * t o \n\nbut of a misused membership. No ^ ^ gQ home and sleep. excuses \n\nrut and trudge along ant t hink they are doing something mane \u2022 that I used \n\nanother meeting, they perhaps thmk they ^ and I have no tte hope tha ; ^ \n\nitself, saying, \u201cOh well. I am gett g ^ chelas h ip was withm reach be \n\n\u201c*\u25a0\" \u25a0 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6 4 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\neasier, is a very serious illusion, for this reason: suppose you desire to become a musician in \nthis life, but decide, No, I have not the time\u2014some other life. The truth is that until you \nsacrifice some part of every day in the agony of five finger exercises, you will never be a musician \nin this or any other life. You must sacrifice to-day, for the thing you want to-morrow, or you \nwill not get it to-morrow. Therefore, there is only one way open for anybody, and that is to \nbegin, to begin now, to begin here as if it meant something. \n\nThere is even a deeper truth involved: children depend upon hope, and children only. Hope \nis needed by those who are still suffering from the dream of time, but when you touch the fringes \nof an immortal consciousness, the need for hope disappears. There is something else, too: no \nman who calls himself a soldier, so far as I have ever read of soldiers, would say that it is neces\u00ac \nsary to have hope in order to fight; because it is only when hope has fled that the real fight \nbegins. This does not mean that to go on fighting because you are afraid to stop, is going to \nwin the fight. It means that determination is stronger than hope; it means that the man who \nreally fights gives all of himself in his last blow,\u2014and whether there be much to give or little, \nhas nothing to do with it. He must give all of himself, because he can do no less, seeing that \nhe gives the whole content of his heart. And that is what is needed in The Theosophical \nSociety,\u2014unless we would just live to ourselves and for ourselves, and remain everlastingly \nwrapped up in self; the small and contemptible concerns of self\u2014first one thing and then \nanother thing, with a total inability to lose oneself in the concerns of the regiment, in the \nhonour of the regiment. Why should it be unreasonable to ask of students of Theosophy \nthat which is expected every day from men who merely serve their country in its armed forces? \nThey give that sort of self-forgetfulness without question. They do not imagine that they \nare making a sacrifice. They may when they are very young, and have not yet really done it \u2022 \nbut when they have done it, they know better. They know then that they have gained\u2019 \nThey know that they are bigger; that they are worth more as men. As I say, it is done every \nday without thought; and now,\u2014for us. \n\nIt was moved, seconded and carried that the Report of the Executive Committee be accepted \nwith the thanks of the Convention. The Report of the Secretary T. S. was then called for. \n\nReport of the Secretary T. S. for the Year Ending April 2 7 th, 1928. \n\nWhenever we return to a home we love, there is one question we can hardly wait to ask - \nIs everything all right? So let me say first, that everything is well with the Society and its \nBranches. Losses have come: tned and true members have fulfilled their time and passed on- \naccessions have come: new members have entered, little dreaming of the marvellous oppor- \n\nIiW thfH f H p n ' \u201cL' ,tant a ' WayS \u2019 the f \u00b0 rm of the Society\u2019s attack has changed \nsince the days of H. P. B. and her ready sledge-hammer; since the days of Mr. Judge when \n\nevery principle it promulgated had to be defended under rapid fire. The new cycle presents \na \u201c\u2122' nt \u2122 r problem,\u2014how each of us shall work Theosophy into his bones and sinews, \nuntil. becomes inseparable from him, the centre of his life; until he defends it, instinctively \ny seeking to represent its spirit and attitude in every situation and position which daily life \nbrings to him. We have cause for gratitude in the fact that an increasing number of our \nembers strive to incarnate the essential principles of Theosophy, quite unaffected by the \nnoisy proclamation of its psychic counterfeits. The new era: H. P. B. was preparing for it \nmemhenf\" n s \u201c tte f, ed broadcast and the Society was being inundated with new \n\nthe^iarve t *7 u\u00b0 7 that she dedicated her Voice of the Silence, knowing that if ' \nclosely-knit band garnered and camed over \u2019\"to the future, it would be done by a small, \n\nBranch Activities \n\nwJ k hC The ZZnT^T e L the BranCh rePOrtS ' iS the emphasis p,aced \u201cP\u00b0\" formative \nork. The action of the Branches seems analogous to that which our Convention Chairman \n\n\nT. s. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n65 \n\n\n;d t0 us as individuals, in the April \n\n\u2022 trained from them, and tor tms re* \n\n' edly, the lasting place he has won. \n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n^ \u25a0 enmptimes expressed doubt whether many \nIt was with a quizzical smile that Mr. perhaps he was contrasting some of us \n\nOf our members read the magazine from cover to cow . with {ar less help in years \n\nwith beginners in the East who are said to ha \u00ae ^ For tunately, this doubt did not \n\nthan may be found in any single mrmbero C ) ible ser vice to those who seek the \n\nlead hint to relax his effort to make it of . h . 7 Ws fellows who, lavishly expending time and \n\u2022 \u2022+ al life and the same desire still amma delighted to serve, and as the best of \n\n3KSS** <\u00bb *\u00bb - \u00ab. \"S\u2014* \u25a0* >\u2022 \n\nmemorials to him. To commemorate th P to study its material, topically, \n\na\"complete Index that will be of use to those wh^ supp , yingi as far as written words ever \nThose ioo numbers contain a rich fi rst -hand experience as have, from time imm \n\n^San un 3 a ^mber of inquiri \u201c t ^ start co \"\u201c\u2019 \n\nattracted to it by finding our magazine in ^ ahvays g i ad to have that question asked, \n\nondence by asking how to become mem \u2022 a member 0 f the Executive Committee who \n\nand we always recommend case , that the first step, a vital one \u00ab to get to \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n66 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nThe Book Department \n\n\nThe Book Department has been busy, as usual, with the sale of \u201cStandard Books\u201d, both \nto members and to inquirers; even the Public Libraries are beginning to ask for our books. \nNot only standard books on Theosophy, but all those reviewed in the Quarterly, the Depart\u00ac \nment is glad to send, postpaid, at the published price. Orders are not accepted for books on \nTheosophy that are misleading, nor does the Department sanction the sale of its publications \nby organizations merely calling themselves theosophical, mystical, or occult. In consequence, \nour books are sometimes reported as no longer on sale, but the fact is that any individual \npurchaser, whatever his connections, can readily secure them from us. \n\nAcknowledgments \n\nAll of us recognize that we owe much to those who write for the Quarterly, and even more \nto those who edit it. Acting as spokesman for the whole Society, I should like to thank them; \nalso the members who do the proof-reading, sometimes at breakneck speed. The Secretary\u2019s \noffice has a little work to do in so many different directions, that the need for extra help may \narise suddenly; and there are various New York members always ready, with steam up, to \nrespond to requests for volunteers to wrap books, mail copies of the Quarterly, or to attach \npostage stamps. The Assistant Treasurer does a nice piece of work, every quarter, in arrang\u00ac \ning the magazine envelopes to suit the post office; and the Assistant Secretary, who would \nlike to edit out any mention of her helpfulness, is ready for whatever comes. It is she who \ntakes notes of all the New York Branch meetings; another member makes an abstract from \nthem, and still another manifolds the number of copies needed for the foreign Branches,\u2014 \nall working with delight that others thus may share the addresses they have enjoyed. The \nmember who has been so very generous in past years, has again paid the salary of a stenog\u00ac \nrapher, an outsider, and the only paid worker. Yet, in another sense, your Secretary is paid, \nin fact shockingly over-paid, as every least effort is rewarded in so many ways. You, your\u00ac \nselves, are constantly writing and voting thanks, for work which it is both an honour and a \npleasure to be permitted to do. Then there is great reward\u2014pleasure plus training\u2014in the \nopportunity to take your questions, and the problems that arise, to the older members of the \nSociety whose judgment and experience are imparted in a way that is in itself a delight. It \nis because of their wise guidance that difficulties are foreseen and avoided, and that adjustments \nare made which give us the privilege of contributing\u2014without jar or friction to mar the sin\u00ac \ncerity of our offering\u2014whatever we may, to the Masters whose will sustains the Movement and \nblesses all who even try to serve it. \n\nRespectfully submitted, \n\nIsabel E. Perkins, \nSecretary , T. S. \n\nThe Chairman: I think it would be very hard to find any single motion which would be \nwelcomed more enthusiastically by all the members of the Society than the motion that the \nSecretary's Report be accepted with the very grateful thanks of all the members of the Society \nand its officers. \n\nMr. J. F. B. Mitchell: The Chairman has taken an unfair advantage of his being Chair\u00ac \nman, because that motion was very much on the hearts of many members. \n\nAfter being duly seconded, the motion was passed unanimously, and the Report of the Treas\u00ac \nurer T. S. was called for, Mr. Johnston taking the Chair. \n\nReport of the Treasurer, T. S. \n\nMr. H. B. Mitchell: The report of the Treasurer should always begin with the acknowl\u00ac \nedgment that it is Miss Youngs who carries whatever burden may be attached to the Treas\u00ac \nurer\u2019s office. She draws the receipts, keeps the books, attends to the banking, and sees to \nit that all goes straight. It is to her that we are indebted for the preparation of the figures \nwhich make the report I am about to present to you. \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n67 \n\n\nComparing the record with that of last year, as I find it interesting to do, our receipts and \ndisbursements total almost the same for each year, and the individual items, on both sides \nof the account, are also surprisingly close. There is an increase of somewhat over $200 in \nthe cost of printing and mailing the Quarterly, and that is explained by the increase in the \nnumber of copies printed, to which we have just heard reference in the Secretary\u2019s report. \nWe started the year with a bank balance of $529 (in round numbers) and we close the year \nwith $431; but $76 of this latter amount represents dues prepaid for the year 1929, and the \nTreasurer has very recently received some $300 more, not yet put on deposit at our bank, \nwhich is also on account of dues for the next year, beginning May 1st. Taking the present \nyear alone, we have managed to spend almost $200 more than the year\u2019s receipts. \n\nA sincere pleasure that the Treasurer enjoys, is the opportunity to see the letters from \nour members which accompany the payment of their dues\u2014speaking of the help they have \nreceived from the Quarterly and from the Secretary\u2019s office, and of the effort they are making \nto further the cause of Theosophy. These letters are a help and an inspiration. \n\nOur Balance Sheet reads as follows: \n\n\nMay 1, 1927-ApRiL 28, 1928 \n\n\nReceipts \n\n\nDisbursements \n\n\nCurrent Dues. \n\n$ 705.98 \n\nPrinting and mailing the Theo\u00ac \n\n\nGeneral Contributions, and Do\u00ac \n\n\nsophical Quarterly (4 num\u00ac \n\n\nnations to the Theosophical \n\n\nbers) . \n\n$3195-5\u00b0 \n\nQuarterly. \n\n592.05 \n\nStationery and supplies. \n\n135.53 \n\nPropaganda Fund. \n\n167940 \n\nPostage. \n\n74.60 \n\nSubscriptions to the Theosophi\u00ac \n\n\nRent. \n\n150.00 \n\ncal Quarterly. \n\n461.39 \n\nTelephone. \n\n57.80 \n\n\n$3438.82 \n\nTotal Disbursements. \n\n$3613-43 \n\n1929 Dues, prepaid. \n\n76.00 \n\nBalance April 28, 1928. \n\n43 \u00ab-\u00b0 8 \n\nTotal- Receipts. \n\n$3514-82 \n\n\n\nBalance April 30, 1927. \n\n529.69 \n\n\n\n\n$4044.51 \n\n\n$4044.51 \n\nAssets \n\n\nLiabilities \n\n\n\n\n1929 Dues, prepaid. \n\n$ 76.00 \n\nOn deposit Corn Exchange Bank, \n\n\nExcess of assets over liabilities. \n\n355\u00b08 \n\nApril 28, 1928. \n\n$ 431.08 \n\n\n$ 431.08 \n\n\nHenry Bedinger Mitchell, \nTreasurer , The Theosophical Society. \n\n\nMr. Johnston: Before asking what action it is your pleasure to take upon the report of \nthe Treasurer, let me say that I listened with some anxiety for the final figures, as unless we \nhad our usual* deficit it would not be satisfactory. It is reassuring to find that we have $100 \nless in the bank than we had at the beginning of the year! \n\nMr. H. B. Mitchell: There is no deficit in fact, since all our bills are paid and we have \na balance in the bank, although smaller than last year\u2019s. The Treasurer is not appealing \nfor special contributions, nor asking that any unusual fund be created, but he would remind \nmembers, in the terms used recently by Mr. Johnston, that chairs (and funds) do not arrange \n\nthemselves. . , , \n\nThe report of the Treasurer was accepted with thanks, after a motion duly made and \nseconded. Mr. H. B. Mitchell then resumed the Chair, and asked for the report of the Com\u00ac \nmittee on Nominations. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n68 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nReport of the Committee on Nominations \n\n\nMr. J. F. B. Mitchell: The Committee begs to nominate, for two vacancies on the Execu\u00ac \ntive Committee\u2014which, as you know, in addition to the Treasurer, elected annually, consists \nof six members, elected for a term of three years, the term of two expiring each year, the \nother four remaining in office\u2014the Committee begs to nominate, to succeed Dr. Keightley and \nMr. Perkins,\u2014Dr. Keightley and Mr. Perkins; for Secretary, Miss Perkins; Miss Chickering \nfor Assistant Secretary; for Treasurer, Professor Mitchell, and for Assistant Treasurer, Miss \nYoungs. \n\nOn motion, it was voted that the report of the Committee be adopted and that the Secretary \nbe instructed to cast one ballot for the nominees. This was done, and the nominees were \ndeclared elected. After certain announcements had been made, the Convention was, on motion, \nadjourned until 2.30 p.m. \n\n\nAfternoon Session \n\nThe Convention reconvened at the appointed time, and the Chairman called upon the \nCommittee on Letters of Greeting, to report. \n\nReport of the Committee on Letters of Greeting \n\nDr. Keightley: The Committee has a large number of letters from all parts of the world \nfrom Norway, from Czecho-Slovakia, from Sweden, from various Branches in South America\u2019 \nfrom the English Branches, and from groups of students in Berlin. First, I will read a cable\u00ac \ngram which Mrs. Griscom has just handed to me, sent to her by members of the Norfolk \nBranch, \u201c Our heartfelt good wishes for Convention. May it be blessed! [signed] Alice Graves, \nEspoir and Hope Bagnell.\u201d We had the very great pleasure of seeing Mrs. and Miss Bagnell \nhere last year. [After reading from the letters, which are printed in full at the end of this \nReport, Dr. Keightley asked the Chairman to read a letter sent to him as Treasurer, by the \nTreasurer of the Aussig Branch, which he did.] \n\nThe Chairman: Such a letter as this helps us to realize how casually, and as a matter \nof course, we sometimes regard our being here for Convention, especially those of us who live \nin New York. It is good for us to get a glimpse of how our distant members, working alone, \nlook forward to the possibility that some one of their number may come,\u2014the contributions \nof his fellows making it possible for him to do so. The Report of the Committee has brought \na great many important considerations before us, and we shall look forward to the opportunity \nto read these letters in the Quarterly, when we may ponder over their significance. \n\nIt was moved and seconded that the Report of the Committee on Letters of Greeting be \naccepted with thanks and that the Committee be discharged. This having been voted, the \nChairman called for the Report of the Committee on Resolutions. \n\nReport of the Committee on Resolutions \n\nMr. Hargrove: Mr. Chairman, I know that the members who are present will miss Miss \nHohnstedt, and will be glad to know that she is well, although prevented from attending \nthe Convention owing to the illness of a near relative. \n\nListening to these reports and letters from so many members who live far away from us, \nand who in some cases are isolated, brought back to my mind the saying of F. W. Robertson| \n\u201cWhat a man can do in conjunction with others does not test the man. Tell us what he can \ndo alone/' I venture to suggest that as a test which we might well apply to ourselves. \n\nOne advantage of speaking on behalf of the Committee on Resolutions, which reports in \nthe afternoon, as well as speaking as a member of the Executive Committee in the morning, \nis that the afternoon gives one the opportunity to amend, and if necessary correct, statements \n\n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n69 \n\n\n\u2022 1 T find mvself greatly dissatisfied with what I said about medi- \n\nne has made in the morning! I find myselt gr y ^ mightbeo{ some use, but is not, \n\nine, because I spoke of pain as anyone who knows anything at all about modern \n\n-to realize, as soon as I had sat dow \u00a3; \\ ine __ that \u201cmarvellous modem discovery . \n\nnedicine would at once have tho \"^ t o\u00a3 d ^ ence knows next to nothing about the causes \nActually, however, my point was that modems* ^ ^ q{ disease {rom without \n\n,f pain. Because it is ma * e \" a ' 1 . . j hat the cause of many if not most diseases \n\n\u00abtechie body and the astral body and the nerves, \n\n1,1 No h one P her S e C wtuld make the Some \n\nor a Christian Science attitude toj^seaseb py evidence of an effort on the part \n\nof us would say that symptoms of a disease V ^ ^ that the bes t method of \n\nof nature to throw off that disease \u00ab i^isnot my purpose, however, to attempt an \ntreatment is to assist nature \u2018\" that pr \u00b0\u201c idne but to suggest that what medicine needs is \namateur discussion on the subject rema ; n j us t about as blind as it is to-day. \n\nTheosophy, because until it gets Theosophy J only be touched upon, \n\nThe/another topic touched \u00abP\u00b0m ^^\"/\u201ce \u201cis doLg all that he can to help the \nwas the suggestion that not every ineauitably. There may have been some present \n\nSociety, or rather, that the load is car j k / w bow to do. There are in fact some \n\nwho mentally responded: I am doing ev iyt^ 8^ ng their {ull weight. All that they \nwho are doing much; who, outwardly \u2019 is P doing his utmost inwardly, but in some \n\ncan give, they give. I will not say th y to self-hypnosis of one kind or another. \n\ncases, the inhibition there is due rea y o mis \u2019 an d to whom it seems that their offers \n\nThere are others who really want to 1^off \u201cto move chairs. When their offers \nare not accepted. They offer to addresser^ ^ they attribute the refusal to the \n\nare not accepted, how do they reac . t them a passion for moving chairs. Clearly, \njealousy of the older members \u00b0r attribute to th P okler members, but to ask if it \nthe sensible thing to do is not to blame fate or the teg ^ fa onese , f . what kind \nmay not be possible that there is s \u00b0 me , enve lopes-1 happen to know one or two of the \nof defect? Well, somebody offers to ad& ^ whQ are perfect l y satisfied with it. \n\nyounger members whose handwriting < - V ed There are always reasons why \n\nYou could not convince them that it ought ^ t0 taUe not es very rapidly \n\nit is not just what it ought to be^ollege, aad \u201c\"\u2122 ation .f. and a n explanation settles \n\u2014reasons and excuses; no, not an excu ^ suggest that if anyone offers to address \n\nit; there is nothing more to be don . handwriting. You cannot do \n\nenvelopes and the offer is no accepted,Jie tbere are worse forms of Yoga \n\neverything, but, if it be done for handwr iting, absolutely perfect, and in any case \n\nthan to set out to achieve a. copp' P ^ dedde just wbere to draw the line, \nlegible. It has to be left to the ind l] r about handwriting, but about things in \n\nClearly, that may be an indication, not \" ecea f\" y Quarterlies or the ir envelopes to \ngeneral.\u2019 Suppose the offer is ^ accepted-there^ ^ true; but sup posing \nsort: \"very grateful, but s \u00b0 me ^ 0 ' y d it be fore and has kept up an incessant chatter \nsome very well meaning individual hasi do ^ ^ ente rtaining, even instructive; but \nall the time, -talk, talk, talk. y . otber people were trying to do some work an \n\npossibly that was not the best time ^'^atToL possible. \n\nto get things done. There are all ^ som ething?\u201d \u201cWhat can you \n\nIt is imaginable that somebo y y ' \u201e Th some thing is given to be copie . \n\ndo, can you typewrite?\u201d J 1 ^L^lrew\u00a3 can copy any kind of paper accurately \nI wonder if you realize how few J* da{terward s with the original, by someone really trained \nso that it does not have to be com P d t o{ tbem are women. 1 hat goes very \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n70 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nyou could manage to be accurate. It would not necessarily follow, because during many \nprevious years, you might have fallen into such habits of inaccuracy that even to save your \nlife or that of your child, you could not achieve it. But granted the interest, the devotion, \nthe conscience, the love,\u2014accuracy could be learned. \n\nPeople talk about chGlaship. What do chfilas do? Surely the conquest of their defects, \nfor love of their Master and from a desire to serve him, is part of their determination. Suppose \nthen, that a member of the Society wants to help, but, quite unconsciously, cannot resist \nexploiting himself. He is asked to do something; he does it; puts a good deal of energy, of \nfire, into it, but unintentionally he does it for the glorification of self. He tells others how \nmuch he has done; or he congratulates himself on his superior performance. The trouble is \nthat if self obtrudes itself beyond a certain point in work done for The Theosophical Society, \nit destroys that which it does. Further, it is more trouble than it is worth,\u2014just trying to \nget rid of that other person\u2019s protruding ego. It used to keep the older people busy most of \nthe time. \n\nLet us assume that in another case, egotism is not the obstacle, but great excitability. \nSomebody gets extremely excited if anything goes wrong. Then three or four of the so-called \nAncients have to come and soothe it down and make it all right again and say \u201cThere, there, \ngo home\u201d. That takes time and energy, and you would rather have done the task yourself in \nthe first place. So good will is not enough; kindly feeling is not enough; desire to help is not \nenough. What is needed are those (there is such a thing as the business side of the Society), \nwho are competent to do the work, and who do not require thr.ee or four instructors or three or \nfour ch\u00a3las, or nursemaids, or anything else to see that a thing is done properly. You cannot \nleave behind all the ordinary qualifications. Any work requires a certain amount of tact, of \nconsideration for others, of self-effacement, of adaptability, as well as good will. So. we should \nexamine ourselves as to the directions in which we perhaps could do more than we are doing, and \nask ourselves whether the reason we are not doing more is that we are not competent; that be\u00ac \ncause of personal limitations of some kind or other, it is impossible for the Society\u2014and so for \nthe Masters\u2014to use us as we might wish. Much more could be said about that. The truth of \nthe matter is that those who really want to serve the Movement and not themselves, will \nvery soon make themselves efficient and competent. The fight is against the personality. \nThat is the enemy. The barriers exist within ourselves and not outside of ourselves. We \nall know this theoretically, but the question is, how many of us act upon that knowledge. \nIt is a commonplace that moral defects create mental defects. Vanity carried to a certain \npoint becomes insanity in increasing degree, and so with all of the moral defects without \nexception. Long before insanity is reached, these defects result in mental blindness, deadness, \ninability to see anything straight, hopeless lack of judgment. In so far, therefore, as we are \nable to recognize our mental limitations, we ought to be able to trace them to our moral defects; \nand it is our moral defects and nothing else that stand in the way of our service of The Theo\u00ac \nsophical Society. \n\nThis may not seem to have much to do with resolutions, but I suggest that it has everything \nto do with resolutions. It is a question of overcoming the personality. We have been dis\u00ac \ncussing that at recent meetings of the New York Branch. All religions, and Theosophy itself, \nexist for the purpose of helping us to recognize the personality as our worst obstacle so long \nas we identify ourselves with it. We must detach ourselves from it, and then learn to use it \nas it was intended to be used,\u2014as an organ, an obedient instrument. I wonder whether \nyou remember a story told years ago of an aspirant for chSlaship who went to a Guru and said, \nPlease, I want to become a ch\u00a3la.\u201d And the Guru or Adept looked at him intently for several \nseconds, and then said, \u201cGood; go away and disembody yourself mentally, and see to it that \nyou stay disembodied.\u201d The aspirant for ch&aship went away, very much impressed, and \nfor six months he worked at it. At the end of six months, he went back to the Guru and sat \nbefore him^expectantly. The Guru looked at him and said, \u201cDidn't I tell you to stay dis\u00ac \nembodied?\u201d The aspirant for chSlaship disappeared. It took him several years, first to \nread the riddle, and then to stay disembodied. Finally he did it. This has a great deal to \ndo with work for The Theosophical Society. It is not a counsel of perfection. It is a \n\n\nT '\u2019 to w mat we stay disembodied. - u^emooay ourselves men- \n\n.X\u2019SS\u2019Sirs iiTiXS'\u2019\u2019 \u2019\u201ct \u00b0 u ' i \u201c * rm -* \u2014. \u201ei \n\nand who loves you very much. Of course that wo m\"i! y \u00b0\u201c S1 \u2018 by and whose hand you hold \nnot beheve anybody is really guilty of it ' But Tw ^ % gnevous misunderstanding. I can \nRasters. In any case, I !hL tLt L c^eptln f \u2014 the terribfe viriHty \n\nWhatever our ,dea of Masters a year ago at the w r t0 be Changed continually \n\nought to be truer, ought to be higher- w/ol! , \u2018 C \u00b0nvent 10 n, to-day our idea of them \n\nnotions about them. It has been^d oTZl ^ a ^at manyS \n\ntenacious of ideas and customs; that they areve^fmth \u2018 hey are ast \u00b0nishingly \n\nand that V th neVer ^ g \u00b0\u00b0 d eIim inators; they neverTet rid ff an\u00b0Jh PaSt ~\u2122 U$6d *\u00b0 be ~ bu \u2018 \nnd \u2018hat this is one explanation of why they are to dav sld fanythlng - \"ever discard anything ; \nWe should watch ourselves for that. and see tot r/r Anally, in a great many cases \nr?' t \u00b0 nS ^, andthere are ma ny false inceptions when 7\" ** \" d \u00b0 f ideas - <* false con- \n\nbe^i* 14 ^^ 5a \u2122\u00b0P\u00a3t\u00aehgi\u00b0us people^*'Iatoostl-e^et th\"!* 156 ^\u2018^\u2018go^by theTa^e \nf ^.\u2018has been so cheated. \n\nssrsSd 1 d \u00b0 not * ** we \n\nto see the silver lining. We must\u201c to iZeZZ the douds - The troubles \n\nthat that The Theosophical Society was founded - T ^ \u00b0 f ^ U was Partly for \n\nis-Tlw facts \u201d widely enough, broadly enough ^ Life of** alt \u00b0 gether for \u2018hat, if you \n>s, always remembering that it is never the Ime f. \u2018 * Se ' must be seen for what it \n\ndogmatize about it, to speak of it in universal Term^ w \u00b0 Pe \u00b0 ple ' We cannot afford to \nnotion that the purpose of life on earth is that S; bat we must at any cost outgrow the \nright to happiness. We must leave it to fools t haVe g \u00b0\u00b0 d \u00abme\u00bb; that we hive a \n0 appmess is worth anything. If they want to \u00b0 tbat tbeir right to the pursuit \n\nw.11 never find happiness if they pu sIIiTThe'7 IT ** ^ they can d \u00b0 *>; but they \nthe more clearly one realizes that it is li f \u201c rther experience of life penetrate! \nknow from what we have read that 6 tbe f ront hne trenches in France All of \u2019 \n\n,\u00ab*\u2022 \"Z \u2018\u201eT \u201c i\u201c --\u201cS' 4L\u00a3S \n\nwas paradise. How could it have hppra \u00b0 thers lt: was Purgatory. For a few \n\nwere Other than they were. Eve^wJwasfocl m\u00b0\u2018 by pretendi \" g \u2018hat the faltl \n\nnoise, a hell of odour; within them a helf of nerves C !' Vably hornb,e: ar \u00b0und them a hell of \n\nclmln they had surrcndered life itself and all that th^ POnSlWl 7~ eVery SOrt of hell: yet. \ncompleteness and perfection nf at were an d possessed berAncp nf \n\nIf we fa,l to do it, let us not blame others \u201d fZ tb \u00ae Same thi \"g here in New York \n\nperfection; but let us at least see honestly where the t ^\u2019ki^ 04 that any of us can do it to \n\nmade some kind of sacrifice for The 6V6r find your P ers \u00b0nality saying it has \n\u25a0t -t be true. It cannot \u201d f \u00b0 r disdp,esbi P. ** Hecause \namong many others, that \"I go for ref We to the file ' S \u201e an mto,erab le untruth, for the reason \n\nI::;t h h \u00b0r nd \u00b0 f a \u00bb*\u00a3 sxs \n\nand he has not reached the point in evolution f \u00b0 r refuge from the world. \n\n\u00b0 ng as he says t0 himself, \u201c I have sacrificed \u201d You lid 1x5,166 ' S conceiv able so \n\nup skirt dancing for astrology. You may be able to ^^.32 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n72 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\naTJfbotS 4 S itsr 1 -* b r g \n\nhere ever thought of ourselves as \u201e eu \u25a0 , , has made! Have some of us \n\nthe voice of the devil. It was suggested bv a friend Td ^ \u00b0 Ught t0 leam toreco S nize \nnonsense for people to complain as tW a~ Y i \u2022 day \u00b0 r tw \u00b0 ago \u2019 that is sheer \nof God, the voice of the Masters when the r t P nT\u2019 they cannot recognize the voice \nis it that they f 7 'T *\u00b0 the V \u00b0 ke \u00b0 f the devil - Why \n\nMasters? It is because they are listening ^ d< T \u2019 and . cannot recognize the voice of the \ntake to be their own voices to their 0 Jf int, ranced \u2019 mornin E- noon and night, to what they \nout realizing that right dis^mLatLn w^r^bl ttm\" to ^ \n\nthemselves. Let us make a brave resolution to sacrifice theddiehls nt\u2122 \nconversation. We shall get somewhere if we do that \u00b0 Ur \u00b0 Wn mental \n\nlutions that ought to be^Ide^VarticulIriy afTc ^ T\u2122 a \u2122\u201c' ng is the \"umber of reso- \nand we cannot make too many resolutions \u2014so lone \u201cy ent,on ,\u00b0 f The Theoso Phical Society; \nif you make one, and really keep it and work it thrn h k6Pt ' 11IS splendid ' however, \n\none good resolution and really keep it\u2014keen not nnh t \u00b0i S \u00b0 g \u2018 ca end; becau se if you make \nwhere you want to arrive You will find the S 1 Ita ,etter h \u00abt its spirit\u2014you will arrive \ntion of The Theosophical Safety would *\u00b0 thing Stop you ' The Conven- \n\nb W e e a e ssuTid y \u2018\u00b0 ^ ^ 8 \u00b0 al 35 the - Ult \u00b0 f a \n\nUR. Iorrey: The resolutions read: First-that Mr * , \n\nto reply to letters of greeting. Second- that thn r ^ ^ St \u00b0 n bC re ? uested and authorized \nthe Society to Branches. Third - that the thanks of \u00b0\" V !, ntlon authorizes visits of officers of \n\nY 7-rr h - 'r'T '* ,h ' n '- \n\nuniversities to-day, where heads of denart WG . are ln the cond ition that exists in some \n\ndo it themselves. The mechanical work cv,/ \\a j ng done n ght and must therefore \n\nup the higher kind of work. If we are not ready to do th Y Wh \u00b0 ^ DOt yGt ready to take \nbe ready to do the higher kind of work when those who are 'T\u2018 echata, \u201c l1 work \"ow, how can we \ngoing to happen if the thing breaks down 5 domg 14 have gone on; and what is \n\nto-dirs Lr^STheirwar s ude for \u00bb -\u00ab*\u2022 \n\nIt was moved, seconded and un-mi,\u2122 I* Th fV S a part of my own resolution. \n\nResolutions be accepted with the thanks of the Com-enrion. 1 ^ ReP \u00b0 rt \u00b0 f ^ Committee on \n\ntaken place before, rather\u00b0than after^f^Renort ^ Rep \u00b0, rt of the Committee should have \nquite out of order, and will sit \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3^met bT I a m \n\nme, there is one comment I wish to make \u2019 WW J u ' but pendln g their so instructing \ntrue of each and every one of us. We have all I am * T f OVe has said to us is recognizably \napplied to ourselves, and have seen somethin*\u2019 1 SU ?\u2019 a Way in which what he said \ndividually, can make I wantTo\" ad^S^he? d \u00b0 ab \u00b0 Ut that we,In- \n\noutlined. That is, if anybody JsheV \u201cheft tW l \u00b0 the praCticaI ones wb ich he \nas to be available when things have to be done ^ Sh \u00b0 U \u2018 d Stay around - 50 \n\n\u201c\u2022 '\u00b0 b \u201c\u25a0\" *\u25a0 \u201c \u2019 im - \u00bb\u2022 \u00ab\u00ab \u00ab=*\u00ab\u00a3 Eh\" 2, tsr.t,? \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n73 \n\n\nIf there is something to be done here, and the competent man is in Albany or Oshkosh, he is \nof no use. That means that we must be content to stand available, even when, apparently, \nthere is nothing for us to do. I think that is a practical suggestion, so I make it. Perhaps \nI should add: be around without being too much \u201cunder foot\u201d. \n\nWe have reached now the point where, having heard the written word from our distant \nmembers\u2014in this case bringing back to us so vividly the presence of many of them at our \nConvention last year\u2014we can hear from those who are with us in person; from those Branches \nwhich have a delegate here to give us their report and good wishes, by word of mouth instead \nof by letter. \n\nMiss Evans: I have nothing very different to report this year from other years. We have \nheld our meetings regularly and they are regularly attended. Our membership is small and \nit has grown very little this year. Our work is informal in character. It hardly Seems possible \nto do it in any other way, with such a small membership. We use the Quarterly very con\u00ac \nstantly, and some reading from the standard books, and we try always to have discussion of \nsome topic that is very much in the public eye,\u2014something that we should make up our minds \nabout as a community. That is the basis of our meetings, and all that I have to report. \n\nMiss Wallace : I have often longed for such an opportunity as this, to express appreciation \nof these Conventions and all that they bring to us. I hope that now we shall be able to go \nback home and to free ourselves from those.hindrances which have been so clearly pointed out \nhere,\u2014 so that we can put into our work for the T. S. some of the ardour and devotion that is \ncharacteristic of the spirit of this Convention. \n\nMr. Waffensmith: First, I must express our gratitude that we could again attend Con\u00ac \nvention. In Cincinnati our work consists of a public meeting, once a month, at which papers \nare presented by different members, and are discussed. The rest of our meetings are for \nmembers only, and these are devoted to a study class in The Secret Doctrine , which has been \nof such interest and help that it was continued even during the hot months of summer. As \nrecent members, Mrs. Waffensmith and I feel very grateful to those who have maintained \nthe Cincinnati Branch so zealously\u2014keeping the door open until the time came when we could \nenter it. Theosophy represents to us an open door, and this year I feel that I can pitch my \ntent a little closer than I could last year. \n\nMr. Leonard: I remember the admonitions of those who spoke at prior Conventions \nthat we speak what is in our hearts, and I shall endeavour to do that rather than to speak to \nthe subject matter that-has been discussed here to-day,\u2014on account of my inability to do so. \nWhen I left the West Coast for the East Coast, my objective\u2014the same as with all of you\u2014 \nwas a true spiritual centre. The thought has been current in my mind: how fortunate is \nthe Karma of merit of a certain few which enables them to establish a connection between \nthe world and the Lodge of Masters, a link of salvation; and how fortunate has it been for those \nmembers of this Society who have had continuous association at this centre; and how fortunate \nare they who infrequently contact it; and even how fortunate are those members who have \neven been prevented from attending,\u2014fortunate in the sense that they are members of the \nSociety and that they have the Theosophical Quarterly as a connecting link. I am happy \nto be here\u2014in common with your happiness\u2014and when we return to our respective homes, \nlet us take with us some of the available fire for our own regeneration, that we may become \nbetter instruments of service in the Cause of the Masters, realizing the great gifts that the \nMasters bestowed upon us in the restoration of the ancient Truth in the western world which \nhas made possible this meeting here to-day. In loving gratitude to the Masters, we should \nresolve, in some way at least, to make reciprocal gifts to them, in some way seriously to try \nto understand ourselves, that we may be better able to checkmate the impediments to our own \ndevelopment, to know that we are divinely equipped, and to learn how to use that equipment \nfor the purpose for which it is intended. \n\nIn regard to theosophical activities, some may plead lonely isolation, but it would seem \nthat is due to a misguided imagination. A Master said, Where two or three are gathered \ntogether in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Permit me to read a brief passage \nfrom Robert Browning\u2019s Paracelsus. Paracelsus is speaking to Festus: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n74 theosophical quarterly \n\n.... from childhood I have been possessed \nBy a fire\u2014by a true fire, or faint or fierce, \n\nAs from without some master, so it seemed, \n\nRepressed or urged its current: this but ill \nExpresses what I would convey: but rather \nI will believe an angel ruled me thus, \n\nThan that my soul\u2019s own workings, own high nature \noo became manifest. ...\u201d \n\nM\u2014'\u00bb \u00ab\u00ab ThTOMiphical \n\nthe continuity of conscious life nn all i a y re er to it at this time to remind us of \n\nspeaking, we read I myself nev \"fj ^no^T 3 day \u00ab****\u25a0 In the Gita, Krishna \n\nzzrjz *-\u2014 to w u e s r \n\niz r t * r \n\nhave requested*, ^ \u2018\u00b0 S \u00b0 me \"\"^rs who \n\nlibrary, and standard theosoS^ks f \"r Se O We have 3 drculatil * \n\nOf it. She superintends the re-binding of old mat* \u2122 lbranan \u2019 Mrs - Wmston > has charge \nnew volumes of the Quarterly Sh/il i d g nes and old books and the binding of \n\nbooks. We circulate copies'o'/the^^UARTERL^amom \u2018 l m \u00b0 ney reSU,ti \" g from tbe ^ \u00ab* \n\nand adjacent states,\u2014beginning in Eureka in the <?\u2022 E \u2018 he P rraci P a l libraries of California \nAlameda, Palo Alto where Stanford University isVcaTe\u2019d S \u2018\u00b0 San u Francisc \u00b0. Oakland, \nto San Diego; then to Albuquerque New Mexico to A \u2019 \u2019 S + 1 \u00b0^\u2019 and thence further south \n\nand to Honolulu. In addition, we furnish copies of lhTn,u\u00b0p Ren0a \u201d d CarS \u00b0 n City \u2019 Nevada - \nGospel, with whom we communicated and who signified their t0 m,nlsters of the \n\nto it for a purpose. To me, personally, it is due to tL fJ fru th3t ' S trUe \u2019 and 1 am referring \nthan with the idea of our ability to make a worthy r t .J\u2019 a \u2018. wecome here more as recipients \nhere from distant places are littfe th\u201d 3 Se \" Se ' ^ Wh \u00b0 C \u00b0 me \n\nto whom we owe a great debt of gratitude. \u201c chlldren th an certain little children \n\nI was re-reading M* Judgl\u2019TLTew ^from tie Orf^ a \"d\" \u00b0\" theoso P hic map. Recently \nabout this map. It set me to thinking about differing Wasstruck with w hat he said there \ncall attention to the work that we are trying to do ? n \u201c ? * might be possib,e to \n\nI Wish it were, especially as it is evident that Then\u2122^\u2122 01186 ' The res P onse is not what \nget it to the people who are reaching out their hands f 7 ^ mUCh needed \u00bb~\" b ut how to \n3 Pr \u00b0 ble \u2122 tbat we, in Syracuse, have not yetTolved S \u00b0 methmg \u2019 the T not what, is \n\none real thing 0 /tie yTar foAhe \u201cw T ** C \u00b0 nVention is tba \n\nsame activities as last year public meeting \u2022 , \u2022 b \u2019 ^ e have been carrying on the \n\nand the Reports of the New York Branch m Jr Wh,ch , we discuss the Convention Reports \nEmerson\u2019s Essays. We are v\u00a3y \u00a3S5 for t'hf \u2019 \u201c 3 ^ daSS \u2019 devoted \u2018his year to \nNew York Branch meetings, and for the fact that th*\u2122 ifY* receivlng the Report of the \nstudents who are sometimes called \u201cthe AnM\u2019^W \"\" m3y ,00k to those older \n\nAncients . We are especially thankful for the \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n75 \n\n\nQua rterly articles by Mr. Johnston, Mr. Griscom and other regular contributors,\u2014some \nof them we have not seen, but still they are personal friends of ours and we find ourselves turn\u00ac \ning to them for help. We feel that we have little to give to the Society, but we can give our \ngratitude. \n\nMrs. Lake: What Mrs. Rose has said is pre-eminently true of our Branch. We come here \nin the spirit of longing and expecting to receive, knowing that we are going to get more than \nenough to go upon until the next Convention, with its fresh inspiration, comes around. I fear \nwe are too far away to be allowed to help set the chairs, using Mr. Johnston\u2019s figure, and if we \nattempted them I am sure that most of them would be crooked. This is my tenth Conven\u00ac \ntion, and I have been asking myself what use I have made of that wonderful privilege. The \nfirst Convention, I well remember, was largely a maze to me, but there has been progress\u2014 \nand now I can see a straight path ahead; but there remain the terrible barriers of the personality \nwhich make it exceedingly difficult, at times, to keep to the path one sees. To-day it has been \nmade plain to us what we have to do, and now it only remains to do it. \n\nMr. Forbes: It gives Mrs. Forbes and myself great happiness to be at this Convention. \nThere are now three members in Chattanooga. At present we are not able to meet regularly, \nso have no organized work. Now and again, we encounter those who wish to know what \nTheosophy is, what it offers as an explanation of life. This gives us an opportunity to lend \nTheosophical literature and help in any way we can. \n\nHaving a young member has recently brought us in contact with a number of young people \nwho are dissatisfied with orthodox religious teachings, which no longer have any authority \nfor them. There are those who seem to be, at first, rather repelled by the name \u201cTheosophy\" \nand the reading we have suggested is not directly Theosophical, but along the lines of the \nInward Light, the Creed of Buddha and the Creed of Christ. They may be thus led to co-ordinate \nthe Christian teaching they have had with the other great religions,\u2014and so gradually come \nto see the universal and fundamental truths underlying them all and, also, their supporting \nand complementary relation to the highest thought and feeling of our time. With this gained, \n\nand a great gain it would be, they may be ready to go on to the definitely Theosophical teach- \nmgs, or so we hope. \n\nOne would like to say how valuable the Quarterly is. It brings a personal and individual \nmessage, helping with difficulties, opening up fresh vistas, and shedding light on the problem \nof the moment. The words, \u201cAs his growth slowly develops his intelligence\u201d, have been \nrunning in my mind for many weeks. Looking back, to-day, four years since I was here, it \nis with astonishment that one sees how slowly one\u2019s intelligence does grow! Mr. Hargrove\u2019s \naddress, pointing out to us so clearly the defection of our moral nature, must make us \nmore strongly resolve to elevate our desires and grow in intelligence, so that we may discern \nand act. \n\nMr. Bryant: The worst in me comes out at Convention, and the best takes its place \u2014 \nbut I am ashamed and sorry to say that the effect of the last Convention has become thin \nand attenuated by the time the next one comes along. I think I have discovered a plan that \nWill extend the happiness and benefit that the Convention brings, for, if this one which lasts \nonly a day can do as much for me as it does, clearly I must find a way to extend it. So I plan \nto go home and put on a 364 day Convention there, by myself. One of my problems will \nbe to find a way of being as theosophically minded throughout my long Convention as one \nfinds it comparatively easy to be here. \n\nDr. 1 orrey: Perhaps it would be interesting to you to hear of what we are trying to do in \nthe little study class at Amherst. We have been working this year on Mr. Judge\u2019s Ocean of \nTheosophy and also on some articles from the Quarterly! We start at seven-thirty and end \nat ten o clock, and then have to be thrown out! One of the many things that we need to do \nis to learn to read. People simply do not understand terms and words,\u2014force, energy, matter, \nwill, spirit. They have such a hazy idea of the connotation of such words that they find it \nvery difficult to understand what they denote. We must try to get down to bed rock bottom \nbefore we can properly build. This seems elementary, yet I have been surprised to find grown \npeople say that they have never learned to study in that way. They have gone through school \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nV* \n\n\n1 1 \n\n\n76 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nwhere they were passed on, from one grade to another, in order to get rid of them,\u2014and they \nnow have to learn what sentences mean! \n\nMr. J. F. B. Mitchell: Mr. Chairman and Fellow Members, I think the first thing we all \nwant to do is to give some expression to our gratitude,\u2014gratitude that we are here, gratitude \nfor what it means to be here. The things I have had in my heart to say have been said, for \nthe most part, and I think it is only a question of phrasing them slightly differently and perhaps \nbringing several things together. \n\nTake what was written in a letter to the Treasurer: \u201cWe are seizing the moment of inspira\u00ac \ntion to start a little fund\u201d. Could there be a better keynote for all of us than to seize the \nmoment of inspiration to start a little fund of spiritual capital with which to buy eyesalve \nthat we may see! Every time we place a chair, every time we address an envelope with that \nintention, we may start our fund of spiritual capital. That is the first thing for us to do. \n\nIn thinking of Convention, I asked myself what the facts were, and what they meant. We \nknow the facts: that we are here at a Convention of The Theosophical Society, founded by \nthe Masters, founded in order to bring to the world a knowledge of its destiny and of its own \nheart\u2019s desire. Several years ago, the simile was used of the members of the Society as besiegers \nstanding on the captured wall of a city, in which was imprisoned the world\u2019s desire. Several \nother walls remained to be taken, but they had surmounted one, and knew that within was \nthe world's desire, the world's happiness, the world\u2019s goal. It is knowledge of that goal which \nthe Masters wish to bring to mankind and for which they founded The Theosophical Society. \nFurthermore, it is the heart\u2019s desire of every one in this room,\u2014that life which the Theosophical \nMovement points out, the spiritual life, the life of service of the Masters, of chdlaship. The \npoint I want to make is, that that is the heart\u2019s desire of every one of us here, our path, our \ngoal, our one hope of happiness. \n\nMr. Hargrove spoke of those who come with \u201csacrifice\u201d in their hands as being ten thousand \nmiles from the Masters. It is not, and cannot be, sacrifice, because it is the path of our own \nhappiness\u2014a fact that we ought immediately to forget, for we are not to do it from that \nmotive, but because it is the path for the world, and that is what the Society exists for, to \nbring it to the world. \n\nI asked myself what the Masters who founded the Society would like to have us bring here \nas we come to its Convention. Gratitude, of course, infinite gratitude; and after that, recog\u00ac \nnition\u2014recognition of the facts, recognition of what it is that is offered to us, of what it is \nthat we are looking at; recognition, first, of the fact that the Master at the head of our Ray \nhas given to each one of us, as our heart\u2019s desire, that path and that goal, ch&aship, the life \nof the spirit. Because that ideal had become so overlaid, so hidden from our view, that unaided \nwe never should have found it, never should have recognized it, buried as it was beneath the \nheaped up debris of self,\u2014they have brought down, through the Theosophical Movement, a \nrepresentation of that pearl of great price, that, seeing it outwardly we may recognize it in\u00ac \nwardly, and recognizing it inwardly we may follow it and give ourselves to it wholly and \ncompletely. \n\nIt is comparatively easy to see that here. We come here and recognize perhaps, that it is \nour heart\u2019s desire. We recognize now something of the infinite value of the experience of the \nolder members, of our need for it, something of the world\u2019s need for it; and now we long to \nreceive it, to draw out all that we can of it, to take it into ourselves, and to register it there \npermanently. This is the moment of inspiration that we ought to seize. Unfortunately, it \ndoes not always last. We do not always know, as we know at this moment, that it is our heart\u2019s \ndesire, that there is and can be no such thing as sacrifice in service. So we must seize the \nmoment of inspiration now, must remember it, impress it upon ourselves, go forward with \nfaith and courage that does not permit of doubt, resolve now that we will not permit ourselves \nto doubt for one moment that it is our heart\u2019s desire,\u2014so that when the inspiration, now being \ngiven us as a free gift, has passed, and darkness has come on again, we shall go on in that \ndarkness like a traveller caught in the night, who sees, by a lightning flash, his home and his \ngoal, and turns his face toward it. The night may come down again, he may stumble over \nrocks and roots, but he has seen his direction, and his goal, and he knows the way. Now is \n\n\nr\u2014. \n\n\n\n\n.\u25a0 \u25a0 \n\n\n* \u00a3 * \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n77 \n\n\n\n\nthe time to impress that on our minds, so that when the darkness comes we may be prepared \nto hold steadily on our path, and may go on \u201cplacing our chairs\u201d, and clearing the channel \nto the consciousness which is the deepest desire of our own souls. \n\nMr. Perkins: While Mr. Hargrove was speaking to-day of the need for new ch\u00a3las from \nthe ranks of the Society, I was asking myself, how many of us does he mean? I tried to reason \nit out: how many of us are there here to-day who, when we woke this morning, knew that it \nwas the same man or woman who went to sleep last night? During the period of unconscious\u00ac \nness of the body, there had been a thread of consciousness that had continued. We knew \nthis morning\u2014we were positive of it\u2014that the man who woke is the same man who went to \nsleep. We have been told so many times that a similar continuity of consciodsness ought to \nlast over the periods that we call death. If there be this continuity of consciousness, then we \nalso know that there is a continuity of responsibility and of opportunity, because these always \ngo with consciousness. \n\nI was reading some letters that Madame Blavatsky wrote to the Conventions of our Society \nin the last three or four years before her death, in 1891. She was making an appeal. She \nwas telling us of the period of psychism into which the world was going, into which we, as \nmembers of the Society, were sure to pass. She was making an appeal\u2014to us\u2014to all members \nwho would come into the Society afterwards\u2014just the same appeal that Mr. Hargrove has \nmade to-day. It comes down to us, from Madame Blavatsky, from Mr. Judge. The echo \nof that call comes even from those who have served the Lodge in former ages, when Theosophy \nwas probably known under another name. Through whatever channel the urge may come to \nus, an answer must be made, a resolution must be carried into act and life. May it be that of \nselfless service of the Eternal, of the Lodge\u2014the resolve to chGlaship. \n\nDr. Clark: Often when I try to speak to friends about the theosophical life, speaking in \nas guarded a manner as I can, they receive an impression that I should like to drag them \nfrom a pleasant garden, which they much enjoy, for the purpose of imprisoning them in what \nwould be to them a vale of tears. Some of those friends appear to be well fitted to enter the \nranks of the Theosophical Movement, and it always disappoints me that I cannot share with \nthem truths that are my most precious possession. A similar difficulty may have troubled \nother members. What help can be found for such a problem? \n\nThe life and work of the poet Virgil seem to throw light upon the matter. From what is \nwritten in the sixth book of his JEneid (teaching concerning Karma and Reincarnation), \nVirgil might be thought of as having a foothold in the spiritual world which would lead him to \nview the material world as little better than a shadow, as an abyss of misery. It is just that \nview of worldly life that his verse expresses, his most quoted phrase being lacrimcB rerum , \nthe \u201ctears of things\u201d. What impression, however, do people who are not interested in \nTheosophy receive, century after century, from this theosophical verse, if we may so regard it? \nAn incident in the life of Edmund Gosse seems a typical answer to that question. As a boy \nof nine years, Gosse was being starved in a narrow world of sectarian dogma from which every\u00ac \nthing that savoured of the imagination had been rigorously excluded. One afternoon, in a \nspell of day-dreaming, the elder Gosse repeated aloud some Virgilian lines remembered from \nschool-days. Immediately, the boy was on his feet, crying out in excitement: \u201cWhat is that, \nFather? what is that?\u201d Although the father would not satisfy his son\u2019s questioning, that \nsingle repetition fixed the lines in the boy\u2019s memory, and gave him entrance into a new and \nmagical world. \n\nWhy should Virgil\u2019s poetry have that effect upon so many persons? Something of the devo\u00ac \ntion that Virgil put into the composition of his verse, we know\u2014that he amended it assiduously, \nso that a solitary line would sometimes be the only result of a whole day\u2019s effort. Stricken \nwith mortal illness at an early age, he was cut off from the ten years of revision that he had \nplanned for the JEneid, and directed that it should be burned on account of its lack of finish. \nOnly the Emperor\u2019s intervention rescued the manuscript from the flames, for grateful posterity. \nIt is those crude (to Virgil\u2019s judgment) verses that have opened to many men the gate into an \nenchanted world. \n\nIs not the conclusion obvious? Virgil put heart and mind and soul into his opportunity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n78 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nAlien though his form of expression may be, there is, nevertheless, something in the very \natmosphere of his verse that can lift modem men out of their cramped, material interests into \nlarger vistas. If, in our turn, we were to put heart and mind and soul into the very great \nopportunity that is ours\u2014to live the theosophical life\u2014might not the consequence be some\u00ac \nwhat similar? In speaking to friends about the truths of theosophy, our faulty words might \nbe permeated with an atmosphere of devotion through which some one might rise above the \ndoubts and debates of his own mind to the nobler planes of life. \n\nMr. LaDow: Two or three speakers this afternoon have made reference to the fire from \nabove and to our need to seize it and to keep it. This recalls a question asked at a recent \nmeeting of the New York Branch, which unfortunately I cannot quote exactly. The purport \nof it was this: What must we do to act rightly? Is it always necessary to go and find the fire \nfrom heaven, to reach up for it\u2014must we always go through that gesture, that motion? It \nhas occurred to me many times during the Convention that we need not go far to find that \nfire; that the Masters have made it easy for us to find it, for it is here; it surrounds us; it is the \none life which bathes us. Here and now, we have the opportunity to come in contact with \na real spiritual life. The trouble is with ourselves. Our personal consciousness tends auto\u00ac \nmatically to respond, not to the pure fire from above, but to its reflection in matter. Our \ninstinctive desires\u2014and that means our instinctive impulses to action\u2014are brought into being \nby the fact that all that seems to interest us when we are not being coddled along, is the dregs \nof life, its shadows, things which appear so ridiculous here to-day, and yet who knows whether, \nin a week, they may not again assume a titanic shape. \n\nHow have we fallen into such bad habits? One answer is that we have persisted, life after \nlife, in giving attention to a certain kind of pernicious thought, and in yielding ourselves to a \ncertain kind of pernicious action, until we have built up an unreal self which lives by wrong \nthought and by wrong action. What we have got to do is to build a new self. We must cease \nto be immersed in the material and psychic manifestations of the one life, and must learn to \nrespond to its spiritual manifestations. \n\nIt has been said this afternoon, as it has been said again and again, ever since the time of \nLucifer and Prometheus who first brought the fire from heaven, that the way to begin to build \nthis new self is to pay attention to thoughts which we know pertain to the real, and to act \ndeliberately, even though it be against the grain, in accordance with all that we can under\u00ac \nstand of our duty. Like many ancient truths, this sounds like a platitude. But a platitude \noften contains a spark of the Eternal Wisdom. \n\nMr. Auchincloss: Mr. Chairman, my mind has been turning all day long, and my heart \ntoo (especially since the reading of the letters of greeting) to those members who were here \nlast year, who came from such long distances,\u2014Colonel Knoff, Mrs. Bagnell and others. At \nthis time a year ago there were many of us who had wanted to know and meet them. When \nwe did meet them, there was nothing strange about it at all. We knew them already and had \nalways known them. This year, they are not here, but they are not absent and never will be \nabsent again. I should like to thank them for one of the things they did by coming last year: \nthey emphasized the closeness of the tie that binds us here with all the members of the Move\u00ac \nment in distant parts of the earth. Time and space and distance simply do not exist, really! \nIt is not that we are sorry they are not present to-day, and that we miss them; but that we \nare so glad they are here with us. \n\nMr. Acton Griscom: Mr. Chairman, I do not think that any of us could have listened to \nwhat was said this morning and again this afternoon, with an undercurrent at times that \nseemed almost of desperation, without finding it in our hearts to respond, to want to offer our\u00ac \nselves again, to want to make good in the way that those older and wiser wish us to make good. \n\nYear after year at Convention, we have heard this appeal. Year after year, to a certain \nextent, our hearts have responded. We have wished to do this thing, to give ourselves to \npass through the gate. The fact that that appeal is made again to-day is, to a certain extent \nproof positive that we have not achieved that which the \u201cAncients\u201d hoped we might achieve! \nWe have not done it and yet we want to, and we must tell them that we want to, and that we \nare here for the one purpose and desire of trying to make sufficient resolution, really this time \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n79 \n\n\nto succeed,\u2014not for our own sakes but for their sakes, for the sake of the Masters who founded \nthis Society and the Theosophical Movement. \n\nI was thinking during lunch why it was that as part of what Mr. Hargrove had to say to us \nthis morning, he spoke about science and the limitations of science. Obviously there are \nmany of us who are looking for the best in science, who have seen it grow and improve since \nthe time when Madame Blavatsky first began her attacks against dogmatism and narrow\u00ac \nmindedness. But there must be something deeper, and it occurred to me to apply the prin\u00ac \nciples, the mistaken attitudes of science, to oneself, and to discover if possible whether we \nourselves are children of our generation, which is, at present, pre-eminently a generation given \nover to science (it looks to science for its ideals and its religion), whether we are not children \nof our generation, at least in part of our natures, doing the same thing and making the same \nmistakes. The answer to that is, Yes. Science wants to study facts. It says it does not, \ncannot, know very much about religion and the spiritual life. To a certain extent, we are \ndoing the same thing,\u2014looking at our natures, problems, difficulties, and up to a certain point \nrecognizing them, studying them; but constantly we exclude the light of the spiritual world. \nWe do not apply the principles of the spiritual life to the facts of everyday existence. Because \nof that, we are unable to cope with, properly to interpret and understand our own lower natures. \nThey run away with us. They lead us astray. They take us where we do not wish to go,\u2014 \njust as science with all its inventive ability is finding that its discoveries are being used for \nthe destruction of mankind\u2014its guns, its murderous gases and so forth. We have more \nopportunity to save ourselves to-day than the scientist, because at least we have some under\u00ac \nstanding, some recognition of spiritual law and of the spiritual world. We see ourselves as a \nhouse divided against itself, a higher nature and a lower nature; and somehow or other we have \ngot to discover how to apply, to bring down the principles of the spiritual life which we desire, \nwhich we respond to here at these Conventions, into the facts of our personalities. \n\nThe last paragraph in the April issue of the \u201cScreen of Time\u201d has already been referred to, \nwhere it was suggested that the keynote of this Convention would be silence or stillness, and \nthat it was hoped that people leaving this Convention would speak not so much of its force as \nof its stillness. There we could make a practical application of how to bridge the gap between \nour understanding and recognition of the spiritual world, limited as that understanding may \nbe, and of the world of our daily consciousness, the facts of everyday life. We could attempt \ndaily to feel something of the silence, of the note of spiritual sound as the Voice of the Silence \nparaphrases it,\u2014that voice of the silence of which we are dimly conscious here at Convention \ntime. I believe that if we took only five minutes or three minutes, every day out of the three \nhundred and sixty-five between us and the next Convention, and sought the silence, sought \nthat which we feel in the background of all that has been said, looked for the depth in the heart \nof this Convention, contributed to by the hearts of each individual member both here and \nhere in spirit,\u2014if we made it a practice for three minutes, five minutes, every day between now \nand the next Convention to retire into ourselves, and seek that silence and what else is hidden \ntherein, it would go a long way to enable us to do and to accomplish that which the \u201cAncients\u201d \nare asking of us. \n\nMr. Saxe: It is not surprising that our minds should all move along about the same line \ntoward the end of Convention to-day. What little I have to say is not very different from what \nhas already been said. An experience which we all had as children was something like this: \nwe were at school; we were seven, eight or nine years old; we were trying to study our lesson. \nWe looked up for a moment from our book to the teacher. He motioned to us to come up to \nhis desk. Our heart beat faster. We went, and were given a very important commission\u2014 \nto go upstairs, two flights up, to the principal\u2019s office, where we never had been sent before, \nto give him a message,\u2014a message that the class would be ready in ten minutes. That did \nnot mean much to us, perhaps, but we knew it was very important! We went down the hall. \nOther boys may have been in the hall or on the stairs and they may have called to us, but they \nwere of no importance in comparison with our commission. We went upstairs, found the \nprincipal, delivered our message, and went back again to our room with a feeling of accom\u00ac \nplishment and relief in our hearts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8o \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nWe have all had the experience of having an important message to deliver. It is a feeling \nand consciousness^that we are well acquainted with. We can use that knowledge and experi\u00ac \nence to carry out some of the ideas which have been presented to us so clearly to-day, because \nobviously each and every one of us will have a message, and that message may be expressed \nin many different ways. One way would be to remember that we have a message to give to \nthe world when we start out each morning\u2014a message of what I might call the atmosphere, \nthe consciousness of the T. S. Convention. In other words, whether we are walking up the \nstreet, or whether we are in our office or in our church, or wherever we are, to the extent that \nwe are able to recall the consciousness, the feeling, the point of view which we have when at \nConvention\u2014better still, perhaps, to use our imaginations, and to see that consciousness of \nours as like unto a little spring, trickling into the muddy pool of the world's atmosphere\u2014to \nthat extent, at least, we shall be contributing to the Cause, and helping the world around us. \n\nOf course, such a suggestion as this might easily be misunderstood. It might add to our \nfeeling of self-importance, or its meaning be twisted in many ways, but I do not believe there \nis danger of this. Such a line of thought has sometimes been of help to me, and it comes to \nme forcibly at this time. \n\nMr. Miller: I am sure that all the members of the New York Branch share with me the \nfeeling to which Mr. Auchincloss referred, of the great comradeship that we experience in having \nwith us our members from distant points, and, having once known them, of regarding them as \nwith us in spirit thereafter. We know that we have a common mind and common experience, \nand it seems to me that the same thought applies to those who have gone before and whose \npictures are on the walls,\u2014the founders of the Movement and those who have done so much \nfor it since. \n\nThat brings me to something that was said to-day by Mr. Hargrove and Professor Mitchell \nin the way of calling our attention to what we might do and are not doing. It seems to me \nthat a gentle hint, such as the statement that the burden is inequitably distributed, should \nshame us into seeing that that condition does not continue. Also, Professor Mitchell's sugges\u00ac \ntion that we can simply stand by, waiting, reminds us that \"they also serve who only stand \nand wait\". In order to be ready to serve, we must do something to make ourselves fit, and \nif we have not been called upon in various directions in which we have imagined ourselves fit \nit is our duty to inquire what is lacking in us. That is where the keynote of the Convention \ncomes in: only in silence and by quietly searching ourselves can we discover what these hin\u00ac \ndrances are. \n\nThose of us who have come to these Conventions for five years, ten years or more, have \nperhaps fallen into the condition to which Mr. Box referred, when he spoke last year of admoni\u00ac \ntion after admonition. We have perhaps been beaten into a sort of insensibility; but the reason \nfor that is that we have not acted on these admonitions. They fall on deaf ears To revert \nto what was said this morning, those of us who are responsible for this inequitable distribution \nof the work should recognize the fact that a sense of decency and of loyalty to our leaders \nshould compel us to see that this condition is remedied. \n\nMr. KobbG: I have little to add, but I should like to thank, on behalf of mvself and perhaps \nof others who are members of the New York Branch, those delegates from out of town who are \nhere to-day, and also the members-at-large. I think it is delightful,-the way they tell us \nthat they come to receive and have nothing to give, and then stand up and give 1 It is a very \ngood lesson also to many of us who are here all the time\u2014we who are so beautifully hedged in \nas we know-to compare ourselves with those who stand somewhere alone, out of town in \nthe outposts, on the frontiers. There is not the hedging in there, that we have. It seemed to \nme this morning that those appeals that were made could be especially taken to mind and \nheart by those of us whose privilege it is to be living here in New York. \n\nThere have been many remarks made about the Theosophical Quarterly, and I was \nlopmg that somebody would mention that the April number is Volume XXV No. ioo. I \nshould love to see that written into the records of this Convention. \n\n1 have . been thinking also of how we can best apply in some practical way what was said \nis morning about not leaning on\", but carrying on. I have been looking for something \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n81 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nsome of them at a great distance. All who have come from out of town and*have spoken to \nus, and most of the letters from distant Branches, have expressed in one way or another grati\u00ac \ntude to the Quarterly, gratitude to the editors of the Quarterly. There is one absolutely \npractical way, it seems to me, that every one of us can carry, and not \"lean on\". We all \nhave duties, and this can be put into each and every one of them. It is that we should consider \nourselves, each and every one of us, as continually contributing to the Quarterly, whether \nwe write a line for it or not\u2014because The Theosophical Society has a common mind, has an \noversoul, and as we contribute to that oversoul we contribute to the Quarterly; and we can \ndo that, all of us, all the time, wherever we may be and whatever we have to do. \n\nMr. Armstrong: I have felt it a great privilege to be here to-day. I think we all get a \nlarge amount of inspiration from these Conventions. That which stands out particularly \nin my mind as the result of what has been said this morning and this afternoon, when we \nyounger members were admonished \"to do something about it\", is that the most difficult \npart of it is to begin. It has been my own experience and that of other young engineers that \nwhen we attempt to design a piece of apparatus, we are inclined to sit and wonder where to \nput the first line. It frequently seems as if the hardest thing in designing the apparatus were \nto decide where to put that first line\u2014just as though it mattered. It does not really matter \nbecause you can always rub it out and put it somewhere else. The difficulty that we face is \nto begin; and all I can say about it is that the important thing is to put that first line, that first \nact, somewhere. I think it is probably much better to make a mistake and put it in the wrong \nplace, than it is to sit wondering where to put it. \n\nDr. Woodworth : I have been asking myself why we are so slow to do these things that we \nare told are expected of us. Not only are there many lines pointed out to us, but everything \nseems to point in the same direction. One of the members was suggesting to me that whether \nin music in art, or in daily life, there are always things that point toward the door that is \nopen. It is mostly a question of making up our minds to get busy. \n\nMiss Richmond: One thought about ch&aship has been going through my mind, es\u00ac \npecially while Mr. Gnscom was talking. We have heard all our lives: 4 \u2018Ask and ye shall receive \nseek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.\" What would happen if we all \nreally believed it! \n\nThe Chairman: If there be no further business to come before us, we have drawn near to \nthe time when we ought to adjourn. I have one thing to confess,-something I want to say. \nEvery little while I find myself insulting the intelligence of those who come here. It is an \nanonymous insult. I do not attach doubts and suspicions to anyone in particular, but I ask \nmyself: is it possible that someone thinks thus and so,\u2014in a way in which a really intelligent \nand sensible person would not think. The question in my mind at the present time, having \neard much said of the \"Ancients\" and of the younger members, and of the inequitableness \nof the distribution of the burden,-my insult to the intelligence of my anonymous hearer is to \nwonder whether he thinks that the \"Ancients\" believe that they are adequate to their tasks \nhave been carrying their share of the burden, have been aiding, as they ardently long to aid' \nthe Masters whose Movement this is. * \n\nI said that the temble thing about what Mr. Hargrove was saying to us was its truth its \napplication to each and every one of us,-our inadequacy: the way in which we permit some\u00ac \nthing that seems only a small and unconsidered weakness, some little self-indulgence that we \ndo not really care a rap about, to stand in the way of a service that with all our hearts we long \nto render and do not render. If some of us are overburdened, the Masters and their chdlas \nmay have to take our places so constantly that they are more overburdened still. The truth \nof what Mr. Hargrove was saying applies to all members. It applies most keenly to those \nwho most long to serve: they are the most conscious of the inadequacy of their service. \n\nAnother question is whether or not this Convention will seem to you, as you go out, to have \nbeen marked by silence, and whether a word of reconciliation may not be necessary between \nthat keynote and what I, at least, did my utmost to urge you to feel, and that is that you \nare called to battle, called to a test which will search all you are, and which you can only pass \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\\ % \n\n\n82 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nq S al ! you are; and that that test is not in some remote future, but is now, at hand. \n\nSuperficially that seems not quite in consonance with silence, and yet science itself\u2014and I \nwas told that I was overkind to science, and I agree\u2014science, even as taught and misrepre\u00ac \nsented, is beginning to suggest to us that stillness, if pushed to its extreme, can be as potent \na force as any that is known. We have but to cool substances below that point of inner agita- \nlon which now marks them\u2014that constant interplay and interference and eddy currents of \natom against atom\u2014we have but to cool substances down to stillness, to find that we are \ngenerating in them an explosive force that may utterly disrupt them. \n\nThere is much that needs disruption in the world and in ourselves, from which we must free \nourselves before we can liberate our energies. Perhaps we shall find that liberating power \nin stillness of the soul, in stilling the voices of the body and of the mind that we may receive \nthe voice of guidance and inspiration from above. It is only as we do reach outward somehow, \nopen somehow our own natures to the current of life that flows from above, and close ourselves \nto that which comes from below, that we shall be able to fulfil our task, or be able even to make \nthose resolutions which we are not asked to adopt as a Convention, but of which we have seen \na \" d ^s members adopt. It is only as we reach towards stillness that we shall \nfind the will and the desire to make these personal resolutions, and find the strength to carry \n\nive and f T \u00b0 f ki \" d \u201c\u201c We make our mission in th \u00ae world effect \n\nive, and fulfil the trust that has been imposed upon us by the Masters and handed on to us \n\nxttr? . 0n i y f \u2019 to \u00b0\u2019 can we fumi the desire to serve \u2019 which 1 th;nk * \u2122 S t \n\nreal the most potent and the uppermost desire in the hearts and minds of all members of \nOf rrT\" a f', COmes l\u00b0 a a \u00b0 se \u2014t^t something of that inequitableness of the burden \n\naL avo l\" \u00b0 f ^ T, \u2019 tS 0Wn f \u00b0\" y ' S \u00b0 mething of that heavy burden of sacrifice \n'\u00b0 V ! and \" easeless Iabour and thwarted endeavour, may be lifted from the Masters \n\nshafl be mSe^ ,1T* *\"7?- ** ^ r6Ward they Can be given: that their sacrifice \n\nshall be made fruitful in the hearts and lives of those for whom it was made. \n\ndu ! y seconded - il was voted that the Committee on Credentials and the \nvotTd to adjourn eSO U S ^ dlSCharged the thanks \u00b0 f the Convention. It was then \n\nIsabel E. Perkins, \n\nSecretary of Convention. \n\nJulia Chickering, \n\nAssistant Secretary of Convention. \n\n\nLETTERS OF GREETING \n\n. , 0 Arvika, Sweden. \n\ntheir C0nVent !\u00b0Z Ass \u2122 bl *d: AH members of the Branch send you \n\nand your work be blessed\" 8 ngS \u2019 ** ^ f \u00b0 r the \u2018\u201c g V*r. May you \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nAmy Zetterquist, \nChairman , for the Arvika Branch. \n\n\nTn th* \u2022 n - a Aussig, Czecho-Slovakia. \n\nheart of life. \u2019 g US renewed determination to go forward to the \n\n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\nWe will go \nprivilege, the \n\n\nwith you, and we are sincerely thankful always for assistance, for the great \ngrace to go with you to the Lord\u2019s table. \n\nSincerely and fraternally, \n\nHermann Zerndt, \nPresident , Aussig Branch T. S. \n\n\nWhitley Bay, England. \n\nTo the Members of The Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled , the members of the \nWhitley Bay Branch send sincere fraternal greetings. The holding of Convention year after \nyear symbolizes the idea of continuity, and to be continuous it must be real. All our members \ntherefore unite in thought with you, so that the present Convention may be a real effort on \nthe part of all, to express their ideals of truth, reality, and unity, which form the fundamental \nteachings of Theosophy. \n\nWith best wishes, \n\nYours fraternally, \n\nFredk. A. Ross, \nPresident , Blavatsky Lodge. \n\n\nCincinnati, Ohio. \n\nTo the Members of The Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: Greetings from the \nCincinnati Branch. \n\nThat all of us may grow through Recollection and Detachment is our earnest wish. \n\nHerman F. Hohnstedt, \n\nPresident. \n\nAgnes McCormack, \n\nSecretary. \n\nMiss Margaret D. Hohnstedt wrote: There is nothing I would rather do than attend \nthe annual Convention. . . . But I am sure the spirit of the Convention will reach me, for \nhow can it be otherwise. More and more I realize the wonderful privilege that is ours; \nwords fail me to express myself. My prayer is that I may prove worthy. \n\n\nGateshead-on-Tyne, England. \n\nTo the Members in Convention: The Gateshead members send their greetings to all assembled, \nand our best wishes for the success of the Convention. We are sorry we cannot be with you \nin the body, but we shall send you the best of thoughts. \n\nYours very sincerely, \n\nPercy W. Ward, \nSecretary , W. Q. Judge Lodge. \n\n\nSanfernando de Apure, Venezuela. \n\nTo the T. S. in Convention Assembled: The members of the \u201cJehoshua\u201d Branch send their \nsincere greetings. \n\nThe Branch has been sustained by a concentrated effort of high thought and its work inclined \nto a loving reverence to Masters. To \u201cfeel \u201d Masters, members are obliged to work thoroughly \nfor purification of mind , word and action. \n\nOur hearts will be with you during the Convention, and you have our best wishes for a very \nsuccessful session. \n\nD. Salas BaKz, \n\nPresident. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8 4 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nEast Boldon, Co. Durham, England. \n\nTo the Members of the T. S. in Convention Assembled: The Members of the Krishna Branch, \nSouth Shields, send greetings and best wishes for the success of the Convention. \n\nWe look forward to the Convention each year, with real hope and joy; realizing, although \nmany miles separate us, that the \u201cfellowship of kindred hearts\u201d is a very real thing. We \n\u201cfeel\u201d the \u201cUnity \u201d which is between us, and sense some of the spiritual elevation of the Con\u00ac \nvention. \n\nWe trust all will be strengthened for a new year of effort consecrated to the Masters\u2019 work \nin the world. \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nH. Maughan, \n\nSecretary . \n\n\nMiddletown, Ohio. \n\nTo the Members in Convention Assembled: It is indeed a very great pleasure for us to send \ngreetings^to our fellow members from all over the world. May the \u201cGreat Master of the \nUniverse give us Light and Understanding, that we may continue, another year, to spread \n\u201cTruth\u201d to all Humanity. \n\nYours fraternally, \n\nRossie Jane Whittle, \n\nSecretary. \n\n\nNewcastle-on-Tyne, England. \n\nTo the Members of The Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: It seems, as the years \ngo by, that life is more strenuous and exacting, and that we need all our love and devotion \nand understanding to carry us through. \n\nWe are thankful, therefore, that we have weathered the storms, completed the.voyage, and \ncome to port\u2014the Convention\u2014once again. So we would hasten to greet you most heartily \non this memorable occasion (and all these occasions are memorable), that you may feel our \ninterest and the spirit of our presence in your deliberations to-day. \n\nWe feel that we need to brace ourselves, and to gird on our spiritual armour for the next \nphase of the battle, that we may be prepared and not found wanting: that, like \u201cthe fearless \nwarrior\u201d referred to in The Voice of the Silence, realizing that no sacrifice is too great we also \nmay go forth determined to give our fullest contribution to the Work of the T. S. and all that \n\nit stands for. Assuredly, then, as we do this we shall be whole-hearted and one-pointed in \nthe Masters service. \n\nWith best wishes for an inspiring and invigorating Convention, from which all may be \nstronger and more alert, J \n\nOn behalf of the Members of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Lodge, \n\nBelieve me to be, \n\nYours faithfully and fraternally, \n\nE. Howard Lincoln, \n\nPresident. \n\n\nT Aylsham, Norfolk, England. \n\nlo the Secretary T. S.: I am requested by the members of the Norfolk Branch to send the \ngreetings and best wishes of the Branch for the Convention. We have no Delegate this year \n\nbe 1 th you in thought and in spirit ' and 1 think \"Xd EES \n\ny^r the limitations of time and space grow less, and become of little real importance\u2014for \n\nand Se^fcommon 6611 \"* eterna, ~ whiIe the bond \u00ab\u00bbt unites us, fellow students \n\nC \u00b0 mm0n CauSe> becomes stron e er a \" d m \u00b0re real. We are much helped by \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n85 \n\n\nthe excellent reports of the meetings of the New York Branch, which we find most inspiring, \nand we are very grateful for them. They bring with them something of the atmosphere of \nthe Movement, and help us to realize the wonderful work which you are all doing\u2014and we \nare filled with gratitude for the privilege of thus sharing in the life which exists only to serve \nthe Master. I have little to report. Our Branch has neither gained nor lost any members. \nWe continue our study by correspondence, and by the circulation of papers, commenting on \nthe study, each member asking questions which are answered by the others. We devoted \nthe month of August to the study of the Convention Report, which we had received in the \nJuly Quarterly, and since then we have taken Light on the Path, which we are still doing. \n\nWe pray that the Convention may be a very good one, and shall look forward to hearing \nabout it. With all best wishes, and our fraternal greetings, \n\nYours sincerely, \n\nAlice Grave\u2019s, \n\nFor the Norfolk Branch. \n\nMrs. Graves also wrote:\u2014I have sent the report of the year\u2019s work, with the greetings of the \nNorfolk Branch to the Convention, to Miss Perkins, but I want to say further how much I, \nin common with all our members, shall be with you in thought and spirit next week. As you \nknow, our Branch is a very small and scattered one, and we can never all meet to talk of the \nwork; but I think that in some ways we gain by this, though the disadvantages appear to be \ngreat. We study and work by correspondence, and for this a greater effort is needed than \nin personal communication. We learn to know each other through the inner senses only, and \nthereby escape the distractions caused by personality. The \u201c comments \u201d written each month \non the study, throw light upon its meaning, by the expression of the different points of view of \nthe students. I do not know if I am right in thinking that at the present time, individual \ninner work is required more than the outward expression. The world is such a terrible place, \nwith its turmoil and chaos, its superficiality and self-seeking; the craze for sensation, excite\u00ac \nment, noise, and the continual search for pleasure, are appalling; and the many cults that \nhave sprung up, so-called new-thought, spiritualism, the many sects, some of whom call them\u00ac \nselves Theosophists, Anthroposophists, and other such names, make it impossible for the few \nof us who are trying to live the Theosophical life to attempt any propaganda. It is difficult \nnot to be dismayed and discouraged, but we have had such great privileges, and so much help \nhas been given when it has really been needed, that I do not think our faith is failing us. We \nhave been told that those who are with us are more than those who are against us, and we know \nthat the Black forces must ultimately be defeated. Though it is impossible for me to attend \nthe Convention personally, I shall feel much more a part of it this year, because of what \nMrs. Bagnell has told me of it, from her personal experience of last year. She has brought the \nspirit and atmosphere much nearer, and has told me of the wonderful power and force and \ndevotion which fill those days. As we grow older in this life, and perhaps nearer to the heart \nof the things that are real, we find that space and time and distance do not really exist, and I \nam very grateful for being allowed to share in the thought and the light that you and those \nwho have worked so long and learnt so much, possess, and for your help in our studies, the \nQuarterly, and the reports of the meetings of the New York T. S. Branch. And more than \nall, for the knowledge of the sympathy and understanding that I feel you have for our efforts, \npoor and unworthy though these are. We try to keep a little centre here for the Masters\u2019 \nintention, and we pray that we may not fail in faith and devotion, and in the desire for disciple- \nship. May the Convention be a very happy and united one to you all, and through you, to \nus here. \n\nMrs. Bagnell wrote:\u2014This will reach you before Convention, and although I know that \nMrs. Graves has sent in her usual report and a letter of greeting from the Norfolk Branch, \nI feel that I must send you a few words of personal greeting and ardent good wishes for its \nsuccess. Last year I had the great happiness of being present at the Convention, and I \nneed not say how much I wish that it had been possible for me to go again this year. As I \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n86 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ncannot do that, I am tiymg in every way to prepare for it, so that I may really be there in \nspirit, and perhaps be able to add my tiny mite of spiritual life and force to it \nI have been studying H. P. B.'s \u201cEsoteric Character of the Gospels \u201d, and a sentence in it \n\n\u2014 T Th^nt- th he T : 7 e are n0W in 1887 and t ^ le nineteenth century is dose \ndeath. The twentieth century has strange developments in store for humanity and \n\nseeL to n me C that \u201c the lLt ame ' \u201d 7 \"* Seei \u201d 8 h \u00b0 W thiS pro P hecy is b \u00abng fulfilled, and it \noT,, a \u00b0 l yCar \u00b0 r \u2019 6VentS haVe been movin 8 increasing rapidity. \n\nOne is appalled at times when one gets some realization of what is going on in the world at \npresent, and above all what underlies it all. \n\nAs members of the T. S., who have received so much, our responsibilities are very great \n\nour \u2018\"777 T r T 3 ChanCe \u00b0 f proving that we realize are anxious to prove \n\nour gratitude to the Masters m some practical manner. I greatly like what has been slid in \n\nthe Apnl Screen of Time about the stillness that should be the chief characteristic of this \nyear s Convention There is no force so great as stillness, and surely there can never have \nbeen a greater need for it in the world than there is at the present day. So I hope that It \nthis Convention the members may not only feel but contribute to its stillness and make of it \nthe keynote of their lives during the coming year. \n\nMiss Bagnell wrote:-I have been thinking much of \"preparation for Convention\u00bb You \nwill receive the greetings of the Norfolk Branch, but I want to send this line o \"greeting 7 \ngood wishes. You know that all our thoughts will turn to Headquarters, and we shlll honl to \nbe near in heart, remembering that we had the great happiness of being in New York last 7 r \n\nf h t r ;7 ' 3 ! 7 b t 3 \u201c me of ' nspiration and renewed determination, with the Presence \n\nof the Leaders to set our hearts on fire; and may we all respond to our utmost. \n\n\n~ _ Oslo, Norway. \n\nI he Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: From Members of th* Ddn r> , \nNorway, Greetings. We join you to-day in mind, heart and spM pray hatyo Ur d\u00a3\u2019 \nerations may resound with eternal harmonies, and convey the Lodve nn d 7 \n\nand faithfu! workers of the Society, thereby helping us to serve the Nfasters aceording toTbelr \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nThs. Knopf, \n\nChairman. \n\nm the T. S., has been of the greatest importance and help r\"T'|. [J '? mmenC W ' jrt: p rs \n\nthis great event in my life with heartfelt thanks T fppi c i + 1 h Ways remember \n\nat 64 W^hington Mews are, to me, living pictures never to b\" ^ ^ \n\nmeetings of th^NewVm^Branch, at whkti! you^always 7*' \u201c* *\u00b0 ** ^ \u00b0 f the \n\nof daily life and of our inner development. They are as UehthousTk \u2122 St questior: \n\nRecently there has been a great controversy 77 Z 8 \u201c aho \u2122g us the way ahead, \n\nand the liberal Lutheran clergy. . . Such religions mn? 3156 \" 8 '\" \u00b0 betWeen the orthodox \nand weeding of ,h, held. i, f\u201e\u201eS7\u00abS'i\u201dr * *\u2014*\u2022 \n\nbe sown, in order to make the harvest a rich one Simil* \u2022 \u2122 ! d ready sown > an ^ to \n\nplaces, though different in their outer manifestations. Thil > \u00b0 ther \n\ncourage and consolation in our often seemingly frnitw \u201e i 8 at 1 thls way \u2019 14 Sives \nBranch is of good cheer and ready to lor^paSlTan^TT ^- Theref \u00b0 re ' our little \nknowing that, though our ability to do outer wlrk m \u201cder to T'TT* 3 C \u00b0 Urage and faith - \nvaluable work is performed individually by what we are There is \u2018T\u201d \u201c \"\u2019, 7 ' th \u00ae m \u00b0 St \nus to do, and at all times; and the work must be done \u2019 h*\"\u2019 eXce,lent work for \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n\u2022 87 \n\nThough not personally present at the Convention I shall try to be very close to you all in \nspirit when the time comes, thus hoping to share a little in the tremendous spiritual force then \nplaced at your disposal. Please remember me cordially to all friends at the Convention last \nyear who may be present at the coming Convention also. \n\n\nCaracas, Venezuela. \n\nTo the Members of The Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: On the solemn occasion \nof our Annual Convention the members of the Venezuela Branch send to their comrades in \nwork and purpose their most fervent fraternal greetings, and join in the festival of spirit made \nflesh by this gathering of souls in the discussion of what most concerns Humanity. \n\nWe shall be separated on the physical plane by the mayavic distance of this world of three \ndimensions, but shall be united in that world where love makes everything of the present. \nOn the same day and at the same hour we shall also assemble here, and as we cause the fire of \nour aspirations to rise to the heights, the Masters will behold but one flame. \n\nThis communion is maintained not only on the ineffable occasion of the hour of our Conven\u00ac \ntion, but lives burning in the greater part of our souls; in it we move and have our being, \nblossom and grow. And so, in giving you an account of our local activities, we recognize that \nthese are not simply the result of our work only, but the local expression of the collective Soul \nof our Society, which works here through the medium of our Branch and its members as vehicles; \nand we feel overwhelmed by the weight of so great a responsibility; overwhelmed by the \nthought of how different would have been the result were it not for our faults and omissions, \nfor our poverty in real love. In stating the fact, at the same time we endeavour to \nstrengthen our conscience in order to perform with efficiency from this time forth the task \nassigned us, making use of the past as our teacher. A communication of this kind, then, is \nnot alone the actual relation of what has been done, but also of what we purpose to do. \nFor an examination of conscience must include in itself the purpose of amendment\u2014a vision \nof the future through the telescope of the past. \n\nThis year we shall not have the pleasure of seeing ourselves represented among you by a \ndelegate from our own body, notwithstanding our desire to send one. But we accept this \nimpossibility with resignation, doing the best we can on our part to leave the results to the \nGreat Law. \n\nThe programme of our Branch meetings and studies has been carried out in its entirety, \nno interference with it being permitted for any cause. In all of them greater attention is \nobserved, better fulfilment of duty, more loyal comradeship, the devotional note being pre\u00ac \ndominant in all. \n\nAmong the subjects studied during the year we will note the following as the most important: \nSocialism in the light of Theosophy; Theosophy and the Theosophical Movement; and\u2014 \nwhat most stirred the majority of the members\u2014Christianity and the Christ, in their relation \nto Theosophy. The inestimable Quarterly affords us on every occasion boundless service. \n\nOur plan of translations follows its course. The principal translations appear in El Teosofo, \nbut we are also preparing to publish, when occasion permits, the principal works in our litera\u00ac \nture which have not yet been translated into Spanish. A special fund has been created for \nthe publication of the Letters of Mr. C. A. Griscom. \n\nSpecial themes for our consideration have always been,\u2014the mercy and the justice of the \nMasters, and the necessity of turning to them as an indispensable requisite for the genuine \nstudent of Theosophy: a duty which calls for great and arduous toil, but which at the same time, \nas Mr. Johnston says, constitutes an immense and ever-increasing delight. This is the case \nwith many of our members. Speaking collectively we can say that the Branch has taken \nTheosophy most seriously. As soon as we learned the watch-words which Mr. Johnston gave \nat the last Convention\u2014to work for the Movement persistently, with renewed enthusiasm, \nwith firm and strong resolution, at every moment of life, day after day, hour after hour\u2014 \nthere was rooted in the consciousness of this Branch the resolution to respond, and in the \nhearts of many lives the determination which will be translated into the ineffable recompense \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n88 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u00b0\u2018 \u201c* N \" * i \u00bb m '- ***\" -\u00bb\u25a0\u00bb *\u00b0 \u00ab\u25a0 \n\nThe Venezuela Branch, then, is endeavouring in the most loyal and diligent manner to co- \n\nand^mal, t E 1 f rt r rk r aSSigned \u2018\u00b0 The Theos \u00b0P hi \u201cl Society by its Master Founders \nand then th h worthy of passmg on the light which it receives, first in its own country \n\n.tself but works to U h & l Spanish-speaking world; and it knows that it can do nothing by \nitself but works to be the vehicle to respond unwearyingly. The Branch believes that it has \n\na pr \u00b0\u00b0i\u00b0 ** castl \"S a glance over itself, it sees that many hearts have greater courage \na greater thirst for justice\u2014although they express it in their own way\u2014and that it diffuses \nan atmosphere which regenerates and elevates. \n\nOur work for the year might be summarized as follows; On the physical plane\u2014order \nurbanity; on the ethical -a closing up of the ranks on the journey toward a more'^nite \n\nJahS, IS,\u201d \" *\u25a0\u201d <\u25a0> Christianity; a \n\nWith gratitude to the Master Founders for this new blessing of being permitted to assemble \nin their name, to them we make our supplication that this Convention may inspire us with \nrenewed zeal and furnish us with a new weapon. 7 P Wlth \n\nA. GonzAlez-Jim\u00a3nez, \n\nCorresponding Secretary. \n\nof\u201dthe B\u2122c S h meSSage iS 3 C \u00b0 mP0Site \u00b0 f the VariOUS messages formula ^ by the members \n\nrr> , r . . _ f La Guayra, Venezuela. \n\nYo r k \u00b0 f , T, r? 0 p 't al Socie \u2018y in Convention Assembled in the City of Nno \n\nheart^'desfres\" ^\u00b0 UT Convent \u2018 on th *s y\u00b0 a ^and^I do'so^th^my'best^vis'hes arid most^sfncere \n\nFor some time past, since reading Mr. Johnston\u2019s reply to my letter of greeting to the r \n\nEi\u00ab\u00bbMc 7 r,Si, K c 3 .\u201c I'tarra'rr 6 '?'\u201d\u201d\"\u2019'\u201d \n\nthus of an experience in the greatest measure profitable by reasTnrf the^!^\"^ m\u00a3 \nwhich this unique occurrence of a Convention of the , \u2022 ,\u00b0\u201e e s P lntual significance \n\n..L,r pl \u2018\u201c\u2018 So \"\u201c y 1 *\u00bb* \n\nMay your approaching Convention, then, be the verv best thp a \u2022 \nin spiritua! fruit, the most sublime in its teachings, of afl that' have^recededT' \n\nMay the tongues of fire of Divine Wisdom descend from heaven to infl.m * i, \nillumine our thoughts. aven to ln ^ ame our hearts and \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nJ- Melit6n Quintana. \n\nTo Th* Tbo \u2019 / c . \u201e ( Telegram ) Salamanca, N. Y \n\nyoy too., .rS;'yo 1 -\u00bb \u00bb\u00ab.\u00ab. to to \n\nSincerely, \n\nHomer P. Baker. \n\nBest wishes, \n\nYours sincerely and fraternally, \n\nArthur W. Barrett. \n\n\n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES 89 \n\nMaracaibo, Venezuela. \n\nSecretary T. S.: Since my arrival here I had the good luck of meeting an old member of our \nRama [Branchi, and we meet every Saturday evening at the same time they meet in Caracas. \nWe have dedicated our meetings to the Masters. May our hearts grow through prayer and \ndevotion to receive Their light and to interpret Their Will. \n\nMaybe this letter reaches you on the eve of Convention. That day I shall be with you all \nin silent aspiration, for I intend to consecrate the whole day, just as we used to do in Caracas, \nto that Day of Days. Please bear my message of fraternal love to all the brothers. \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nJ. F. Bermudez. \n\n\nMr. Walter H. Box wrote (the Pacific Branch of Los Angeles being represented personally \nby Mr. Leonard): I feel so hungry myself to be with you that I hardly hold here; a trouble for \nme is, that when I came away from New York last year I left part of myself behind, which \nkeeps pulling and pulling. And so, whether you see or sense me, or not, I shall be there just \nthe same\u2014and will add to all that goes on, from all that I have gathered meantime, because \nof my going last year. \n\nFrom the last paragraphs in the 44 Screen \u201d, I got the clue\u2014Sacrifice, and ever more sacrifice, \nand the will with which to make them\u2014or, even more, to give oneself, completely. \n\n\nIndianapolis, Indiana. \n\nSecretary , Theosophical Society: l wish it were possible for me to attend the Convention \nnext Saturday, but the infirmities of age are such in my case as to make it impossible. I trust \nthere may be a good attendance and that you may have an enjoyable and profitable meeting. \n\nYours sincerely and fraternally, \n\nMahlon D. Butler. \n\n\nDayton, Ohio. \n\nSecretary T. S.: It does not appear now that I shall be able to attend the Convention this \nyear, much as I long to do so. Two years ago, in reply to a question I asked Mr. Johnston, he \nsuggested that I endeavour to help the friends who came to me by giving them the Theosophic \ninterpretation of the Bible: to the best of my understanding I did so. I cannot trace all the \nsteps that followed his suggestion, but there are now about fifty persons meeting every \nWednesday evening for study; it is not labelled Theosophy, though all know that I am a \nstudent of Theosophy, and I frequently read something from the Quarterly. I do not \nknow how to teach, I assure them that the Teacher is within each one; that He is also within \neach experience and circumstance of life if they will become still enough in body and (lower) \nmind to discover Him. \n\nAll eternity is needed in which to express the help I have received from the loyal workers \nin this mighty movement\u2014this intelligent co-operation with the Masters in raising race- \nconsciousness to higher levels: surely I ought to be willing and thankful for permission to clean \nup my own doorstep, with such over-shadowing Helpers to encourage and enlighten every \nsincere effort. Sincerest greetings to all. \n\nLeona T. Field. \n\n\nToronto, Canada. \n\nTo the Secretary T. S.: Once again I have to offer regrets for not attending the Convention. \nI fully expected to do so and was looking forward to the help and inspiration of which I cer\u00ac \ntainly stand in need, but duty will hold me here. \n\nA. J. Harris. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n90 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nBerlin, Germany. \n\nTo the Members of the Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: We send our hearty \ngreetings to the members at the Annual Convention, and wish that this Convention may be \na successful one and may give help to all who seek it. \n\nWe are a circle of seven members-at-large, and say our best thanks for the help given us \nby the articles of the Quarterly of the last year. \n\nYours fraternally, \n\nO. Ihrke. \n\n\nTrieste, Italy. \n\nTo the Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled , New York: Dear Fellow Members, \nAs every year, I beg to send you this year also the kindest greetings and wishes from myself \nand Mrs. Plisnier. As everywhere, here also has mankind closed his eyes to the truth of \nspiritual realities, and dragged down to materialization all religious sentiments. The cycle \nis dark and the workers are few. One is alone with his ideals, with no other comrades than \nhis books. \n\nPerhaps the accomplishment is still very far, and we must hope and wait. May the Master \ngive us the force and the never failing faith of patience. \n\nWith best wishes and fraternal greetings, faithfully yours, \n\nAlberto Plisnier, \nTeresa Plisnier. \n\n\nRio de Janeiro, Brazil. \n\nTo the Members of the Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled , New York: Dear Com\u00ac \nrades, Once again we come to present to you our most heartfelt greetings and wishes for the \nGreat Day of the T. S., the only thing we are now permitted under Karma to contribute to \nyour work. Notwithstanding we shall try to keep near to you in heart and mind at Con\u00ac \nvention day, hoping that some day in the future we too may be so happy as to share with you \nin the service of this day. Meanwhile we have to learn in silence and solitude to draw near \nthe Altar to which all our aspirations, devotion and sacrifices are directed, and where we are \nsure to find, besides the Masters, all our comrades to feel never again in any sense distant from' \nthem. May the Blessings of the Masters rest upon your work and bring us all a fresh and \nstronger impulse for never relaxing effort, courage and endurance to the very end. \n\nIn brotherly love, \n\nYours very sincerely, \n\nElisabeth Schoch, \n\nLeo Schoch. \n\n\nTo the Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: We ask you on behalf of the Wilmers- \ndorfer Circle to kindly accept our heartiest greetings and sincerest wishes for a successful \nConvention. Congregating at Convention day we shall be united with you at this solemn hour. \n\nI * \u2019 s lndeed the ' fire from heaven\u201d that shines upon us from the last Convention report \nkindling our hearts, and setting our wills aflame. \n\n\u2022 V? Un ,\u2018 ty \u00b0 f heart lmkin 8 us together manifests and expresses itself in a gladdening manner \nin those lectures and addresses which we are still studying. We consider ourselves highly \nfavoured thus to be able to participate m the proceedings and the spirit of the Convention \n\nvroi)tVnf n Ti lght \u00b0l wl J\u201c h-emanatin S from the Lodge-we see manifested the life and \ngrowth of The Theosophical Society. \n\nThis fills us with deep joy, and serves as a source of strength for our work here, which is based \nhel^oth^^ 1011 \u00b0 f thC that \u00b0 Ur fiFSt dUty C \u00b0 nSiStS in making ourselves fit to successfully \n\n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES \n\n\n9i \n\n\nIn this spirit we shall be with you heart \ngladdening warmth. \n\n\nand soul, looking out for the same brilliant light and \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nOskar Stoll, \n\nA. Friedewald. \n\n\nOakland, California. \n\n\nSecretary T. S.: All good wishes and hearty greetings to members assembled at our next \n\n\nConvention. \n\n\nYours very sincerely and fraternally, \n\nJennie Belle Tuttle \n\n\nOCUMARE DEL FUY, VENEZUELA. \n\nTo the Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled, New York: Dear Fellow-Members: \nWith my fraternal greetings I send to you in this magnificent hour of your meeting the sorrow\u00ac \nful notice of Mr. Mauricio de la Cueva\u2019s recent death. This companion was an aged member \nof the Theosophical Society in this country, comrade of J. J. Benzo and Dominguez Acosta, \ndead long ago. Mr. Cueva was an indefatigable and sincere worker for the Cause, and his \nlife was a living altruistic ideal. So his death has opened a broad voidness in our ranks and \na great hurt in our hearts. Among his best known works, he was one of the founders of the \n\u2018Venezuela\u2019 Branch, whose important works are well known, and later of the Altagracia de \nOrituco Branch, and of a review entitled \u201cLuz y Armonia\u201d, organ of this Branch. There\u00ac \nfore, his entry into the Theosophical field is distinguished by thirty years of courageous labour. \n\nI sincerely wish that the Masters\u2019 blessings will inspire your hearts in this solemn hour, \nduring which I feel spiritually united to you. \n\nFraternally yours, \n\nA. Valedon. \n\n\nBerlin-Schoneberg, Germany. \n\nTo the Members of The Theosophical Society in Convention Assembled: Dear Comrades: With \njoy we take the opportunity of this year\u2019s Convention to send to you all our heartiest good \nwishes and greetings. \n\nWe are with you in heart and will in the common work, and pray for the Masters\u2019 blessing, \nfor fruitful work. \n\nSincerely and fraternally yours, \n\nRichard Walther, \nHellmuth Pinter, \n\nOtto Bethge. \n\n\nSCHRECKENSTEIN, CZECHO-SLOVAKIA. \n\nTo the Treasurer T. S.:... . We are firmly convinced that the Theosophical Quarterly \nis contributing in a remarkable measure to fulfil the tasks and the purposes of the Theosophical \nSociety and to carry out the intentions of the Great Lodge. To us foreign members it is the \nspeaking trumpet of our revered guides, and by it we perceive the throbbing pulse of the \nmovement. That obliges us to great thankfulness and to active sustentation which we can \nprovide in the meanwhile only by pecuniary resources. \n\nTo the Convention I wish from the depth of my heart a full success and the most abundant \nblessing. \n\nI tried already in my previous letter to intimate to you the deep feeling of a genuine happi\u00ac \nness which the last Convention has excited in all of us who were meeting here at the same \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n92 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ntime. Under that impression, which each one of us had, we passed the motion to create a \nfund to be enlarged by annual spontaneous donations, by which after a series of years we shall \nbe able to delegate the worthiest member of our Branch to a Convention; considering, of \ncourse, the financial position of the aspirant. Besides that we have created an institution, \na fund of spare money, by which also other members of the Branch shall be able to accompany \nthat delegate, as every one of us will have a certain stock serving as a supplement to the \ntravelling expenses. I suppose it is the longing of every member to participate at least once \nduring his lifetime in a Convention of the Theosophical Society. . . . The letters from \nOberst Knoff and from Mr. Box, with their inspiring descriptions of the Convention, printed \nin the \u201cScreen\u201d, July, 1927, supported our opinion, that it may be serviceable to keep ready \nthe material means\u2014in addition to the acquirement of the English language\u2014and to assure \nthereby the outer necessaries. The most important irremissible conditions are rather of a \nspiritual nature, and to provide them we are praying to the Masters of Wisdom that they \n\nmay enable us to acknowledge rightly the will and the intentions of the Lodge. \n\nWith heartfelt greetings and best wishes, I remain, \n\nFaithfully and Gratefully yours, \n\nR. Jager, \n\nTreasurer T. S. Aussig Branch. \n\n\n\nAu Soir de la Pen see, by Georges Clemenceau; Librairie Plon, Paris, 1927. \n\nM. Clemenceau has illustrated Plutarch\u2019s saying that \u201cthe study of pleasant and speculative \nlearning, to an old man retiring from office, is a most suitable and becoming solace , but he \nhas not guarded the fruits of his reflections for himself alone. At the age of eighty-seven, \nhe has published a philosophical treatise in two large volumes containing nine hundred and \nfifty pages! He is incapable of passing in idle reverie this \u201c evening of his thought \u201d. \n\nIt is quite impracticable to review the book in detail. There are passages on cosmogony, \nmythology, symbolism, the history of philosophy, the atomic theory, human and animal \npsychology, the problem of free-will versus determinism, the origin and nature of the Ego, \netc., etc. The reader will search in vain for any sign of failing energies. Clemenceau has in \nfact raised a monument to the power of the human spirit. Physical age and fatigue, which \nare generally supposed to be obstacles, have been treated by him as opportunities for the \nexercise of his faculties. The mere act of writing such a book may thus be regarded as an \ninspiring affirmation of a will which does not surrender. \n\nNevertheless, one turns the leaves of this work with a sense of pathos. Clemenceau, the \nman of vital action, speaks through the mask of a mind moulded long ago into the form of \na narrow and dogmatic scientific materialism. Too often \u201cthe materialist\u2019 eclipses the \nman\u201d. The reader must content himself with oases of wisdom in a desert of ratiocination. \n\nIf only the genius had thrown aside the mask and had spoken for itself! \n\nClemenceau was an active anti-clerical during the painful struggle which culminated in \nthe separation of Church and State in France. In the dust of the battle he seems to have \nconfused the issues involved. In any event, he extends his justifiable contempt for priestcraft \nto include the whole of what is generally signified by the term, \u201creligion\u2019 . He makes a ten\u00ac \ntative exception in favour of primitive Buddhism, because he believes that this was a religion \n41 without gods, without soul, and without prayer\u201d (I, 376). Religion in itself signifies nothing \nfor him but the cowardly instinct impelling us to turn aside \u201cfrom the struggles of life, in order \nto fabricate for ourselves another world that is an artificial development of the beatitude of \nour inertia\u201d (II, 465). These are hard words, but they at least provide religious people with \nan excuse for self-examination, so that they may discover for themselves how selfless and \ndisinterested their \u201creligion\u201d really is. \n\nClemenceau has a healthy and thorough-going loathing for cant and pretension, whenever \nhe is able to recognize them, and he does not spare the theologians and the metaphysicians \nwhose explanations of the Universe are too often only plays upon words. To their speculative \ndogmatism he opposes a positivistic view of existence, limiting ascertainable truth to the \ndomain of scientific experiment. Unfortunately he falls into the error of so many \n\u201c popularizers \u201d of science, for he arbitrarily restricts the field of experiment to objective, \nmaterial phenomena. This practically amounts to denying the importance and even the \nexistence of the \u201cconsciousness aspect\u201d of being, on the ground that science makes no study \nof it. One recalls the words of the Oxford satire: \u201cWhat I know not is not knowledge.\u201d \n\nHowever, this arid positivism is, indeed, only the deceptive vesture of an intense and heroic \nlife. There are moments when the life shines through its mental mould so brightly that this \n\n93 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n94 \n\nmould seems temporarily as if dissolved. A few quotations will be more revealing than \n\nany commentary. _ , . .. - . \n\n\u201cLife is a chance to dare. ... In the universal war of the elements, a flash of enlighten- \nment comes to us, and we experience our first sensations of an ineffable poem which it must \nbe our duty to assimilate and to develop, in order that we may live ideally (I, 24). \n\nHe contrasts the thinker (Vhomme peasant) and the dreamer ( I'homme revant), insisting upon \nour obligation to detach ourselves from the fear of the unknown and from the dread of effort \nand to awaken our latent powers by an ardent aspiration towards this same unknown, and \nby a courageous acceptance of all that is involved in what we already know. The thinker \n\"undertakes the task of knowledge, as if eternity lay before him. . . . Before us, at every \nmoment, the unknown retreats as we advance. . . . How many Gods who will have known \nonly the pain of being born, will be worthy of humanity (I, 57 )- \n\n\" \u2022 Master\u2019, cried the disciple, \u2018who is this God shining in majestic splendour whom I perceive \nbeyond the clouds? Does he not seem to call me?\u2019 And the Buddha replied, smiling: It \nis thyself, my son.\u2019 \u201d (II, 493 )* q t \n\n\nHow the Reformation Happened, by Hilaire Belloc; Robert McBride and Company; price \n\nS3 There is something more than irony in the title of this finely conceived and vigorously \nwritten book; for what accepted history calls the Reformation is, for Hilaire Belloc, nothing \nless than the Great Calamity, which rent and wounded the spiritual life of Christendom, \ngravely menacing what he holds to be the supreme treasure of mankind. Tolstoi said that \none of the conditions of great writing is, that the writer should sincerely love or hate the \npeople about whom he writes. There must be no Laodicean detachment. This condition, \nHilaire Belloc fulfils to perfection; when he loves, he passionately adores, and when he hates, \nhe violently detests; and he blazes with sincerest ardour in putting his feelings on record. \n\nSome students of Theosophy are in full agreement with him in holding that the spiritual \nlife of Christendom is one of the great treasures of mankind, and these students are further \nin hearty agreement with him in holding that the spiritual life of France is to-day, has been \nfor centuries, and may be for centuries to come, the hope of a future Christian civilization. \nThey are sure to concur in his corollary that Germany has long been, and may long continue, \nthe breeding ground of disruption and evil. Again, he firmly holds, and courageously affirms, \nthat in addition to the opposition of human greed and egotism, we must take into account \nforces of evil outside our common humanity, forces of evil which showed their malignant \nhatred on Calvary, and which are active to-day. Here, once more, students of Theosophy \nwould find themselves in full agreement with what is certain to be an unpopular thesis among \nour latter-day rationalists. \n\nLet us now consider points of disagreement. Hilaire Belloc holds that the Church of Rome \nis the plenary representative of the Faith, and that the essence of the Church dwells in two \nthings: the Mass and the Papacy. These ideas are of course at complete variance with \nTheosophy, which would stress the spiritual force of the Saints as the source of renewal in \nChristendom, and affirm that a central authority must be sought far deeper. Hilaire Belloc, \nwhile full of the spiritual glory of the Church, has singularly little to say of the Saints; he is \nso little preoccupied with them, that he falls into a strange confusion, on page 33, between \nSt. Catherine of Siena and St. Theresa, a confusion surprising in a devout Catholic, who must \nbe familiar with the writings of both these noble women. \n\nBut there is a deeper line of cleavage. Students of Theosophy could never concur in his \nview that the whole spiritual life of mankind is confined within the circle of any Church. \nA great Roman Catholic Archbishop once said that he hoped to meet Buddha and Plato in \nheaven. One would fain see Hilaire Belloc temper his feeling for \"the heathen\u201d by a like \nliberality. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n^mtership'7\u00b0rf a 9 tis a'urml ZlTnoUced inle ctn T \u2018 5 ' \n\n1 do not wish to be a drone in the Society. Mention Reports, and it appeals to me for \n\nthe objects of the Society; acthrity ^maniferine tteatT'd* fT' y? Activity in forwarding \noneself a part of the spirit and life-blood of the q eattl \u2018 ude of the Societ y; activity in making \nture, its heroes; and entering in,-by loviL that wh^T^I^ ^ P3St history \u2019 its litera - \ntheir lives. g that whlch \u2018hey loved and for which they gave \n\nning to the prUtUime^hayT b Jf .? rious members . from its begin- \nOf the Universe and the destiny of min L et the ntT l* C \u00b0 nCerni \" g the \n\nttszzr* if he put s \n\ndTh ?*\"\u201c theTheos \u00b0\u00ab\u00abcal \n\nment. He cannot read everything atonce but h ommended h V the Quarterly Book Depart- \nmend what to read first, fo^haTch^i de^ * * u86 > 6sa to Tom- \n\nprevious intellectual training. In any event snm. T?* 0 \u201d the Student ' s temperament and \nSooner or later the student ^ \u00b0 me readin \u00a3 ought to be done. \n\ng ent,y begin this arduou^\" ^fore he can intelH- \n\nwhat older students have conceived Theosophy to be ^ ^ WSe t0 gain 801116 notion of \n\nermmating a period of qualification, can confer activitv unnTT he ! sactlve - No ceremony, \nand the attainment of ever-deepening levels of activitv wh f T-' U IS a process of growth \nmore perfect instrument in the hands of the Soul. ' \" Ve t0 place a p rogressively \n\nT. S. become a more ^ 11\u00b0\"' T \u201c membcr of the \nOften, we fear, to the bewilderment of the nlw memb I T? \u00b0 Ur 1,t6ratui 6 6 \u00ab^, and too \nruns straight through the labyrinth The Soul Tee l\u2019 A t0 \u2018 d that the road of duty \n\nHfe. It .rranges the events of our Ly ifvel^KwlfT* US l \u00b0 m \u00b0 re abunda \"\u2018 \n\nour duties of head, heart and hand we shall find \u00ab f i keep Wlde awake an d responsive to \nlife of the Soul. Though we ma y seZ t^eZ a'u more de6pl >' **> the active \n\nhave been gathered within the radius of the^ldge to hel T' ^ Sh \u00b0 U ' d reaIize that W6 \n\nsr that its strength - d ^ \n\nShouldTuTke TbTm^oTdelTTh th^T\" \u201c \u2018 he M \u00b0 Vement from ttl6 begmnmg. \nMovement.'\" 6 \u00b0 f th \u00b0 S6 y \u00b0 U haV6 0b \u2122 how ^ 6a \" \u00bb yourself to work with them in the \n\n\n95 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n96 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n3. Put into execution whatever directions may be given you. Thus acting, you will become \nto that extent \u201cactive.\" S. M. \n\nAnswer. \u2014 I understand this question to apply to outer activity only, though of course there \nis the inner which is far the more important of the two. The list of ways in which a new \nmember may \u201cqualify \u201d is long, but one of the very first of these is for him to learn how to use \nhis eyes, and what understanding he may possess,\u2014to learn to give the most careful considera\u00ac \ntion to everything, great and small, which concerns his new theosophic life. Particularly \nshould he take great care to notice how things are done by other members who have been in \nthe Movement for many years. He should then try to apply these new methods which he has \nbeen observing and studying, to his own everyday tasks; thus he will gain a practical experience \nwhich will be of great value later on. He will also be wise to get rid of many of his preconceived \nnotions as to what kind of work he would be able to do were he so fortunate as to be an \u201cactive \nmember,\" for he is quite likely to find that that which (before he joined the T. S.) he thought \nhimself fitted for, is in reality not his forte at all. Let him keep himself open and unbiased, \nand he may find that there are hitherto quite unexpected talents buried within him\u2014all of \nthem ways in which he may serve. The more open-minded a new member remains; the less he \nallows his outworn, personal opinions to blind him to the beauty and grandeur of the new life \ninto which he has entered; the more intelligently he observes, losing no clue,\u2014the sooner is he \nlikely to attain to \u201cactive membership.\" T. D. \n\nAnswer. \u2014While outer works are important, it seems to me that the most important \nqualification for \u201cactive membership\" in the T. S. is the proper attitude of mind. It is neces\u00ac \nsary to try sincerely to change the focus of one's attention from things of this world to things of \nthe spirit; and if the effort be persistent, some measure of success will inevitably be attained. \nMoreover, it is necessary to study constantly. Study the articles in the Quarterly; study \nthe books listed in the back of the Quarterly; study one's self; study others; study life. \nStudy with the object of relating everything to one\u2019s own conception of Theosophy, for the \npurpose of broadening and improving one\u2019s understanding of Theosophy and of life. Only \nthose shall know the doctrine who live the life. Therefore, the knowledge gained should \ndiligently be applied to one\u2019s daily life. It is futile to wait for full illumination. One should \nlive the life according to the best that one knows now, and more light will be given. Of course, \nouter works must not be neglected; but it seems to me very easy to place too much emphasis \non outer works, thereby giving insufficient attention to the really important thing, which is to \nseek the spiritual life, not selfishly for one\u2019s own advantage, but because one can help humanity \nbest by seeking the light. One cannot rescue others from drowning until one has learned to \nswim; and I think that as one endeavours to live the life, and in direct measure as one succeeds, \nthe opportunity for outer works will be given. One should attend meetings regularly, and ask \nquestions and join in the discussion when one feels that such questions or discussion will be \nhelpful. Regular attendance is very helpful to one\u2019s self, to other members, and to the success \nof the Theosophical Movement. R. W. A. \n\nAnswer. \u2014The new member can endeavour to find out what The Theosophical Society is \nand stands for, by the study of its principal aims and objects; the meaning, in relation to \nhimself and to the world, of a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood, of the study of ancient and \nmodem religions, philosophies and sciences, of the unexplained laws of nature, and the psychical \npowers latent in man, etc. This alone would be quite an activity. \n\nAt the same time, if possible, he can attend the meetings and classes of the Society, prepared \nnot only to listen with tolerance and interest to what is said there, but to think about it then \nand afterwards. He can also cultivate a feeling of sympathy and intelligent affection for the \nother members of the Society, who are painfully pursuing the same object. He can endeavour \nto observe in all the past and present phenomena of this world, the working out of what he \nunderstands of the principles of Theosophy. And if he try to put into practice at all times in \nhis own consciousness and actions a complete devotion to these principles, he may still consider \nhimself a drone, but no one else will. S. C. L. \n\n\n{To be continued .) \n\n\n\nSTANDARD BOOKS \n\nSOPHY UNVEILED ' V0LS - I AND II. doth> , \n\nine. The, Vols . I and i'i'and inV . WS \u2019 \nGlossary 1 \u201c \u201c \u00b0\u201d e book \u2019 without sub i\u00abt.ind\u00ab vitane.\u2019 \n\nOF THE BLAVATSKY LODGE. . \n\nSilence _ .7.. : -cloth, \n\n, Volume I . . * 85 ' Ieather * \n\nVolume II .. \n\nvolume iii...\\\\\\\\\\\u2019;;;. \n\ntters to Friends. .. .r oa \u2122 s > \n\nAbridgment of the Secret' Doctrine', .doth \n\nBHAGAVAD Gita .Treated, annotated; cloth,' \n\nf Wisdom. The I,mp Ieather - \n\nMISHADS... . \n\nads, The, VoiuAie L .... *. pap f\u00bb \n\n3E Kingdom, The . . \n\nga Sutras. .V * *,V \\.paper* \n\n'Pug .Translated, annotated; cloth, \n\njsr \u2022' :;; \u2022*\u00ab.' \n\n\nDevotional: Bhagavad Gita; Crest Jewel \n\ncVinrle* T nttore TL-i. IT_TT 1 , *V\" \n\n\na\u2122,, \u201e m ,. \n\n\u00b0 f the Secret Doctrine; Isis Unveil^- UTmi _1__ \n\n\n** to Theosophy; \n\nTransactions; Patanjali ; S Yo g TSutraT TalkSOn Rehglon; Th \u00b0\u00b0sophical G1os\u00a3i\u00a3 \n\n\nTHE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS. NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFounded by B. P. Blavatsky at Hew Vork In 1875 \n\n\n(HE Society does not pretend to be able \n\n\nto establish \n\n\u25a0 fti once a universal brotherhood among: men, but \n1 \\ st \u2122r cs t0 \u00abeate the nucleus of such a body. \n\nISPP11 Sfu ,t!t rn , e j? ber ^ , be . lieve tfaat an acquaintance \n|Ugjgg| with the world s religions and philosophies will \n\n&5Z**l&t **?** of *\u00ab* brotherhood ladm\u00abJ \n\nwJiT ^ n s a fP* eci * t, on of the finer forces \nwill still further emphasize the same idea, \n-n \u00abs wholly unsectarian, with no creed, \n~ \u201c--\u201c3 or impose j neither \nopinions of iu members, \nr others that \n\nwas^adopted at the Conven- \n\nAmericabyit's delegates and \n\n-\u00bb toward all students of \n\n*\u25a0 heosophical Societies wherever \n-----\u2014- proclaims and avers its \n\nsuch P\\ tso \u2122 and \n-l matters except those of \n\n, T \u201e WMMkJ*\u2019 * nd ,hd ' \n\nTo \u201c\u201cA \u00bb*\u00ab, <\u00ab \n\n\nof them also believe that \nof nature and man \n\nThe organization i_ _ # \n\ndogma, nor personal authority Venfowe \nis it to be held responsible for the w \n\nwho are expected to accord to the beliefs of \ntolerance which they desire for their own. \n\n1 he following proclamation was adopted at \n\nApM ' 1895 ' \n\nfraternal good wi\u00bb and kindly feeling toward all students of \nThecKophy and members of Theoso~ # * ' n \nand however situated. It further \nhearty sympathy and err \u2018 \" \norganizations in all theosophlcal i \ngovernment and administratioi \nrespondence and \n\n\"To all i__ \n\nfeligious belief, who \n\n--VU(, SUI anuin \n\nauch knowledge of men and nature as shall te \n\nitceZl' \u2018an,?? Ce T nt 0 \u00ab hc homan race ' ft set \n\n* \u201cl t lte j lT Pi off , e , rs its services. \n\nWltf ? aU eeligionsand religi, \n\nthe * d\u00a3r ^ te L *\u00b0 thc P\u00ab\u00abhcation of men' \n\n\u00bbe bettering of their ways, and it avows its i \n\n1 S: 'l nt,f,c Series and individua \n\nMd \u201c5\u00b0!^' \u201c ,5= wfll e be a griteful W for \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n\nSubscription price, $1.00 per annum; single copies 25 cents \n\nPuMfohed by The Theosophical Society \nat 64 Washington Mews, New York, N. Y. \n\nJuly; October; January; April \n\nAddress all communications to P. O. Box 64 , Station O, New York \n\n\nM. Q.'S? Charing* Gra\u00a3\u00b0Road^ *>e sent to John \n\nMr. E. H. Lincoln, 9 Beaconsfleld Road Low PpII V\u00ab9^ 2 \u00bb or *\u00b0 \n\nwhom al. back numbers may be obtain^. Annual JSft&JgS \n\n\nCONTENTS OF VOL. XXVI, NO. 2 \nOctober, 1928 \n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS PAGE \n\nFRAGMENTS. 97 \n\nRELIGIO MILITIS.\u2019 . I0 5 \n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE, PART I *\u00b0^ \n\nWAR MEMORIES. ' . 117 \n\nDANTE SKETCHES. 129 \n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD. 142 \n\nALL THAT WE HAVE IS NOT OURS I4 ^ \n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY. 154 \n\nWORK. . 156 \n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME. 167 \n\nLETTERS TO students . 170 \n\nREVIEWS.. 186 \n\nQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 189 \n\n- . 191 \n\n\nthe theosophical society \n\nUniversal Brotherhood^Hum^nity^witho 0 ^d't* t0 - f \u00b0 rm ^ nucIeus of a \ncaste or colour. The ^ ^ CTeed \u2019 se *\u2019 \n\nreligions, philosophies and sciences and f v, J a t dy \u00b0 f ancicnt and modern \n\nOf such study; and the \u00b0 f ^ imp0rt \u2014 \n\npsychical powers latent in man! flamed laws of nature and the \n\nAc. ted,\" 8eptemb \u00bb *- \u2022\u00bb th. Port Office New York. N . Y.. uod\u201e , he \n\nCopyright, ,928, by The Theosophical Society \n\n\nOCTOBER, 1928 \n\nThe Theosophical Society , as such , is not responsible for any opinion or \ndeclaration in this magazine , by whomsoever expressed , unless contained in an \nofficial document. \n\n\nI N relating the story of the Buddha\u2019s discourse concerning penitential \nself-mortification, its fruit and its danger, reference was made to a \nperiod in the West when like penitential practices were intensively \nfollowed, the period of the monastic communities and the great solitaries in \nthe Egyptian desert. It may be worth while to show the likeness of these \nself-mortifying exercises in the Egypt of the fourth century of our era to those \nof the Ganges valley in the Buddha\u2019s day, and in particular that the fruits \nand dangers were the same in these two sacred lands. \n\nIn that forceful and detailed record of the Egyptian solitaries which is \ncalled The Paradise of the Fathers , the author records an experience which he \npersonally noted. There was a certain man in Scete, he says, whose name \nwas Stephana, who had dwelt in the desert for twenty-nine years; his apparel \nwas made of palm leaves, and he lived in such a strict self-denial, and per\u00ac \nsisted to such a degree in ascetic abstinence, that he never had the least \ninclination for the meats which are usually desired, and which are pleasant \nto the taste; and he greatly condemned those who, because of sickness, either \nate cooked food or drank cream. Now the gift of healing had been given to \nhim to such a degree that he could cast out devils by a word. And it came \nto pass that on one occasion a man in whom was an unclean spirit came to \nScete, and wished to be healed, and when the monk saw that he was sorely \nvexed by the devil he made a prayer and healed him. So much for the fruit \nof abstinence and self-discipline. \n\nBut there was danger also. For, says the narrator, this monk was rejected \nby Divine Providence because of his immeasurable arrogance and haughtiness, \nfor he imagined himself to be more excellent in his life and works than the \nother fathers. First of all, he separated himself from the brotherhood, and \nthen he went and became archimandrite in one of the monasteries of Alex\u00ac \nandria, \u201cFor,\u201d he said in his pride, \u201cam I to be in subjection to Macarius? \n\n97 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n98 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nAre not my life and works better than his?\u201d And this man arrived at such \n\nandT \u00b0 f , madneSS that he Went t0 the city - and ^ve himself up to gluttony \nd drunkenness and to the eating of more flesh than rational brings are \n\n3 \" d finaly he fel1 and settled down into the pit of unclean living \n\ns^oclf to S h S v T d6SlreS With \u00b0 Ut Shame ' and became a laughing\u00ac \nstock to all who knew him. But he excused himself, saying \u201cThe law was \n\nnot made for the perfect.\u201d The narrator goes on to say that strong IffoS \n\nmained 3 6 ^ tblS man and brin S him to repentance. But he re- \n\nn d R T n an , d \u00b0 bdurate ' and came a miserable death, \nmen Id ^ K \u00b0 f ^'^ifying ascetics who sought praise of \n\nmentioned ^ MaCarius aIready \n\nssr - - 1 \n\nMacarius \u201cAnd ir \u2022 T\u2019 W \u00ae, are told \u2019 another well-known ancient said to \n\nshould work for praise raSS than'thlfthey\"^^^ d^spl^^for if alw^ \nconstraineth those who love nrake to r f oespise it, tor it always \n\n,\u201ed spake, saying,-Whe\u00ab1\u00a3 \n\n\u2022 h i\u00a3r\u2018~ 2s - \u2014 y \n\n- s r^\u201c k ' B -r if \"-rr-- - \u2014 \n\neven though it be thus nu ' ed ha 1 ? rephed that ^-mortification, \nmortification, in \u201c\u201c\u201c b \" k Sd '' \n\nlem to be considered now is to wliat end i t d bUt a means - The prob- \npurpose of self-mortification? What S * f means What is the true \nto \"the praise of q \u201c Wl \u201c' in the Buddha\u2019s teaching \n\nBanyan logically asks, \u201cIn what wav q,v\u00bb a \nthe summit and penetrate to the core?\u201d 3 Then\u2019heT Sel ^ or \u2018 lfica tion reach \na skilful reasoner, that he is a practical d; \u2022 : f h \u00ae hows that he ,s more than \na happy thing for me if the Master h^M^ f \u00b0 r 16 contmues - \u201cIt would be \n\nsummit and should make it penetrate to the coTe^ Self \u2019 m0rtification t0 the \n\nstrained by the restraint of the tourfolTwatch 61 \u2019 0 ! ^ ^ WOrld> is re \u2018 \n\nself-mortifying ascetic restrainpH h +t In what way, Banyan, is a \n\nFirst, B4.\u00bb such L SSrfninL ' Sf * \u00b0* \u2019 \n\nnor approves of the injuring of anv life - sec d V CaU f S n \u00b0 hfe to be injured, \nnor causes what is not given to be taken \" \u2019 \u00b0 takeS not wbat is not given, \n\n\u00ab.\u00ab given: third, he S\u00ab\u00abt*ng ,\u00a3 what ii \n\nfalsely,nornpprove, a \u201ey talsespeec \u201e ; Ugg \n\n\nnor causes anyone to long for self-satisfaction, nor approves of any longing \n* ,? tWS Way> Banyan \u2019 an aSCet?c is -trained by tol \n\nsuch an at t r When> Banyan \u2019 the ascetic is thus drained, \n\nfor himself g06S \u00b0 rWard ' he tUrnS n0t back t0 lower thin \u00ab s - He seeks out \nfor himself a place of meditation, in the forest, at the root of some great tree \n\namong the mountains, in a glen or a cavern in the mountains, o/even n a \n\nP ace for the burning of bodies, or a dwelling in the woods, or simply a heap \n\nof straw in a clearing. Then, after he has gone forth to receive alms of rice in \n\n, \u2019 and has eaten w hat has been freely given, returning to his retreat \n\nhtrf CS d hlS Se t m the P \u00b0 Siti0n \u00b0 f meditation ' bolding his body upright, with \n\nfor theto mind fTn tent 0 ?/ eC \u00b0 lleCti0n - Ridd ing himself of covetous desire \nthe things of the world, he dwells with heart free from covetous desire \ne purifies his thoughts of covetous desire; ridding himself of the sin of malevo- \nence, he dwells with heart free from malevolence, seeking the welfare of all \nliving beings, he purifies his thoughts of malevolence; ridding himself of sloth \nand torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, seeing the fight riveted \nwth consciousness alert, he purifies his mind of malevolence; ridding himself \nof vanity and fretfulness, he dwells not inflated by vanity, with heart inwardly \nserene he purifies his thoughts of vanity and fretfulness; ridding himself of \ndoubting, h. dwell, on the further shore beyond doubt, no longt \u201cusk \n\ndoubt',\u201cg\" 8 COnCermne What \u201c \"* ht \u00ab\"d fiood. he purifies his thought, of \n\nThrough spiritual awakening he rids himself of these five obscurities which \nTea tolff ,\u00b0 f P T? r; hC dWdlS irradiatin \u00ab \u00b0\" e ^rter of the wor d w J \n\nu so het n urth m Th T- r d \u201e S \u00b0 * ,S \u00b0u lhe S '\u201c nd *\u201c*\u201c\u2022 \u201c th. third \" \n\nalso the fourth. Thus he dwells, irradiating the whole world, upward down- \n\nward, through and through, altogether, in all ways, with heart enkindled with \n\nand th lrr adiating the whole world, upward, downward, through \n\nhe dwT g \u2019 al i\u00b0f he \\ m aH WayS \u2019 With heart enk * ndled with compassion- \nhe dwells, irradiating the whole world, upward, downward, through and \n\nthrough, altogether, in all ways, with heart enkindled with even-balanced \nserenity, abounding, magnanimous, free from enmity, free from ill will. What \n\nnot^perfec'tccT^ 3 \" an ^ ^ ^ ^ tHUS \u2019 ' S SUCh self - mortificati \u00b0n perfected, or is it \n\n\u201cOf a surety, Sire, self-mortification such as this has reached the summit \nhas penetrated to the inmost core!\u201d \u2019 \n\n\u201cNay, not so, Banyan! Far from reaching the summit and penetrating to the \ninmost core, such self-mortification has but touched the skin, the outer bark.\u201d \n\nThat declaration is likely to astonish us as greatly as it astonished good \nBanyan. Is not the radiant love described the utmost possible fulfilment of \nthe law of righteousness? Of what more can we conceive? \n\nWe may anticipate the answer of the Buddha by asking a question: How is \nit possible for the aspirant, even after he has cleansed his heart of envy anger \nvacillation, sloth and unbelief, the \u201cfive obscurities,\u201d even after he has torn \nout the root of egotism, even after he has made the complete sacrifice of \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIOO \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\nworldliness symbolized by dea^heart? 0 Vhe answer is, \n\nfor him to create this s P lendo \u201c as a potentiality, already there. It is \n\nthat he has no need to crea e \u2019 brougb t to the light when the \n\nthe treasure of gold buried in the fie the heart , to be fully \nearth and stones are removed, it is t the true Light which \n\nrevealed when false desires Light of the Logos itself, the \n\nlighteth every man that cometh 1 underlies and gives life to every \n\nuniversal spiritual consciousness unregenerate man that spiritual \n\nindividual consciousness. buried under a multitude of mental, \n\nconsciousness has been hi en the Light can no longer shine \n\npassional and psychic obscurities,^ of obscuri ties real life can \n\nthrough. With the remova tbe wbo i e system of self-denial, punfi- \n\nbegin. It is not too much to y ha on his arde nt disciples had no \n\ncation t emtval of the heaped up obscurities which impede \n\nother aim than this, tn ermine religious teacher, \n\nthat Light. And this is true ofev y g ^ h g eart &nd souli s0 that the \nThe cleansing of the in \u2122; r , \u2019 d q{ the way> but its beginning; it is the \n\nLight may shine, is, therefore, not ^ ^ be inclined t0 ask with the ascetic \n\nBaT\u00bb \u201ch\u00ab >,ter \n\n\" \u00a3 STiot. \n\nfiery energy cleansing and part! fce othervjise altogether beyond hi. \n\nLight of the Logos. Th , Light is already there, is, \n\npower, is possible for the -\u00bbP* ^ \u201c ^ ords oI the Upanishad, \nindeed, the inner essence of his 1 \u2022 undivided All, he is as \n\nhe is That. But, if one may use such a term for t ^ ^ ^ ^ ray His \n\nyet only a minute fragment of e bec ^ me one with all of that infinite \n\ntremendous destiny is, o e tb t be bas been 0 ne with that Life, \n\nLife, or. to speak more tt\u00ably. to nate *that he h^ ^ ^ ^ glem , \n\nthrough innumerable ages^ e expand until he knows himself one \n\nin his cleansed heart, h g limitless is the path before him. \n\nwith the infinite Light. So grea , beginning of the true, divine \n\nTherefore this is indeed not the 1 ^ d \u2019\" ,what should be the \nway. If the ardent disciP e have ^ consider . He is, step by step, to \n\nfruit of his journey. Let us ^ ^ M But the Logos is from \n\nenter into the Logos; \u00aboUs P ^ transcen d Time, the great \n\neternity. Therefore, as \u2019 b - b has disappeared, an evanescent \n\nillusion which divides Being in na P omniscient, but omni- \n\n*r*-r2 \u2019ZTZZSZJZXZ - \u2022\u00bb \n\nscience, for the All, a or in the regions beneath the \n\nin the heavens above, 01 ^ L Logos, he who \n\nea t th rs into ihTdiXe consciousness, thereby enters into that perfect love \nwhSh the Buddha has already described, a love abounding, magnanimous. \n\n\n\" \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\nIOI \n\n\u00ab\u2122d \u00a3&\u00a3\u00a3&?*** mind - - \n\nWhich are, not so much properties of the Lo^' 7 \u00b0 mniscience and love, \n\ncome back to the dialogue between the Masted and thT^ 1 ? 7 ^ S \u00b0 W6 \nBanyan had affirmed that tLo \u2022\u201e and the ascetic Banyan. \n\nvery perfection and consummati^TfeT \u00b0* 7 heart by l0Ve Was the \n\nsummit, penetrating to the inmost core LTh!r^,?' reachin e to the \n\nfar from penetrating to the core this ill B he Buddha had replied that, \nthe outer bark. Recovering from his' Um, \" atl0n only touched the skin, \nPlexing, yet promising so much more tT f at a Statement so per- \nlogical perseverance: \u2019 Banyan thereupon asked, with fine \n\npenetrate^to ThfcoS\u2019 R wouH bfa \u2019 reach \u00ab- summit and \nshould bring my self-mortification to the f \u00b0 r me \u2019 lf the M aster \n\ntrate to the core!\u201d th summit . and should make it pene- \n\nrestraint of the fourfold'watch ^nd^\"\u2019 U \u2019 e a f Cet ' C restrains himself by the \nlower things. Establishinglo \u2019 hTmseH ' 7 ** ^ ^ t0 \n\nirradiates the world with heart enkind eH T, ^ f \u00b0 T med >tation, he \n\nmemory many a dwelling of his in by-gone'tmes^that 711 ? 6 \"^\" ^ t0 \nbirth, or two births, or three births nr f l T h * t0 say \u2019 one former \nor twenty births, or thirty births^o\u2019r fortv^Tf 5 \u2019 blTths \u2019 \u00b0 T ten births - \n\nbirths, or a thousand births or a hundred blrths \u2019 or a hund red \n\nof a world period, many evdutionsT \u201d ^ ^ \n\nevolutions of a world period, so as ti sav Tly^'^\u2019 invo]ut \u00bbons and \nsuch a family, of such a colour, with such a liver/ 7 \u00b0 f SUCh a name> of \njoys and sorrows, completing such a span of f n \u2019 ex P e nencing certain \nmanifest in such a place. There I was of i e P artln g thence, I became \nsuch a colour, with such a livdLod e \" nam6 ' \u00b0 f such a of \n\ncompleting such a life span. Departin^ Pe \u201d enc,ng certain i\u00b0y s and sorrows, \nthus he remembers many a dwelling of his hTh*\u2019 1 manifest here;' \n\nand particulars. g n by ' gone tlm es, with all details \n\n\" 11 ^ lh \u201c' \u201c \u00ab* ^^-mortification p\u201e- \n\n\u2018\" h \u201c - \u2014 .he \n\n\u2018, he \u2022 0 \u2122 i, \u201c d P^\u00ab\u00bbr \n\nthe bark.\u201d mortification has only reached the fibre beneath \n\npenetrate^to th/core^^t^muld^e a^apo/th ' 03 ^ 011 ^ the \u00ab and \nbring my self-mortificationTthe summit d i ^ ^ MaSter should \nto the core!\u201d the SUmmit ' and sb ould make it penetrate \n\nrestSrS^^ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n102 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthings. Establishing for himself a quiet refuge for meditation, he irradiates \nthe world with heart enkindled with love. Thereafter he calls to memory \nmany a dwelling of his in by-gone times, one birth, two, three, up to a hundred \nthousand births, with all details and particulars. So with divine vision, pure, \nsurpassing that of the sons of men, he sees beings departing and coming into \nmanifestation, debased or excellent, fair or foul, righteous or evil; he sees \nthese beings faring according to their works, so as to say, \u2018 These personages, \nof a truth, persisting in evil deeds, persisting in evil words, persisting in evil \nthoughts, speaking ill of the noble, holding lying opinions, are incurring the \nfruit of lying opinions. They, separated from the body after death, have \nfallen into misery, suffering, retribution, punishment. But, on the other \nhand, these personages, persisting in good deeds, persisting in good words, \npersisting in good thoughts, speaking well of the noble, holding true views, \nare enjoying the fruit of true views. They, separated from the body after \ndeath, have entered into a realm of happy manifestation.\u2019 Thus, with divine \nvision, pure, surpassing that of the sons of men, he sees beings departing \nand coming into manifestation, debased or excellent, fair or foul, righteous \nor evil; he sees these beings faring according to their works. \n\n\u201cWhat think you, Banyan? If this be thus, is such self-mortification per\u00ac \nfected, or is it not perfected?\u201d \n\n\u201cOf a surety, Sire, self-mortification such as this has reached the summit, \nhas penetrated to the inmost core!\u201d \n\n\u201cTruly so, Banyan! Such self-mortification has reached the summit and \nhas penetrated to the inmost core. So, Banyan, when you said to me in the \nbeginning, \u2018What, worthy Master, is the Law of Righteousness which the \nMaster teaches to his adherents, trained in which the Master\u2019s adherents win \nserenity, recognizing this Law as the firm foundation of their spiritual life ? \u2019\u2014 \nthis, Banyan, is the higher and more excellent discipline which I give to my \nadherents, through which my adherents are established in serenity, recog\u00ac \nnizing it as the firm foundation of their spiritual life.\u201d \n\nSo far, all has gone well with the Master and his earnest hearer, Banyan, \nwho, because of his candid spirit and willing heart, has gained the great \nboon which at the outset was refused. But what of the others? What of \nthe householder Bond, and the obstreperous pilgrims? Have they been \nforgotten? In the answer, we shall see the happy humour and the perfect \nskill of the recorders of old time, who so faithfully preserved these discourses. \nFor the record goes on to say that, when this had been said, the pilgrims burst \nforth in an uproar and a mighty noise, saying, \u201cWe are thus brought to \nnaught, with our preceptors, for we know nothing better and higher than \nwhat they have taught us!\u201d \n\nMeanwhile, the householder Bond had been thinking, \u201cEven though these \npilgrims hold other principles, yet they are listening to what the Master says, \nthey are giving heed to what they hear, they are entering into a better under\u00ac \nstanding.\u201d So he spoke to the pilgrim Banyan: \n\nDid you not say to me, good Banyan, \u2018Go to, householder! Knowest \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n103 \n\n\n\n\nthou with whom th^ ascetic Gotama confers? With whom does he hold \nconverse? With whom does he clarify his understanding? The under\u00ac \nstanding of the ascetic Gotama is injured by this habit of solitude, the ascetic \nGotama does not know how to conduct a meeting, he cannot carry on a debate, \nhe is really not in the current of things. Your ascetic Gotama, with his \nhabit of solitude, his ignorance of meetings and debates, his limited outlook, \nis like a cow going round in circles! Look you, householder, if the ascetic \nGotama should come to this assembly, we should shut him up with a single \nquestion, we should roll him along like an empty jar!\u2019 Now, therefore, that \nthe excellent Master has come, he who is perfectly awakened, a perfect Buddha, \ndo you show that he is ignorant of meetings, that he is like a cow going round \nin circles, do you shut him up with a single question, and roll him along like \nan empty water-jar!\u201d \n\nSurely a situation dramatically conceived! Are we to hold that the house\u00ac \nholder Bond, for all his virtues, has fallen short of perfect tact? Or, really \nresentful of Banyan\u2019s peppery phrase, is the householder Bond seizing the op\u00ac \nportunity to avenge himself? The venerable commentator, Buddha Ghosa, sug\u00ac \ngests a third explanation, which does credit to his resourceful heart: the house\u00ac \nholder Bond is really inspired by the most excellent motives; he has brought \nthe ticklish matter up in order to give Banyan a chance to repent, to confess \nand be forgiven. The recorder says that, when the householder Bond had \nthus spoken, the pilgrim Banyan was speechless, irritated, with drooping \nshoulders, chap-fallen, his mind full of confusion. Every word of this vivid \ndescription we can readily believe. The recorder does not say so, but pilgrim \nBanyan was in fact rolled along like an empty water-jar. The story goes \nserenely forward: \n\nSo when the Master saw that the pilgrim Banyan was speechless, irritated, \nwith drooping shoulders, chap-fallen, his mind full of confusion, he spoke thus \nto the pilgrim Banyan: \n\n\u201cIs it true, Banyan, that this was spoken by you?\u201d \n\n\u201cIt is true, Sire, that this was spoken by me, like an idiot, like a fool, like \na wrong-doer!\u201d \n\n\u201cThen what think you, Banyan? Have you heard pilgrims who were old \nand full of years saying, \u2018Those who were Arhats in the far distant past, \nperfect Buddhas, these Masters came together in such assemblies, they \nraised their voices, boisterous and noisy, relating many kinds of common \ntales, such, for example, as talk of kings, talk of robbers, talk of ministers, \ntalk of women and men and heroes, talk of the street and of the village well, \nall kinds of stories, traditions of lands and oceans, discussions of being and \nnon-being, like you and these preceptors a little while ago?\u2019 Or, on the con\u00ac \ntrary, did they say that the Masters of the far distant past sought rather the \nforest and the verges of the woods, making for themselves refuges there, where \nthere is little tumult, little noise, where breezes blow through the solitudes \nconcealed from the sons of men, in refuges fitted for meditation, even as I \ndo now?\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n104 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nSire, I have heard pilgrims who were old and full r,f \nwho were Arhats in the far distant 7 f L\u00b0 f years sa y in 2. \u2018Those \n\ndid not come together in such assemblies perfe ^ Buddhas : these Masters \nboisterous and noisy, relating many kinds of\u201d 01 \" ' tbey raise their voices, \n\nthat the Masters o> the far dTstant \u201d7 t T\", taleS '\u2019 But the y said \nverges of the woods, making for themselves f ^ the f \u00b0 rest and *he \ntumult, little noise, where breezes blow thrrT wu ther6 \u2019 where there is little \nthe sons of men, in refuges fitted fo meditatf^ ^ S \u00b0 htudes concea >ed from \n\u201cThough you are an intell l 6Ven as y\u00b0 u - Master.\u201d \n\nnot say, \u2018The Master is a Buddha teaching 3 the\u201d\u2019 ^\"i \u00b0 f yearS \u2019 y \u00b0 U did \n\nMaster is self-ruled, teaching the Vivhter, & 7 '\u00ae hteous Iaw of wisdom, the \n^ serene, teaching the ri g Zous la7oA 7* \u00b0i SeIf ' mas ^y. the Master \nocean of delusion and teaches the righTT\u201d^\u2019 th \u00ae MaSter has crossed the \nover, M, !te r has \u00abt W \u00abd suXf N ^\u201c ]*\u201d \u00ab\u00bb\u00ab* -y cross \n\n\"hereby others may attain Nirvana \u201c ' Kach \u201c **\u00bb righteous law \n\nthe h * d \u00ab-\u2022 th. pilgrim Banyan J* , d d ressed \n\ndoer, so tb^tTiZ^^\u2019ot'Sc Maito' \u201cJJ a < \u201cl a wrong- \n\n^ that a transgression ove,^ \n\nT \u201d*\u25a0 Bat as you \nthis is the rule of the noble one that hJ Li ccept y\u00b0 ur confession. For \n\nacknowledges and confesses it, making amend^th*^\" by & trans g ressi on, \nover that fault. g amends - thereby gains the mastery \n\nwithout guile and fri f^om ^lusbn^u ^ h! 0130 C \u00b0 me t0 me \u2019 one who is \nshow him the law of righteousness So nmcU \u201c ' lfe \u2018 1 wiI1 teach him and \nrecognizing as the most excellent spiritual ? \u201c. ha$ been tau S h t, and \n\ndoctnne and discipline for whose sakTZ Way and the supreme goa the \nhousehold life to the homelesslfe t ^l attain to^ ^ f \u00b0 rth *\u00a3 \nin seven years. But not to speak of seven vea 7' ^ ful1 reali ^ a tion \n\nhe h^ be taught> he win atta . n si ~ ; Banyan, if he practise as \nthree m two, in a single year- nay even 7 \u201c five years - in four, in \n\n- \u00ab i\u201e two, i\u201e \u00a3 uroutht\u2014: SgSl* '^ * \n\n\n' V V \u2018i \n\n\nI \n\n\nfragments \n\n\nH ope, Faith, Knowledge,-this is the occult trilogy; Charity being the \naura surrounding them,-the only atmosphere in which they can \n.. , , gr \u00b0 W - Hope 18 the beginner's stage; he must create and maintain \n\nit th 7 \u00b0 f hlS Wil1 \u2019 USing h ' S ima g> nat ion to strengthen and expand \nof th7 nnglng mt \u00b0 Pky the tw \u00b0fold aspect of Creative Buddhi. By means \nthis continued practice he will rise to the stage of Faith, a firmer serener \n\nflame orwrch 1 \u2122^' 6 \u201c COnVerted aspiration, the upward \n\nflame of whuih consumes the dross of doubt and heaviness, as well as the fear \n\nThllponllo\u201d;'d WWle ^ ki \u201d dleSint \u00b0 HfetHed0m,ant Wgher con ~es, \n\nhereupon Knowledge is attained, and, farther still, Wisdom, which is the \nynthesis of the three. Create then thy hope: build thy fir of he owe \n\nof sa fi Sh th6e fUd en \u00b0 Ugh - C \u00b0\u201c' -sume; and as theflles \n\nown ashes 6 ButkTT* *\u00b0 ^7 ^ them \u2019 phoenix - like from thine \nthv fir 7, aUra Charfty ab \u00b0 Ut thee ' f0r without that oxvgen \n\non the \u00b0 f that -\u2014- z- \n\n\nAye dream dreams, beautiful ones: they cannot be too many nor too \nbeautiful if only thou givest thy life to making them come true. For all that \nt e imagination of man can picture, and the will of man create 7s b^he \n\nCtReaSr ^ imm \u00b0 rtal SPle \" dOUr in the SPiritUal WOTld \n\nMake thy mind and heart that placid mirror in which these glories can be \n\nof EteilT 11 1 h6aVenly Hght fiH ^ SPaC6S ab \u00b0 Ut th6e> and the atm \u00b0 Sphere \n\nof Eternal Beauty penetrate the blackness of the lower world. For these \npure^tions t0 tH \u00b0 U mUSt be trUe; f \u00b0 r them to be clear > ^ou must be \n\nTo gain them, thou must hope for them, look for them; to keep them and \nincrease them, thou must believe in them, have unshaken faith. To make \n\nthem - and7 S ^T\"\u201d' ^ ^ \u201c* \u00b0 therS \u2019 th \u00b0 U must ^rstand \n\nmu t 'h 7T rVe m Undying consciousnes s, to incarnate them, thou \nust be encircled and engulfed in one uprushing flame of love. \n\nCave. \n\n\n105 \n\n\n4 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRELIGIO MILITIS \n\n\ntlJ, h h l ed he . me ' a ' ld sa < This is the condition of the battle which man \nthat is born upon the earth shall fight; that if he be overcome, he shall suffer as \nthou hast satd: but if he get the victory, he shall receive the thing that I say. \n\nII Esdras, vii, 57 , 58 . \n\nhaS , fr T. ently b6en Called t0 the de epened religious note \nil , h t bas mar j ked the post-war literature of France, but there have \nbeen fewer indications that, even beneath the surface, the same causes \n\nWa'r ha\u00b0d for Enrff /^ 0 ^ Same end \u2019~ thou g h - * they were not, the \nWar had, for England, been waged m vain. Nevertheless, some such signs \n\nthere are, and one of them, a recent book* that lends its title to this article \n\nrtr h r SOnal e * P * rience and strikes so high a * d true a note, as would \ntZ w ,Tw CanCe ln the llterature of an y time or people; for its author led by \nhe \\\\ orld W ar to re-enter the soldier\u2019s path, found there the verification of the \n\nSJ f e f at \u201c \u00b0 f the SOldier \u2019 S faith \u2019~ the House of Death becoXg for \nm as for Nachiketas, a hall of initiation into the Way of Life. It is such a \nbook as we have long hoped some English soldier would write, setting the \nproven facts of his own and his fellows\u2019 experience against the deluded materi \nalisrn and sentimental pacifism into which the politicians of his country have \nreactecl, and which have stained both their public policies and speech Could \nrelieve, as the author of this book seems to wish us to believe that he \nspeaks not only for himself but for his generation reflectinc t e h^lH tl \n\nmmmm \n\nmmmss \n\nreiterates bring home to everv man \u201cti th \u2019. and the ancient teachings it \nfool\u2019s or sluggardsiradjleTv JlTT 8 \u00b0 f Ws Hfe \u2019\u2019 that \"o \n\nyoungMt'mii^take^hfs side 0 !!^^''^^ * 1 ^ 6 ^ 6 \n\n\nThe University Press. Glasgot.\u201d C^rks ^nb^e^Sont New Ybrk/r^s/j\u2122\"' 5, * PriVate \u00b0 f Draeoons - \n\nI 06 \n\n\nRELIGIO MILITIS \n\n\n107 \n\n\nthat prostit^itenam^anTth^T ^ perversions and counterfeits \nmust recognize within th \u00b0 Ugh the disciple of Theosophy \n\n^ ,0 S\u201c:\u2018 s \" Z\u00abzf\u2019- , e L : sh \\ ,nd Trnth \u00ab \n\nmost at home. Here his native ^ 6 rel . lgl0n the soldier that he is \nand in the l\u00abrin \"rj; ofTL d .S'; \u201d e fa \u201c d \u00ab \n\nunquestioning loyalties diseinli a i j W * Cb 1S tbe soldier s calling, in its \ntruths lived which all religions t^ h \u00b0 bedlence and utter self-giving, he finds \nif he speak of 1 aU SS. the , ^ theSe trUthS the soldier speak s- \nence; L thos who Hve the life Z offtTd aUth \u00b0 rity \u00b0 f P \u2122 1 eXperi - \nor of man, founded upo^ Let or faty * d \u00b0 Ctnne ' * is \u00b0 f God \n\nthe oldest two of \u00abfis Idenfgroup of InLf^^t Upanishads ~ said to be \nthe Mystery-teaching of he Path W wl f SCnptures ~^ recorded that \nwith the Eternal was communicate ^ ^ lead ^ men to liberation and union \nto priests who knew it noT b\u2122 by the Ra i put ki ^'~ \n\nthe field of battle that KrthL ( m T*\u00b0\" herita \u00a3 e * ^as. It was on \nthree days \u201ca pure guest\u201d in thThT^ and ]t Was when he abod e \n\nrejected \u201dstore of SeSants and , \u00b0 eath \u2019 that Nachiketa s. having \n\nand vestures\u201d, learned the secret of \u2018\u2019\u2018theC^ ^ girh and robes \n\nSstSS;s: f tssz \n\nsentimental humanitarianism and mateLlp\u2019good^worS\u2019\u201d \n\nwhole course of religious historv tw P f P ks \u2022 Throughout the \n\n\u00bb d wamo/have\u2019bewi^divorce^ e w**Mn V u^e e tfie , ^\u2019 0nS pr ' est \n\nactualize and to revivify the teachings of tl,c L u th Ing need to \n\nthe warrior\u2019s direct experience Thf, by ren6Wed revelation of \n\n\u2019*'*\u2022 ev \u201c \u00bb Wk \u00bb \n\nof th. Warrior; and th, .a,Ho, alo\u201e,.\u201dat s \n\nreveal them to others, and resolve the P enen ced its truths, can \n\nthe mind confronts them. So Jesus answers N codemus- Art thou \u201c ^ \nm Israel and knowest not these tirirrc 5 it- -i mus ' Art thou a master \n\nr .h .ha, w, do ^^5rL^ar^\u201c y r oth ? We \n\nthrough al, \u201e,,a p h ysi oa, sp,o\u201e\u201e, io \u201e i\u201e , ppral lo di , \"\u201d pe \u201e^ \u201c* \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nio8 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nIt is something of this service that Mr. Hopkinson renders us, and the heart \nof the doctrine which he sets forth, in terms of his own life and thought, is in \ntruth the ancient Mystery-teaching of the Path, which the western world \nhad all but lost before the Great War blasted wide its neglected gates. Again \nand again, as we read his pages, our thought reverts to that profoundly mystical \ndiscourse with Nicodemus, in which Christ, revealing the meaning of his \nown life as Avatar, reveals equally the cosmic descent of Spirit into matter \nand the Path of Chelaship. Its significance has been largely missed in modem \ntheology, because taken as applying only to Jesus himself; but the whole con\u00ac \ntext shows that the purport of his argument was that what was true of him \nmust become true of all who would follow him and enter into eternal life \nFrom servants, they must become \u201cSons\u201d or Chelas; and with that new \nirth, begotten of the Father\u201d, the responsibilities of their spiritual lineage \necome theirs m a new noblesse oblige. They are sent into the world, even \nas Christ was sent into the world, to save it from itself, as the agent of the \na ler s ove, and in obedience to the law\u2014on which all aristocracy rests\u2014 \nthat the higher must give itself in battle for the lower. To become a \u201c Son \u201d \nor Chela, is to be admitted into the spiritual hierarchy of knighthood, to be- \ncome a soldier and to enter into war. \n\nA f \u201c a \" d ag f in ' to \u00b0- we are reminded of the Bhagavad Gita , and of Death\u2019s \nwords to Nachiketasm the Katha Upanishad. Though our author makes no \n\nn ,ot C eVf feren r t0 the u Indlan scriptures - Passage after passage could be \nq oted from them paralleling and summarizing his thought. \u201cThe better is \n\nr ys ng ' ^ho^d 8 r th v hing: these tw \u00b0 a \u2014 \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 \n\nm uY \u2019 \u2019 , \u2019 mdeed \u2019 P onde \u2122g over dear and dearly loved desires \n\nNachiketas, hast passed them by; not this flowery way of wealth hast thou \n\naccepted, in which sink many of the sons of men. . . . That Seer is not born \n\nnor dies, nor does He proceed from aught, nor has any become He. Unborn\u2019 \neternal immemoml, the Ancient is not slain when the body is slain If the \n\nde a r y stLdnot- t He slav H \u2019 m, l lf the . slain . thinks of Him as slain, both these un\u00ac \nderstand not, He slays not, nor is slam. ... The children of men eo after \n\nou ward desires; they go to the widespread net of Death. Therefore the \n\nman^nt th neT n0t that Which is Permanent among imper- \n\nmanent things. . . Not, verily, by speech, or bv thought, or by the eves \n\ncould J be kno rh * ^ apprehended of him who realizes its being; how \ncould it be known otherwise? . . . When all the desires that dwell in his \n\nah the knits Sth imm \u00b0 rtal &nd enters the Eternal - When \n\nall the knots of the heart are untied, the mortal becomes immortal - so far eoes \n\nthe teaching handed down.\u201d The way to the Gates of Gold leads ihrough t he \nTemptations m the Wilderness. trough the \n\nWe would not have it supposed, however, that we ourselves agree or believe \nt other students of Theosophy will agree, with all of Mr. Hopkinson\u2019s con \nchis' 0 ^ His words have the profound interest and significanSTthaiAttach \n'\u00b0 e ! rat ; hand S P lntual ex P er ience and honest thought upon it. Of the gen^ne \nness of that experience and the truth of that which ft revealed, we have no \n\n\nf Z 5 > \n\n\n\u25a0 \n\n\ni m \n\n\n\nRELIGIO MILITIS \n\nthere are times when ] \nverified, than from the t \nj of modern evolut \nj Q belon ^ to \"a generat \nand which itself has read The Gol \n\nis easv tn T k \u2019 and Ieaves the e \n\n. -=3Li \n\nsacrifice of telling us the truths^thdrown \n\n\u25a0 \u2022..?: n s \u00b0 o neS m Uld kn0W better tha \" \n\nirs; and that our 7 \u00b0 f its \n\nin his opening * \n\n\n\u25a0east shadow of doubt; but \n\nin\u00b0th^ Vhat , h !, haS himseIf v \u2122 \nthe misleading simplifications \n\nnot have us forget th \n\nOrigin of Species , ; ^ \n\nhere is largely beside \n\nuntouched. It_ \n\nand make allowance \n\nmake the r \n\nf?reat such sacrifice i~ \n\nMovement who have \n\n\nhe fleetin & sensations ofZ^f 7 \nthem'Sl2y d f|,\u2018\u201c l y ,en tho \u201c who ' \n\n, WWch Non \n\n\u25a0refore ,\u201c!r\" that ,here \u00bb I \n\nt\u2122. IhZZSjT; m,h the ^ 0' \n\nStill small voice, but is rauS t?\u2019|, declare \n\nt men need no longer strive to Iove\u00b0tk\u201c ^ \nngenious change in our indi, t \u2022 , their ne \nto all without any self SyStem Wi \n\niy still be overbearing selfish^ 0 \" \u00b0 Ur Part \n\nX y\u00ab. warn sba \n\na sure shield for men a\u00ab,i\u201e J Z \" LeagU< \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIIO \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nmocking sunshine of Gallipoli, or through the cold mists of the North Sea \nwe saw the vision, lacking which the people perish. \n\nIf it be true that this age may regain the lost principle of aristocracy, \nwhich more than once in the past has saved mankind from despair of the \nfuture . . it is well that we should see clearly wherein that spirit lies \nIhe failure of democracy has borne witness to the fact that the well-being of \n\nthe many can be secured only by the self-sacrifice of the few. \n\nto Jrite ^ th \u201d t RellgIon of the Soldier concerning which it is my purpose \n\nThe soldier\u2019s right to his work and not to its fruits; the putting away of \npersonal desire and the untying of \u201cthe knots of the heart\u201d; the refusal of \nthe flowery way of wealth, in which sink many of the sons of men\u201d- the \nrecognition of the aristocratic principle of noblesse oblige; and the steadfast \ninsistence upon conforming action to vision, the living of the life that the \nin\u00b0the n a e ^ ^ 7 \"\u201c^ f \u00ab\"damentals of the spiritual life are set out \n\nthe ho L \u00b0Tt S n k\u00b0 \u00b0k? \u2022 \u2019 and the ' r a PP lication traced through the body of \nthe book. It will be of interest to readers of the Quarterly to note that \n\n-I t 611 Stan<3 UP \u00b0\" thC SamC unchan \u00a3* n K truths of the soldier\u2019s \nfaith, his views upon many of the changing affairs of men-upon democracy \n\nand mob-psychology, upon economics and political theories- are the same \nm essence as those to which Theosophy leads, and which have been continu\u00ac \nously reflected in this journal through the pages of \u201cOn the Screen of Time\u201d \nUe cannot deal with these chapters here, much though we should like to do \nso but must confine ourselves to what he has to say upon the religious outlook \n\nthe wafa^rT L n 'L an K t 0 u th L C6ntral reIigious ex Penence that came to him in \nthe war, and which is both the foundation and the verification of his philosophy \n\nHe accepts literally the teaching of Christ as recorded in the Gosoels- and \ndisplays the only mean, .hereby \u201ee may attain that true mysUefsm Ihlh \n\nButTAhe'Xrh 136 * Van \" 1Ce Whh the P hiIoso P h y \u00b0f Christianity.\u201d \n\nsSSSSSs== \n\nflatter and fawn upon the political party which holds that hi h ZF Z***- t0 \nthan to give, and better still by \n\nn a chapter whose title confesses its mockery, he considers orthodox theol- \n\n\nRELIGIO MILITIS m \n\nogy and the hypotheses of physical science, showing by both that \u201cthe con- \nceptions of the unchanging must themselves be subject to change.\u201d To the \nbelittling anthropomorphic conceptions of Deity he contrasts the geometry of \nthe modern Relativity Theory, which would give to any four-dimensional being \nsuch power over time and space as was once ascribed only to the heavenly \nhost. But the philosophic scheme which Mr. Hopkinson finds closest to his \nown thought, is, he tells us, \u201c a dualism well-nigh Manichaan\u201d. \u201cNor in this\" \nhe continues, \u201cshould our critics be too ready with their censure. For, as in \nthe early days of our era soldiers brought back to the imperial city a dualistic \nreligion which had a deep effect upon the doctrine and practice of the church \nso also do we but carry on the tradition when, returning from the wars, we \nask that churchmen should openly recognize the essential dualism implied \nin the Gospels, and to an even greater degree in Pauline Christianity.\u201d \n\nIt is the cult of Mithras to which he refers\u2014that derivative of the ancient \nystery-teEiching of the Warrior\u2019s Path which gave itself to the soldiers of \nthe Roman Empire before it passed from the knowledge of men. Its scrip\u00ac \ntures have not survived, or have not yet been \u201cfound\u201d, so that we know it \nonly through fragmentary accounts and allusions; but there is ground for \ne leving, as does our author, that it had a profound effect upon the thought \nof the early Christian church. In Isis Unveiled it is suggested that the \nseven seals\u2019\u2019-which are described in the fifth and sixth chapters of Revela\u00ac \ntion as having been opened in order by \u201cthe Lion of Judah\u201d, who was worthy \nbecause he had prevailed and been slain\u2014had reference to the seven rules \nor mysteries which were delivered to the \u201cnewly-born\u201d after he had passed \nthrough the baptism of blood in the Mithraic ceremony of initiation- and it \nis noted how like are the words used in St. Paul\u2019s account of the baptism of \nChrist, Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee }} (Heb. v, 5 ), to those \nreputed to have been used by Maxime, the Ephesian, in initiating\u2019 the Em- \n\u00a3l r 0 r J uh , a Y n , t0 Mithraism: \u201cBy this blood, I wash thee from thy sins. \nThe Word of the Highest has entered unto thee, and His Spirit henceforth \nWill rest upon the newly-born, the now-begotten of the Highest God \nThou art the son of Mithra.\u201d To Mithraism, too, has been ascribed the code \n\u00b0I J^alry. and our author believes that its spirit \u201creappears in the spirit \nof the Military Orders when these were in their prime\u201d. \n\nThis is a view which may easily be accepted by students of Theosophy who \nhave seen how, with each new outgiving of spiritual life and truth from the \ngreat Lodge, the old truths\u2014to the extent that men have preserved them as \ntrue are gathered up and drawn into the central current of the new teaching \nEvery Avatar comes, not to abrogate, but to fulfil \u201cthe law and the prophets\u201d ' \nand not of one land or time only, but of all. The spiritual rank of Christ\u2019s \nlife on earth is testified to as clearly in the Upanishads as in the Hebrew \nbooks, and he fulfilled the \u201claw\u201d of the one as of the other. The significance \nof his birth place\u2014the meeting point of the thought of Egypt, India and \nGreece\u2014has often been noted. Hebraic legalism was too narrow a lense \nthrough which to see the full breadth and depth of the truths he lived and \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n112 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\ntaught. As he drew anew from that one source of Truth which is the foun\u00ac \ntain head of all religions, so in that \u201cliving water\u201d was whatever lived in other \nfaiths. Very little of it could be understood by his immediate followers; \nand not being understood could not well have been recorded. Nevertheless \nthat which was his, found its way to him and to the tradition of his doctrine; \nsometimes through strange channels, and more often than not, only to be \nrejected by the councils of the church which bore his name; yet having made \ncontact, the effect of the contact remained. \n\nIt is in terms of the Mithraic beliefs that Mr. Hopkinson gives us the sharp\u00ac \nest outline of his own view of life and of the soldier\u2019s faith; and it is these also \nwhich he uses to interpret, in its universal significance, that transfer of the \nsense of self-identification from the flesh to the spirit which may be accom\u00ac \nplished when the limits of the flesh are overpassed, and which he himself \nexperienced in the extremity of battle as an initiation into the world of the \nImmortal. What he says here is first-hand testimony to the reality of a law \nof life which, though verified by soldiers in every age and by all who tread \nthat stage of the Path into which the Temptations in the Wilderness admit \nhas ever been doubted and rejected by the world. We quote from pages that \nwe should be glad to quote in full. \n\nMoreover it [Mithraism] solved for the soldier the hard problem raised \nby the command that a man shall turn his other cheek to the smiter. For \nits adherents showed that such an instruction could be obeyed to the full \nyet that no man need turn his own cheek to him who smote some other person. \nThe soldier confesses that he is bound to forgive unto seventy times seven \ntimes the brother who has offended him, but can see no reason why he should \nforgive even once the brother whose trespass against others is unrequited. \nHerein, as I believe, we find the whole justification of war. For by wounds \nreceived in battle the offence against others is converted to an offence against \nthe soldier himself, and that which was without pardon becomes that for \nwhich forgiveness must be freely granted. This is the message of Mithras \n\nfilling a mans mind with happiness when his mangled body lies bleeding on \nthe clay of Flanders. ... \n\n\u201cBut it is more especially of the dualism of Mithraism that I would write \nFor it would appear to me that the scientists of the nineteenth century con\u00ac \nfirmed to a most remarkable degree the ancient belief in a contest waged \nbetween moral beings and a non-moral cosmic process. So that for us the \nwarfare of Ormazd and Ahriman is no mere fable, but a very present reality \nI make claim for my generation that it was the first to perceive clearly that \n\nt\"o men ' 5 *** t0 keep the gate of P ro gress *** closed \n\nh -Z , P \" the0ry \u2019. or one m ' 2 ht sa y without falsehood the fact, of \nbiological evolution was misinterpreted by our forebears in a surprising manner \nwhen they sang the praises of a process whereby men must of necessity become \nbetter and better, and of a change which, with almost inconceivable rashness \ney called progress. It is indeed strange to us that they should have been \nbetrayed so manifest error as that of supposing .tari the tatest ,o \n\n\nRELIGIO MILITIS \n\n\nrelation.*\" * ** existence must be the fittest in any other \n\nrising / nd ebbing tides of material evolution are indicated, and the \nsame lesson drawn from them as in Through the Gates of Gold. \u201cFrom that \n\nthose \u00b0h \u00b0 m n ever ' astlng re - birth of worlds there is,\u2019then, no escape for \nthose who cowardly submit themselves to the cosmic process, nor, fighting \n\nin def It ? defymg tke hghtning ' seek to con trol an environment which \n\nThev are h ' \u00b0\u201c Part t0 d \u00b0 S \u00b0\u2019 is Strong to \u00abmtrol them. \n\nmorJ p a t k\u2019 r 6y t t 6get \u2019 f they di6 \u2019 and their place know eth them no \n\nsee but a d t t U H r u \u00b0 f mat6rial thingS and turnin 8 with it, they \n\nsee but a distorted image of the truth which does not move, and is to be seen \n\ndearly only by those who can free themselves from that endless rotation and \n\nimmoS g\u2018S, \u201c \u25a0' * b \u201c* \u00ab\u201c voiced of ,he \n\n\u201c This stepping aside from the material into the spiritual is not to be achieved \n\nthe lihp\u00b0If W1 1 f^i 6 but tbe victor y \u00b0f man over his environment and \n\nthe liberation of the soul from the wheel of material things are matters which \n\ncome w.thm ,\u201ee direct experience ,\u201ee soldier, who, therefor\u201d lils t \nshadowy likeness of the truth. Even I am not entirely lacking in this exoeri \nence for I well remember a day early in the war, when the enemy conceived \n\nhefd h ]\u00b0 P \u00b0 S T himSdf \u00b0 f tHat Part \u00b0 f the trenches b ^ore Ypres \n\nheld by my squadron. For some hours he turned upon us the whole available \n\nsnX and S d f erl d S \u2019 b \u00b0 th ***** Hght \u2019 S \u00b0 that the sun was darkened by \nsmoke and dust, and we moved as in a dim twilight breathing air such as \n\nmight hang above the sulphurous lake of hell. . . . What my companions \n\nordeal But to m^f ? **** * ^ that none failed in tb at fiery \n\nrde a l But to me those few hours were full reward for all the weary years \n\nof waiting and of preparation. The faith long held through all discouragement \n\nwas justified, and at length I knew clearly that man is master of his universe \n\nheconf' \\ T ^ t0 yidd t0 the fearful environment so that he \n\nbecomes but a poor whimpering animal almost too mean to be worthy of the \n\nregard of death, or to rise above the material world around him capita o! hi! \nown soul, and thereby lord of the whole creation. At such times a man walk, \nwith Heroes as it were with equals, contemplating all time and all existence \nunderstanding all knowledge and all mysteries. For the moment he is meek \nnd inherits the earth for the moment he is pure in heart and sees God. This \n\ndis anA t kTI Ilth r thC Unconc l ue rable leads us, not in some far \ndistant future, but here and now. Death has no sting, the grave no victory \n\nfor those who with Mithras the Comrade learn thus to subdue Ahriman \nFor Ahriman is none other, as I believe, than that cosmic process, which \nrk, predestined, hopeless, and without compassion, enslaves all save him \nwho, enlisting himself in the shining army of Ormazd, takes up the shield \nof faith the sword of the spirit, and the helmet of salvation, wrestling not \nstgamst flesh and blood, but against the ruler of the darkness of this worid \u201d \nThere follows a passage of profound truth, but one of whose full connotations \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n114 \n\nMiS the C\u2122^ 0117 \"S \u2018' But there ca \u00bb be *\u00bb \nMediator bring us wisdom from blvond tT Slde ,\u00ab nIess a ^o Mithras the \ngeneration are assured of this that no metr T We of the present \n\nmpart of this material uniTTand IZ fZu \u00b0 f aVail excep \u2018 he be \nit- Were such a statement to be maH that greater universe beyond \nshould read in it unhesitatingly his reTTiti 7 of Theosophy, we \n\nthis, his recognition of the existence o/T ^ \u00b0 f T 0Wn Master - and, from \nthe dependence of the spiritual life of ma J L \u00b0 dge \u00b0 f Masters and of \ninner aid Just what Mr. Hoplcinson means bvIhiT the ' r teaChing 3nd their \nas we said, but we have here a clear TT,*.? P , assage we do not know, \nfor the existence of the spiritual hierarchy T theoretical necessity \n\ninan and the Supreme. \u00a3 e return To ^ the gap between \n\nclosing sentences of the chapter. ' H Upon the same theme in the \n\nSb \u00b0 t ^^\u00ae^on^erors'of l Ahriman r cOTisciousi H? *\u201c\u201c\u25a0**. that men \n\nwill, defeating a cosmic process whose enH \u2022 TTT 2 thlS universe to their \nis desire, making the world completely sublet death , because its moving spirit \nevil m it are but the measure of the Tod an!i T that the good and \n\nbelieve, is the true mysticism tfic ,1 d a \u201d d ^ ln themselves. This as I \n\nof heaven, to be attained only bTsuchTTTVT^TT god>the kingdom \n\nSt ssis? ~\" wsrstsr s \n\nbu \u2018 \n\nhigher than himself\u2014holding that \u201c the a Up ,\u00b0\" the mediati \u00b0n of beings \n\nProof o\u201eo\u201e el , the \u00bb tre . ra ^' e \u2122 Wh t ' Ch ? \u00bb \n\ncan be no meaning or purpose in our existen/ei\" ; and that \"there \nus ab extra \u201d-it is not dear to what extent h e TT T\u00ae revelati \u00b0n reach \ndescent of spiritual life and force as well a TT \u00b0 f thlS med iation as a \nas most men know too well, is not enough T lnf \u00b0 rmation ' Information, \n\nThe whole tenor of his argument is toThn IT \u201cT b \u00ae the wiH to use it. \nnatural evolution alone which Idhlf T there can b e nothing in \no utilizing this information from above nature IT t hnm&n spirit capable \nits parent in ceaseless warfare As that d \u00b0 f Settlng itself to oppose \n\nS \u00b0 mus t the spirit be born of the sLft ^ \u201c b \u00b0 m \u00b0 f the flesh is flesh \ntruth our author is more silent than Tl iTT ktter haIf of the dual \nit seems to us that, though he has seen so n There are times when \n\nsequences of his own troths have K T\u00ae h S \u00b0 clearly > the fu H logical con- \nthat false monism of the common thTTofTTl ^ h ' dden fr \u00b0 m him b y \nroverts, yet still, in part. unconsciouslyTccepts P \u00b0b ^ ^ himself ^ \n\nif this were not so; for the scientific \u2022 T Perhaps it would be strange \nitself to tracing the long sequence of IT \u00b0 f . eV \u00b0 lution \u2019 deliberately confining \nlife not life itself, has thereby imbued the^hZ^ the vehicles of \n\n^ \"<\u25a0** \n\n\nPELIGIO MILITIS \n\n\nProcess O 1 \n\nthis view \u2014T W tbe Bas t, and in Tu 1 *5 \n\n\u2018\u2019\u201cI 'omZ Stiel, 0 ', th * fa \u00ab\u201d~f\u00b0M y 'spir ? ' hC \u201c\"Wive of \n\nOne S%\u00a3' MoTJtlSe''\u201c b * \n\n\"\".oved ,-t r: lishi ' Md r *\u2122\u201c\u201c\u00ab*,\u201e, t \n\nr* '^riX\u2019zz r b \"\u201d iis St \n\nit,? \u00b0\u00bb\u00bb* \u201c\u25a0'S^d\u00abr u \u201c'0 .r\u201e \u00b0r' \n\nequal firmness, that - p naent existence of evil \u2022 y f Be mg\u2014 so that it \n\nSi*\"*- and thus T',? \u201c r \u201c\"\u201cd \u00abti \n\nWhen this view is taken l ' nSeparab le hill-mark a \"d that \n\nW e cease to think that T Y thin g s become eZ/ f \u2019 manif ested beiW \n\n\u00bbi\u00b0rtrr,r i^ \n\np-nwats 0 ' p,a - \u201c ^ir y :rthri\u201d^t \n\nhe same view, too, tends to ^ function s and \n\n^dSa Warfa \u00ab that takes \n\n^oroastrian dualism \u2022 the duaIls ni which ho i Gt tIle arm y of Ormo ^ \n\n\u00ab\u00bb\u00bb1 couflicTitt\"\"\u201d'* \" \u00ab temts o\u2122 !lT Kd \"i notZZ1' \n\n'tathapive, is Sof m * ki \u00bbS \u2122\u00bbn hit? d ,ro \u201d\u2019 \u00ab1\u00bb \n\nPra -\" rhaso*\"a Piett \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n116 \n\nlead, for the \u201ccosmic process\u201d, certainly in its larger sense, includes more than \nthe processes of nature. . In it is good as well as evil; Ormazd as well as Ahri- \nman. The soul must stand alone. Our author rightly emphasizes this. \nBut as in each atom the whole universe is integrated, so must the soul inte\u00ac \ngrate within itself the whole of the shining army of heaven. As Edward III \nstood aloof at Cr\u00a3cy that the Black Prince might win his spurs, so does Ormazd \nstand. Yet it is with his power and his armies that the soul must fight, to \nprove itself his son; and the victory it must win is Ormazd\u2019s, or it is nothing \nworth\u2014defeat, not victory. \n\nHenry Bedinger Mitchell \n\n\nI count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his ene\u00ac \nmies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self .\u2014 Aristotle. \n\n\nTrue happiness never flows into a man , but always out of him. Heaven itself \nis more internal than external .\u2014 Newman. \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\nPART I \n\n\nY vrith som aS f ?u Ca r'\u00b0 i n 0ffers \u2019 1 make a Ptfgrimage to the Southwest \nsome one of the Indian religious ceremonies as my chief objective \u2019 \n\nHooi vi n \u2122 ay be hat / J0lt my hot and dusty way across Arizona to the far \n\nscSSSSS : \n\n5=--i:s\u00a3-H?s.'= \n\nr\"hy t W t lhe C T d \u2018 L \u201c F,ii \u00b0' e,: b^hSSfg z \n\nthe rhythmic tramp and sonorous chorus of the great Dominvo rvJ, n \nnor m0 re weirdly dr,\u2122,* \u00ab* Slulako \u00a3S \n\nHarbingers of the Rain dance back and forth before strange altars atZiSi \nI have a mind full of unforgettable pictures, and yet I believe the lure which \ndraws one back again and again, and which holds one\u2019s unabated interest \nthrough long hours of endless repetition, is not alone the enjoyment of the \nlsual beauty or the fascination of the intricate rhythm of the music but that \nunderneath and above and back of the brilliant patterning of co our under \nneath and above and back of the insistent measures of chorus and drum and \n\nunited 6 ' T W U ^ aware of direct Purpose; that here is a \n\nunited wi 1 which is using colour and gesture, melody and rhythm with a full \n\nbelief ,n their creative potency, so that, inevitably, one is forced from he \n\nto^theHigh*^wers! >eCtat0r ^ ^ With the \u00bb appeal \n\nand T by n \u00b0 means , able t0 pursue this thought unaided; the barriers of race \nand language and alien beliefs are too difficult for any casual observer to \n\n\n17 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n118 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\npenetrate; but fortunately there has been much scholarly and unprejudiced \nresearch in the field, and the results are readily available. One book above \nall others has seemed to me to furnish the coveted key of understanding, and \nave therefore made it the subject of this study. It is a ponderous volume \nwhich as one reads and re-reads, turns under one\u2019s very hands from a dry-as- \ndust tome put out by the Smithsonian Institution as \u201cNumber 22 Part II \nPublication of the Bureau of Ethnology,\u201d into a living record of human \nsympathy and spiritual understanding, while it furthermore points the way \nto a world of prototypes and parallels. There are suggestions which carry \none s thoughts to the Eleusmian mysteries of archaic Greece, to the East \nIndian Upamshads, to the Japanese No Plays, or the Egyptian hymns to Ra \n\ndescendants. 61 ^ 6 \u201c\u201c\u201c ^ \n\nThe. sub-title of the volume is, \u201cThe Hako: a Pawnee Ceremony\u201d- an d \nthough actually a rite of the plains\u2019 Indians, it nevertheless shows unmistak\u00ac \nable evidence of origin on the Mexican plateau, and in general character is \nclosely akin to the greater religious dramas of New Mexico and Arizona \nGenencally they are all enacted prayers for tribal well-being,\u2014for rain the \nharvest of corn or good hunting; specifically in this instance for peace and \nplenty and children to strengthen and carry forward the life of the people \n\nThlwYu 1 J\u00b0 r T rt iS MiSS MiCe Fletcher \u2019 wh0 was a re \u00abPient of the \n\naw fellowship from the Peabody museum, and who devoted her life to studv \n\nth l\u00b0 maha and rdat6d tribes ' 1 ha - been to!d by I \n\nladv hnM he J\u2019 that ShC WaS 30 exquisitel y feminine and retiring little \n\nady, but because of devotion to her Indian charges she betook herself from \n\nthe seclusmn of the reservation to Washington, there to brave the powers-thY \nbe in their defence; that she succeeded in lobbying through a bill insmW T \n\npursuing my studies of the Omaha I soLni * CCntury whlle \n\ndescribed in the following pages but owing t \u00bbi T \u2122 tnessed the ceremony \nknew ,11 the ritual i, ^ \"* \u00b0 n,y \n\nrecord. I was told that it wa<; cf-ui - . ime to secure a complete \n\nPawnees and later I was able to estat 1* , preser y e m * ts entirety among the \n\n.be credentials that \u00bb>\u2022\u00ab\u00ab\u00bb <* confidence. \n\nk y extended acquaintance among the Omaha and the \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n119 \n\n\nwarm friendship of their leading men. I need not recount the failure of efforts \nmade during some fifteen years to gain the desired information, since at last \nin 1898 I found the desired opportunity. \n\n\u201cExperience has shown that no linguistic training enables an unaided \nstudent to truly record and interpret Indian ritual; one must have a native \ncollaborator who speaks English and is at the same time well versed in the \nSacred Language and other intricacies of his own tongue, and who possesses \nthe mind and character which fit him to grasp the ideals of his race. I have \nhad such a collaborator in James Mur trie, an educated Pawnee whom I have \nknown since he was a school boy, twenty years ago, and it is his patience, tact \nand unfailing kindness that have soothed the prejudices and allayed the fears \nof the old men who are the repositories of all that remains of the ancient tribal \nrites. \n\n\u201c It is one of these old men named Tahirussawichi who is the direct authority \nfor the text of this report and for the full explanations which accompany it. \nHe bears the title of Kurahus, which is both a term of general respect and the \nspecific designation of a master of the Hako ceremony, and though ready with \ngood fellowship he never forgets the dignity of his calling as guardian of the \nsacred rites. He has held to an earth lodge as his abode until it has dropped \nto pieces about him for, I cannot live in a white man\u2019s house; the sacred \narticles committed to my care must be kept in an earth lodge, and in order that \nI may fulfil my duties toward them and my people, I must be there also, so \nthat as I sit I can stretch out my hand and lay it on Mother Earth.\u2019 \n\n\u201cWhen on a visit to me in the capital, I took him to see the Washington \nMonument, and he admired it greatly, measuring the base by foot paces and \nnoticing its height, but when I suggested that he ascend to the top he shook \nhis head saying, \u2018 The white man likes to pile stones upon stones, and he may \ngo to the top of them; I will not; I have climbed the mountains made by \nTirawa, the Great Spirit. It has taken four years of close relations with my \nkind old friend to obtain the full account of the ceremony, for it was hard to \novercome the scruples of his early training which enjoined strict secrecy \nconcerning many of the rituals. \n\n\u201c The word Hako has been adopted by me as a title from among the varying \nIndian designations because it has a comprehensive meaning which includes, \nand can in turn be applied to, the symbolic articles employed, to the songs and \nceremonial acts and to the participants themselves; furthermore because of its \netymological derivations it implies that every object herein used is endowed \nwith a life of its own, that it breathes and has a speaking voice, just as has the \ndrum or tom-tom whose rhythm follows and emphasizes the emotions expressed \nin the songs.\u201d \n\nThe philosophy of being which is here described is pre-eminently a world of \nspiritual relations in which nature and the elements, man and the lowliest of \ncreatures, all play their allotted rdles. It recognizes an ultimate spiritual \npower, unknown and unknowable, dwelling in a place too high to be reached \nby the thoughts of men. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n120 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThis mighty power whom we call Tirawa, or Tirawa-atius, the Father of \nf. LL ' n0 \u00b0 ne can descnbe, for where he lives no man has ever been; nor can this \n\nD ,ghty Po yf speak d,rect >y t0 ma n; for this reason he has created the Lesser \nPowers, and has given to them as their abode the blue circle of the sky. \n\nThree of the Lesser Powers are the most potent; first the Life Breath or \nbpint, which is manifested in the Four Winds, guardians of the Four World \nQuarters, and which .bestows the breath of life on all creatures; it is a very \npotent power though invisible. \n\n\u201cNext comes the Force of Life, vitality, which is manifested as the Sun- \n\nf, at er \u2019 a \" d \u2122 hlch seads down fier Y strength and the vigor of growth; while the \n\np l \u00b0 f Gestation - of conservation, which is manifested as the \n\nnarth Mother; it nourishes and supports all life. \n\n\u201cBesides these three there are other Lesser Powers; Water is one, and \nVegetation is one, for both these Powers dwell in the circle of the Sky and are \n\nBrown F T *7 ? Sometimes too the Morning Star and the \n\nBrown Eagle are named as Lesser Powers.\u201d \n\nIntermediate between the Lesser Powers and man, lies the abode of the \n\nVisions, not of ordinary shifting dreams, but the visions or revelations which \n\non occasions of need can be sent by the Powers down to man to reveal or to \n\npoint the way. Only men who are seeking to follow the teachings given by \n\nthe Powers are able to behold or remember or interpret these Visions whii \n\ncome in many forms such as the birds which are invoked and symbolized in the \n\nlemony Y\u00ab while ,11 are not able to behold or remember all \u201eho \n\nparticipate m a nte feel the gladness which the Visions impart as they move \n\nabout unseen. It is usually by night that they come, for then it is easier for \n\nis \n\nSSEHSHHSSf \n\nconvinced of the advisability of such a ston ho n When thoroughly \n\nthe contemplated rite requires Mncf \u2022 \u2019 f the P artlcl P a nts which \n\nMaster of the Hako w\u00a3 from th lmpor } ant \u00b0 f these is a Kurahus or \n\ncharge of all the proceedings h rmus e tbeT ent f aCCCp ^ \u00b0 ffice \u2019 is in absolute \n\nthe unequivocal respect of the neonle ' 71 ? \u00b0 great dlgnity who commands \nintricacies of the enactment ab^o b \u00b0\u2019 m \u00b0 re \u00b0 Ver - is versed \u00bb all the \nfor word each of its many songs with TheTa ^ teaC,lmgS \u2019 and knowin 8 word \nThe other members of tJ grou? \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE I2I \n\nMedicine Men, a second Chief, a number of musicians, and, lastly, kindred \nr friends who are willing to furnish the requisite gifts. \n\nThe C . hl ! f 7 \u00b0 inaugurates the rite is known as the Father, and the entire \njoup which he assembles as the Party of the Fathers. It is their province to \n\nfol the SOm t ma 'i 1 ?1, SU ,r C,ent W \u00b0 rth and P \u00b0 Wer in the second Ullage, to vouch \n\nInd w-11 ! l' anCe: if he aCCepts the honour - he wiU be styled the Son. \n\nChildr' T 7 rtf* th T m hlS tUm ' a grou P known as the Party of the \nChildren, to bear their due share in the coming ceremony \n\nAccording to Miss Fletcher\u2019s analysis, the Hako consists of twenty distinct \n\nthe rlstToTheterf ntUalS \u2019 \u00b0 f Which bd \u00b0 ng t0 the Pr ep a ratory Rites, \n\nthe rest to the ceremony proper; each ritual embodies one general idea which \n\n.s e aborated by songs and attendant acts, both songs aid acts so c7osefr \n\nJhoUSt e 'TH 1 th \u00b0 Ught that 006 hdpS t0 keep the other in m ind. The \nthe'mii?' expr ^ s \u00ae\u00ae d determines the rhythm, which in turn controls the words \nthe music, and the duration of the notes; moreover, the thought thus embodied \nin one ntual leads so directly to the next that they form a sequence which in \n\ntionTth Cann0t 1<>giCally bC br0ken \u2019 thus insuri \" g the preserva- \n\nof the ceremony in its entirety through generations of oral transmission \n\nc\u00b0m pact and closely knitted structure bears testimony to the mental grasp \nof the people who promulgated it, and to their defined beliefs Rh\\ thm \nalways determined by the thought to be expressed, dominates the entue \nrendition and is always exact, for if any liberties were taken with t the en - \n\nIn a Z r p 7 S T' d bC b,UITed \u00b0 r distorted t0 the native ear \n\nthe Preparatory Rites, the sacred symbolic articles are constructed and \nvested with their supernatural authority, the choice of the Son is mystically \ndetermined messengers are dispatched from one village to the Ser o \nannounce the impending honour, and upon their return Jth the Son\u2019s accept \nance, the entire party of the Fathers makes a stately journey thither Td , \n\ndy , Wdc \u00b0\u2122 ed: after whlch a ceremonial lodge is consecrated as the Nest in \nwhich the New Life is to be born, and the Son, clothed bv the FaVh er in \nym ohc robes joins with him in recognition of the Divine Power Above \nThis completes, so to speak, the setting of a stave and th* 7 Z , \nactors in readiness for the ensuing drama, which is ushered in by^areltel \nadmonitions and a ceremonial feast prepared by the Fathers in toLI nfl! \ncare given by kind parents to their offspring. With the initial relaf tv, ? \nestablished there follow days and nights in which the Visions are invoked \nthe cosmic birth of Dawn is celebrated, the male forces of the Day and the \nfemale forces of the Earth-all the Powers of the Above and the Below-arl \n\nthe Nest of the Lodge for the culminating \nTo follow this prolonged dramaturgy through, with any degree of complete \n\n\u2019 MS FleXr\u2019 lb i e 7 ^'7 ^ m \u00b0 re \u00b0 Ver ' for those \"'ho \n\ndesire it Miss Fletcher s book is readily available. In it are given all the \nT kd6 a S 0f c ev ,f y sep ara te ritual, and the metrical record^ the \u2014 \nwith the Indian Syllables and their literal English equivalent, followed by \n\n\n\u2666 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n122 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nTahirassawichi\u2019s explanation of the \u201cinner meaning,\" together with Miss \nFletcher s freer poetical rendition. Naturally, however, this makes a rather \nformidable bit of reading, so it has seemed legitimate to attempt a curtailed \ntranscription. The explanations are almost word for word those of the old \n\nI\" ' a \" a r r I n ' While thC analy8is and the translation are Miss \nbedded th ? f f 0Wlng . a ^ount no comment or interpretations have \nbeen omttted neCeSS,ty mUCh tHat iS in4eres4ing and significant has \n\nThe Preparation \n\nAs the hour designated for the initial rites approaches, the group of the \nFathers assembles in one of the more commodious dwellings which fas been \nset aside for their use; the Kurahus, or Master of the Hako, already duly \nanointed and wrapped in official robes, seats himself near the west wall \nfacing eastward, while before him lies a mat spread with all the materials \nneeded in the construction of the Sacred Articles. Forthwith he begins the \nopening song, which is a direct invocation to the Powers to approach and \nendow the Hako with divine life; it recalls the creation of man the gifts \nbestowed upon him by the All-Father, and the establishment of rites through \nwhich he can in turn make appeal; furthermore, man\u2019s desire for the reproduc- \ntion and continuation of his life is dwelt upon, and the orderly approach by \nwhich he shall make this desire known to Tirawa, thus indicating the religious \nbasis of the impending ceremony. It is in the form of a litany each stanza \nbeginning with a petition to \u201cgive heed,\" and closing with an a surance t\u00a3at \nheed has indeed been vouchsafed. aurance mat \n\nThere follows closely upon this invocation the strictlv rititaiiot; r u\u25a0 \u25a0 \n\nof the symbolic objects; these are many \n\nthem all there are three of pre-eminent import,\u2014those representing thefvT\u201d 2 \nEagle and the Woman Eagle or the male and female forces and the ^ 30 \n\nness of night; while, as a last distinguishing mark there arc aft 8 1 a 3rk \" \n\n.\u00bbwirdX\u2122FL t Stt\u2122; <i ThetT\"^ \u201cI? M \u00b0 t \u2018 by \u00ab* \n\nreared. ,\u201ed ^ \n\ncarefully deputed on , h e \u201ei,dea. aKn \n\n\nhis first voyage of discovery in 672 hefZl t 11 Marquette m ade \n\u201d reverence by practically all the tribes of atherCd Stems held \n\nthe following entry in his journal This P ^ Ml f lssippi Valley and made \nthing in the world. The sceptres of o\u201er J Ca Umet ls the mos t mysterious \nthe natives have such reverence for it that* 83 n0t S \u00b0 mUch res P ect ed, and \nand war, the arbiter of life and death for in tlTwf ^ 14 the god of P eace \ntheir arms before the Sacred Pipe.\u201d \u2019 ^ h \u00b0 4 CSt battles they lay down \n\nso la r y in exampies \u00b0 f ^^ \n\nwhere the young amnu/turel ftTsT ^ the \" es4 \nleading r 61 es in the enactment p m ,f? \u2022 \u2022 4 4h gle symbols should bear \n\nof the Corn Mother, \u00a3Th e c , 5 ?s h \u00b0 wev 'b is \u00ab* Vn.bo. \n\ngenerations ago, taught to our fathers the m f- 1 \u00b0 f Tlrawa w ho, many \n\nthe gamering of the crops thT^men ^ \n\nbears the proper requisites. It must be ve 1 tCh f \u00b0 r a perfect ear which \neven, straight rows of glistening kernels andTt *\u201c*! , and . shlnin g white, with \ntassel of silky fibres, so that in every resnecf > US ^ tlpped with a waving \nmarvellous powers of the Earth 7 P 14 18 worthy to represent the \n\nr ; ythmic \u00ab*\u00ab\u25a0** \u00ab\u25a0 \n\nthe mystic power of leader is rnnf a ' \u00b0 4be ab \u00b0de of Tirawa, where \n\ncovered with the blue pigment which hold When the domed tip is \n\nof the Powers\" so .hatTr\u00ab\u201c t t hw^\" '*\" !piril <* \u00ab\u00bb Abode \nequ.jist.nt blue lines are traced from ,h,, , 7 \"\"' \u00b0f * he sky i wl \u201c\" four \nbutt, as paths which the Powers mav \u2018\u2019\u201cI downwar d toward the \n\naid; when over the tip floats a breast feather as'l^te they , are called u P\u00b0n for \nthen, bearing these insignia of office and authority? ^ l dnftlng white c^ud; \nfrom Atira, the Mother, to h\u2019Atira the Mother \\ ab ,\u00b0 Ve \u2019 14 ls tra nsformed \nshe is a person with power to tad and S.T^b^^rth-life. \u201cNow \nEarth-Mother, who knows all things she too .h f u\u00b0 meS Straight from tb e \nknows all things. We bind to her a\u2019suDDort f a h 4 s f wlsdom and hkewise \nthe wild plum, most fruitful of all the forest t f hl \u00b0 n ? d of a P oint ed branch of \nshe will not have to lie \n\nctmo V ny.\" he \" ^ ^ \u00a3 \n\nth^^are kid'at ceremonkd^rest upon a\"wfldcat^slrin\u2014' CU ^f US ^P re P ared > \n\nis== \n\nexcept Mother-Corn, who, as leader in the f QUlet P rot ection-all \n\nupright by means of her plum-wood suooort p?? 7 \u2019 , Stands for ward and \n\ncine men wielding each a s Pread e^le-^ng^\u2019and he who Iwamth^btle of Father\" \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n124 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cAnd now we commence the rites through which the Son is selected. It is \na very binding relation which we are to form, and the man who is suggested \nby the Father must be approved by these leaders of the tribe as one who is in \nevery way worthy and whom we would gladly have bound to us by so close a \ntie. But we must also procure the sanction of h\u2019Atira, the Corn-Mother, who \nis wise and who is now our leader. This ritual is always a night ceremony, \nfor by night the spirit is more free, and can move about more easily. \n\n\u201cThat which we now do is very hard. We must try and try with all our \nmight or we cannot succeed. We have to make all of our separate spirits as \none spirit, joined each to each in one whole, and then this, our united spirit, \nmust make itself one with the spirit of Mother Corn. Her spirit must unite \nwith our spirit so that together we may go forth on our search for the Son. \nSometimes it may happen that one of the party cannot do this thing; he may \ntry, but because of some part of his nature he cannot be at one with the others, \nand he cannot with them join the spirit of h\u2019Atira, so our effort will be made in \nvain. We are therefore very careful about who shall be chosen for the Hako \nparty.\u201d \n\nIt is a very long ritual, lasting hour after hour; and from the solemn chanting \nof the first stanza\u2014\u201c Mother Corn, O hear! Open our Way! Lo, as we draw \nnear let our souls touch thine while we pray thee\u201d\u2014through the eight verses, \nand during the intervening periods of silent meditation, thought and desire \nmust be centred on the one supreme objective. \n\n\u201cWhile we sing our spirits and the Spirit of Mother Corn come together. \nNow we are all to meditate. We sit with bowed heads, and Mother Com sits \nwith bowed head; we are all to think over and consider who shall be the \nSon. \n\n\u201cWe must all agree upon the choice, Mother Corn and all; it is very difficult \nfor all to unite, but we must do so before we can follow Mother Corn where she \ndetermines to lead us; it often takes a long time. \n\n\u201c It is while we sing the third stanza that the choice is made. Mother Corn \nlifts her head and stands erect; then she moves through the air flying on her \njourney to the Son and we follow. But you must understand it is not the ear \nof corn itself that travels through the air, nor do our bodies follow\u2014it is the \nspirit of h\u2019Atira that moves, and it is our united spirits that follow, that \ntravel with her to the land of the Son while we are singing. The path which \nnow is opened by the spirit of Mother Corn, we, the group of the Fathers, will \ntake when we in our bodies journey to the Son, but the way must first be \nopened in this manner; the path must be opened and made safe by her \nspirit. \n\n\u201cWhen the Son\u2019s village is reached h\u2019Atira (and we too, for we are one with \nher) moves about among the lodges till she finds that one where the Son lies \nsleeping. She enters that lodge and touches the sleeping Son. He does not \nsee her, nor does he waken, but although he sleeps his mind is opened. In a \ndream he hears and sees one of the birds which are part of the Hako and are \nbound on the Feathered Stems, for the spirits of those birds are with Mother \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n125 \n\n\nCorn and they do her bidding. When he wakes in the morning he will remem\u00ac \nber that dream, and as he thinks upon it he will know that he has been chosen \nto be the Son. \n\n\u201cThus the way has been made straight from the lodge of the Father to the \nlodge of the Son, so that the bodily messengers can travel in safety; and the \nmind of the Son has been opened so that he will be ready to receive these \nmessengers when they arrive.\u201d \n\nMiss Fletcher says it is noteworthy that the Kurahus recounted this strange \nportion of the ceremony with the same matter-of fact simplicity as the more \nordinary episodes, merely reiterating, \u201cit is indeed a very hard thing to do.\u201d \n\nOn the following day, four young men, lithe and strong of limb, are dis\u00ac \npatched to bear the proposal of alliance to the Son. \u201cWhen they reach the \nvillage and the Son hears the words they speak, he will be reminded of the \ndream in which he was touched by Mother Com. He will call a council, and \nwhen the idea has been duly considered, the messenger will be sent back to the \nFather bearing the words: \u2018 I am ready.\u2019 Only a very grave hindrance, such \nas the death of a near relative, would prevent the Son from accepting.\u201d \n\nWhen the youths return with the Son\u2019s reply, there is great rejoicing, and all \nhasten to make ready for the journey and the ensuing festivities. Much food \nmust be prepared, both for the Hako party itself and for the feast offerings \nwhich will be tendered to the Children, and there must be many gifts of special \nvalue worthy to commemorate so important an occasion. \n\nWhen at last all is in readiness, and the morning set for the departure is at \nhand, the vdfious sacred symbolic articles are bound bird-wise on a slender \nlodge pole, and are lifted high up toward the East that they may be vivified by \nthe breath of Dawn and the first rays of the rising Sun, while with measured \nsteps, so many to the east, so many to the west, so many to the other world \nquarters, the entire group of the Fathers treads out on Mother Earth the rude \nimage of a man with outstretched arms, \u201cwhose feet stand where our feet \nstand, and who, coming thus straight from Tirawa through this our ceremonial \nact, will walk with us as a protector on our journey.\u201d \n\nThe journey may be a very long one; day after day, sun-drenched and wind\u00ac \nswept, they follow the mystic guide, the Com Mother, as, flanked on either \nhand by the Eagle Calumets, she is borne before them over the stretch of virgin \nprairie. There are charming incidental songs suited to the varied hazards of \nthe way,\u2014to mountains and mesas, to winds and rivers, to the buffalo and the \ndeer. The one to a stream which crosses the path is especially lovely: \n\n\u201c Dark against the sky yonder distant line \nLies before us; trees we see, long the line of trees \nBending, swaying in the breeze. \n\n\u201cBright with flashing light yonder distant line \nRuns before us, swiftly runs, swift the river runs \nWinding, flowing o\u2019er the land. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n126 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nHark! Oh hark! a sound, yonder distant sound \nComes to greet us, singing comes, soft the river\u2019s song, \n\nRippling gently \u2019neath the trees.\u201d \n\nJ\u2122* m mi \" d tbat the Hako had its far origin in the Land-of-little-Rain \nand irde P of C th em0ti \u00b0 n \u00b0 f theS6 WOrds ' voicin K delight in the splash \n\narid country R Trh Wa , ter .\u2019 a \" d m the bnght verdure so coveted in an \nvoiced b, S' a u- l P significance for this occasion is more clearly \n\nZttZaLZ ^ ^ rCiterated 38 th6y Stand the brink a \" d wade \n\n\u201cOh Kawas, come! \n\nTo thee we call, oh come and thy permission give, \n\nInto the stream to wade and forward go\u201d_ \n\nb\u00b0e r \u2019liS ng thC ent f\\ cerem \u00b0ny, Water is a personified divinity and may not \neachSer IrTt \u201d f \u00b0 r \u00b0 rdinar - v Purposes To at \n\notJtTde ' Perm,SS1 \u00b0 n 13 HUmbIy S \u00b0 Ught t0 enter an d cross to the \n\nwho 1 ? ey \u201df ar their destinati \u00b0n; they are met and greeted by an envoy \n\nand to the d T m , terchange of & ts and songs, guides them to the village \nnd to the dwelling where the Son awaits their coming \u201c He is seated at the \n\nwhich has\" IZ bestowed ^ S ^ 'T*** ^ * i$ a Very high honor \nowhest, not assuming any prominence before the people \u201d \n\n\u201e th?do n \u201erw.vT S '\u2019T \u00b0i th ' ,0de<i \u201d h \u201c\u201c' ,or we enter ceremonially \u25a0 \n\ncome to the entrance hnnmmr alA s g that Mother Corn has \n\nheart of man glad and wf mVeS** 0 \u2122 8 ! \u00b0l \u2018 fe \u2019 the promise that makes the \nas we do so that the \u2022 ? ! ie cry of thankfulness, \u2018Nawairi!\u2019, thinking \n\nthe pas^ge-tvay \u2018in Recognition rfuRR' threshold and t>ke four steps along \nand we sing that Mother Corn ha f Sam \u00ae P\u00b0 wers of the World Quarters, \nfor the entrance of life and a vain !*\u201d?,[ haS 0pened the door of the lodge \nThe bearers of th r i g , we ^ ve cry of thankfulness, \u2018Nawairi 1 \u2019 \n\nwhich makes the hearf Zankful th\" TS 't\u201d** promise \n\nand after them come the do^ors Sth T 156 ? We fr0m the Above, \n\nmen march slowly around and a , ,, le . ' V1 e -spread Wings. These five \nnorth and the east 2L u^\u2019 t0 the S0Uth \u2019 the west, the \n\nand the Eagle Wings ^ ^ Ste \u2122 \n\npromise\" Se \u00a3\u00a3*\u2022 ^ ^ the \n\nOf life from the Powers Above. E g 1S SOanng mth the promise \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n127 \n\n\n\u2018\u2018When we stand and face the east, the White Eagle Stem must be on the \nright, toward the south, for it represents brightness, the light, the day, the \nun; it is the male, it is for defense, and is carried on the side farthest away \nfrom the people. Kawas, the Brown Eagle Stem, is on the left towards the \nnorth; it represents darkness, the night, and moon, it is the female and is \nearned nearest to the people and it has the right to make the Nest and to seek \nhelp from Tirawa for the Children. \n\nKawas is potent in this ceremony, which is to ask for the gift of children; \nnot oniy that children may be born to us, but that the close tie of parent and \nchild may be established between us and those to whom we are bringing these \nSacred Objects, that peace may be between the tribes. So we sing that Kawas \nis hovering in the Lodge as an Eagle hovers over her nest; this stanza is sung \nslowly for the Eagle as it hovers is slow in its movements. \n\n\u201cWe sing the next stanza faster, for now Kawas has stretched her mighty \nwings and is driving all harmful influences out of the Lodge, making the place \nready for all the good that is promised to us through the ceremony, and the \ndoctors raise and lower their feather fans to simulate an Eagle clearing its \nnest, flapping and fanning out all impurities. At the west, back of the fire a \nspace is now set apart and made sacred as the Holy Place; here the wildcat \nskin is spread and upon it the Sacred Articles are reverently laid at rest, Mother \nCom standing beside them upright and a little to the fore.\u201d \n\nAt this time the Kurahus appoints certain men to special duties; some must \nbring wood and water, some attend to the cooking, some assist the Children \nm their daily work, and some must undertake certain tasks connected with the \n\u201d . I , In thla wa y the lab \u00b0ur attendant on the long enactment is planned and \ndivided, so that nothing will be neglected and there will be no dispute or \n\nThe business of administration over, the Kurahus returns to his ceremonial \nfunctions, and directs the Father to clothe the Son as his child in the beautiful \nembroidered robes which have been carefully provided for the occasion With \nthe new relationship thus visibly established, Father and Son unite in making \nthe Smoke offering, invoking a blessing through this closest possible approach \nto Tirawa, and offering a prayer for fulfilment of the ceremony about to be \ninaugurated. It opens with the admonitions of the Father,\u2014 \n\n\u201c My Son now heed! Attend the command I give you! \n\nOh speak to the Gods listening above us \n\nOh let your prayers ascend to the Mighty Ones on high\u201d; \n\nand closes with the words, \n\n\u201cSee the Smoke ascend! \n\nNow the odor mounts, follows where his voice \nSped intent to reach \n\nWhere Gods abide; there the odor pleads \nPleads to gain us help.\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n128 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthl'TrdeVof 6 this*T f Un \" eCOrded ' for the Kurahus explains: \nPriest of the Rain Shrine and it does Itl always be conducted by the \nSon says as he pravs m /jTp be '\u00b0 ng to me to know it. What the \n\nfor us to hear, but we are bidde^otake^eedthat JheT f \u00b0 r * ) T \n\nis as our child, have been sDoken u * * ,f* the pra y ers ofthe Son, who \n\ndistant places where dwel/the Great Po 6 traV6 \u201d ed far \u2019 goin ^ on and on to the \nWhen he has finished**? u l Powers who guard the Rain.\u201d \n\nand lays them before the Chief of^is\"\"^ ^ ^ \u00b0 takeS \u00b0 ff h \u2018 S fine garments \na mong the Children, and S\u00a3 thi! ^ ** be di ^ b uted \n\ncomplete; Mother Com duly vested with , renunciatlon \u2019. the Preparation is \nLodge, and Kawas has cleansed it of a ii \u2022 \u2022 Vme authont y has opened the \n\nChild by the Father, has offeredprayerTnd 1 ? t ^ S \u00b0 n \u2019 clothedasa \ngarments worn during the act hav/) Smok e to the Powers Above; the \nSacred Articles are resting in IX^Kf^eS^ ^ \n\nS arranged aad in readiness for the ceremony \u2019 a \" d eVerythln S \n\nE. A. \n\n\n(To be continued) \n\n\n>\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u25a0-* ** - \u2022**-- * **\u00bb \u201e \u00ab, ** , w . \n\n\nWAR memories \n\n\nthe CREEPING shadow \n\nLearn from the sins of others tu\u00bb ,/ \n\nM\u201e tfee W \u201e, drhe W . eny md Jrin \u00ab\u00ab \n\nThe Prussian -was born a h , , B \u00b0\u00b0 K of Echoes. \n\nCWtHzati0n \u00ab*\u00bb make him ferocious. \n\nGoethe. \n\n\nr:::~ . \n\nuty of any resident or even tripper) I S eW^ ^ ^ and unavoidable \npleased at first with the lif P = , \u2019 1 set tled down in a little flat , \n\nof a heedless world intitedT\". ^ Bei \" g \u2019 Hke ^y oll^LT \nthe start, quite blind to what was goinvo save politics I \\v ZenS \n\nEmpires, and while I had int. a S g01ng on behind the scenes in tlJ r 3S \u2019 \n\n* fact \u201c,\" ak ' ***>\u25a0 \n\nampte opponunity, duri\u201e e , hat ti \u00b0 f )*\u201c\u25a0\u25a0 There was \u201e ur ' \n\nAs if by some unrecognized, yet nre arra / 7 \u00b0 Pened to many thintrs \n\n\u201c b \u201c\" to\"! >\u00abh d, amati ; y l c p u j c *\u2122\"f\u201c *\u00bb. \u2022!* ho\u00abr \u00bb(4 3 \n\nn the very a ir, though, as , look it* \u201cT'\u2122 \u00ab \u00bb.r-\u00abl k \n\nworld, which h.d ye, S\u00ab\u00abure- had \n\nto see von Buiow H; and p,^ we \n\ntitle, bestowed upon him because of his \u201cfir ? \u201c S newly w \u00b0n princely \nthe moment everything seemed to smile for theT SUCC6SS \u201d 3t AIgecira s. For \ndawn even upon them, that what had lnl !, \u2122 8 ' but so \u00b0n it began to \n\nto'Ptoity.*.*\u2122,,defeat, \u201c\u00bb \u00bb krea, view* \n\nLngland into closer sympathy with her - abase ment of France had drawn \n\nn ,he very f *\" - - \u00ab as \n\n\n129 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n130 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nmr,ra,e \u00b0' ih \" Tnr * *\u00bb*,\u2022. ,\u201ed G \u2122\u201e y beS an \n\nsr.\u201c 2 se\u00a3\u00a3t of ! \u201c n<ii \" 8 very mach a,one '\u201c\u201d \u201c npa,a, \u201c We \n\nfore and more, as the months passed, did Germany realize what she had \n\nBnS T: and m \u00b0; e did She resent the un qualified^su PP ort which Great \nBntam had given to France, thus making the German discomfiture inevitable \n\n\u201c.12 Xd\u00b0,2 eZ H*\u2018, 1 * l \u2019 ink \u201c \u201c ***** \n\n\u201e , , . . *' ,h,s \u00ab* k '\u00ab \u00ab\u2022 peculiar and ven- \n\nmous quality of hate which was to give a special colour to the War-time snirit \n\nSedan \u201d bur? ,\u201c the great6St sorrow F \u2122ce had known since \n\nan , but it was a sorrow which was to reopen her eves to Hip mm\u2122 n \n\n2 s=,r\u201e \" b = \n\npicture of political Germany during my years of 2 ?\u00b0 n !u ** glVG a \nthing, I should be quite unfitted for the\u2019task and for ^ t? ^ F \u00b0 r ^ \nthe political data one wants, in co^eSS ^ \n\nunofficial resident of a comitr,, u, oooks. btill, even an \n\nreverse, to take note of the proverbiTr \u201dH\u00b0 PP \u00b0' rt ir'i t ' eS ' amusing and the \nnificant daily occurrences which show the' Jay \"the \"hT \n\nretrospect, one comes to appreciate what \n\nforeig n in pre - War ** \n\nmany, they found a peculiar charm l thJ s ?\u2019 PartICuIarl y in South Ger- \nlife; the quiet streets where almost irmi n? 10 \u00b0 ~ running ma chinery of daily \nwhere .no *\u00b0 \u201c d \n\nbeing instantly and ruthlessly seized and \u2019 dogs \u2019 for '\"stance, \n\nbeing strictly prohibited -where no one* u PP r essed, even street whistling \nmntter, even tanhuwy wh^n\" n ev ,T \u201c1 \u00b0 f br \u201c th \u00ab. for thj \n\nness- where the rather heavy architecture \"of Z P \u00b0 Ver ' y \u00b0 r dr \u201c nken - \nreheved by countless window boaes M e! hrfn. n \u201c\u201c \u201c\u201c deli 6 htf <>% \nwhere lovely gardens glowed in the clear i/i * flowers and trailing vines; \nBavarian capital. A, L\u00ab tte 2 2 eLZe h.\" \u2022>\u00ab little \n\n\u2022he longed-for q ta\u201e. Everybody wS^Sh\u2122 \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n3 i \n\n\nyet everybody had leisure for enjoyment; the consequence being that every\u00ac \nbody looked mildly contented and well-to-do, and that, like the insides of a \nclock, everybody seemed fitted into the very place he was best able to fill, \nthat which best suited his peculiar constitution. Birth, death, pleasure or \ninsanity,\u2014all were so adequately provided for that you hardly knew they \noccurred at all. \n\nPresently, however, you began to miss something; then you began to have \na kind of compressed feeling, as a dog must when he is given gunpowder \n(I think it is gunpowder) to stunt his growth, for, as it was observed by one \nwho also lived there: \u201coutside the indicated limits of daily life, almost nothing \nis permitted, almost everything forbidden.\u201d It took you a longer or shorter \ntime to wake up to this fact, but wake up to it you did before you were done \nwith Germany, or Germany was done with you. It was not that the average \nlaw-abiding foreigner objected to obeying municipal or State rules and regu\u00ac \nlations, but there were such mountains of them! And everything which you \nmight inadvertently do that turned out to be \u201cpolizeilich verboten \u201d, no matter \nhow innocuous its nature, was known as a \u201ccrime\u201d. It sometimes happened \nthat instead of being compressed into or depressed by a huge variety of \nmunicipal by-laws, which stared at you from every corner of every street, \nand which actually followed you into your own house,\u2014it sometimes happened \nthat you fancied you would like to expand a trifle, according to your own \nnational or otherwise inherited lights; to be mildly spontaneous in fact; not \nnecessarily at the expense of your neighbour, but just to keep yourself from \ngetting stiff and angular. If you had any such fancy as this, however, the \nsooner you got over it the better, and the best way of getting over the disas\u00ac \ntrous leaning toward the spontaneous in life, was to read a few pages out of \nthe police regulations, these being not only available to all, but being rather \n+ pressed upon your individual notice. Having read, you were likely to lose \nsome of your misplaced gaiety, for \u201cwhat a German may not do\u201d was sin\u00ac \ngularly confounding. You could not move your modest lares and penates \neven across the street without asking the permission of the police, a permission \nstrictly withheld unless full and adequate reasons were forthcoming; the \ncleaning of your own kitchen chimney was a matter of strict police control; \nyou might not dismiss any servant, no matter what she had done, except under \ncertain given conditions, and even then you had to be so careful and so guarded \nin what you said, that it often amounted to saying nothing at all; a bull-dog \n(if you owned one) must be led, when walking abroad, on a leash exactly \n16 centimetres long; if you chanced to break a bottle in the street, you had to \nassemble and then remove the fragments of glass according to the most \napproved police methods; if you wished to stand still for a brief moment on \nthe pavement, while let us say, you opened your hand-bag to take out your \npurse, you must be careful that the police did not catch you taking up more \nthan the space permitted you by the authorities (so many square feet), and so \non, ad infinitum. As an English resident of that period wrote: \u201c It is, in fact, \neasy to discover by simple subtraction, what, if anything, a German may do\u201d. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n32 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\n\u201d u ,t \u00b0 f rr \u25a0\u00bb\u201c-**\u25a0\u00bb** ^ \n\nlaws would be quite impossible f ? T\" of each and ever y one of these \nsave one.\u201d There really seemed littleT & ^ Wbabitants were Policemen \n\n\u201cSupervision\u201d was oneTf fh ' V this dement \n\nall right within reason, but the Ger\u2122\u2122^ \u00b0 f ,'f\u00ae ln Germany - That was \nimagination, no doubt because the h\" 5 \"\u00ae Ver Ieft an ything whatever to the \nthat they cannot the Iong Juries, \n\nand useful commodity I m ve but cm ? 6 t0 SUppIy that most valuable \nexperience which , wl, *\u00ab**\u00ab*\u25a0 \u201c \n\nnow ,t appears ludicrous enough. Returninghn 'T* ^ th \u00b0 Ugh \n\nin at my front door, unnoticed by my maid who ^ ^ 1 let myself \n\nin the kitchen, and passing to the rear nf d \u2019 n W&S buSy Preparing lunch \nI was very much astonished and exceedinvlvT f *5\" my bedroom was \u2019 \nstrange men, in a kind of fatigue uniform which I Sd T ^ tW \u00b0 perfectly \nhands and knees on the floor so busilv nee J f d reco \u00a3mze, on their \none of them took the trouble to look uotn ^ d \u00b0\u2018 ng Somethin g that only \n\nssnsr * \u2014 - \n\nh.d had .K\"^Sr; ed n ^ e \u201c othe ; \"\u201c\u201cee Planee from the man who \nthe added civi.it,. that he r^ToLTJITZ^l ' ** \u00bb- M \n\ndon t disturb us. Can\u2019t you see that we fl i f ^ he . wouId say: \u201cPlease \nmeasured tone, counting something out loud fofttf\u2019 he Went on \u2019 in a \n\nsteben, acht , neun , zehn etc. 6 \u00b0f his companion, \n\nseveral times. litt^matdtamf t0 be \u2019' a \" d rang ft savagely, \n\nWhat does this mean, Bertha'\u201d I asked\u2019 \u201ch \u00ae* 7 \u2122 ntten on her face, \nmen without my orders?\u201d How dare you admit these \n\nstoo finiShed \u201c tJOJiriting, now \nwith less indifference, in fact ^ \u00ab SP \u00b0 keSman \u2019 ,0 \u00b0king at me, th\u00a3 time \ntelling me something which any idiot fff hftek\u2122 6 \u2019 f\u201c d th \u00b0 Ugh he were \n\u201c Why, we are the police.\u201d g \u00b0 kn \u00b0 w): \n\nintruders appeared tolhink^imsdf the^\u2019 !T that neither of the \nto my maid (a nice, kindly little person she r> i- ^ the wron g\u2019 1 turned \n\nm jt all about.? I feel as though the whole h* of usTIn 1 appealed ' \u201c what \nBut, protested Bertha incredulously sne L ^ \u00b0 St \u00b0 Ur minds \u201d \nthird person, as all well trained servants\u2019do P ^ l \u00b0 mC \u2019 \u00b0 f COUrse - in the \ndeferential form of address, \"doesn't the d \u00b0\u2019 maklng use also of a specially \n\nS arIy t0 measure the size of rooms a^d\u2018tefl^\u2122 that the P \u00b0 lice come \nsleep \u00bb one room? Over-crowding is ma \" y People \n\n\nf n \u201d Then aloud pIanned cemetery ^ think of \n\ndon\u2019t they so much as fi\u201e! H \\ if they are the methlng of that \n\nlives in a flat? And d , d out beforehand whether 1 \u2018Powerful police, \n\nto .|\" ve crntr d0n * lhey \u00ab\u2022*. a\": t.rz.'j\u2019f * \u2014 \n\n\u00b0h, but,\u201d answered r d be conv enient \n\n\u00b0! f *\u00ab it m\u201echT do ST \u201c\u00bb \"tb .be World w, r \u201e , \nvision within reason is , was \u00b0ne of the \u201cstre \u00bb\u2019 f Ut as a matter \nthe abuse of authority * 0 \u201d\u00b0 \u00b0 Ubt \u2019 an exce llent and w hol] S \u2019 \u00b0 r Wbde su P e r- \nS \u00b0 '\u00bb \u00abs I C,\u201e Z 2' \u00ab later, almost \"Tfr \u201c\u201c\u201cV \n\nmarked result- \u2019 th,s over bearing ?.\" to P r \u00b0ve disastrous \n\no^STS amonf: \u201c\u201c T 127 iTT\"- \"\u201c d \u00bb\u00ab \n\nbecause they were fore d T 3S and cons cription at its ^ \u00b0 f tbe spint of \ndo so. Really ft ! t0 \u00b0 bey ' not because ft , W \u00b0 rSt ' Th ^ obeyed \nthe \u201cJack-in-office\u2019! 1 \u00b0Tr ted t0 littIe more than an fn' Tir*' they want ed to \n\n\u2018he very officials whom th!v ^ ^ did they appear to lf 6 \u201d 1 SUrrender to \nls the crux, they came y were supposed to have elert d 6 mtlmidat ed by \ncuriously marked trait am 6Very Word these offi \u2019 !\u201d d final ' y \u2019 which \n\nknow the results of thi \u2122\u00b0 ng the ra nk and file 0 f the n S t0,d the \u2122~a \n\u2018hose above then ^ the ^ar; they did as th ma \u00b0 Pe \u00b0 p,e ' We \nt ,es Of course one me \" ** Were to s '\"g sofgs of ha W6re to l d to do by \ncertain things to be righfwhkffi t h' at ' f th \u00ae heart b e sound onl^ 0 \" 1 ^ 4 atr \u00b0 ci ' \nfrom those things- hit ^ h obvious ly a renot right- nl^ ne does ** believe \n\nimmediately-^hev'tr \u2019\u00ae fe are certain kinds of n ' rec \u00b0ils instinctively \n^ns, and I\u201e not d ! ^ but wi \u2018h a talT* WWch do not kill \n\nparalyzed. d ' SC0Vered \u00abntil it is too thr \u00b0 Ugh \u2018he \n\nAs a matter of actual fact ho ' ^ ^ \n\nof thfm G m?ch n t y o hTslty ^ part \u00abf \n\nGovernment. So one b mg that Was goin ^ 0n in the pollce Was merely \na \" a bout. One bf gan b :f at ? Cl,mb ' ^ \u2122UntedT ^ \u00b0 f tbe \nthe churches, and it bee \u00b0 k ' nt \u00b0 tbe sc hools into the ^ Wbat U was \nthat everything was the Stef 3 matter \u00b0 f some surprise into \n\nsaid le Roi Soleil can-vine *!\u2019 ^ thls quite literally \u201cT\u2019p? uninitlat ed, \n\na Prussian, and the \u201cState\u201d ff phlIoso P h y a step farther -teffV\"' \u201d W *\u2019\u201d \nment \u201d' j t was Prussia afd tie^T \u00b0 f Was no'^fth! T \" 0t \n\nspirit s \u00bb \u2022\u00bb diSt^srx \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n134 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nuniversities and the churches were, each in its own way, a kind of political \npropaganda bureau; that university professors and clergymen, being all \nState officials, took the most surprising oaths when they came into office,\u2014 \noaths which amounted to a promise that, no matter what they were told to \nsay or do by the State, they would say and do that thing obediently; that they \nwould never do anything which even questioned the action of the State (much \nless could they criticize it) in any way whatsoever. If they were true to their \noaths, they could neither teach nor preach what they might consider to be \nreform, of any sort. They could only teach or preach what was approved \nand dictated by Prussia. Even the mildest criticism might lead to discharge \nand disgrace. In return for the oaths taken, the State gave them a social \nprestige which they would not otherwise have had, for it understood well \nthe value of bribes, and it knew that, to the average German, a title of any \nsort was a most coveted prize, and that to sell their freedom of speech was \nlittle when compared with what they gained in personal importance. One \n\nffidmili? remembe f rthe P art which the German professors and clergymen \n(admittedly representing national ideals) played during the War; their unani- \n\nTake T\u201eH n r JU t StlfiCati \u00b0 n \u00b0 f !t ' and of th e atrocities which followed in its \nwake and the entire support which was in consequence received from the \n\nGerman people,\u2014to realize what it meant; the universities and churches were \ncontrolled by the State (or Prussia), and the people were controlled by the \nuniversities and the churches. ^ \n\nof I fl t r e n SCh00,S T f T d , the same spirit ' schoolmasters being also servants \nof the Government, and the State being exalted to such an extent that bv \nimperceptible degrees, it came almost literally to replace God Religious \n\nSfSSSSSS G e d WOrShiP / f State rather than the WOrship God; \n\npresently it would be hatched out Ti, 0 , \u2022 \u2022 , h ad begun, and \nbeen really curious had it not 1 teaching in the schools would have \n\nby means ^botlTo^ history ^and^geowaphy^a chil'd fTT* \n\nto school was taueht that ail k f ,1' h d \u2019 fr0m the moment he went \nof lh \u2018 ,0 \u201c (b \" 1 T?*\" y E \" C,an<1) \n\narch enemy; France, though \"degenerate '\"w\"s\u201cthe\u00b0\u201d\u201c r En f ,nd \u00bb\u201c \nmust be watched In fart r* ' WaS 116 trac ^ ltlonaI enemy, and \n\nUP that \u201c, lhe \u00ab*\"*\u00ab-. bopan build \n\nof the world. Anti-British and , ua . y to : \"' rja[ate h \" r from the rest \nand \u201cSedan Day\u201d with its celoh tl ' I ^ re \" ch son g s were sedulously taught, \nlike the later \u201c Lusitania School Fest \" 8 \u2019] a pecuhar s Pite,\u2014it was somewhat \n\nf. to mention b\u201e, a SS2 ^ \u2014 \u2122 s \n\ne po,so\u201e was eertainly working, sr , dua||y , hideous ^ \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n135 \n\n\nwas brought to the attention of the public. It came to be recognized that \nthere were more youthful suicides in Germany than anywhere else in the \nworld. I think few people who have not lived there can realize either the \nrapidity with which the \u201cfashion\u201d for it grew, or the extent of its practice. \nSome people attributed it to overwork; others to a growing rebellion against \nany of life\u2019s saner restrictions. The worst, the most repellent feature, how\u00ac \never, was the manner in which suicide was usually condoned if not actually \ndefended. To the Englishman, suicide is a simple tragedy, and a coroner\u2019s \njury will almost invariably pass a verdict that the act was committed \u201cwhile \ntemporarily insane\u201d, because it is inconceivable, no matter what the hidden \nmotives, that a man would take his own life under any other conditions, \nthe mere act constituting the insanity. In Germany, however, suicide was \nnot viewed in any such unscientific light as this, and no such unadorned con\u00ac \nclusion as \u201cinsanity \u201d seemed to satisfy the public mind. The full pathological \nexplanations were both diligently sought and explicitly given, and in nine \ncases out of ten, the unfortunate one was shown to have taken his life in order \nto avoid the disgrace which would have been the consequence of some serious \noffence. The point is, however, that few seemed to think any the worse of \nhim for having seized this sure means of escaping justice. I well remember \nthe first rude awakening I had. I was talking one day to a German acquain\u00ac \ntance, about the young son of a friend of his. The boy had been found guilty \nof forgery, and had, according to the prevailing custom, shot himself. \n\n\u201cHow terrible!\u201d I exclaimed, deeply shocked at the news. \u201cHow could \nhe do such a thing?\u201d \n\n\u201cTerrible?\u201d repeated my German acquaintance, \u201cWhy terrible?\u201d \n\n\\ ou surely are not advocating suicide,\u201d I protested. \n\nIn such a case as this, of course I am,\u201d he replied, earnestly, \u201cthink of \nthe boy\u2019s honour.\u201d \n\n\u201cHonour!\u201d I echoed, surprised in my turn. \u201cDo you call it honour to end \nyour life rather than to face the music \u2019 and take the consequences of your \nown acts?\u201d \n\nBut he did \u2018face the music\u2019, as you call it; what more do you ask,\u2014he \nfaced death.\u201d \n\n\u201cOh, that,\u2014that\u2019s easy,\u201d I exclaimed, \u201cbut it is not easy to drag through \nyears of shame and disgrace in payment for your misdeeds.\u201d \n\nHe looked at me with Teutonic stubbornness,\u2014have you ever tried to argue \nwith the average German ? His idea of argument is to talk louder and faster \nthan you do, to drown you out, in fact, so that you shut your mouth in sheer \ndespair, or disgust. He thus gets the last word, and that shows that you are \nwrong and he is right. It is merely another form of the \u201cmailed fist\u201d. So \nthis particular German looked at me sullenly, a dark flush spreading slowly \nover his broad, rather unwholesome face, and I saw the storm clouds gather. \nThe storm broke. \n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand us,\u201d he blazed, rather brutally. \u201cYou don\u2019t \nunderstand our national ideas.\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\n136 \n\nsi \n\n\u25a0*= \n\n\u201er rr? \n\nunfortunately as is notTJ^Z ! b !' d ' y and sh ^elessly stated as that, and \n\ntruth.\" thoiSi^ wir\u201e\u201ct i l U pK.V\u201d h Th C :r' '\u2018\u201c\u201cl \" Brai \u201d \u201c f \ntion, however, was that the man P f \u2019 he worst P art \u00b0f the situa- \n\nlater, when , certata \" \u2122 o? \u201e\u2122 r T \u201c' h \u00b0\" y Years \n\nver \u201c tio \u201e \u00abhth its easy \n\nnot so difficult to understand. P f paper e P ,sode was \n\nSCh \u00b0\u00b0 ,S ' \u2018 hm *\u201c\u2022 \n\nremain either oblivious or indifferent to that- f \u201e h \" d y be ,n 0lST \u2122<>y and \nCarlsruhe horror had not come to shnr-V \u2019\u2022 * 6Ven lf outra ges like the \n\nalways with us, as difficult to escape as the police^!S' ^ ^ WaS \nexaggerate the sharp line of cleavace that \u00bb ?*u' U more so - To \n\nlife, would be almost impossible: army and civiIian \n\nwhich the army treated the rest of the & . he air of condescension with \n\nthis sense of \u201c\u201c\u2122\u00ab- \u00bb -l*=h \n\nstreet-car without running th/danrer' of h C \u00b0 U d nde m a crowde d \nby some faultlessly attired officer, who mig^an^y tfat^^ !\u00b0 \u00b0 ne ^ \nprecanous foothold to his own No m ;ii f g * ' that he Preferred your \n\nposition was ,i mply ~y; y \u201e\u201e r \n\nwere in a shop, and were half wav Ha- u l th y wanted it. If you \nof groceries, and some mere mess-serzeant !!r PUrchase , of a month\u2019s supply \nthe chances were that you waited whife the r \u201c t0 bUy a loaf of bread - \nthe person of the mess-sergeant without del army got itself served in \nalmost anythin* i\u201e an 11 *\" accepted f, c , \n\nany civilian, of whatever rank. atever rank, took precedence of \n\nof course^lway^th^l^a^milhary^rogramm bowever \u2019 far there was, \nthe public imagination. There was the d r 16, J' 6 calculated to appeal to \nfront of the Royal Palace, where the daily . cha nge of guard at noon, in \n\u201cgoose stepped\u201d itself proudly before anTdm?\u201d S ^ the incornin g guard \nbled to watch the proceedings. A military band Cr i\u00b0 Wd ' lnVariably asse m- \n\n\u25a0\u201d tte \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n37 \n\n\nrun, as though in a surprise attack. There were, too, the \u201cprelim.W \ntraining exercises in barracks, like the \u201cside shows\" at a circus and to \n\nr d mt;ed 0m T tlmeS ;i h nder C r tain SPecial COndltions ' a danger would be \n* reca11 bemg taken one day t0 watch bayonet practice. It was \n\nkind iff ^ a i?\u00b0l eigner \u2019 1 Sh \u00b0 Uld be intere sted. I was! We sat in a \nkind of balcony which overhung the bare space below, where the privates \n\nwere receiving instruction. When a raw recruit is first given his rifle he is \n\nenth\u00b0u UrSe \u2019 re T re u d t0 le f rn thC USC \u00b0 f eVCry Part \u00b0 f i<; \u2019 and if the ener g y and \nthink thTth WaS d,Splayed that mornin g. were any criterion, I should \n\nimarination of7h WaS \"\u00b0 * \u00b0 f the nfle which a PP ealed so much to the \n\nPartTcukriv d' i* \u201d7 TeC T ? C Ski \" and dCXterity Which two contestants \nthev , M d Splayed \u2019 made m y bl00d run cold. There seemed to be nothing \n\nof the vrittv f S tha ^flashing, cruel steel, and I thought of those word? \n\nexc!ll 7 v P6 \" r US Talleyrand: \u201c 0n P eut toutfaire avec les baionnettes \nexcepte sy asseoir. I could not help inwardly thanking heaven that the \n\nrecruit who was getting the worst of the fight, was not a Frenchman or an \n\" g \u2019 Sbman (f \u00b0 r tha * fight seemed horribly real); but of course I did not voice \nmy sentiments on that occasion-one was always too much on one\u2019s guard \n\nFrLlh t fT anS the satisfaction of imagining that one thought the \n\nFrench or the English could be bayoneted into a ditch. \n\nThen there were the great spring manoeuvres\u2014the moving of troops and \nevery kind of military display to dazzle our civilian eyes\u2014when one became \npainfully aware of the deadly efficiency of the German army; of its marveflou \n\nin i t hose pre - w,r <iays ' 1 \n\nany talk I had, to discover that a true idealism animated it. Proud as the \nofficers were of their army, and proud as the men in the ranks seemed to be \n\u00b0 hat ' r of fi ce m. something always was lacking, and this puzzled me, knowing \nwhat a splendid army it was. When I tried to compare it, from the poinf \n\nfdlXrt To theT h th b C arm r \u00b0 f \u00b0 ther nati \u00b0 nS Which 1 knew \u2019 il al ways \n\none L f * Frenchman, for instance, the military life is a consecrated \none, and warfare to him, means the fine essence of something beyond and \nabove mere brute cudgelling; it is a romance perhaps even more than a career \n\nBut theC tH,nk ^ th r Frenchman ever wholly loses the sense of this. \nJ he German, so far as I could see, approached his military service in an \n\nerly different spirit. He did not turn to it because he loved it for itself \nnor because it had an irresistible attraction for him; but because it opened to \nhim many things which he would not otherwise have had,\u2014power and social \nposition for example. This, so it seemed ,0 me. was true of tteolW \neven, perhaps, in lesser degree, of the non-commissioned officers. The private' \nwith n\u00b0 brilliant future possible to him, and no idealism to keep him afloat\u2019 \nappeared always to manifest a strange lack of enthusiasm which, no doubt\u2019 \nmade him a serviceable part of the \"machine\u201d, so long as the machine ran \nsmoothly but of little use, because so lacking in individual fire, once the \nmachine began to run down, and personal bravery, or the assumption of per- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n- 138 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nsonal responsibility, became necessary. I do not, of course, mean that the \nGerman seemed to me to lack all the qualities of the soldier (that would indeed \nhave been a blind miscalculation), but I never could see that he had the \nhigher, the essential, the refining ones; and even in those days, the attitude \nof the officer toward his men, appeared to me revolting. The men in the ranks, \nwhole regiments of them, were just \u201ccannon fodder\u201d long before the World \nWar. \n\nOf course we all read von Bernhardi\u2019s Germany and the Next War, when \nthat literary high-explosive burst on our dozing minds, and it was soon evident \nthat \u201cWorld Power or Downfall\u201d had become a kind of slogan even with \nGermans in civil life who did not know much of what they were talking about. \nFrom von Moltke, \u201cthe Battle-thinker\u201d, to von Bernhardi, \u201cthe Hate- \nbreeder\u201d, was a very long step, but the step had been taken. It would, I \nthink, be hard to find a better example of the crude inversion of an ideal \nthan von Bernhardi\u2019s deliberate choice of Goethe\u2019s words (words written with \nsuch noble intent) to justify his philosophy: \u201cOnly he deserves freedom and \nlife who is compelled to conquer them daily.\u201d No wonder that a few years \nlater came another perversion, a new kind of slogan: \u201cOnly through hate can \nthe greatest obstacles of life be overcome.\u201d \n\nIt is difficult to describe this growing spirit of hate that one felt creeping \ninto everything, like a poisonous vapour. \n\n\u201cWhat is the matter with Germany?\u201d we foreign residents used to ask \neach other. \u201cIt isn\u2019t a scrap what it used to be. Do you suppose it really \ndoes mean war\u2014one day?\u201d \n\nFew of us, however, seemed willing or able to define the trouble; yet we knew \nthat the trouble was there, lurking,\u2014animosity, jealousy, bitterness. When \nthe Kaiser, referring to the rapidly growing navy, said: \u201cOur future lies upon \nthe sea , and \u201cWe need this fleet to protect us from arrogance\u201d, we knew, \nof course, that his words were directed primarily against England. But \narrogance! What about von Bernhardi\u2019s words: \u201c We are the greatest civilized \npeople known to history\u201d; or Georg Fuchs\u2019: \u201cWe must mould the entire \nmechanism of modem civilization, as it ought to be, in German form\u201d, and \nmany other such sentiments, loudly expressed? What about the Society for \nPromoting Germanism? What about the Colonial Association, with its ill- \nconcealed aim\u2014world domination? What about the German Navy League \nwhich had over one million members, whose sole object seemed to be to excite \nthe entire nation by propaganda of all sorts,\u2014through the press, by lectures, \nby sermons, by specially arranged excursions to different ports where ships \nalready afloat or still under construction could be inspected? Von Tirpitz, \nthe most dangerous mischief maker in Europe\u201d, as he was described abroad, \nwas, of course, the prime mover in the Navy League, and through its organ,\u2019 \nDie Flotte, the public nerves were made to quiver at the merest mention of \nthe \u201cBritish Menace\u201d, which appeared to loorti like a black cloud on the \nhorizon of the national destiny. \n\nThen there was that angle of life which came under the general head of \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n39 \n\n\n\u201cKultur\u201d, that word of horror, so associated in later years with all that was \nmost bestial during the War; for Kultur did not mean just \u201ccultivated tastes\u201d, \n\u201chigher education\u201d, etc.; it meant the whole mentality and morality of the \nnation; all that the nation stood for,\u2014in fact, its \u201cideals\u201d. \u201cGermany \nmeans culture,\u201d said the Kaiser, and, parrot-wise, the whole German world \nrepeated: \u201cGermany means culture.\u201d And they really thought it. So self- \nhypnotized had they become that they found it difficult to admit that any \nother nation had made serious contributions to the civilized world; there was \nan astonishing lack of sympathy, or even ability to see noteworthy progress \noutside of Germany. This was so, perhaps more especially, in the matter \nof science; anything worth while could always be traced to German influence, \n\u2014and it always was. There was almost a ludicrous side when it came to \nliterature, for everyone, from Shakespeare to Bernard Shaw, seemed to have \nsought and found his particular source of inspiration in Germany,\u2014that, \nof course, accounted for each one\u2019s genius. But their own contemporary \ndrama! Many of us who were foreign residents stopped going to the theatres, \nso utterly vile had most of the plays become. From the early Hauptmann \nto the later Wedekind, was too much for us. The most pathological subjects \nwere the most popular; suicide to escape a just punishment (and the act was \nalways justified), murder,\u2014everything abnormal. The world was beginning \nto be turned up-side-down. The German evidently hungered for all such \nsubjects; nothing was too degenerate, and all were looked upon as absorbingly \ninteresting phases of human psychology, which could bear and which even \nneeded the closest, most detailed analysis. Yet all seemed to be without any \nelements which could legitimately recommend them, save to pathologists; \nand these plays were repeated, night after night, to crowded houses, from \nwhich children were by no means absent. The less said about this, the \nbetter. What was to be found on the stage, was equally to be found in most \nof the other forms of art or amusement. Picture exhibitions became a kind \nof nightmare, for you never knew what you would see. The music of the \nday became, for the most part, unbearable,\u2014blatant, soulless. Public \nlectures, always a popular kind of \u201centertainment\u201d in Germany, were becom\u00ac \ning veritable \u201cpulpits of hate\u201d. \n\nOf course there were some voices raised against the growing evil. Maxi\u00ac \nmilian Harden, inveighing against the Kaiser and against Kultur, all in one \nbreath, was a most refreshing experience for us; and men like Schiffer, who \ndeclared that the form of Government most needed was \u201cthat we shall be \ngoverned less than now, ... we are in danger of being suffocated by all the \nlove and care bestowed upon us,\u201d\u2014outbursts like this amused us, but natur\u00ac \nally they did not do much toward diminishing the trouble. Then, too, \nthere was the growing rift between the North and the South. Sober-minded \nmen like Prince Hohenlohe (South), declared openly that Prussia cared only \nfor the Empire in so far as Prussia itself was allowed absolutely to control \nit; while Prince von Billow (North), answered that without Prussia and the \nPrussian spirit, the Empire could not exist at all. \u201cPrussia is a nation of \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n140 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nsoldiers and officials\u201d, he explained, affably. Meantime, although the South \nermans continued to protest that they had no intention of being converted \ninto Prussians, the most casual observer, if sufficiently detached, could easily \nsee that that was exactly what was happening. \n\nSo the monstrous war machine continued to take shape, while little by \nlittle, and stone by stone, Germany built up, between herself and the world, \nat impassable \u201cwall\u201d of hatred and envy, which was to result for her in \ncomplete moral isolation. Systematic teaching to the effect that Germany \nwas at ay , and must \u2018fight her way out\u201d, increased throughout the \ncountry. By never-ceasing propaganda, instigated by the State, public \nsentiment was raised to white heat against Great Britain especially, because \not the iron ring which she was supposed to be forging in order to strangle \nGermany s free and legitimate expansion. It was a most extraordinary \n\naS o S fT h 3 T 0115 /\u2122^ 6 \u00b0[ that arr \u00b0 ganCe 0f which the y reused England, \nand of a besetting fear lest their \u201cplace in the sun\u201d should not be secured \n\nin thP T 7 edu . Cated German w hy he was so anxious about that \u201cplace \n\nm the sun . h.s explanation generally was: \u201cYou see we Germans have a \n\nIheearthT >1 Yt' W * mUSt carry our cuIture to the farthest ends of \nthe earth, for it is the highest culture that ever has been or ever will be known \n\nand the world must be made to see this, even if force be necessary The sal\u00ac \nvation of the world really depends upon Germany.\u201d \n\nverteTtoy^l^e^ 1 \u201c ** \"* y \u00b0\u201c \"\" ** the W \u00b0 rld to be \n\nwha * \u201c \u2014\u00ab il is ~ \u25a0\u2014 - \n\nIt did not require much sagacity to pierce the transparent mask- to recog- \n\naffimate^ th n e e m T Words ' the spirit of contempt which \n\noneTelf \u201cDo ^ , 6mP everythin g not German; and one thought to \n\ni\u2122 \n\n\u2014: \n\nlike his own ^self \u00abem .nd steady \n\n\u2018\u2018What a splendid idea!\u201d-and got n Vfarth^ m V; \u201c d TY US th \u00b0 Ught: \n\nfor a few weeks in the sorinv of mnn a * remember being in London \n\nMaurier-s \u201cAn Englishman's Home\u2019-''Is^Took Ztl ^TV \" 7 ^ \nthat the chief resnonse of ti,. \u201e . , \u00b0\u00b0 k hack, I recall distinctly \n\ninvasion\u201d of English soil which the \u201c f \u00b0 reign \n\nf ay presents, was one of huge amusement. \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n141 \n\n\nInvade England? Impossible! Ridiculous! .... Could we have looked \nforward a few years to those agonizing days during the retreat from Mons, \nhow differently we should have felt. \n\nThe German cauldron boiled on, throwing up to the surface first one sur\u00ac \nprise, then another. We had lived through Austria\u2019s annexation of Bosnia, \nknowing, the while, that Germany was somewhere in the offing; we had raised \nour eyebrows at Berlin\u2019s Russian thrust; but I think it was the Kaiser\u2019s \nthird and last \u201cgesture\u201d which shook the foreign residents still lingering \nin Munich, out of some of their ruts. French sympathisers, as many of us \nwere at heart, the news of the \u201cPanther\u201d shocked and alarmed us, and we \nread with indignation of its wanderings. When, a little later, maps, printed \nin Berlin, began to be circulated\u2014maps making as clear as daylight the \nundiminished German colonial ambition in Morocco, this being nothing less \nthan a stab in the back at France; when, added to this, we heard that Germany \nwas actually demanding \u201ccompensation\u201d from France,\u2014many of us knew \nthat the final hour of choice had come, and it was not long after the Agadir \ntrouble, that I packed my household gods, paid my last visit to the police, \nand, with few regrets, turned my back on Germany. \n\nVolunteer. \n\n\n{To be continued) \n\n\nThat man is purified who , repenting for his sins , refraineth from them , saying , \n\u201c/ shall never commit them again .\"\u2014 Manu. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDANTE SKETCHES \n\n\nJ UST what Beatrice signifies in the Divine Comedy has concerned hosts of \ncommentators and interpreters throughout six centuries. The very \nmultiplicity of their readings convinced the authoress of a recent \nattractively printed and engagingly written little book,' that \u201cthe truth was \nyet to be found\u201d (p. 4). With this statement most people would agree, \nwhile grateful, nevertheless, for any serious effort to reduce the mass of opin- \n.on to order, and derive from it some light pertinent to our present-day modes \nof thought. Dante s was very much a mind of his age-hard, therefore, for \nus to read easily, who know little of medieval philosophy and less of scholastic \ntheology. But Dante was also a great poet; and his greatness lies, not merely \nthe majesty of his creative imagination and the beauty of his verse but in \nthe spiritual depth and universal reach of his symbols. He may be read \n\ni?miTo 7 WayS ,\u2019- and W6 . find ln him what we seel <. His stature exceeds the \nlimit of our ordinary vision, and if we really companion him, we find ourselves \n\nf\u2122our n gu 7 e\u00b0s W \u00b0 r1<1 ' ^ reaS \u00b0 n \u2019 C \u00b0 UnSe1 \u2019 and divine ^nation \n\nBeatrice has been held to represent faith, grace, charity, theology wisdom \n\nHifia 2 1 ' w dCr thC gUisC of a divinely-human woman. Miss \n\n1 7 i Vr \u00b0| te r, 0f Her aS Wlsdom> Personified as in the Book of Wisdom and \nable to lead Dante to the highest good. Mrs. Baldwin, recoiling from the \nlegendary Beatrice of flesh and blood, insists that Dante himself in t Je \n\nC JZ m \u00b0' P 3 S t0 6 eXempt fr \u00b0 m a \" \u2122P uta tions of a love for delight \nf the senses averring that his love was for truth and virtue \u201d (p 13) Aeain \n\nhe says m the De Vulgari Eloquentia that, \u201cwhile others write of lovt and \nwar. he writes of rectitude and the guidance of the will \u201d (p, r 4 ) Beatrice \n\n\u201cend -7 7 \u00b0 ' mparad,SeS '' Dante \u2019 s mind, who was his \u201cbeatitude \u201d S \n\ntook fle h T SlreS ' and Wh \u00b0 resembled in her person \u201cthe Word that \n\ntook flesh and dwe t among us \u201d the \u201cP\u2122\u2122.,- nr j , Ulat \n\nascent of the soul to God had been so carefulTv ^ \u2019 Where the \n\nconsciousness was registered and set in its proper pSf white ^ ^ \n\ntions, as well as human qualities, were subject 7 the t \u00b0 pera - \n\nclassification? ^ e c l\u00b0 ses t analysis and \n\n_HereMrs. Baldwin, with simple frankness, takes us into her confidence. \n\n\n\u2022 - O-a Ba,\u201e n Baldwin; C olumbla Universlty ^ \n\n\n142 \n\n\nDANTE SKETCHES \n\n\n143 \n\n\nr , .. \" - \u2014 tjugstiuui wuuugn a weaitn \n\nf scholastic reading, which few people to-day have the energy to undertake, \nconvinced that Dante had no vague or general conception, but that his own \nmind was burning to convey a great truth, if we could but grasp his meaning \nShe gives us in rapid survey the gist of her studies, and the final synthesis to \nwhich she was brought. Her contribution has about it a refreshing absence \nof scholarly pedantry; and as it affords a valuable glimpse into the workings \nof Dantes mind, we shall use her thought to elaborate our own, offering \ntherewith our small tribute of gratitude and appreciation. \n\nFor Dante, free-will was \u201cthe greatest gift God bestowed upon human \nnature, for by it \u201cwe reach happiness here as men, and blessedness there \nas gods (De Monarchic, Book I). But free-will itself can be directed by \n\njffT 1 a f, Wdl aS by Cither desires or reason ! and it is as the judgment directs \nthat the will should operate. When judgment abdicates, then desires control \nhe will, either directly, or through a chain of reasoning based on no more \nthan the changing and dissolving premises of appetite. Dante puts into the \nmouth of Marco Lombardo (Purg. XVI) the wise statement that it is when \nwe are \u201csubject to a better nature, though free,\u201d that a new mind is created \nm us. This mind the heavens do not control, leaving to us that act of creation \nso necessary to our spiritual growth and salvation. The need, therefore, \nor night leadership of the will, by a right judgment, \u201cinflamed the poet\u2019s \nsoul (p. 25), and it was la mala condotta \u201cthat makes the world blind, and \nnot human nature that in man may be corrupted.\u201d \n\nIt is Beatrice who supplies for Dante this right leadership or judgment, this \nbetter nature to which he could become, of his own free-will, subject and \nso have a new and heavenly mind formed in him. Beatrice \u201cmanifested \n\nherself by her counselling power-Indeed, no part could be assigned to her \n\nthat so well defined her function in the Divine Commedia as that of winnowing \nout all evil and gathering all good loves into the one sovereign desire of his \nheart for his Creator\u201d (pp. 29\u201430). \n\nThis distinction that the right exercise of our faculty of free-will depends \nupon our ability to form right judgment, is not one current in the thinking of \n\nthe 7 ay , 7 ISt0t ' e ,n hls Ethics defines f ree-will as \u201cchoice based on counsel,\u201d \nand adds that the principle of counsel is an intellectual principle higher than \nour intellect. St. Augustine complements this thought with a penetrating \nphrase: Man by abusing free-will loses both himself and it.\" To-day, \n\npeople confuse free judgment (liberum arbitrium) with free-will (libera voluntas) \n\nIn the De Monarchic, Dante points out that the principle of our human \nliberty lies not so much in mere free-will, as in a liberty of judgment \u201cwhich \nmany have on their lips, but few in their intellects.\u201d \u201cIf,\u201d he writes \"the \njudgment wholly moves the will [appetites: in our phrase, Kama-manas] and \nin no way is anticipated by it, then judgment [one aspect of Buddhi] is free; \nif on the other hand the judgment is moved by the will and in some way is \nanticipated by it, it cannot be free, for it does not act of itself, but is dragged \ncaptive by another.\u201d There is an illuminating phrase of the Master Christ, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n144 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nrecorded in the Gospel of Nicodemus , which throws a wealth of light on just \nthis distinction between will and judgment, and which is quoted here in full : \n\nPilate saith to him, What is truth? \n\nJesus said, Truth is from heaven. \n\nPilate said, Therefore truth is not on earth. \n\nJesus said to Pilate, Believe that truth is on earth among those, who when \nthey have the power of judgment , are governed by truth , and form right judg\u00ac \nment (iii, 11-14). \n\nFree-will, therefore, seen truly, is not \u201ca choice based on counsel, but a \nchoice submitted to counsel\u201d (p. 43), for Dante had written: \u201cThe incon\u00ac \ntinent man and even the penitent are not friends of themselves; for their \nwill is at variance with their reason. They are blind, for they know what is \nright, but do not act in accordance with right judgment.\u201d So, in the words of \nour author: \u201cThe agent is not a will preferring good to evil. The agent is an \nintellect, illuminated and actualized by truth [Manas impregnated by Buddhi] \ninstilling its power into the will. It is giving up a false freedom for a true It \nis the joyful surrender of a faculty which may lead to death, to a vision which \nleads to truth and life. Mans freedom is not in knowing that, although he \nembraced the good, he could have followed the evil. His freedom is rather in \nknowing that in that power of choice is his bondage. Man cannot establish \nis own righteousness, for his righteousness is in being subject to God \u201d (p. 43) \nThis is a subtile and far-reaching idea. The possession, and in the ordinary \nsense, the exercise of free-will is not merely a responsibility and therefore a \npossible source of danger, but a bondage, unless freely aligned with the Uni- \nversa 1 Will. The Allegory of the Divine Comedy shows Dante, his will opposed \no he Divine Will, descending into Hell, and seeing reflected there all the de\u00ac \ngrees of consciousness, or states of being, in which free-will in rebellion against \nGod s will expresses itself. Led by natural reason, personified by the Pagan \n\\ irg.1 he turns about,-reverses himself as it were-and, escaping from Hell \nascends the Mountain of Purgatory, each terrace depicting an additional \ndegree of surrendered free-will, until the Terrestrial Paradise is reached There \nhe is capable of higher attainment; and with will purified, Beatrice, or right \n\nW- f r0 , Unded m Tmth \u2019 leads him nearer and nearer to that Divine \n\nP\u00ae* h ! S at on f tha Wisdom of God ( Theou-Sophia) and the Power \nof God (Theou-dunanns). The will thus released in Dante is of an altogether \n\nin /S (VoTl 0 280\u2122\"'\" Wri , tes . Madame Blavatsky, in another context, \nha/nn \\w \u2018 # \u2666?' 5)> \u2022 proceeds from an intelligence that cannot err, for it \n\nhas nothing of the material organs of human thought in it, being the superfine \n\nfmm !\u201dT tl0n \u00b0 f tH f e hlghCSt d ' vinity i^elf\u2014 (Plato\u2019s 'Father') it proceeds \n\nthe beginning of time, according to immutable laws, to evolved he ele- \nentary fabric requisite for subsequent generations of what we call the \nhuman race \"-remembering that by \"human\u201d the occultist meanTst Paufs \nheavenly man, not the half-animal, half-human worldling of to-day -or \n\npZ^io* WaS ,n the ParadiS \u00b0' n0t the Dante 0f the 4 \u2122 or even the \n\n\nDANTE SKETCHES \n\n\n145 \n\n\nThis allegorical teaching of Dante has an interesting parallel in the old myth \nof Prometheus. The Titan accepts free-will, because with it and with it \nalone, he can become as God. Prometheus is \u201cthe symbol of finite reason \nand free-will (of intellectual humanity, or the higher aspect of Manas),\" \nwrites Madame Blavatsky; and again: \u201cThe Crucified Titan is the personified \nsymbol of the collective Logos, the \u2018Host\u2019, and of the \u2018Lords of Wisdom\u2019, or \nthe heavenly man, who incarnated in Humanity. . . . For the Host that \nincarnated in a portion of humanity, though led to it by Karma or Nemesis , \npreferred free-will to passive slavery, intellectual self-conscious pain and even \ntorture\u2014\u2018while myriad time shall flow\u2019\u2014to inane, imbecile, instinctual \nbeatitude. Knowing such incarnation was premature and not in the pro\u00ac \ngramme of nature, the heavenly host, \u2018Prometheus\u2019, still sacrificed itself to \nbenefit thereby, at least, one portion of mankind. But while saving man from \nmental darkness, they inflicted upon him the tortures of the self-consciousness \nof his responsibility\u2014the result of his free-will\u2014besides every ill to which \nmortal man and flesh are heir. This torture Prometheus [that is, we, in \nour higher manasic natures] accepted for himself, since the Host became \nhenceforward blended with the tabernacle prepared for them, which was \nstill unachieved at that period of formation\u201d ( Secret Doctrine , 1st ed. II, 412, \nn., 413, 421). So, as Dante in Purgatory by Beatrice, the chained Titan, \nPrometheus \u201cis released by his heaven-appointed deliverer, Herakles,\u201d the \n\n\u2018Only-Begotten One,\u2019 and the Saviour\u201d (cf. Isis , II, 515). Was it poetic \ninstinct, or a wisdom in truth not of this world, that caused Dante daringly \nto characterize his Beatrice as resembling \u201cthe Word that took flesh and dwelt \namong us,\u201d the \u201cPower and Wisdom that opened the way between heaven \nand earth\u201d? \n\nRight judgment, therefore, or the \u201cvirtue that counsels,\u201d is one aspect, \nand an important one, of Dante\u2019s conception of Beatrice; and when man\u2019s \nfree-will is turned towards the divine\u2014toward \u201cthe stars,\u201d and is purified \nfrom the coarser taints and entanglements of worldliness and self, seeking the \nTruth for its own sake, then right judgment (\u201cright discrimination\u201d) alone \nwill admit him to the adytum of a higher fane. \n\nMarion Hale. \n\n\nEvery man stamps his own value upon himself , and we are great or little accord\u00ac \ning to our own will .\u2014 Smiles. \n\n\n\\ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\nPART I, SECTIONS 7-13 \n\n\nINSTRUCTION AND ENTERTAINMENT \n\nP thTinl'in ? at th ! S gFeat U P anishad was a special degree intended \n1 the \u2122 :f 10n \u00b0 f young dlscI Ples preparing for Initiation, we shall \n\nup the naT^ 7 the tW \u00b0 COntrastln ? dements which make \n\nsteaX IL in T fi F \u00b0 r th6Se disdples \u2019 spiritual teachmg, \n\nadily ns ng m significance and penetration, step by step including the \ngreat pnnciples of the spiritual universe; and, because they were vounv \ndisciples, with this deeper instruction a strain of humorous incidents offering \ngenuine entertainment for youthful spirits, yet ever \ntheir know edge forward into the great realms they were preparing to en er \nThe parts which are more directly and evidently instmctive are all corre \n\nto haveh h a 'h 2 * v 6me \u2019 With Which we must ass ume these youthful disciples \nof thJl been \\ t . h ^ ough Preliminary studies, already familiar: nLely the chants \n\nSks= 5 :\u00a3 5 S\u00abS \u00a355 \n\nVeda of Chants\u2014consists of to'omeTg VeTLtetrf we\u2122 Veda \u201c ,he \n\nse : f r s-n \u201ctrsr r *\u00b0 r* ^ \n\nbetSih\u201cS^ t StteS ,1 h nd t ,PP 7 Priate *\u00b0 Uke lhis rekti \u2122 \n\npower or ene^Sf. a \u201d i,testr \u201c i \u00b0\"- <* \u2022 \n\nvitality is within the vesture or vehicle of the nil \u2019 kT \u00b0 f physical \n\u2022herns the ,ess\u201e\u201e of the yo\u00ab\u201eg LS is1\u00ab\u2122 8 . J ^ ^ \u201c \n\nVoice here Stands\u2122 thftype o' fhf V* Life is the Sam * chant. The \nalso the activities of the hands and the 1>S ' Ca powers of action,, which include \nThe Voice, then, is V ^ \"SSS \u201c in \n\nexercised through the physical orpine \u2019 \\ ,\u00b0 re \u00a3 eneraP y> the powers \n\ndistinguishes the body in life, from the bodv^ft^J 37 ^ J ' Ving f \u00b0 rCe which \nchant rests upon the Rig verse which furni h 7 3 1 ' Cat h ' ^ ust as the Sama \n\nits activity through theE orl?T? ^ \u00b0\" ter f \u00b0 rm ' 50 the L *e finds \nforce, and the cyanic ^ ^ \n\nharmoniously together* they are likp th^ f nc * ec * in one, and work \n\ntogether to ,\u201eJthe 4hs \u00b0 P \" t! ' & \u201c d *\u2022** blend \n\n146 \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD J47 \n\nSo with the physical power of Vision, the instrument of seeing, which is \ne foremost of our perceptive powers. There is, on the one hand, the organ \nof seeing, the eye. There is, on the other hand, the living power of the sfer \nwhich is withdrawn in coma, or in death, though the physical organ remains \n\nMinV h VTr r y thC !' e ' S the physical or \u00a3 an of hearing, and there is the \n\ntrnnL. ? 40 thC , reP \u00b0 rt \u00b0 f \u00b0 Ut6r thin ^ s comin K through the ear, and \n\ntranslates them into mental impressions, into thoughts. \n\nThen we come back again to the eye, with still more detail. There is the \n\nwhiteness o the eyeball, and the brightness of the cornea, the convex lens in \n\nretinl T Hth ^ T^' W ' th tWs is contrasted the indigo-coloured \n. retina, beyond the dark interior of the eye; the sensitive layer which receives \n\nthe image of outer things, like the sensitized film in a camera. \n\nthe \u2019 C fl T S \u00b0 n T n W '^ in thG 6ye may be inter P re ted in two ways: either as \nthe reflection of on esel f m the eye of another, or, better, as the sense of the \n\nact of ^\u201d ru hm \u00b0 ne S \u00b0 Wn Cye \u2019 When We are refle ctively conscious of the \n\nSciole o fh eommon^ experience is used to fasten the attention of the \n\ndisciple on the perceiving self within him; and, once he has been made aware \nthis perceiving self, his perception of it is deepened, once more by an appeal \n\n, 1S f am,h f r k,lowledge of the Sama chant. Just as there are the Sama \nchant, the intoned Sentence, the Formula of sacrifice, the prayer of Aspiration \n\nw V e, T' thin r I*\"*\"* \u00ab*. .nd diper layer, fcadbg \n\nbackward and upward to the Highest Self. And, in the last analysis the \n\nThat\u2022'the '^ \u00b0 ne; the f \u00b0 rm of this is tlle for m of \nhat, the two songs of That, in manifestation and in withdrawal, are the two \n\nsongs of this; the name of That, Atma, is the name of this \n\nSo the teaching is directed to render the disciple conscious, first, of the \n\n^theTeent Self & Unity; then to ra ' se his -nsciousnes \n\nto the deeper Self within. He is to realize that, just as hand and eye and \n\near are organs of the perceiving self, so that perceiving self is the organ of the \n\nthXh tf n ' \u2022 An< ? y tWS realizati \u00b0 n he attains a ^ d victory\" \nthrough the perceiving self, guided and inspired by the deeper Self, he con\u00ac \nquers this world and the worlds which are below it; and through the deeper \nSelf he wins the worlds above, the worlds of the Bright Powers. He is Lord \nof the song of divine desires who, thus knowing, sings the chant. \n\nI nlliVT! c 6Xt t0 Jf? St \u00b0 ry \u00b0 f the three ' who were excellent in singing the \n, f 1 a ?- k \u00b0? g ' l r 1S E part of what we have called the entertainment of the \nyouthful disciples. It is a vivid and amusing dialogue; it carries a definite \nspiritual meaning; and, thirdly, it does not markedly redound to the glorifica\u00ac \ntion of the priestly Brahmans. e ca \n\nShilaka and Chaikitayana are definitely described as Brahmans. The \nlrd person is, by implication of his own speech, not a Brahman. Another \nstory m this same Upamshad tells us more of him: he was a Rajanya, or \nRajput, he was a King, he was an Initiate. \n\nThe two young Brahmans, however, and here is the fine humour of the tale, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n148 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nquite cheerfully and without question accepted his suggestion of their superi\u00ac \nority, and began an instructive dialogue between themselves. But first the \none, and then the other, soon reaches the end of his knowledge, and, threatened \nwith the loss of his head, seeks safety in silence. Then the Rajput speaks. \nAnd we may, perhaps, see in what he says, a definite purpose. His answer is, \nin a sense, over the heads of the two young Brahmans, but it is intelligible to \nthe young disciples for whom these teachings were designed, in virtue of what \nthey have already been taught. \n\nHis answer is, that this World; this visible and palpable universe, rests in \nshining Ether, in the Light of the Logos; from the Logos it comes forth into \nmanifestation; into the Logos it returns in withdrawal: a part, as we know, \nof the Secret Teaching. \n\n\nbo we may imagine the intuitive hearts of the young disciples lighting up \nwith understanding. They have been entertained by a good story; they \nhave learned a lesson of wisdom. \n\nThen concerning the \u201cprogeny\u201d of the disciple Udarashandilya: this word \nas always, has a multiple meaning. First, the obvious one, of sons and \ngrandsons; next, spiritual children, disciples and their disciples; then the \nfuture incarnations of Udarashandilya; and, still higher, the deeper layers of \nthe Self, with their vestures, to which his spiritual life will lead him, until he \nenters into, and realizes his oneness with, the Supreme Self, the Eternal \nThen immediately follows another story, that of the poor wise man, Ushasti, \nand the wealthy Prince who has planned a great ceremony of sacrifice Once \n\nmore, we may note, the priestly Brahmans are treated with something less \nthan veneration. 6 \n\nThe motive of the story is worked out with humorous imagination. Hail\u00ac \nstorms have laid waste the fields and gardens of the Kurus, so that even the \nrich man of the village has nothing left but a bowl of fruit. But, with the \nrespect which the East has always rendered to devotees, he is ready to share \n\nS\"Tr u iS s r e With the needy Ushasti ' The dignity with which \nUshasti refuses the offering of the water left in a half-empty drinking cup \n\ninTvividtd 6 W > Dd T atCr Whenever he desires - ^ an entertaining touch \nk w u' ^ Ut 111S also somethin g more. Food and water are universal \nsymboJs for bodily and mental experience, the elements which n oS t h e \n\na\" s y ymbohzed 7 ti ICal ** ^ these \u00ab \u00ab\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 \n\ntn h tt, J, u he con,munion - The meaning in the story of Ushasti seems \nto be that, while he must share the common physical lot of mankind he must \n\nS' 6 c > f I* psychical life against contamination from th^mZe \n\npsychical atmosphere of the world. The devotion of the lady Atiki is Ze \n\nWe need not' follo^ & charming feature of Oriental life, \n\nhis nriestlv Brahm 'l \u2666 1 encounter of Ushasti with the Prince and \n\nThen follows .ho renine Loud Cta, Song, where the .hi,, dog and hi. \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n14c) \n\n\ncompanions imitate the priestly Brahmans singing and winding about in \nserpentine dance: for the younger disciples, a highly entertaining tale, but for \nthe older and more thoughtful students, another lesson in mystic symbolism. \n\nWe may remember that in Egypt, both Anubis and Set were dog-headed \ngods. Set was \u201cthe adversary\u201d, the reflection in matter of Osiris; Anubis \nwas \u201c the guardian of the dead\u2019 \u2019, \u201c the preparer of the way to the other world \u201d \n(during initiation also). So, we may suppose, the process of transmutation \nis indicated, the circle of the dogs, and their invocation to the Divine Powers, \nrepresenting, among other things, the aspiration of purified Kama and its \nat-one-ment with Buddhi. Since the \u2018 \u2018 serpentine power \u2019 \u2019 is called into activity \nin this transmutation, it is naturally represented here by the serpentine \ndance. Students of Dante will think of the greyhound in the first Canto of \nthe Inferno , as a kindred symbol. \n\nThen comes a short passage, more easily understood if we go back to the \nthought of the electrical potencies of sounds. The syllables enumerated may \nwell be the elements of magical incantations. \n\nVESTURES OF DIVINITY \n\nAnd so concerning the Self. The Voice, verily, is the Rig verse; the Life \nis the Sama chant. This Sama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, \nthe Sama chant is sung resting upon the Rig verse. The Voice is Sa; the Life \nis Ama. This makes Sama. \n\nThe power of Vision is the Rig Verse; the Self is the Sama chant. This Sama \nchant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung resting \nupon the Rig verse. The power of Vision is Sa; the Self is Ama. This makes \nSama. \n\nThe power of Hearing is the Rig verse; the Mind is the Sama chant. This \nSama chant rests upon the Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung \nresting upon the Rig verse. The power of Hearing is Sa; the Mind is Ama. \n\nThis makes Sama. \n\nAnd so the white brightness that is in the Eye is the Rig verse; the indigo- \ncoloured beyond the black is the Sama chant. This Sama chant rests upon \nthe Rig verse. Therefore, the Sama chant is sung resting upon the Rig verse. ^ \nAnd so the white brightness that is in the eye is Sa; the indigo-coloured beyond \nthe black is Ama. This makes Sama. \n\nAnd so this Person who is seen within the eye is the Rig verse, he is the \nSama chant, this is the intoned Sentence, this is the Formula of sacrifice, this \nis the prayer of Aspiration. That which is the form of this, is also the form \nof That. The two songs of That are the two songs of this; the name of That \nis the name of this. \n\nThose worlds which are below this world, of them he is Lord, and of the \ndesires of the sons of Man. And they who sing here with the lute sing Him; \ntherefore they are conquerors of weal th. \n\nHe who, thus knowing this, chants the Sama, sings the praise of both; \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n15 \u00b0 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ndesires ^th^ \u2019r +\u2019 v & gamS ^ worIds that are be yond that world, and the \n\n^?7 5 = -\u2014- \n\nS h.ni^\"'fittiT\u00b0 , ^ e h h \" t \u2019 t , h \u201c sk \u00bb\u00b0\"^ \"What desire \n\nthus knowing, *\u00ab. the chantLS singa *** W \u201d\u00b0' \n\naSS '\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3?S2\u00a3Z TT in s r ne ,he L \u201c\u201d d Ch \u201c* \n\nThey said: \"We 2 exi. Ten, i\u201c , '?*\u201c>'\u201c\u2022 and Pr.yahana, son \u201e( \n\n\"\u2018-5.W \u00a3~STh^ a c\u00bb. -\u25a0 \n\nFhavahana, son of Jv\u201ca said\u201d V \u201cf ^ ,h \u2122 ,s ' lvei; l \u00bbe\u00abher. Thereupon \n\n.h?rrA^.hS* W,y \u2018 ^~a, b hya: \"Co\u201ee \n\n\u2018Question me!\u201d said he. \n\n\u201cWhat is the resting-place of the Sama chant?\u201d \nt rests m the Tone,\u201d said he. \n\n\u201cWhat is the resting-place of the Tone?\u201d \n\n4i rests ln ^e Life-breath,\u201d said he. \n\n\u201c What is the resting-place of the Life-breath?\u201d \n\n( It rests in the Food,\u201d said he. \n\n\u201c\u2018What is the resting-place of the Food?\u201d \n\nIt rests in the Waters,\u201d said he. \n\nWhat is the resting-place of the Waters?\u201d \n\nThey rest in that World,\u201d said he. \n\nWhat is the resting-place of that World?\u201d \n\nestablish the SamHXnt on^hJheavtXwo iT^\u2019\u201d ^ ^ \u201c We \nthe Sama chant is praised.\u201d 7 \u00b0 r d \u2019 f \u00b0 r as the heav enly World \n\nfirmly established, of a truth, Da^bhya is thv Sam ^ Da \u2019 bhya; \u201c Not \n\nto say, \u2018Thy head will fall off-\u2019-thvh\u2019Z^ S * m * chant \u00ab one were now \n\n\u201c What is the resting-place of that World?\u201d \n\n\u2022<w^ eStS m thlS Wor,d '\u201d said he. \n\nWhat is the resting-place of this World?\u201d \n\nfirmly establishThe^amfclJanto'!, Ihe Worid ^ \" We \n\nis praised.\u201d tne World - for as the foundation the Sama \n\nc&^r^wrxTy^ *-\u2022 \n\nhead would indeed fall off!\u201d y \u2019 Th ^ head will fall off! \u2019\u2014thy \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n\u25a0 5 i \n\n\n\u201cCome then, let me know this from thee, worthy Sir!\u201d \n\n\u2018\u2018Know it!\u201d said he. \n\n\u201cWhat is the resting-place of this World?\u201d \n\nIt rests in shining Ether,\u201d said he. \"All these beings, verily, come forth \ninto manifestation from shining Ether; to shining Ether they go from mani\u00ac \nfestation; shining Ether, verily, is more potent than these beings; shining \nEther is their highest home.\u201d This, verily, is the most excellent Loud Chant \nSong, this has no end. The most excellent is his, most excellent worlds he \nconquers, who, thus knowing this, reverences the most excellent Loud Chant \nSong. \n\nWhen Atidhanvan Shaunaka declared this to his disciple Udarashandilya, \nhe said: \u201c As long as they shall know this Loud Chant Song among thy progeny! \nso long will their living in this World be most excellent, and so also in that \nWorld.\u201d For he who, thus knowing, reverences this, his living in this World \nis most excellent, and so also in that World,\u2014he has a World in that World. \n\nWhen the Kurus were devastated by hailstorms, a certain very poor man, \nUshasti, son of Chakra, lived with his wife, Atiki, in the village of a man of \ngreat possessions. He sought alms of food of the rich man, who was eating \n\nstewed fruit. The rich man said, \u201cI have none but these that are set before \nme!\u201d \n\n\u201cThen give me some of these!\u201d said he. He gave them to him, saying: \n\u201cDrink of this water also!\u201d \n\n\u201c Nay, for that would be for me to drink leavings!\u201d said he. \n\n\u201cAre not these also leavings?\u201d \n\n\u201cIf I were not to eat these, I could not live,\u201d said he. \u201cBut I can drink \nwater at my desire.\u201d \n\nWhen he had eaten, he carried what was left to his wife, but she had already \nreceived alms; so taking them, she put them away. Rising early in the \nmorning, he said. If we could obtain food, we could gain a measure of wealth \nalso. The Prince there is offering a sacrifice, and he might select me for all \nthe ritual offices!\u201d \n\nHis wife said to him: \u201cHere, my lord, is this fruit.\u201d Eating the fruit, he \nwent to the place where the sacrifice was proceeding. \n\nThere approaching the priests of the chant, who were about to sing the \nopening praise, he said to the priest of the opening praise: \u201cPriest, if thou \nshalt sing the opening praise, not knowing that Divinity which is correlated \nwith the opening praise, thy head will fall off! \u201d \n\nIn the same way, verily, he said to the priest of the chant: \n\n\u201cPriest, if thou shalt sing the chant, not knowing that Divinity which is \ncorrelated with the chant, thy head will fall off!\u201d \n\nIn the same way, verily, he said to the priest of the response: \n\n\"Priest, if thou shalt sing the response, not knowing that Divinity which \nis correlated with the response, thy head will fall off!\u201d \n\nThereupon they stopped and seated themselves in silence. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n152 theosophical quarterly \n\nS_ Th en the master of the sacrifice said to him: \u201cI desire to know thee, worthy \n\nI am Ushasti, son of Chakra! \u201d said he. \n\nnofable to findT h ght W \u00b0T y Sir \u2019 f \u00b0 r a \" these ritual offices i when I was \nnot able to find thee, I selected others! But, worthy Sir, I request thee to \nperform all these ritual offices for me!\u201d q \n\n\u2018 \u2018 Let it be so! But let these now sing the chants with my permission \u2022 and \n\n\"ufitT I ,*\u2022 lh r,r ,ds * *\u00b0 ihe \u2122'\u00bb\u00bb\u00bb* ^\u00abit \u00abh\u201d\u00b0 \u2122.r \n\nLet it be so! said the master of the sacrifice. \n\nhen the priest of the opening praise came up to him and said: \n\n,his \n\nThen the priest of the chant came up to him and said \u2022 \u201c Thnu vi * * \n\nDivinity that is!\u201d y ueaa win tall off! Tell me, worthy Sir, what \n\nhigh 1 ' \" F Z f the \u201c <*\u2022\u00ab\u2022 ** \u00ab\u2022 Praise of the Sun \u201e\u201e \n\nwhat Divinity that is!\u201d * \u2022 Tel1 me > worthy Sir, \n\nFood. This fs\u00b0the Divfnity wbfa Hve by partakin g of the \n\nhadst sung the response, notknowW this n ^ TO ? the res P\u00b0 nse - If thou \noff, as I had so declared to thee! \u201d * Vmi y \u2019 thy llead would have fallen \n\nThen follows the canine Loud Chant Srmo- mu \nDalbhya, or Glava Maitreya, who went forth & fnr here , was a certain B &ka \na white dog appeared. Other dogs gather\u2019 * acred stud y- Before him \n\u201cDo thou, worthy Sir, sing food for us? for we woul^eaD d \u00b0 g ' S#id: \n\n2 SS\u00a3Z\u00a3IrZZ ^ ^ to me!\u201d \n\n. Then, verily, as pfeste aW toT\u2019 T \u00b0\" the Watch for \u00ab*m. \ncircle and wind about in serpentine dance ^o did the PU , nficatl0n ' Join in a \n\nssr d \u201c\u201c- Th \u201c^ - *\u00ab \u00a3\u00a3 \n\nLet us eat! Om! Let us drink! Lord of the heavenly vault! \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n153 \n\n\nLord of beings! Lord of the Sun! Bring ye food here! Lord of food, bring \nfood here! Bring food, bring! Om!\u201d \n\nNow concerning the meaning of the tones. The tone Ha-u is this World. \nThe tone Ha-i is the great Breath. The tone A-tha is the lunar Lord. The \ntone I-ha is the Self. The tone I is the Fire-lord. The tone U is the solar \nLord. The tone E is the invocation. The tones Au-ho-i are the Bright \nPowers, the Host. The tone Hin is the Lord of Beings. The vibratory tone \nis the Life-breath. The tone Ya is the Food. The Voice is Viraj, the Radiant. \nThe tone Hun is the undefined thirteenth interposed trill. \n\nThe Voice milks milk for him, that which is the milk of the Voice; he be\u00ac \ncomes possessed of the Food, and eater of the Food, who thus knows this \nhidden meaning of the Sama chants,\u2014who knows this hidden meaning. \n\nC. J. \n\n\nThose who have true worth in themselves can never envy it in others.\u2014- Sidney. \n\n\nBe that which you wish to help others to become. Let your life , not your words , \nbe a sermon . \u2014 Ami el. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nALL THAT WE HAVE IS NOT OURS \n\n\nW E stroll down the street, tired and hungry; it has been a lively day. \n\nThe procession has passed and everybody is finding his way \nhome. From the distance, sounds the beat of a drum; a band has \nleft the line of march and is also going its way like ourselves. \n\nAs it approaches, we step up to the curb and watch and listen. On either \nside of the musicians and also following, are the usual assortment of street \nurchins and gutter children. Watch the boys!\u2014they swing along in proper \nstep and time, and keep, to the accompaniment of the music, an impromptu \nformation which could not otherwise have been forced with a rod of iron. \n\nWe follow. The boys, with wild childish natures temporarily inhibited, are \nheld by the glamour of the uniforms and the rhythm of the march; they carry \non till the last\u2014until the \u201coldsters\u201d break ranks and go into the hotels at \nrandom\u2014and then hang around, tied by the reverberations echoing in their \nminds, gradually dispersing to their usual diversions until the next demon\u00ac \nstration by another orchestra at another time. \n\n******** \n\nSomewhat oblivious of people, I walked along, heading for the entrance \nwhere we go down the steps to take our train. A beautiful shining morning, \nand I was coming from a very quiet, rare place\u2014rare in being infrequent \nboth in time and number\u2014and in coming away I was wary lest I meet myself \ntoo soon. \n\nI passed someone who hesitated, half turned and looked; our paths were \nopposite; I kept going, hardly noticing, going down\u2014 \n\n\u201cDown to the base court\u201d- \n\nBeyond, a man on the platform; unmistakably a hard drinker\u2014his affair; \nbut why should he turn several shades more purple as I pass? I kept very \nquiet. \u201cI must not be home before I reach the house.\u201d I would not regard \nhim. \n\nThe train rolled in, and as I moved through the door, three youths emerged; \na fragment of a remark; a gesture, advertising buoyancy. They were almost \ngone\u2014almost; one gave a quick glance in avoiding me; youth has good eye\u00ac \nsight and is sensitive, and in that instant he was trapped. Leaving his friends \nwithout parting, he slipped back into the car and sat on the opposite side. \n\nI still kept steady and poised. I knew what happened: the man I passed \non the street; the old soak on the platform. That young couple over there \nhave dropped their conversation by instantaneous mutual consent, have \nforgotten each other as they join the youth to observe me. Several others \nbecome quiet; but I can draw the line between the quick and the dead. \n\ni54 \n\n\nALL THAT WE HAVE IS NOT OURS \n\n\n155 \n\n\n\u201cNow be quiet, now be silent\u2014steady\u2014steady\u2014Do not even think!\" \n\nWhat were they like? Do you believe that I would dare to look at them, \nand obtrude my low and vulgar personality between them and what they felt \nand tried to understand? I could not\u2014I could not. \n\nI knew, only; but they, like the boys with the music, just thought they \nknew and were silent like me because they could not say to themselves just \nwhat it was. Momentarily and interiorly caught, they followed along in \nperfect time and synchronism. \n\nAnother stop. The boy followed me out, and loafed around with unswerv- \ning attention but courteous reserve, until I caught my next train. \n\nThings were quiet; few were going and coming. I leaned back to look out. \nThere was a party of two couples in front, out for a pleasant day. One of \nthe young ladies slipped off her coat, and that manoeuvre brought me within \nher field of vision. \n\n\u201c Now be careful\u2014keep on being quiet\u2014pretend you don\u2019t observe\u2014silence \n\u2014look out of the window.\u201d \n\nShe could not resist the irresistible prompting to see what could not be \nseen. Taking a book, she left her friends in a puzzled quandary, and sat \nto my right, a little back\u2014she would know what it was\u2014she would watch and \nsee. \n\nAlmost home now\u2014almost. \n\nA rare privilege? An auspicious sign? \n\nNo; on the contrary, No. A rare (regrettably) rare recognition, not of a \nprivilege or favour, but of a standing opportunity and unceasing duty and \nobligation. \n\nDo we not march along in good form and proper step, with all our instru\u00ac \nments and no music: why? How can we expect those to respond who not \nonly need, and not only are ready for our silent rhythm and-melody, but who \ncrave it without knowing that they do so, if we keep it all to ourselves,\u2014that \nwhich is not ours, which was only loaned to us to be handed on to others; \nthose who are here now in vastly greater numbers than we realize. \n\nReally now, have we any true notion of the rapidly increasing number of \nfolk who are at this moment following paths, parallel, but not identical with \nours, and from amongst whose impromptu ranks we could draw a few, enthral \nseveral, and give them what we hold for them, if they could only hear with \ntheir hearts that which cannot be spoken until we know just who and where \nthey are ? \n\nMust all of our attention be personal preoccupation? Must that be the \nrule all the time? Why\u2014why can we not let go a little now and then; and \nthen a little more practice\u2014why not? The efforts once started will gather \nimpetus. We shall build on the reaction until we never , never cease to be \nconscious of what we are trying to do. \n\nIn certain respects, there can be no supererogation. \n\n\nR. B. A. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY \n\n\nit as the Beautiful '* \" ^ 05 the Good; he who has seen it, desires \n\nPlotinus. \n\n\nT T ^?s h tLS ra po\u201cf\u201e^vST' , *\u00bb\u00ab \n\nintermediate between the animal and the \u2019l* p,anet; that ;t is \n\nprocess. The psychic man can be tr^ncf a \u2022 ume P^ ases of a continuing \nman. Many students of Theosophy bdielTLrt h f keneSS \u00b0 f the s P iritual \n\noccurred in certain exalted natures and that t\\ \" sformatlon ha s already \n\nposed of men who have thus accomplished thfw ^ L \u00b0 dg6 \u00b0 f MaSters is com ' \n\nfor every member of the human kingdom. ^ \u00b0 h ' dea \" y re ^rved \n\nPenetrated the generJcontdousnels If \"he* ^ \u201c these have \n\na cause of joy and ^ ^ Sense \u2019 * ls \n\nappreciates the faith and valour of those men of r^ aVera 2 e Student fully \n\nSST effort to the spirituaI \n\nFmnc^ thought is the \n\nsuch as La Sensibilite Metaphysique knd la tech nical works, \n\nbest known for his very readable little treatise nfjh\"\"* * l \u00b0 Morale > but \nimagination, Le Bovarysme. This title wac , e USG anc * a ^ use of the \n\nBovary. The lower self of man is S P by Fla ^ert\u2019s Madame \n\nthat ,t is something other than that which^taltuTh t0 ^ &nd to others \nmg that its lies are true,\u2014the chronic state of Mad \u201c? * 6nds by beHev ' \ne image-making power of the mind which ic n T 6 Bovary - However, \ncan be rightly used to make manifest The tue ^ by the lower ** \n\nZ S ^TL^ h ; d 3PPlied ber ^ a ^^Sse A ^ \n\nb t d0Ctrine * a -ent \n\nEpicurus, Jesus.\u201d' His theme is the \u201cinner Morahty: Pythagoras \n\nmortal personality of man 111' beenmetmlrT* I ^ Signifies th ^e \nype. He believes that \u201cthis inner event ha^T^T* 0 \u2018 tS spiritual proto\u00ac \nhearts of isolated individuals and bv ,>< <- a [ eady been realized in the \n\nperpetuation of human societ^ \u201d T Ie st or ^ O ^ the cause of the \nconsummation. Pythagoras and Epfcu^TaTl '*** to Such a \n\nforerunners of the Master. P are re P rese nted by Gaultier as \n\n\n1 Mtrcurc de France : May i, J une i t i S( \n\n\n156 \n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY \n\n\n157 \n\n\ne essays seem to be the fruit of metaphysical speculation rather than of \nmySt \u2018 Cal expenence - Even a friendly critic will find many statements with \nwhich he may find it impossible to agree. There are passages which recall \na poem in prose, in which the protagonists bear the illustrious names of the \nancient sages, but speak the thoughts of the poet. The style is often so \ninvolved that the translator is forced to take the risk of paraphrasing in order \nto render what he believes to be the author\u2019s meaning. Moreover, Gaultier \nhas an exasperating habit of using old words in a new sense, and of leaving \nthe reader to discover this sense without assistance. Nevertheless, the \npresent reviewer ventures to proclaim these three articles as among the most \nremarkable works of the kind that have been brought to his attention. \n\naultier believes that if true human morality can be realized, \u201cit must be \nby the increasing intensity, in every human heart, of the contemplative sense, \not the power to enjoy things without possessing them, and by the multipli\u00ac \ncation, in the bosom of the species, of men endowed with this power.\u201d This \ntrue morality is not to be identified with any particular code of ethics, for \nreasons which he makes quite clear. He calls it \u201caesthetic morality\u201d, the \nterm aesthetic\u201d, as he uses it, being practically synonymous with \u201ccon\u00ac \ntemplative . \n\nWhat is needed is the birth, or rather the recovery, of a real moral sense, \nwhich will of itself control our activities as infallibly as an animal\u2019s instinct \nguides it along the lines of action proper to its species. However, such a \nsense must be acquired, like every other sense, by effort, by triumphing over \nresistance and inertia. For the present, there can be little hope that more \nthan a few can perform the miracle. But if those few succeed, the race will \ne preserved, as it has been preserved for centuries by others who gained \ntheir measure of success in the past. Such an idea cannot be unfamiliar to \nstudents of Theosophy who have heard of the appeal of the Masters for Chelas- \nor recruits who are willing to separate themselves from the mass of the race \nand to perfect themselves for the sake of humanity. \n\nGaultier makes this general definition of morality, that it is \u201cthe sum total \nof the modes of being that condition the life of a species.\u201d Every species \nhas its proper morality, and the lives of its members are moral in so far as \nley conform to the purposes which are characteristic of the species In \nthe lower kingdoms, \u201cNature works directly and, as it were, blindly towards \nthe determination of useful reactions.\u201d However, man-that is, elemental \nman persuades himself that it is his prerogative to intervene, to decide \nwhat is useful, to assign to his destiny ends of his own choosing, and to attain \nthem by means that he has arbitrarily selected.\u201d In other words, by virtue \no his mental self-consciousness, the human entity interrupts the direct cur\u00ac \nrent of \u201cpurpose\u201d in Nature, and diverts it, as he fancies, to serve his private \nhappiness. \n\nThere is ample reason for believing that Nature cannot tolerate the spectacle \no a creature which deliberately tries to live for its own pleasure alone. The \nelemental man has, therefore, an anomalous status in Nature. He has been \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n158 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ndisobedient to the moral laws of his species, and part of the penalty which he \nmust suffer is the corruption of the animal instincts of his body. He can no \nlonger trust these \u201cto determine his useful reactions,\u201d for he has infused \ninto them a psychic colour which is quite alien to the healthy animal state. \nFor example, a normal wild animal is guided by an instinct, correlated with \nthe sense of taste, to eat what is necessary to maintain its bodily functions \nin proper order. In the elemental man this instinct has in general either \nretired into a potential condition, or it has been almost completely distorted \nfrom its original purpose by association with a psychic \u201ccomplex\u201d, with the \ndesire to enjoy the sensation of eating and to repeat the sensation as often \nas possible. \n\nThe conscious and subconscious purpose of elemental man may, indeed, be \nreduced to a confused but continuous desire to experience pleasurable sensa\u00ac \ntion, and to a corresponding dread of painful sensation. The sensation sought \nor feared may be physical or emotional or mental or even\u2014in the ordinary \nsense of the word intellectual. The same order of motive may be said to \nprevail on all these planes of his life. \n\nGaultier dwells, in particular, upon that form of the desire for sensation \nwhich is manifested in consciousness as the desire for possessions. It is \nassumed that one cannot enjoy a thing unless he possesses it. This may be \na psychic extension and perversion of the acquisitive instinct observable in \nmany animals. In any event, the regulation of the human acquisitive in\u00ac \nstinct becomes an acute problem whenever two or three or more human \nentities are gathered together in a society. The effort of such a society to \nprevent one of its members from taking what belongs to another, takes shape \nin some ethical code. \n\nWe may believe that ethics is, in one sense, the first effort of Nature to \ncorrect the diseased condition which has resulted from the disobedience of \nmen to the proper moral law of their species. Unfortunat ely, the effectiveness \no an ethical code in any given society appears to be mainly dependent upon \ntwo factors,\u2014upon the stability and integrity of the police power which \nenforces it, and upon the faith of the multitude that it serves their best inter- \n\nished n \u00b0th I f 'V\u00b0\u00b0 aCtiV6ly - In the P ast - when ^is faith has dimm\u00ac \ned, the authority of the police power has decreased in proportion, for the \n\npolice were men like the others. One remembers the history of past civiliza- \n\nbelfeve that t ^ PP TT m the nigb t of time, because men ceased to \nlonger t0 r6Strain their ac ffuisitive instincts any \n\nmSST haS n T d Certa \u2019 n danger \u2018 signa, s upon our own horizon. During the \nwisf Tv Until qUite r6Cent times \u2019 the ma i\u00b0 r >ty of people in he \n\nbTaZt\u2019Zt lltt T qUeSti \u00b0 n ' that thC g0 \u00b0 d man might be Arable \n\nhere, but after death would go to heaven; that the wicked man might have \na wonderful time on earth, but after death would go to hell This did nit \nprevent men from committing crimes, though it had a restraining effect But \nhow many to-day believe in the old-fashioned, concrete heavenTnd heU? \n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY \n\n\none S \u2022\u201c e *\"\u25a0* Ci,ies ' ,l \u00bb \u00ab\u25a0\u00ab\u25a0\u00bb\u00bb of \n\nthe decay of theologicalXthhT h T, ? ? Premely signific ant, because \n\nMoreover, in the prTent ai of be , en P aralle1 ^ by a decrease in moral faith. \nIt is pretended that by multinlT T SClenCe \u2019 tb \u00ae re ls an additional menace, \nbe able to increase^\u00b0 Self - indulge ^ men may \nto provide enough Jor a T to \u00b0 f pleasure - 50 a * ultimately \n\nexposes without difficulty the root of W fh'\u00b0 U \u00b0 r dlscontent - Gaultier \n\ninvariably developed more m P X than tTT- NeW desires are \n\n\"f* them * uponS\u201d *\" - \n\nof the^moHve^wliich^nduc^thelvTO^' 31111 '^ \"J ^ ** - \n\nrestraint. Self-restraint h !\u201ed Z TTT t0 Hve a Hfe of relative self- \n\nto be human in any realms! No\u00ae T n f 6Cessary - befor \u00ab \u00b0ne can begin \n\nethical code as regards its obTective TT' be direCted against \u00b0ur \nsatisfaction \u2018\u00b0T \u00ab\u00bb \n\naverage mortal has no vision w Wc\u2122 f\u2019 The trouble is that the \n\nself-restraint. He agrees to check himTf \u00b0 T uItlmate implication of his \nfeels assured that in some tan m hi \u00b0 ^ certam directions as long as he \n\nbehaviour. He persists in the A *1 Way \u2019 he W,U be warded for his virtuous \nof life. Preacher\"!\u201c the end \nbecause they share it with him The t0 f \u00b0 rtlfy hls delusi \u00b0n, perhaps \n\nanother, that his sensationsT/l J 7 ^ te \" ing him ' in one way or \n\nlife- The preachis and rlornr^ m \u00b0 re P T SUrable if b e Hve an honourable \nwhat else cLld th\" Ly^ tTprovideThe' \"t 0 ** 0 * right . aad . in any case, \nliving? But ideas of what Constitutes m3n W ' th a motlve for ri ght \n\na clear appreciation of the facts. When thT ^ n0t ahvays . based u P\u00b0 n \nthat his idea of pleasure is preferable to the A m0rtal . 1S convinced \n\nhe loses his fear of punishment his moral i ^ \u00b0 f the mora l lst - and when \nforce of habit, and he wT eX tl he will tend to lose the \n\nWhen he becomes representative of the m > a dangerous or useless citizen, \ndisintegration of the society to which h hT* 7 \u00b0 f Cltlzens \u2019 lt; would seem that \nThe supreme need, So re t ft T f' T* be \nhumanity who will have the courage to admitXT^ 3 \u2019 the average of \n\nmotives, including evT thIToT\u2018\u2018XptXbie\u00bb b TT of ordiaary human \nand who will undertake the labour of creatine w?/ thC m \u00b0 St \u2018 vlrt uous\u201d, \nkind of motivation radically different from the old ThLT-T^\u00ae 3 \nconstitute a caste of contemblatives within th ' T lndlv iduals must \n\ngi^novco completely to the desire f\u201er senJi\u2122\u201d m, \" l<,nd ' W \u201c Ch \u201c \n\ndating contemplation ii* th\" Jthetic' them \u201d V asso- \n\n- s \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ni6o \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nwhen they are so deeply concentrated upon the object of their perception or \nstudy, that they are personally indifferent to the kind of sensations which \nthey may be experiencing at the moment, whether these be, in ordinary terms, \npleasant or painful. These men have temporarily achieved, in some measure, \nthat which the real contemplative has accomplished permanently. They \nhave \u201creduced the acquisitive instincts to a point of possible co-existence.\u201d \nThe instincts, which are so infused with psychic elements in the average \nperson, have been restored\u2014even if only for a moment\u2014to a condition re\u00ac \nsembling their pristine natural state, to \u201cthe condition of a biological \nnecessity.\u201d \n\n\u201cMan has taken consciousness as a means of reforming action. He has \nnot understood that it is an end in itself; that through the metamorphosis of \naction into vision the Sovereign Good is attained.\u201d However, there is no \nimplication that this vision is a passive state. \"The joy of contemplation \nis the activity of consciousness exercising itself in accordance with its own \nnature. We find Plotinus saying that all genuine contemplation overflows \ninto action, and that the veritable creative power in man or God impresses \nitself upon substance through the medium of an act which spontaneously \nexpresses or symbolizes pure vision. \n\nIn terms of the moral life, according to Gaultier, the great distinction of \ncontemplative joy is that it is the true reward of virtue, but only when this \nreward is not sought. It crowns the life\u2019s work of the hero who has finally \nlearned to labour without thought or expectation of any recompense for \nlmself. Only the courage of having descended into the abyss of pain in \nthe world of illusions, can give one access to the joy of victory.\u201d \n\nJr/ n f\u00b0 ther , passage - Gau,tier refers to the contemplative condition as that \n\nth 2 Lw e r f e \\ S \u00b0 Ul \u00b0 f the World enters into Self-knowledge \n\nthrough the agency of the individual Soul which is its emanation. In the \n\nexperience of the individual consciousness, it is the direct testimony of its \nparticipation m a universal consciousness. \u201cIn our own heart. Brahma \nthe Indian God, the whole of our being, awakes and dreams no more.\u201d \n******** \n\nThis condition is so remote from our present dreaming state that a In\u2122 \npurification of win and though, is necessary before the Can conions \nness c an receive the necessary enlightenment which may then be said to \ndescend like the grace of God. Gaultier has selected Pythagoras as a hero \n\nof the moral life, as a patron saint of those who would undertake to strengthen \nand to individualize their will by purification unaertake to strengthen \n\ntha?\u201ct P he th mTt rean \u201c tat \u00b0 r \u2019 Hier \u00b0 CleS> inter P reted Master as teaching \nsmrit \u201d But thif! ? ad \u201c nt \u00b0 f Pure P hilos \u00b0phy is the contempt \n\ni neretore, the Pythagoreans and their allies the QtmVc \u2022 \n\n.WO exercises. The aspirant mu,, p\u201e ri(y bis \u201et\u201ere by ae ls\u201dtTS \n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY 161 \n\nto participate in the lower man\u2019s desire to reduce life to the repetition of \npleasurable sensations, and by the repression of those actions which gratify \nonly the lower man; and he must reflect upon the majesty and splendour of \nthe Divine Principle which pervades the Universe, and which endows it with \nits order and mysterious beauty. He must do these things as if he already de\u00ac \nsired to do them with the undivided force of his personality, although actually \nhe may still feel acutely the glamorous attraction of sensation, and although \nhe cannot yet see the inward beauty of Nature, but only has faith that the \nbeauty is there. Faith in the reality of the Divine Principle must be sufficient \nfor him at all times. Gradually, however, he should begin to experience a \nsentiment which is, as it were, the premonition of contemplative joy. He will \nexperience a disinterested satisfaction in the thought that the essence of \nNature is divine. He will undertake to do what little he can toward the \nawakening or strengthening of a kindred satisfaction in the hearts of others. \nIn the ideal Stoic Commonwealth of Humanity, the philosopher is the servant \nof the gods and of mankind. \n\nMarcus Aurelius has excellently defined this gentle spirit: \u201c Let the fulfilling \nof those things which the common nature hath determined, be unto thee as \nthy health. Accept, then, and be pleased with whatsoever doth happen, \nthough otherwise harsh and displeasing, as tending to that end, to the health \nand welfare of the Universe, and to the joy and prosperity of Zeus.\u201d \n\nThere was nothing sentimental, however, in the practice of the great Stoics, \nor in the maxims of Pythagoras. Gaultier says aptly that their moral training \nculminated in \u201cthe practice of courage in its most intense form, of the courage \nwhich a man needs in the struggle to dominate his own instincts.\u201d He speaks \nof such heroic morality as a phase in the bosom of which develops secretly \nthe contemplati\\je sense, as under the mantle of the caterpillar proceeds the \nslow elaboration bf the organs of the winged butterfly. By its mediation is \nrealized an ascesis , a spiritualization and a sublimation of the human type.\u201d \n\nThe Stoic thus becomes, in his degree, an individual , unifying his powers and \nsubjecting the lower instincts to the commands of his will. He can be trusted \nwith new powers of vision and action which would consume an undisciplined \npersonality. \u201cIn Stoicism, the metamorphosis is already accomplished. \nThe caterpillar is provided with wings, though it has not yet cast off the \nmantle, so that it still preserves the appearance of a worm. The law of irony \npresiding over all great activities so orders events that, to attain the greatest \ntension, the creature must ignore the end toward which it is moving.\u201d One \nrecalls the words of the prophet: \u201cEye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither \nhave entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for \nthem that love him.\u201d \n\nGaultier continues: \u201cA supreme courage implying renunciation of joy, and \nacceptance of the most cruel evils, brings him to the summit of the mount \nbefore a vision of beauty which overwhelms him with a bliss which he has not \nsought. Renunciation, courage, Titanic valour, are all converted into a \npositive instinct which triumphs over the lower passions by opposing to them \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n162 \n\na passion yet more strong. By some metaphysical alchemy, the moral tem\u00ac \nperature, raised to its highest degree, is resolved into a new state wherein the \njoy of victory replaces the consciousness of tense effort.\u201d \n\n******** \n\nThe Pythagoreans and the Stoics illustrate the way to liberation through \npurification of motive, through sustained self-control, through the acceptance \nand service of an ideal. Another method of releasing the soul from the \nobsession of the desire for sensation, was taught by Epicurus. There is no \nnecessary contradiction between the moral catharsis of the Pythagoreans, and \nthe mental discipline of the disciples of Epicurus. The differences between \nthe two schools are differences of emphasis, and, in the same nature, the two \nmethods may supplement each other. \n\nOur word \u201cepicure\u201d suggests an unflattering view of Epicurus; but whatever \nmay have been the delinquencies of his followers, we have the testimony \nof a disciple that \u201cthe life of Epicurus, by comparison with that of other \nmen, appears to us, by virtue of his gentleness and moderation, to have been \na myth.\u201d It is true that he identified the quest of truth with the search for \nthe principle of happiness; but the happiness which he presented as the goal \nof the philosophical life, was the faculty of contemplating the nature of things \nwith an ever-increasing, disinterested delight. To prepare body and mind \nfor the exercise of this faculty, seems to have been the main subject of his \ninstruction. Far from advocating a refined self-indulgence, he imposed a \nsevere and unremitting training upon mind and body, preparing them to \nundergo without passion or strain the pressure of circumstances, favourable \nor adverse. Although it is necessary for the human being to experience both \npleasure and pain, he insisted that it is equally base to be the slave of either. \n\nUnfortunately his doctrine has come down to us, as Gaultier says, more \namputated than the marbles of antiquity. One can only surmise the details \nby reference to such fragments as the following: \n\n\u201cFalse judgment and error are always caused by what is added to experi\u00ac \nence by the mind. \n\n\u201cIt is not the stomach which is insatiable, but our false opinion concerning \nits supposedly indefinite capacity. \n\n\u201c Believe that God is an incorruptible and blessed Being, and attach to your \nidea of Him nothing that is inconsistent with incorruptibility or with bliss. \n\n\u201cIt is not continued drinkings and revels and feasts of fish or such things \nthat make life pleasant, but sober contemplation which examines into the \nreasons for choice and avoidance, and which puts to flight the vain opinions \nfrom which arises the greater part of the confusion troubling our souls. \n\n\u201cIt is a superlative joy for the soul to investigate those things which have \nbeen the causes of its greatest sufferings.\u201d \n\nGaultier describes the method of Epicurus as \u201cthe culture of images.\u201d The \nmaxims given above suggest that the philosopher sought the source of human \nevil in the misuse of the imagination, and that he believed it was possible, \nby changing the habits of the imagination, to convert it into a cause of human \n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY \n\n\n163 \n\n\ngood. In Epicureanism the power of the will is not stressed as in Stoicism. \nFor this reason it lacks the splendid inspiration which shines through the \nwritings of the great Stoics. It has, however, its own version of truth which \nmay be examined with much profit. \u201cBehind will stands desire,\u201d and desire \nis intimately connected with the image-making power of the mind. \n\nEpicurus seems to have begun his teaching by emphasizing the need of \nreleasing the force now stored in wrong or useless mental images, before one \ncan hope effectively to turn his full attention to the building of images of truth. \nGaultier comments as follows: \n\n\u201cEpicurus distinguishes between desires which are both natural and neces\u00ac \nsary; those which are natural without being necessary; and those which, \nbeing neither natural nor necessary, are the products of a vain opinion.\u201d Since \nthe actual \u201cquantity\u201d of desire available to a man at any given moment is \nlimited, it follows that the spiritualization of desire is possible only in so far \nas the lower forms of its manifestation in the mind are enfeebled and destroyed. \n\u201cEpicurus refuses the power of procuring happiness to all desires which are \nnot both natural and necessary. \u2018Even the pleasure of the body,\u2019 he said, \n\u2018cannot increase once that the pain caused by some need is suppressed; it \ncan only diversify itself.\u2019 \u201d A first step towards checking the waste of psychic \nforce would thus be to discover certain limits defining the natural and neces\u00ac \nsary pleasures of bodily life, and to refuse to pass beyond those limits. A \nsecond step would be to hinder the mind from brooding over the memories \nof physical sensation, and from anticipating the pleasure of repeating the \nsensation. \n\nAgain, the powers of imagination are expended in irrational fears,\u2014fears \nof death, of physical or mental suffering, of God or man or beast. There is \na normal instinct warning an animal of danger; but when the danger is past, \nthere is ample evidence that the fear completely disappears from the animal\u2019s \nconsciousness. It would be the same for man, if he could learn to check the \nmomentum of the natural and necessary emotion of fear, for it is this uncon\u00ac \ntrolled momentum that converts a physical and momentary sensation into \nits psychic counterpart, and prolongs an instant of pain into hours and days \nof unnecessary and idiotic suffering. \n\nBy the repression of useless desires and fears, two objects are accomplished. \nFirst, the imagination is released from the habit of serving the purposes of \nthe psychic, elemental man. Secondly, the force of the imagination can be \nre-integrated upon a higher plane of thought. \n\nIn his commentary, Gaultier describes this transfiguration of the imagina\u00ac \ntion as \u201cthe conversion of sensation into vision.\u201d The sensuous, elemental \nnature is externalized, so that in the vision of the soul it appears to be as \nobjective as the events of the phenomenal world which are known through the \nphysical senses. Gaultier refers, of course, not to an -astral but to a moral \nexperience. It is a continuation of \u201cthe same evolution and the same meta\u00ac \nmorphosis which, at the beginning of the epic of life, are expressed in the \npassage from sensation to perception, and which transmute a body reacting \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n164 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto contact alone, into a body sensitive also to form, colour, sound and odour. \nJoy and sorrow become a single term subordinate to a higher psychic activity. \n\n1 hey are progressively objectivized and converted into objects of contem- \nplation. \n\nIt would seem that the Epicurean training was finally concentrated upon \nthe effort to attain to a selfless vision of Nature,\u2014to such a vision as was \nie prerogative of the gods. Epicurus used to spend hours in quiet recollec- \nion before the images of the gods in the temples, as if he felt that he might \nereby develop in himself a deeper sympathy with the divine way of viewing \nthe world. The great poem of Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, illustrates to \n\u2022 1 de ^ ee of disinterested fervour a genius, disciplined by Epicurean prin\u00ac \nciples, could be moved through meditation upon the processes whereby the \nUniverse is periodically brought into being and destroyed. He loses his \nself-concern in the contemplation of the unfathomable depths of space and \n,\u2122. and ta\u00abs to communicate to others this \u201e\u201e se of Ubera P tio \u201e \u201c \n\nEni l 7 J! h f Z u mS6 f T \u00b0 a S ' milar sentiment ma y be attributed a saying of \n\u2022 P th p S W K Ch S ? mS ,, t \u00b0 C \u00b0 nVey the vef y essence of what was oldest and purest \n\nuVan szzi the worid ' and * - at -*\u00bb\u2014 \n\nnnK\u00b0 WeVe J' ! he f EpiCUreanS ' like the Pythagoreans Ind the Stoics give one \nonly an ideal of contemplative joy. They fail to impart the unmistakable \n.mpression of its hvin g reality. This living reality Gaultier finds invests \naultier is not an orthodox Christian, and many of the unorthodox will \nfind much to criticize in his interpretation of Jesus He 1 7 \n\n\u201c'\u00b0 th ' one aspect* of ,\u00a3 \n\ne believes to be the most important of all. For Gaultier the Mot \u2022 ,, \nman who lived contemplatively , the representative of a new\u2019human snect \u2019 \n{homo estheticus). In the reviewer\u2019s on,' nine r u- . species \n\nimage which he presents is, at least, far removed from anTofThfoon 7 \nmisconceptions of our time It ic neither \u201e c a y 1 th P\u00b0P ular \n\nn,cn.,l nor pla.itadinonc 'I, \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3^2 \n\nAs Gaultier describes him, the Mastpr ic i* \u2022 \u25a0, \n\nof the ideal which was perceived as a distant \u201dk *7 complete expression \nThere is in him this sa^SS&ii^S T * ^ f eat P hilos \u00b0Phers. \nbeen definitely translated from the life f \u2022 6 centre of consciousness has \nI. is no, \n\n,oy. .nd sorrows. even such as .. W. are In by ^\u2019 47 ^ \n\n\nCONTEMPLATION AND MORALITY \n\n\n165 \n\n\u00abrh\u201cb,e'SrlT\u201c Thoueh I\u00bb sees them as \n\n\u00ab\u00bb \u00ab- Po\u00ac \nme meT S T\u2018 '* o'sp,'\u00ab\u201cch\" h s \n\ntion inte ! f \u2018 H,s pagination no longer moulds the data of sensa- \n\u2022 , \u25a0 Un 1116 psych,c sha Pes; so the Universe is reflected without distortion \n\nrrt t \u201c\u2022 ft\u2122 = \"\u00a3 it:;, sras \n\nassumes the form o, and no p\u201e, it is unwo , thy of atten \u2122 W \u201c \n\nr ntion and co \" iro1 in \u2022 \n\nthe individual consciousness of thL 6 ? f P \u00b0 WerS \u2019 the re Petition in \n\nwhich are visible throughout the heightTnT dUhTNaJu^e etn 7 a \u2019 \n\nof the Jnenirrson 6 wft n h d h : \n\n\"joy^ er ai lf wha^h^ C< has'aU^ned^nay* be Tttained^n ^me^by^others His \n\nwithin Ca himself PO T e h S !re ^ that kingd \u00b0 m of heaven th at is \n\nconsciousness of the ficUtiou'! re h C \u00b0 VerS ^ \n\no7;lem H pl^^^^^ \n\nps-siss \n\n,he \u201c* ster \n\n\u00abh\u00ab mirLL ,\u201ed\u2018\u2018\u00ab\u201c\u00b0 WS * n \u2019 ira * b \u201c\u2018 by ll \u201c precedes \n\nWhen others possessed the active germ of his faith, he could heal them as if \nat this point of their nature, he could blend his power with thefr aspTation \nCommunion is the image of transfiguration.\u201d Gaultier meSST^ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n166 \n\nthe significance of the Master\u2019s refusal to legislate, to impose external force, \nto intervene to change the world. The Master sees truly that which men \nare, and that which they may become; and since his vision is dynamic, it is \npoured into the world as an incentive and inspiration. But there must be a \ndeliberate response of faith to the inspiration. There must be the living \nbelief in the aspirant\u2019s heart that the miracle of selflessness is as possible for \nhim as it was in the beginning for his Master. \n\nGaultier recognizes what was, perhaps, the supreme manifestation of the \nMaster\u2019s selflessness. This was the almost inconceivable self-control which \nprevented Him from using his acquired knowledge and power to remove \nhimself from the torments of bodily life, by annihilating in an instant the \nconsciousness of his body. There are stories in the East of Adepts who have \nyielded to such a temptation and who are known as Pratyeka Buddhas. The \nveritable Buddha, the true Master, stands firm. \u201cHis faith in the unreality \nof the world is a sign that the hallucination is abolished and, at the same time, \nconditions the persistence of his contemplative vision. When it is sufficient \nfor him to raise his finger to bring the fiction to an end, he will beware of \nmaking this little gesture which would restore life to the phantoms.\u201d It \nwould be a tacit admission that he is still attached to sensation, that the \ngreat regeneration has not really occurred, that his power to draw others by \nfaith has, in fact, never existed. \n\nThere is an enigmatic statement by Gaultier which he does not clearly \nexplain. He says that \u201cJesus does not come to save the men of the future at \nthe expense of the men of the past. ... He saves the past as well as the \nfuture. Such is the consequence of his renunciation of the idea of realizing \nhappiness in the temporal order.\u201d \n\nIt would seem that Gaultier has touched here a very profound truth which \nis blindly disregarded, as he says, by \u201cthe eternal pharisees, the so-called \nidealists, who pretend to be working for the happiness of a future humanity \n. . . and who sacrifice, with an appalling lightness of heart, all those who have \nbeen miserable in the past.\u201d It may be remarked, incidentally, that these \nfuturists do not always hesitate to sacrifice also the men of the present, \nas in Russia to-day. \n\nIt will be easier for the mind to solve the supposed difficulties involved in \nthis problem of saving the past, if we accept as hypotheses at least two of the \nmajor doctrines of the Eastern Wisdom. The hypothesis of re-incarnation \nsuggests that the Egos of the future races may, indeed, be embodied in the \nmen of the present, and that they have certainly been embodied many times \nin the races and nations of the past. The other hypothesis suggests that the \nMaster, Jesus, is not the only human being who has accomplished the great \ntransformation, and that he is a member of a Brotherhood of perfected men \nall of whom are working in various ways to bring mankind as a whole to the \nportals of initiation through which they themselves have passed. \n\nStanley V. LaDow. \n\n\nWORK \n\n\nA T the last T. S. Convention something was said by one of the speakers \nabout the very commendable desire on the part of many of the younger \nmembers to \u201chelp in the work of the Movement\u201d; their frequent and \npressing offers; their evident difficulty in understanding that, for one reason \nor another, they were not yet qualified to work, save in certain specified and \nperhaps very humble directions. What was said amounted to this. a member \nwith, for instance, a perfectly illegible handwriting, will wonder why he, or \nshe, is not given even so modest a task as addressing envelopes; or someone \nelse, with an irrepressible love of talk, will feel that he, or she, even though \nnot \u201ctrained\u201d, can at least be trusted to slip newly issued Quarterlies into their \ncovers, ready for the post, without at all realizing that incessant talk during \nthe process, may not be agreeable to other people who are in the room at the \ntime, and who may wish to remain quiet. The advice given by the speaker to \nthose of us who are aspirants for \u201cwork\u201d, was that we should fit ourselves \nforthwith. The member who wished to address envelopes, but whose illegible \nhandwriting made the task far beyond him, should direct his energies toward \nacquiring a \u201ccopper plate\u201d calligraphy. The member who felt somewhat \naggrieved that he could not be trusted even with preparing Quarterlies for the \npost, should ask himself (or some kindly disposed friend and comrade) why \nthis was, and having found that the trouble was not with his hands, but with \nhis tongue, should waste no time before disciplining that part of himself which \nproved to be the source of the difficulty. \n\nI, who was fortunate enough to attend Convention; have wondered, however, \nwhether the full meaning of the speaker was grasped by us all, for there is an \nangle of it which I am sure the speaker himself would not wish to escape \nnotice. It is this. When it was suggested that if we want to address en\u00ac \nvelopes, it might be a good plan to fit ourselves by first learning how to write, \nthat suggested \u201cfitting\u201d did not mean that we were expected to acquire the \ndesired knowledge by practising in some other department of the work of the \nMovement, or by \u201ccutting our teeth\u201d on \u201cthe work\u201d at all. If we find that \nwe are inclined to be noisily talkative, we cannot expect that the peace and \nquiet of a work room or office shall be endangered, in order that we may begin \n\u201cthe practice of silence\u201d there. Our old, bad habit might at any moment \nbreak loose (as old, bad habits will), and with annoying results. The point, as \nI saw it, was that we were advised to prepare ourselves by means of our daily \noccupations, unconnected with any special departments of \u2018 \u2018 the work We \nmust all have endless opportunity for this; at least we can create the opportun\u00ac \nities if they do not come unsought; and once a limitation is recognized honestly \nand simply, the roughest part of the road is generally behind us, while I have \nalways found that when we are ready to assume responsibility, responsibility \nnever fails to come our way. \n\n167 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n168 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nI am constantly struck by the manner in which our weaknesses will \nfmstrate or neutralize our assets, and I think this fact has such an important \nbearing on our perfectly legitimate desire to help in \u201c the work \u201d that it should \ngive us much serious food for thought Take for \u2019 h \u00b0 d \n\ni a e C nt Ur a a n C d ^ \n\ncouiited^upon TSZeo 7 * ^ ^ * \n\nconstant breaches of'confidence^ \nhis other valuable q ua.ities, be trusted ^ \n\nsureV^ \n\nliteral sense, a. all. \u00bbSSnit\u201d^LT. T *\"* \u201c \" to \u00ab* \nimpossible if an incessant buzzing is point* on' ' ^ , W \u00b0 rtby tbat name \u2014is \n\nfor work are being made, or directions given - for lisTer^nP^' \"\"If 1 '- 6 SUggeStions \nmatic hearing of spoken words; it is as we know f g ' S u JUSt the auto \u2019 \nunderstanding of what is wanted, and if we are toZt'aT ^ mtUlt,Ve inner \n(any impression upon which we can safelv W | 1 g 1 any lm P re ssion of this \ninteriorly. Success is impoS ?**\u00ab>*** \n^ a\u201e the paraphernalia incident to \n\nto address envelopes? What vou w ,, epts before we are allowed \nfection which I, forone, shalLnever beTable'to^cram into th^ \u00b0 f P - \n\nI am past my prime as it is.\u201d To which beim^f l \u2018-' S S1 \u201d gle lncarnat >\u00b0n- \nam speaking of the hierarchy not of ohvsical 8 ^ youn 8 est \u201d myself (I \nall means, let us \u2018cram' in Si we cL ~T 1 W \u00b0 Uld answer: \u201c% \n\nhope. Oh, and I must not forget humilitv- T' eXpenence \u2018 P atience and \nforget that. Then, some fine day we shall oerha 66 \u201d 18 T ' S t0 \u00b0 Pr \u00b0 ne to \nment, be asked (mind you, we ourselves shlli^u mUCh t0 0ur aston ish- \npetulantly at closed doors)-we shall be as td to addr' 1\u00b0 f\u00b0 \u00b0 n banging \nQuarterly envelopes, and with \u2018steam up \u2019 too Our l & mountain of \nat last because all this time we shall have been \u2018 fit til Wl1 ' haVe COme \n\nmost, but noticed by those who never fail tn * 1 g ourselves - unknown to \nAgain I have wondered, however if we * Ch eagerIy for our Progress.\u201d \nquick to think that because noTne urges us ^ \"* n0t muc \u00bb to \u00b0 \n\n( envelopes\u201d being, of course used ficuraf f \\ hC P m address >ng envelopes \nall \u201cwork for the Movement \u201d Do w P ? y) \u2122 are therefore cut off from \nfact, there is an inexhaustible amount o/workT that \u2019 &S a matter of \nkind of work lying at our very doors and far mor \u00b0Y> C fu\u2019 ^ m \u00b0 St im P\u00b0 rtan t \nhope to accomplish.? I speak, of course, of work up\u2122 \n\n\nWORK \n\n\n169 \n\n\nthe supreme task of our incarnation. All our T. S. literature resounds with an \nimperative call to inner work; to the battle which must be waged against our \nlower natures; all religious books too, of course. \"Who hath greater combat \nthan he that laboureth to overcome himself?\u201d asks the Imitation. \n\nThrough The Gates of Gold is full of this warrior spirit, which cannot be \ntaken too literally, I am sure. \u201c To put on armour and go forth to war, taking \nthe chances of death in the hurry of the fight, is an easy thing; to stand still \namid the jangle of the world, to preserve stillness within the turmoil of the \nbody, to hold silence amid the thousand cries of the senses and desires, and \nthen, stripped of all armour and without hurry or excitement, take the deadly \nserpent of self and kill it, is no easy thing. Yet that is what has to be done. \n\nThe man who wars against himself and wins the battle, can do it only \nwhen he knows that in that war he is doing the one thing which is worth \n\ndoing.\u201d <4 \n\nMr. Judge assures us in endless ways that we do not have to rush madly \nand boldly out to do, to do.\u201d \u201c It is not what is done, but the spirit in which the \nleast thing is done for Them, who are all, that is counted.\u201d This would \nnecessitate the giving of our very best at every moment,\u2014and would that be \neasy? Would that not keep us busy? Many years ago I heard Phillips \nBrooks say, in that quick, convincing way he had, that the most tragic death\u00ac \nbed utterance he was ever called upon to listen to, was when the dying man, \nwith a peaceful sigh, whispered: \u2018\u2018Well, I have done my best. We are so \n\nquickly satisfied! . \n\nWhat if, at the close of the day, when we are sitting alone, reviewing the \nwork of our waking hours since sunrise; what if, at this time, we could see our \nMaster enter and, standing there, look us straight in the eyes and ask: \u201c Child, \nhave you done your best to-day ? Have you thought your best thoughts only ? \nHave you given the best of your efforts?\u201d Do you think that most of us, feel\u00ac \ning those searching eyes upon us, could answer: \u201cYes, Master, I have done \nmy best\u201d? \n\nThere are many ways in which we can work, and the inner will help the \nouter, as the outer (when it is given us) will, in its turn, react upon the inner. \nAgain we may turn to the Imitation as the unfailing guide and inspiration \nwhich it is, and there we come upon the heart of the matter: \u201cFor God \nweigheth more with how much love a man worketh, than how much he doeth. \nHe doeth much that loveth much.\u201d \n\nThere are some lines of Kingsley\u2019s which I used to like, and used often to \nrepeat to myself when I was young\u2014in physical years\u2014and they come back \nto me now as being very appropriate. They are good words to act upon: \n\n\u201c Have thy tools ready\u2014 \n\nGod will find thee work.\u201d \n\nYounger Member. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\nT HE Student sat down with a sigh of immense relief. \u201cFor eight unin\u00ac \nterrupted hours\u201d, he said, \u201cI have been in \u2018the world\u2019. I have \ntalked and I have listened to people\u2014nice people who have no idea \nthat there are insides to anything, or that there is a purpose anywhere. Busi\u00ac \nness, travel, art, literature of a sort, politics,\u2014all kinds of things were touched \nupon, skimmed, dismissed; no insides to anything, and everything on what \nI can only describe as a high treble note of semi-hysteria, as if to say, \u2018How \ngay we all are!\u2014with laughter less than a sixteenth of an inch deep, and \neveryone such good friends. No: there were men as well as women; but at \nthat stage of evolution, the effect of the sexes upon one another is simply \nappalling. Perfectly virtuous, doubtless, there is none the less an irresistible \n\u2018urge\u2019 to show off, to shine, to pirouette, to attract attention, admiration, \nenvy,\u2014Lord knows what not. In any case I am exhausted, and want to \nhear about something real.\u201d \n\n\u201cI have a plan\u201d, the Philosopher volunteered. \u201cInstead of talking at \nrandom about whatever occurs to us, I suggest that on this occasion we com\u00ac \nbine to give the \u2018Screen\u2019 a sequence. The Student has had a slight overdose \nof \u2018 the world \u2019; he needs a much larger dose than he has had; it is just possible \nthat a sufficiently nauseous dose would save his soul alive.\u201d \n\nThe Student laughed. \u201cDelighted, I\u2019m sure,\u201d he said; \u201c but what is your plan ? \u201d \n\u201cBriefly,\u2014that we look at the world to see its darkness; that we look at \nthe world to see its light; that we look at the other world to renew our thirst \nfor it.\u201d Then, without further preamble, the Philosopher continued: \u201c I have \nwith me two or three items from the daily press to which I should like to call \nyour attention. They could be duplicated, doubtless, from the press of \nEurope; for the difference, alas, between Europe and America is constantly \nbecoming less. They are innocent little items, likely to pass unnoticed by \nsubway travellers\u2014and most people, nowadays, belong to that category, \neither actually or figuratively; but, theosophically considered, I believe you \nwill find them as significant as I do, as instructive as I do. All of them are \ntaken from the New York Times of July 2nd. Here is one: the Reverend \n\u2014, preaching at the Community Church, New York (I know \nnothing about him, except for this sermon, which, however, entitles him \n\nto a sort of immortality),\u2014the Reverend-declares that \u2018God \n\nis a democrat, and by this very fact the death warrant for all institutions \nwhich are undemocratic has been signed. To call God a king is a slander \nupon the universe. . . . Equality, liberty and fraternity are the three \ngreat attributes of God.\u2019 Beautiful to know the mind of God like that! \nIn pre-war days, it was the German Emperor who talked of \u2018 God and I \u2019; \nsometimes, in care-free moments, of \u2018I and God.\u2019 They were brothers \nand equals, and the meaning of \u2018liberty\u2019 was well understood,\u2014between \n\n\n70 \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n171 \n\nThem. Even in those days there were some who laughed at the foolish \nman\u2019s pretensions; though others did not laugh: they feared, knowing that \nlunatics-at-large are dangerous, and that the German Emperor was a racial \nmirror, rather than an entity. But now,\u2014ah, now, we have passed to better \nthings: the German Emperor was right, not wrong; the only trouble with \nhim was, he was not right enough. He had forgotten, in his image of the \n\nGodhead, to include the Reverend-, and the congregation \n\nof the Community Church, and, I assume, me, and my cook, and the entire \nswarm of \u2018me-s\u2019 over all this ant-hill of an earth. God is the perfect demo\u00ac \ncrat; like a Presidential candidate, he is \u2018one of the boys\u2019, one of us. Such \na comfort; so \u2018homey\u2019, to be assured that God is like that. You don\u2019t agree? \nYou would prefer a God who is wiser than we are. Well, well: there is no \npleasing some people. Stop and think. Remember those sacred words: \nLiberty, Equality, Fraternity,\u2014I beg your pardon; I had forgotten that \nthis reverend gentleman puts Equality first. In either case, if you accept \nhis revelation, you need never look up any more. Nothing, anywhere, is \nany better than you are. And Liberty; surely you must appreciate that! \nCome to the window. We overlook a New York street. Yes,\u2014there it \nis! See that automobile; the driver has his arm round his neighbour\u2019s waist; \nhe is gazing into her eyes; he is steering by those stars. Liberty, sweet Liberty! \nThere is a child playing some twenty yards ahead. Hush! Let nothing \ninterrupt the free and flowing play of Liberty. Dead? I think not. It \nseemed to me that angels lifted her out of the way. Poor child, to have \nbeen robbed like that of a democratic funeral, of a fraternal and free funeral, \nwith her mother and father and her own little ghost embracing the driver \nand his girl as champions of human Liberty,\u2014God, the perfect democrat, \nembracing all of them, indiscriminately, for luck. \n\n\u201cNow we pass to another theological pronouncement. This time it is the \n\nReverend-, S. J., who speaks. \u2018If Christ were sitting in one \n\nconfessional box and a priest in another, the priest could blot out sin just as \neffectively as could Christ. . . . The mere presence of a priest causes sin \nto be blotted out. You may ask why a priest\u2019s power does not always have \nthe effect that it should. It is because you do not co-operate with him. \nYou must pray for him, pray that he will be kind and patient toward all.\u2019 \nThat we should be kind and patient toward him, seems to be taken for granted; \nand I don\u2019t wonder, in such circumstances. Kind! Why, the obvious thing \nto do would be to feed him and flatter him, and to pray to him every few \nminutes so as to have passing sins blotted out before they accumulate. Talk \nabout modern conveniences! But the real joke is the reaction of the Protestant \nclergy. Some would froth at the mouth at the Reverend Father\u2019s \u2018pre\u00ac \nsumption\u2019; others would turn green with envy: if only they could believe all \nthat of themselves; in any case, if only they could voodoo their Parishioners \ninto believing it of them! Competition, without that, simply is not fair. \nPerhaps that is why the other Reverend gentleman, seeking a solution\u2014 \ncompetition for souls (or for purses?) being very keen these days\u2014hit upon \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n172 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthe idea that every man, worthy of the name of democrat and therefore free, \ncan be his own absolver. Rather clever, come to think of it: no need to pray \nthat a priest will be kind to you; just be kind to yourself. You and God \nbeing equals, I should be prepared to argue that absolution must be contained \ninherently within the sin. They need a student of Theosophy to work these \nthings out for them. \n\n\u201cSeriously, is it not strange how little the world changes? Symbols, \nperpetually mistaken for realities; priests, perpetually confused, above all, \nperpetually confusing themselves\u2014sometimes honestly, sometimes dishonestly \n\u2014with Deity: the old vice of priests in every exoteric religion the world has \nknown. In Egypt, Babylonia, India, ancient America\u2014wherever priests \nhave functioned\u2014the vanity, ambition, and the cowardice of men, have com\u00ac \nbined to create this dreadful superstition. \n\n\u201cNow for another item. Governor-, of one of our more important \n\nStates, speaking to the congregation of a Presbyterian Church, declares: \n\u2018The world is waiting for America; it leaps to hear every blow America \nstrikes. America shines among nations as the little child that shall lead \nthem. Just as God gave humanity a new chance when he directed Noah to \nbuild the Ark, so He gave it [nota bene, humanity, not the Ark] a new chance \nwhen He put it into the head of an Italian navigator to discover America.\u2019 \u2019\u2019 \n\nThe Student was literally writhing. \u201cFor Heaven\u2019s sake!\u201d he exclaimed; \n\u201cKeep your horrible world to yourself.\u201d \n\nBut the Philosopher continued relentlessly. \u201cDo not worry\u201d, he said. \n\u201cThat Governor will be re-elected; regardless of his politics, he will be re\u00ac \nelected. He knows his people. A speech like that is irresistible. They \ncould see the world leaping (now don\u2019t be unsympathetic; you are a good \nAmerican; try to see the Governor banging the lectern as he says, \u2018every \nblow America strikes \u2019: it is quite moving if you approach it in the right spirit). \u2019 \u2019 \n\n\u201cStop,\u201d said the Student. \u201cI must speak.\u201d \n\n\u201cNo,\u201d the Philosopher answered. \u201cIt would be impolite. I have not \nfinished; and I don\u2019t trust you,\u2014you might be rude to the Governor. Seri\u00ac \nously\u201d, he added, after a moment\u2019s pause, \u201cit makes me glad I am not the \nLord, what could you do with a people like that! If an earthquake were to \nwipe out half of them, the other half, picking itself up, would feel superior \nbecause history had recorded nothing like it; if they were to hear a great voice \nfrom heaven saying, You infernal idiots\u2019, or more seemly words to that \neffect, they would \u2018come to\u2019 with a vastly increased sense of their own im\u00ac \nportance,\u2014God having singled them out for this distinction. I am glad it \nis not my problem.\u201d \n\nWhat to do about it would be beyond me\u201d, the Historian interjected at \nthis point. \u201cI have tried to handle individuals who were similarly consti\u00ac \ntuted, and they have twisted even their moments of collapse, when there \nwas nothing left of them but negation and despair, into proof of their real \nsuperiority,\u2014by saying perhaps, as in one case, \u2018I told you this would hap\u00ac \npen!\u2019 But I do think that, if you were looking for causes, the American \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n173 \n\n\nenvironment suggests a contributing factor. You may remember a passage \nin Hawthorne\u2019s Marble Faun , following a description of the Capitol at Rome, \nand the view from one of its windows. He says: \u2018We glance hastily at these \nthings,\u2014at this bright sky, and those blue distant mountains, and at the \nruins, Etruscan, Roman, Christian, venerable with a threefold antiquity, and \nat the company of world-famous statues in the saloon, in the hope of putting \nthe reader into that state of feeling which is experienced oftenest in Rome. \n\nIt is a vague sense of ponderous remembrances; a perception of such weight \nand density in a by-gone life, of which this spot was the centre, that the present \nmoment is pressed down or crowded out , and our individual affairs and interests \nare but half as real here as elsewhere .\u2019 Re-reading that passage recently, \nreminded me of a man, now dead, whom I knew quite well, years ago in \nEurope. He had been born within the shadow of York Minster. His father, \nwho loved and revered every corner of it, brought him up to do likewise, \nconstantly pointing out its beauties and telling him its history. He was \ncarried back to the days of ancient Rome, when York was known as Eboracum; \nto the great deeds of Kings and Barons; to battles which had decided the \nfate of peoples and dynasties. He was saturated in traditions of heroism and \nof sacrifice, and lived in the midst of their monuments. When he grew up \nhe became a lawyer and moved to London. Instinctively he took an office \nnear Westminster Abbey, and practised there all his life. His profession, \ninstead of serving him merely as a means of livelihood, was seen by him as \nyet another expression of the spirit and purpose of old York Minster, and of \nthe Abbey which outwardly had taken its place. Was not the law a monu\u00ac \nment to an immemorial past, the living embodiment of what Romans, Saxons, \nNormans, and the long line of English, had suffered and had achieved? The \nresult was that his thoughts always ran on big and noble lines. His personal \naffairs were important, of course; but they were overshadowed by the greater \nimportance of the ever-continuous and ever-unfolding drama of which he \nwas privileged to be a spectator, and in which he, though to an infinitesimal \ndegree , was privileged to participate,\u2014the drama of the world\u2019s life and prog\u00ac \nress. He was not an astronomer, but, for recreation, he loved to read and \nto marvel at what astronomy tells us of \u2018the wonderful works of God\u2019,\u2014of \nincalculable spaces, of unthinkable periods of time. Nothing small or mean \ncame near him. Gossip would have been impossible in his presence. He \nwould not have rebuked it; he simply would not have understood it, and his \nsilence would have been so remote that, in spite of his habitual kindliness and \ngeniality, the intruder would have felt himself ostracized. \n\n\u201cI wish I had known, when I knew him, those lines (to my shame I have \n\nforgotten who wrote them): \n\n\u201c \u2018O ancient streams, O far-descended woods, \n\n\u201cFull of the fluttering of melodious souls!\u2019 \n\nUnknowingly, he lived them\u2014and he would have understood and loved \nthem as few could. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n174 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\"Do you see what I mean? Living near York Minster or Westminster \nAbbey does not necessarily make that kind of a man; but living in a raw \n\u2122 ntr j' without a past, is likely to promote growth along very different lines. \nWhat I can only describe as the poverty of the external world\u2014its appalling \nemptiness\u2014as, for instance, facing Brooklyn Bridge\u2014tends very strongly to \nthrow the attention back upon self, or in any case, to produce the opposite \neffect to that described by Hawthorne, and thus to give the present moment \nan unmerited importance, and our individual affairs and interests a prominence \nwhich is quite misleading.\u201d \n\n\"Surely\u201d, questioned our Visitor, \"if your friend felt, as you say, that he \ncould participate in the drama he witnessed, to an infinitesimal degree only \nit must have given him a sense of being very small, painfully insignificant, and \n\nhive beerr?\u201d t \u201d\u201c** h \u2018 m leSS \u00b0 f a man than otherw 'se he might \n\nQuite the contrary\u201d, the Historian answered. \"He was a man of tre\u00ac \nmendous energy, of great personal force. In a crowd, the police invariably \n\nT p n J7l\u00b0 T 7' reC \u00b0 gnizing ' 1 think ' that he was indeed a gentleman, in \nthe old-faslnoned meaning of the word, which implied, among other things, \nthe possession of authority. * \u2019 \n\n-.Jlf 1 \u00ab ndersta nd you\u201d, the Student now said, \"your theory is that, human \nnature being very much alike everywhere, and vanity being more or less \nequally distributed, the European or Chinaman or what not, having a couple \nof thousand years or so over which to spread it, is less likely than we are^o \nconcentrate it on the present, and therefore is less likely to imagine that the \nW \u00b0!* m \\ S , breathlessl y for his own or his country\u2019s next \u2018blow \u2019 \u201d \n\nNo , the Historian answered; \"you have not caught my meaning' First \nlet me explain that I believe an American who is proud of his European \ndescent, and who thinks of himself as an off-shoot from some European \n\ntion'on rather than as * he P^duct of spontaneous generation or special crea- \n\u201e , 7 h \u2018 S Sld6, and who - ^rther, fills himself with the history and traditions \nand literature of his ancestral race or races,-may, in spite'of his physical \nenvironment, acquire much the same outlook on life. I should lo further \nor I think that an American of that kind is helped by his environment to \nbe more open-minded than his European cousin Some f\u201e\u201ei- i, ronment . to \n\n\u2122 zsxztjzz \n\nand to iLZth never before met with \u2018such readiness to listen to proposals \n\nof which he spoke* springs'frmn'tlle goldride of7\u00a3\u00a3T- Z^Z tT ^ \ngreat a detachment from the past M y friendnf v t 7 * ^ t0 \u00b0 \n\n\u2122, d . for instanc , jtl \u201clis : t \n\nw,e k ^ him ,, am rt \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n175 \n\n\nmore \u2018free thought\u2019 in the objectionable sense\u2014more radicalism in politics \nand in religion\u2014in Europe than in America; but this is the result of an emo\u00ac \ntional reaction following the Great War; it is something entirely different from \nthe open-mindedness which you find here, and which, habitually judging \nmen and plans and ideas on their merits, refuses to destroy until convinced \nthat something better can be constructed. \n\n\u201cAs to your suggestion that their vanity seems less objectionable because \nmore widely spread, I think that although there are hosts of Europeans who \nfeel that their country, whatever that may be, is unquestionably superior to \nany other, there would be less excuse for them than for our friend the Gov\u00ac \nernor, if they were not to derive some sense of awe, of reverence\u2014some sense, \ntoo, of their personal insignificance\u2014from the very facts and impressions \nupon which they base their feeling of national pre-eminence. All the things \nof which the Governor is most proud, are the handiwork of his own generation, \n\u2014skyscrapers, huge bridges, colossal fortunes, the world\u2019s envy; while all the \nthings of which the European is most proud are the work of his forebears,\u2014 \ndown to the home in which he lives, though only a thatched cottage.\u201d \n\nAt this point the Beginner joined us. Someone greeted him, asking him \nhow he was. \u2018\u2018I have been having an awful time\u201d, he replied. \u201cMy desire \nfor the spiritual life seems to have disappeared completely, while every other \ndesire I have ever harboured seems to have surged to the front, occupying \nnearly the whole of my attention.\u201d He wanted to talk about those \u201cother \ndesires : that was evident. But the Philosopher, at the risk of seeming \nunsympathetic, and realizing that if the boy were allowed to talk, it would \nonly tend to increase his sense of identification with these \u201cspooks\u201d of his \nlower nature,\u2014the Philosopher turned on him rather heatedly. \u201cI have been \na member of the Society\u201d, he said, \u201cfor thirty-five years and longer. For \nall those years I have had to live with my lower nature, consciously; and \nI am sick to death of it. Now there is nothing new about yours, young man, \nand I am just as sick of yours, before you tell me a word about it, as I am of \nmy own. I once heard of a man with a cancer\u2014dreadfully far'gone\u2014who \nwanted to show it to all his friends. Gentlemen don\u2019t do that sort of thing. \nIt s bad form. They keep their cancers and their lower natures to themselves \nrecognizing them for what they are,\u2014as afflictions, hideous to suffer and almost \nas hideous to behold. You will want to tell me, perhaps, that your case is \nexceptional; that your desires are not low; that they are in every way seemly; \nthat you feel confident you could satisfy them without betraying your man\u00ac \nhood, even if their gratification should seem to conflict with your spiritual \naspirations. Young man, every lower nature from the beginning of time has \ntried to convince its owner that it is possible to \u2018straddle\u2019; that compromise is \nlegitimate; that you can stand still without going down hill. I am so tired of \nthe idea that I could expire from its monotony. You have been having an \n\u2018awful time\u2019 you say. Let me tell you something: you will continue to have \nan awful time, a worse and worse time, for just so long as you continue to \npay any attention to your desires. You will have a still worse time if you \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n76 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nnng them to me: that is, I hope so. Take them to the Morgue, my friend- \nZ e ,u th u re \u2019 and lf y \u00b0 U Cannot detach yourself from them, stay there \n\u2122 th \u00b0 Ugh W ' th y \u00b0 ur head out of the window if you value your life \u201d \n\ntinnpH \u2122 crest{aUen - \u201cCheer up!\u201d the Philosopher con\u00ac \n\ntinued. Nothing ,s lost so long as you realize that you and your feelings \nave no more connection necessarily, than a man and his dog. Remember \nwhat Judge used to say-you have been told of this often-that the way to \n\ng hi \" \u00b0 f el \u201c ta ' 15 to P a y no attention to it; that desires and feelings \n, h ', h , \u00ae leme ntals. live on mental attention, and can easily be starved to \n\nmore ^ ^\u00b0 Ur attention activel y a way from them! to other and \n\nmore real thmgs. Occasionally it is profitable to face them down Thus if \n\nxr d rxzzL v - \u00b0 f ^ \n\nit asTsimaf ffrT\" ,aughed \u2019~ which is what the Philosopher wanted, taking \nu as a signal for a judicious change of subject g \n\n\u201cHow about the Briand-Kellogg 'Pact of Paris\u2019?\u201d he asked \n\nseems \u00a32?\u00b0 \u201c but * \n\n\u2018 Message of felicitation \u2019 to President Do'umerguTotprance 0 \u201d htS \n\nOf the signatories would undoubtedlv he g t . [' The ma J\u00b0nty \n\nstress of some emotional impulse or if imoelledh^fi? CUar) y under the \noutbreak of wholesale murder. But suppose that ^ n **? a foIIowin g an \n\nfor whom fighting is a pastime_anH PP i 3t \u2019 arnong them, were men \n\nnotorious criminals, with a record of'ho U \u00b0h S ?\u00b0 h men exist; otber men, \noffences. Such men might say trulv that U t 6 \" reaklng \u2019 bur K lar y and similar \nonly when the police or some oh^! V* \" their desire to kill i it is \nthat they may have been obliged to kffTfrom m j erferes with them . \n\nI think, to imagine that men of that lr\u2019 a essit y \u2022 It would be foolish, \nmerely because they sign a \u2018scran of oaneT g \u00b0 mg *\u00b0 change their natures \n\nthat \u201e\u201ei\u201e\u201e s the s J e ,y pe \"Sd \u2018here Ire T m \u00b0 r ' foolish \u201c a \u00abPpose \nlikely to do so. They will sivn_ k \u25a0 ? some - as history proves \u2014 are \n\nwith total unconsciousness of insincerity^fOT ^i* 6 **\u2019 bUt P erha P s \n\nburglar prefers to carry on his busing \u2019 / bave said \u2019 the professional \n\nstated truly that if Belgium, in 1014 had offered \u25a0 German y has always \nnot have been killed: instead, they tould hLe haTthT^T\u2019 BdgianS Would \nlowed and digested as subjects of the Kaiser StUl l H ^ bglng swa1 ' \nshould do any harm,\u2014that is so lonv \u00ab tv, ' \u2019 1 d \u00b0 n * see why the Pact \ntinues to bolt his doors and windows keeps PeaCe ' lovin K householder con- \nhis sons how to shoot.\u201d \u2019 P h ammunitl on dry, and teaches \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n177 \n\n\n\u201cAren\u2019t you unduly pessimistic?\u201d our Visitor asked, evidently rather \nshocked. \n\n\u201cMy friend\u201d, the Historian answered, \u201cdo you mean to tell me that Russia, \nif the rest of Europe were unarmed, or were known to be defenceless against \nsome weapon of destruction discovered by Russian chemists,\u2014do you mean \nto tell me that the Soviet would not regard it as a \u2018sacred\u2019 duty to overrun \nEurope, and America too, for that matter, so as to impound us within the \nSoviet fold ? Do you not realize that a nation with a \u2018 mission \u2019 is as dangerous \nas a wild beast? Germany had a mission,\u2014to spread Kultur; the Saracens \nhad a mission,\u2014to spread the doctrines of Mohammet. France owes as much \nto Charles Martel as to her heroes of the Great War: though many people \nseem to regard that war as if it had been the first,\u2014an exceptional aberration \nfrom \u2018normality\u2019! Can you tell me of a ten-year period in the history of \nthe world when war was not being waged somewhere,\u2014either about some\u00ac \nthing, or nothing at all?\u201d \n\n\u201c I confess I don\u2019t remember any wars during the ten years preceding 1914.\u201d \n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the Historian, \u201cthe Russo-Japanese war did not end until \nSeptember, 1905; there was a war in Zululand in 1906; Nicaragua was at war \nwith Honduraj and Salvador in 1907; Tibet was at war with China from \n1910 until 1912; Italy declared war against Turkey in 1911; Bulgaria, Serbia, \nGreece and Montenegro were at war with Turkey in 1912, and in 1913, there was \nthe so-called Second (actually, the Five Hundreth or so) Balkan war. Prob\u00ac \nably there were several more, but for the moment I have forgotten them.\u201d \n\nOur Visitor smiled with the rest of us,\u2014rather appalled, I think. How \nquickly we forget; how slow to learn! \n\n\u201cHas the time come,\u201d the Engineer now asked, \u201cto say something of the \nworld\u2019s light,\u2014following the Philosopher\u2019s suggestion? It is not easy to \nescape from the world\u2019s darkness. Since the daily paper, even the best of \nthem, has become a business enterprise, and therefore has made itself sub\u00ac \nservient to the law of supply and demand, we are compelled, in order to know \nanything of what is happening outside our immediate circle, to swallow our \ndaily dose of \u2018jazzed\u2019 fact and eccentric incident, and to disentangle from \nthese, as best we can, something genuine and significant. \u2018Jazz\u2019 bands, I am \ntold, are in the habit of \u2018stepping up\u2019 some air by one of the great composers; \nof \u2018interpreting\u2019 it to suit the curiously deformed ears of those who pay to \nlisten. If, for my sins, I were present, I should try to disentangle the sub\u00ac \nstratum of original melody from the horror of its interpretation; and, in \nexactly the same way, a reader of the daily paper, should he desire truth, \nmust ignore nearly everything he reads for the sake of the underlying echo \nof reality. The general public wants the \u2018high spots.\u2019 This means that it \nhas an appetite for murders, suicides, divorces; for the latest vulgarity of \nthe latest millionaire; for the \u2018highest price\u2019 ever paid for a Romney or a \nRembrandt, a cabbage or a caterpillar. It means that nothing is \u2018news\u2019 \nunless it deals with the calamitous, or with the extravagant, the outrageous, \nthe abnormal. Many modern books are written for the same class of \u2018con- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ni 7 8 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nsumer.' No worse mistake could be made, however, than to judge the world \ny noisiest and most conspicuous elements. Behind the scenes in all \nbrahisT Pe \u00b0 ple Sufficient,y en dowed with self-respect, if not with \n\nfx n n Th r p \u201c?!, icity ' r wh \u00b0\" **\u00bb *\u00ab<\u00ab.\u00ab no, \n\nsssas sssr \u201c- - -- \n\nse $\u00a3\u00a3\u25a0& \u2122 d sss \n\nto India a, Sief o Iwff H\"T\u201d\u00ab\u201c P \u2122\u201c \u201cnd Princess of Wale, \ndally now. wto \u201e mu \u201c h .n j?'\u00abT \u2022** everyone. Espe- \n\nout of I\u201edi,J,\u201c \u201c Sing to rr\"\u201d 1 \u201c\u201c eV \u201c \u00ab coming \n\nthe more spiritual significance of that amaS ^ \u00b0 T Wh \u00b0\u2019. m Spite of missin S \nfor the best he could see in if-q non i * a \u2022 countr y, m ar *y case looked \narities. studiedXn \" h 1,7 ' *** to their peculi. \n\nwith an JlllVZ^ST sympathy. A man of keen intelligence, \n\n\u00bbs many do to the 'many myatorieaTnjndia\u2019 S5, \u2018Z says U ctnnof T\u201c' \n\nby myself to shoot. The ground was famdiaV^ 1 ^ 6nt 0ut m the even ing \nThere was a large lake where I harl f i ** )ut !t was aP changed, \n\npunt with a paddle I g 0t ^ and nadZ^ TfZ ** \u00b0 n the ' ake was a \nlittle green promontory On it bv theed *' A bank of tbe lake to a \nKiri. I asked her what the name of the .aZ ^ E m \u00b0 St lovely \n\nBut she laughed and shook her head and said Zi ^ where her ullage was. \non the opposite bank and walked home r Hng * P a ddled on, landed \nI could remember every detad of Te n, ^ and had no fever. \n\nKiri, and a few days later I went back to the laL fiVt^h ^ **\u201c \u00b0 f the \nand no sign of a punt, and no one had ever seen a like 1 WaS n \u00b0 lake \nbourhood. Hallucination? I do not think\u2122rt'\u00b0 rapunt ln the neigh- \nIndia of what we in England would call the ^ ^ S \u00b0 much in \n\nopen mind, and I think that if we lived SthTTZ that 1 haVe an \n\nexistence\u2014m a region of divination magic and Stence ~ and Perhaps a better \n\n\"S^iug of Britt, rui, h, te\u00a3 =\u00a3\u00a3 \n\n\n-^mputiou. had \u201e nce ,,, ited \none of which had been a man-eat-pr i ^ were looking at some tigers, \n\nwould happen if the British left IndiT 6 nend aslced Sir Dinkar what \nremoved ail bamo\" \u201c \"** would happen if yoa \n\ntruth of this statement so evident tr . garden, was the reply. The \nand anything of its peoples but whi f ny \u00b0 ne wh \u00b0 knows the history of India \nformers' when lecturing Af * 13 pers,stentlv denied by Indian 're- \nwhat Sir Walter relates of that c A'r/o \u2022 * S ratker more tba n confirmed by \npart in the GreZwa r youS itot ^ ^ Pertab Si \"S b . whose \nlies in the fact thatTtZth MoslZ T Half the P \u00b0 int \u00b0 f the st \u00b0\u201d\u2019 \n\nof India; and Sir Pertab was a Hind h ,\u00b0 \u201c* aupposed t0 the fire-eaters \ngenerous, kindly. However- \u2018Sir Pertah'l Z hC WaS travelled - tolerant, \nat a farewell dinner Lord cZn f COme Up t0 Simla to be Present \nwe left, and ^ the n ^ ht bef ^ \n\nof his hopes and ambitions and on Af l UP v- \u00b0 \u201c the mornin K. talking \nMoslem people in India. I denrf-nt ,, ,, -' S ambl t 10ns was to annihilate the \n\nfriends known to both of us. \u201cYes 6 \u201d he^Zt hZ* ? lentioned Mos lem \nmuch liking them dead \u201d \u2019 d \u2019 1 ' kmg them to \u00b0- but very \n\nmen, wtTh TomTfsTpnVtCand an elucak *T &nd ChiValr \u00b0 US ^ \nplace he writes: \u2018I say after careful mm 1 ucatlon to associate/ In another \n\n\u00ab great , p,\u201e ple J ,\u201ey \u201e T7 e \u201c Th ' \u201c* K * Sl \u201d\u201d ins * re P\u201c>\u00bbPa \nindependent as the Pathans nnf ^\u2019i \u201c* n0t n \u00b0 ble ' as the Rajputs, \nthey wi\u201e beat all three^^ \u00b0 f ^ Pu \u201d^ ^ \nword of money [is] far awav from JL artlsans \u2019 or as Wlts -' 'All thought or \nland, not long ago the talk of mm, P reoccu P at \u00bbons of the Rajas. In Eng- \nand nota bene, ye modems \n\ndelight to annoLce yZpotrr y ] r h U av Cann0t T* \u00b0 f ^ W6alth ' >'\u00b0 U \n\nwealth, still less boast of his fortune \u2022 He ZtoS 3 Raja talk \u00b0 f Ws \nmost striking of all the Raiout rinVfc TJ Z ln some res Pects the \nSesodia Fateh Singh, legitimate heir to rtT/A AIaharana of Udaipur, the \nof the great god , 4 ,va To t hVp r Rama ' the vice -^ent \n\nfortune to meet him in Udaipur he * \u2019 ^ thC fCW Wh \u00b0 had the good \n\ngolden silence, and the most voluble // nd ' ans \u00b0 f that tune ' believed in \ntalkative in that gracious and noWe V1S '/ rS SCemed disinclined to be \n\nsecret of these I often tried to think out the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ni8o \n\n\nTHE.OSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\n\u201cI could quote interminably. It is a delightful book, and reading it leaves \na delightful impression of the author. I believe none the less that I, for my \nenjoyment, and he, for providing it, equally deserve censure. I believe that \nboth of us have been contaminated to some extent by standards less noble \nthan those of our youth; certainly less noble than those of the Rajputs,\u2014my \nreason being that he writes about men whose hospitality he had accepted and \nwhom he knew intimately\u2014Maharaja Madho Singh of Jaipur, for example\u2014 \nin ways which, though kindly, would not have pleased them; and that he \nseems to feel that, because they are dead, it does not matter. I realized, \nalmost with a shock, that if I were an Indian Raja and were to read The India \nWe Served , I should feel the deepest respect for the author\u2019s unselfish work \nfor India, and for his many gifts and qualities, but that I should not want \nanother white man as a friend: for are not the best of them likely to write \nbooks, and to tell things which they know only because I had allowed them to \ncome near me? Without any question, Sir Walter\u2019s motive in writing it was \nunmercenary and unselfish, while in many ways it will do good, not only \nby helping \u2018the youth sailing East,\u2019 as he wishes, but particularly in America, \nby removing many misconceptions. None the less, and in spite of Rudyard \nKipling, who urged Sir Walter to \u2018make a book\u2019 of his diaries and recollections, \nI am sure that the Marquis de Soveral chose the better part. You may \nremember that he was Portuguese Minister in London for many years, and \nthat he was perhaps King Edward\u2019s most intimate friend. There was no \none in England worth knowing whom he did not know or might not have \nknown. Yet, after the Portuguese revolution in 1908, which impoverished \nhim, and King Edward\u2019s death in 1910, Soveral preferred poverty and the \nobscurity it entailed, rather than to enrich himself by writing his memoirs, \nas he might have done; for to him, confidences were sacred\u2014even when those \nfrom whom he had received them had passed away. In that respect, in any \ncase, he lived and died a grand seigneur. \n\n\u201cYou may think it mean to find fault, after enjoying the result so unre\u00ac \nservedly; but surely it is our duty, as followers or would-be followers of those \n\u2018most perfect gentlemen,\u2019 the Masters, to proclaim their standards even \nwhile admitting to our shame, as I admit in this case, that we lamentably fall \nshort of living up to them. My enjoyment carries with it its own condem\u00ac \nnation. It would not have been half as great if the book had not been so \npersonal. Yet it cannot be repeated too often that nobility of thought and \naction is and always will be the only foundation upon which chelaship can be \nbuilt, and that the least departure from it is a disgrace. Journalism which, \nfor the most part, is the quintessence of vulgarity, has corrupted literature, \nand our own taste, to such an extent, that there are very few makers or readers \nof books who are not victims of its poison.\u2019\u2019 \n\n\u201cWhat you have been saying,\u2019\u2019 the Engineer now volunteered, \u201creminds me \nof a promise. Let me preface its fulfilment to this extent: the man whose \nheart is given to painting finds either beauty or ugliness everywhere; he thinks \nand feels in those terms. In his case, unfortunately, he is likely to limit his \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n181 \n\n\ninterest to appearances. The man whose heart is given to chelaship finds \ne\" her chLsWp or its opposite everywhere, and draws from both, unending \nlessons In Ws case, appearances, no matter how beautiful, can be regarded \nonly as veils concealing greater beauties; and because = h6 ' ashl J , ^\u00b0^J \u201c \n\n\u201cc^a^de clearer,-possibly by contrast but often quite \ndirectly P Not long ago a friend whose heart is thus centred, came to me \nenthusiastic over a recent volume containing selections from speeches and \naddresses delivered by Rudyard Kipling between 1906 and 1927. entitled \nTlZof Wor 7 s 'Read that passage,\u2019 he said, \u2018and for the love of Heaven \n1 thatTt l quoted in the \"Screen\u201d for the benefit of some of our younger \nmembers! I promised to do so. The passage was ^ \nat Winchester College during the second year of the war. A nfl \u00ae ra \" 6 \u00ae \n\nbeine dedicated to the memory of an old Wykehamist, George eci , \n\nLTctiof And this is what Kipling said to the boys of Winchester as he con- \n\n'\u201ctl\u2019nooSwh.t.v., his physical disabilities, or however meanly he may \nthink of himself, let no one dream for a moment he will not be needed, and \nneeded! in the new order of things. Hi, dot, \u00bb to prepare hmisel \nnow This is harder for him than for the combatant officer, since an officer \nwoTk is continually tested against actual warfare. [\"There are, of course. \nTib distinctions in o\u201er case.- my .Head broke in, \u201cbecause \nnever ceases and a member is either combatant or nothing. ] The men \nof the second line _the civil reserve that will take over when the sword is \nsheathed\u2014have no such check, nor have they the officer's spur of visible \n\nresponsibility. Their turn comes later. Till it comes they must work on \n\nhonour that they may be ready to uphold the honour of civilization. They \nhave not long to wait. In a few years some of you must be working with ou \nAllies at the administration of what may be left of Central Europe, w \nyou will have to invent new systems to meet new conditions almost as swift y \nL during the war, new weapons were invented to meet new forms of attack. \n\nI sav in a few years, because the youngest captain I know is twenty-one, \nIheYoungest I have heard of is nineteen. And so it will te1 on1 the civil ade. \nThe war has given the youth of all our world a step in age-additional seniority \nof three yearn You may say-though your relative, are more likely to think \ntiftat your youth has been taken iron, you. I prefer to put it that your \nmantod has been thru,, on you early-*, the .worths pomb \u2122 youme, \nfor it then not according to the measure of your years, but to the measure \nof our world's great need. You have seen and realized the very things which \nten felt would befall A, far as hi, short life allowed, he ordered \n\u201c he might not be overwhelmed by them when they were upon \n\n\u201d \u201c man, of you too will die-but he died knowing the issue \n\nfoTwhS \u00a3 died. I. I we,, to die for one's eoun,,yr_.ven the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n182 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nis also necessary that, so long as he lives, a man should give to his country, \nas George Cecil gave, a mind and soul neither ignorant nor inadequate. \n\n\u201cIt was easy enough to see why my friend wanted that passage quoted. \nHe had brought the book with him, and had handed it to me. Glancing \nthrough the pages, I noticed that he had marked this statement: It is by the \nthings that We take for granted without word that we live.\u2019 This also, though \nelementary to a student of Theosophy, struck me as admirably stated, and \nas always needing to be re-stated: \u2018 Remember always that, except for the \nappliances we make, the rates at which we move ourselves and our possessions \nthrough space, and the words which we use, nothing in life changes. The \nutmost any generation can do is to rebaptize each spiritual or emotional \nrebirth in its own tongue.\u2019 \n\n\u2018\u201cIt is an admirable book, full of wisdom,\u2019 commented my friend\u2014always \neither enthusiastic or disgusted over the last he has read. \u2018 It pictures, though \nof course unintentionally, the very foundation of chelaship: loyal service, \nfaithful comradeship, nobility of motive, steadfastness of purpose,\u2014the \nstandards without which no one can be counted as truly human.\u2019 \n\n\u201c It is a joy to think and to speak of such things,\u2019\u2019 said the Student. \u201cYour \nfriend\u2019s concluding comment recalls something that I read recently about \nQueen Victoria, whom it is rather the fashion nowadays to treat as a stuffy \nold thing, devoid of imagination or other merit. The Empress Eugdnie, talk\u00ac \ning to Maurice Paleologue in 1912, of the days when she and the third Napoleon \ntook refuge in England after the war of 1870, described Victoria as \u2018the most \ndevoted, the most generous, the most helpful of friends,\u2019 adding: \u2018You could \nhardly believe in all the delicate attentions which she heaped on us, during the \nfirst bitter days of our exile. She continued to treat us as sovereigns, just as \nwhen we were the allies of England. She said to me one day: \u201cYou no longer \nhave the sovereignty of power, but you have a still higher sovereignty\u2014that \nof misfortune ( malheur ).\u201d \u2019 Later, in 1879, when Eugenie was a widow, and \nwhen her only child, the Prince Imperial, was killed in Zululand, Queen \nVictoria rose to such genuineness of understanding and sympathy that, to \nhonour and console the mother, she erected a statue to the Prince in the \nRoyal Chapel at Windsor, among the tombs of the English Royal Princes. \nNow I say that a woman who was capable of that, and of Vous n'avez plus la \nsouverainete du pouvoir , mats vous avez une souverainete plus haute encore , celle \ndu malheur \u2014not only proved herself great of soul, but by that single phrase, \nand by the generosity and nobility it revealed, proved, in anticipation, that \nshe lived in a world unknown to her critics, beyond their comprehension and \ntheir reach. Her nature is as foreign to theirs, as Abraham Lincoln\u2019s beautiful \nsimplicity is foreign to the artificialities and perversities of the men who \ndisparage him.\u2019\u2019 \n\n\u201cThat was splendid of the old Queen,\u201d the Ancient commented. \u201cAll \nnobility that is worthy of the name, comes down from above, and therefore \ncarries with it a touch of inspiration, a suggestion of divine simplicity. You \nremember, I hope, this incident during the retreat of the \u2018Contemptibles\u2019 \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n183 \n\n\n\n\nfrom Mons. They had been marching or fighting, as I remember it, for three \ndays and nights, without sleep and practically without food. Outnumbered \ntwo to one in guns also\u2014they had narrowly escaped being overwhelmed by \nthe right wing of the German armies; staggering in retreat, many of them \nwounded, in groups of twos and threes and twenties, along the main road \nthrough the central Square of Mons, with shells bursting everywhere,\u2014their \nsurviving officers did all they could to rally them, but with scant success, for \nthey had reached that stage of exhaustion when men are deaf and dumb and \nblind. Then it was that Tom Bridges a Colonel I believe\u2014seeing a toyshop on \nthe Square, and, behind its broken window, a toy drum,\u2014seized it, began to \nbeat it with all the air of a trained performer, and, marching up and down, mak- \ning a fool of himself for love s sake, rallied those half-dead men and turned them \nonce more into a weapon for King and country and for France.\u201d The Ancient \npaused. Then, in some curious, indescribable way, isolating himself from \nthe rest of us until he seemed utterly alone in space, he said: \u201cDear and \nwonderful Lord, my Lord, I know what happened when Tom Bridges died. \nYou met him, and you took him in your arms and blessed him; and there came \na protest from someone or something not far off\u2014\u2018his sins, his sins, his sins\u2019; \nand you, furious, turned, with \u2018to Hell with his sins,\u2019 like a living flame from \nyour heart. And Tom Bridges went to his knees at your feet, sobbing,\u2014 \nfor he had not known, 0 God, he had not known,\u2014you; and now your kind\u00ac \nness; he could not endure your kindness. But you, hearing only that drum \nin the Square of Mons, wrapped him in the folds of Paradise\u2014the soldier\u2019s \nParadise\u2014where comrades greeted him with cheers and laughter!\u201d \n\nIt was almost too much for one or two of us. The Ancient\u2019s imagination, \nlinked perhaps with some former experience of his own, had moved him deeply! \nand had carried him\u2014or so it seemed to us\u2014within measurable distance of \nthe truth. Yet the Recorder felt obliged to utter a warning. \u201cSo far as I \nam aware, he said, \u201c \u2018Tom Bridges\u2019, as he was popularly known in the \nBritish Army, is still alive, and has become a very important and prominent \nperson in the service of the Empire.\u201d \n\n\u201cThank you for telling me,\u201d the Ancient answered. \u201cI hope you are \nright, partly because we need such men in our midst to-day,\u2014more so than \never perhaps; but partly also for the chance you give me to bring out the \ndeeper truths involved. First, that time in that world is very different from \ntime as we know it here. Paradise necessarily contains the Past and the \nFuture in what seems like an eternal Now. If I anticipated by ten or twenty \nyears, it makes no difference: what will be, was. In terms of earth-time, \nmany a man, in deep sleep, has been lifted, or indrawn (whichever you prefer)*, \nby the Master-soul who loves him, and has walked in \u2018the land of the leal\u2019 for \na moment which there seemed like an eternity,\u2014to recall no more, perhaps, \non waking, than a sense of immortal youth, or of a joy transcending words! \nSecond, what is \u2018death\u2019? It is the abandonment of the body, and although! \nas a rule, it is a painful and distressing process, that is because we struggle \nagainst it. There were thousands of men, during the Great War, who, in \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n184 \n\none supreme moment of living, abandoned their bodies, and thus, in the true \nsense, experienced \u2018death\u2019 as it should be experienced: not as an agony, but \nas a triumph,\u2014and who are still alive. They had dropped all concern for, \nall attachment to, both the body and their personal interests. Have you \nforgotten the words of Claudel, the poet, quoted at the Convention of 1927 \u2022 \n\u2018And then, at last, there where his spent body bends and where his will hesi\u00ac \ntates and ebbs,\u2014he sinks his ship beneath him, and passes onward, on the \nwings of passion and desire.\u2019 Something greater than his own will carries \nhim, and he becomes, spiritually, as a child in the arms of his Father, though \nperhaps behaving in this world like a lion at bay. . . . We need above all \nthings to free ourselves from a mechanical view of time and space and causality. \nSo, I repeat,\u2014I know what happened when Tom Bridges died,\u2014and someday, \nhe will know too. \n\n\u201cWhat he did during the retreat through Mons has often struck me as the \nEnglish equivalent of 1 Debout les morts!\u2019 Curious, how national psychology \ndiffers, and therefore how necessarily different are the ways of heroism. \nGeneral Ludlow, sitting on the parapet of the trenches under fire at Santiago, \nreading Light on the Path aloud to encourage his men, is another illustration \nof the same thing: totally different, but exactly the same in spirit. \n\n\u201cIt seems to come to this,\u2014as conclusion to all we have been saying: we \nare the children of our Master, whoever that Master may be,\u2014Christ or \nanother, and whether known to us personally or not. Out of the Darkness \nof life he called us, that we, though still in darkness, might witness to his \night. It is a light, not only of mind to illumine darkened minds; not only of \nhope, pointing from despair to worship: it is the light of a most human and \nmost loving and most valiant heart,\u2014the heart of a father in the heart of a \nKing. And of a King long forsaken; of a King who has turned his back on \nParadise that he may stand between his people and their doom; who, unseen, \nunrecognized, unthanked, forgotten, spends himself like water that the world \nmay yet be saved; who answers everywhere the cry of a soul for pity, the cry \nof a soul for help,\u2014but who, giving, for ever giving, must find in that his sole \nreward, since blindness cannot see, and each man\u2019s uttermost attention is \nriveted on himself and his little sorrows, on himself and his little needs. Surely \nit is for us to remember and never to forget; for we have been called\u2014not \nbecause of our merits, but as proof that he, in this world, is well-nigh destitute. \nOne of the Kings of Heaven, here he is less than a ghost. Should this not give \nus zeal, passionate desire, one-pointed determination to work unfalteringly \nthat he and his equal brethren may be known and loved and obeyed? First, \nin the nature of things, we must fit ourselves to work. Merely to talk about \nthe light, without possessing it, brings it to scorn, and the name of Masters \nto scorn. Tragically often that has been done, and not always with good \nintention; for if our motive be to listen to our own flow of wisdom, the motive \nis not good. Yet to be fit to work, does not mean to be perfect. It means \nknowledge of our own limitations, both intellectual and moral; it means deep \nand sincere conviction, of the will even more than of the head,\u2014the honest \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n185 \n\n\nconviction which can come from one source only,\u2014a genuine and cons an \neffort to obey the best and highest we can see. If we do that, always thin ing \nof it, and always trying, for their sakes, to see more truly and more nobly, \nthey will supply the rest. We shall help without thinking we are helpful, \nand may hope that, in time, by our forgetfulness of self, by our sense of one\u00ac \nness with our fellows, and by our love of the Masters\u2019 spirit and purpose, the \nlight of the Lodge, even in this world, will find place in which to shine. \n\nT. \n\nPostscript: \n\nA valued English member of The Theosophical Society is good enough to \nwrite us: \u201c. . .the statement in the Screen of Time [Theosophical Quar\u00ac \nterly, July, 1928; pages 39, 40] about the failure of our Broadcasting Cor\u00ac \nporation to transmit the speeches at the celebration at Ostend of the tenth \nanniversary of the British attack on Ostend and Zeebrugge. It is true that \nwe did not broadcast the speeches on that occasion, but the reason given \nby a Belgian newspaper, and quoted in the Screen [the Engineer informs us \nthat his quotation was taken from a \u201cSpecial Cable\u201d to The New York Times \nfrom Brussels, dated June 3rd], was not the correct one. I have my facts \ndirect, and I can only ask you to believe my statement that the reason was \nquite different.\u201d The Recorder is most grateful to our correspondent, as it \nis the foremost wish of the Quarterly to state only the facts at all times. \nIt is regrettable, in this case, that we are not in a position to give the facts, \nexcept in the form of a negative. ^ \n\n\nN \n\n\n\\ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS \n\n\nFebruary 23rd, 1907. \n\nDear- \n\nI go back many times to the pleasure of our visit to-last year and \n\nof meeting so many of the members there. I do not want the acquaintance \nwhich was then so pleasantly begun, to sink into forgetfulness, and as it is \nnot likely that we shall meet soon again, you must pardon me if I write to \nyou occasionally. \n\nWhat we all need is greater earnestness. We do not maintain a sufficiently \nsustained attitude. We have periods of exhilaration, almost of exaltation, \nand then we drop back into our low daily level until something happens to \nraise us up again. We need more steadiness, more poise. \n\nThere are several things we can do to achieve this end. Of course there is \nalways meditation. We still have no idea of the power of meditation. Indeed \none of the Masters has told us that, in so many words. But I think the most \nfruitful way to attack the problem is bv endeavouring to raise the level of \nour daily average. It is this daily average that really determines our spiritual \ncondition and our progress, not our higher moments of exaltation. \n\nNow the best way I know to raise our daily average is by adopting little \npractices, making little habits, which will give tangible expression to our devo\u00ac \ntion and our earnestness. Suppose we have a habit of lounging in our chairs. \nLet us determine that we shall sit up straight. Or suppose we cross our knees. \nLet us determine that hereafter we shall not cross our knees. Suppose we are \nusually cross or short-tempered at breakfast-time. Let us determine that \nwe shall make a special effort to be sweet-tempered then. There are hundreds \nof things like this which we can take up, one by one, and do in a spirit of devo\u00ac \ntion, with very marvellous effects; for, while the thing itself is small and of no \nparticular importance, the fact that it makes us think everv few minutes oi \nour aim in doing the thing, is of very great importance. , '' \n\nSuch little observances as these help us enormously in much bigger/ways, \nfor we rarely sin deliberately; and if we had our attention directed to higher \nthings at the time of temptation, as it might be if we were trying to. keep one \nor more of these little observances, then the chances are that we should decide \nrightly in the important matter. \n\nAnyhow it is the first step toward continuous meditation, and is immensely \nvaluable from this standpoint. It keeps alive that spirit of earnestness and \ndevotion which makes it easy to do and be good. \n\nPlease remember me to all my friends in-, and with best wishes to \n\nyourself, I am, \n\n\n186 \n\n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nletters to students \n\n\n187 \n\n\nand push to them. . . i t wi , \" \u2022 - SOme sort of vigour and go \n\n-mbe, straight on ** t0 ** ^ \n\nloyalty to Judge and the principles which he ' W \u00b0 mUst reme mber that \na nearer duty than any vague Sa of the! T ^ esented and suffered for, is \nSocieties. . . . \n\nto it.\u2014always at, thiog * \u201c ,ry \"'\u00ab 10 ero \u201c * bnde. before we come \n\n1 d0 not beI ' ev e we appreciate and*urMerstandV*t't lT ^h\u201d 01 * intere sting. \n\neven the drama; but the deep er mat^n T, *\" d art a \" d ^nce anS \ninfluenced in even a more marked manner Tn?it s h^Th ^ been \nLor instance, I am convinced that much of the that \u00b0 Ur Vlsion fails - \n\nsees all over the world, is directly traceable tn^th 18, ,\u00b0 US revivaI - which one \neven believe that such a thin* as the senaA 7\u00b0. \u00b0 f \u00b0 Ur M \u00b0vement. I \nFrance was made possible by the work of HP \u00b0r the , Cburch and State in \nopened up, and keep open, centres of * H ' 7 B ' and her folI owers. We \n\u00b0f the Lodge can use; sometimes, perhapTmost oft^^ Which the members \n-selves. They have the means to do tW. ^ unc \u00b0nsciously to our- \n\nyears ago, because of the lack of a basis a CartV'' \"u lm P\u00b0ssible forty \nwhich they could work. \u2019 Upadhl \u2019 m the world, through \n\n-\u00a3^ 3 ^ \u00a3\u00a3\u00a353 S' -f *\u00ab* arc c\u201e,^ y \n\nare ,ew ,h \u201c \u201c\u201c ,d \n\nand will do incalculable harm if it shoukfhan eXpreSS10n of this ne w spirit, \nThat is the trouble with great spiritual \u201e h pP \u00ae n to get the upper hand, \nan expression of their dark side which ,\u00b0 Vements - Ther e must always be \nmuch of its power and inLnce from theT P* \u00b0 f **\" WOrk and d ^e \nthe travesty. I suppose it is Z snZ , 7 ^ SpintUal force - of which it is \nlimited in its power for good. It cannot iiP 0 \u201d th<2 Lodge is so strictly \nchanges, until the world as a whole is abk to on. \" f^ \u00b0 F bring about \n\nforces which are liberated at *he\u00b0s e ame a tte\u00b0 ^ ^ C \u00b0 nquer the \u00b0PPP*te \n\ncan so * inStrUments *>r such work; we \n\nand that, I think, is now L e 0 f our m\" t ^ US Whether We know * or not \nthe day we should have the conseiousThoughT dUtl6S ' Each h \u00b0ur of \nhat the Masters can pour force th oujh me and soT Am 1 acting \u2022\u00bb \n\n1 \" TC A \u201d 1 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n188 \n\ninfluence? Such a thought will keep us from many an unworthy action, \n\n\" Wi.T,U to occupy to. how silly it is to spend out .toe \n\nwhether we shall have one kind of a by-law or another. \nWhat earthly or heavenly difference does it make, provided our name or our \n\ninwc enable us to do our work? . \n\nWhat does matter and what is really interesting is that there \u201c \nabroad in the world, stirring things up, making them fluidic, ready fo g - \n\nAnd it is for us, and for others who have our high ideals, to see that the chang , \nwhen it does come, is what we would wish it to be. \n\nWith kindest regards, I am, \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nApril 3rd, 19\u20183- \n\n\nDear-- \n\nYour mind does not need sharpening. We do not progress through our \nminds or understanding. We progress through carrying into effect, m detail \nin our lives, the teaching given us. We always know enough. You know far \n\nmore than you put into practice. ... _ ,, \n\nAny reading can be spiritual reading, if we do it right. Even the news\u00ac \npapers may be read for knowledge and ammunition for the Masters work. \nYou should try to do any reading in this spirit. Do not read merely for dis\u00ac \ntraction. Many people use reading as others use drink, to forget themselves \nand what they call their troubles for a while. \n\nRemember that our distance from the Master is measured by our unlikeness \nto him; our closeness by our likeness. If you wish to reach him, be hkehim. \n\nDo you think he ever has envious or unkind or critical thoughts? When \nyou have them take them to him, say: \u201cMaster,-has hurt my feel\u00ac \n\nings. I hate her\u201d: tell him just how you really feel. I think after one or \ntwo trials, you will be so ashamed of your feelings that you will not have them. \n\n. . . It has been said that one way of conquering suspicious, jealous, \nenvious thoughts, is to- try to realize that we actually are all the things that \nwe suspect people of thinking us to be, and that we are much worse in ways \nthey do not imagine. \n\nIf we feel that we have been left out of something because we are not worthy, \nface that fact, and try to realize that it is true that we are not worthy, and that \nit is only by the Grace of God that we are ever allowed to go anywhere or to \ndo anything,\u2014not because we are fit. Cultivate humility. Nothing in life \nis prosaic. The meanest and simplest duty may be made glorious if we do it \nto and for the Master. \n\nBelieve me, \n\nYours sincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\n\nThe Migration of Symbols, by Donald A. Mackenzie; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. \nLtd., London; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; price, $4.00. \n\nThis volume belongs to a series, now in course of publication, on the \u201cHistory of Civiliza\u00ac \ntion, edited by C. K. Ogden. It is a result of scholarly research into the universality of \ncertain symbols, and their relation to beliefs and customs. The subject is of special interest \nto students of Theosophy, and they will find the facts in this book of real value. The fre\u00ac \nquent illustrations, and the detailed index, increase its utility as a work of reference. The \nauthor shows that ancient art is rooted in religious belief; the same designs are repeated in \nmany different parts of the world, which seems to prove that they have a fundamental mean\u00ac \ning. He suggests alternative theories to account for this; either the \u201cdiffusion theory\", which \npresupposes that there is intercommunication, in ideas and art, among the different nations, \nor the theory of the \u201cindependent origin\" of similar ideas in different parts of the world! \nA simpler explanation is the theosophic teaching of the existence of the Lodge of Masters as \nthe common source of all religion. \n\nIt is a pity that the author\u2019s philosophy is not more profound, and that it fails to penetrate \nbeneath the surface aspect of the different symbols. The truth is, of course, that without the \nteaching given out in The Secret Doctrine it is impossible to appreciate the fundamental sig\u00ac \nnificance of symbolism, or to have even a preliminary understanding of the magnitude of \nthe subject. To those, however, who have studied that teaching. The Migration of Sym\u00ac \nbols may be of considerable service to further their investigation of this fascinating subject. \n\nS. C. \n\nm T 1 ^ Z nt \u00b0 G \u00b0 d \u2019 by Abraham K uyper, D.D. L.L.D., Former Prime Minister of the \nNetherlands. Translated from the Dutch by John Hendrik De Vries, D.D.; The Macmillan \nCompany, New York, 1925; price, $3.00. \n\nHis Decease at Jerusalem, by Abraham Kuyper; Translated by John Hendrik De Vries, D D \u2022 \nWm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1928; price, $2.00. \n\nDr. Abraham Kuyper was an extraordinary man. Bom in 1837 in Maassluis, Netherlands, \nhe died in 1920 after a life of astonishing accomplishment in an unusual variety of fields. \nTaken for a dull boy at school, he graduated from Leyden University with highest honours, \nand obtained his Doctorate in Sacred Theology before he was twenty-six. Entering imme\u00ac \ndiately upon an active ministry, he added to his duties the editorship of The Standard, a daily \npaper, representing the \u201cChristian contingent of the Dutch nation\" in politics. For twenty \nyears he was a leading figure in the religious, scientific, and political life of his country, pub- \n.lshing numerous books, and writing daily for his two papers. In 1898 he gave the \u201cStone \nLectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1901 he was called by Queen Wilhelmina \nto be Prime Minister, which position he held till 1905. \n\nThe two volumes of Meditations, here reviewed, bear witness to the intellectual fecundity \nof their author, since they appeared from week to week in his papers, and are refreshing because \nof their simple, Protestant tone. Many, therefore, who do not care for the Roman Catholic \nmanuals, may find the restraint, solid thought, reserved yet tender feeling, and flashes of \nmystical insight in these, more to their taste. The first volume offers one hundred and ten \n\n189 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n190 \n\nMeditations on the single thought from Psalm 73: \u201cAs for me, it is good to be near unto God\u201d \nOn page 354, Dr. Kuyper writes: \u201cThe fellowship of being near unto God must become reality, \nin the full and vigorous prosecution of our life. It must permeate and give colour to our \nfeeling, our perceptions, our sensations, our thinking, our imagining, our willing, our acting, \nour speaking. It must not stand as a foreign factor in our life, but it must be the passion that \nbreathes throughout our whole existence.\u201d This expresses the theme and effort underlying \nthe entire series. \n\nThe second volume offers fifty Meditations on the Passion of Christ, quite different from \nanything of the kind the present writer has ever read. Some, like the fourth on the betrayal \nof Judas, are full of tense, passionate feeling, and move both heart and will. All have originality \nof thought, and slowly, simply, but with gathering force, bear their message home to the reader, \nconstantly appealing to his own daily experience, and helping him to connect that with the \nsufferings of the Master Christ. \n\nOne is glad to express indebtedness to the Translator for making these Meditations available \nto English readers, only regretting that both volumes, especially the second, are marred by \nmany ungrammatical sentences, unidiomatic locutions, and such careless workmanship as \nsometimes actually to puzzle the reader. \n\nA. G. \n\nLife In The Stars, by Sir Francis Younghusband; John Murray, London; price ios. 6 d. \nir Pranas Younghusband will be remembered by readers of the Quarterly not only \nZ* tT dellghtful books ' but distinguished, among other things, as chief of the \nattemn, M rT k w &SSa ~ ' 9 \u00b0 3 \u2019 a \" d a \u2018 S \u00b0 \u201c 0ne of the movin e s P iri \u2018s in organizing the recent \nof aZd f T Ever , est - This m \u00b0 st recent book of bi = makes its appeal because \n\nIn contl lT T S \u2018 mP t>% wide and clear Kke the starry heavens which inspired it. \n\n/dlMK wT h 8 h , e vastness of an ordered universe, it is not what Sir Francis Younghusband \n\nhe r biSna irr Vu f he makes the mighty swi \"e of the around \n\nunfatZZt central suns; the silent, onward sweeping of whole solar systems through the \nunfathomable profundities of space; the evolution, dissolution and \"re-evolution of stars\u201d- \n\n] Zll: nm 7 ? h ': ?\u2122 S \u2019^ alUng \u00a3r0m deep to dee P- and a11 \u00b0f this a \"living Whole\u201d, \u201cheld \n\u00b0f h r a f f f r m d , b . y Eternal Spirit \u201d\u2019 every smallest part manifesting \u201cthe indwelling \ncharacter of the Whole . Throughout his life the heavens at night have drawn the author \n\nh^ToftL a ZjDetrt r ^ h vt een ' 7 PktUre him ' 35 3 Very y0Ung man \u2019 a,one in the \nInfinitude \u00b0 n 3 8 ' W,nd \u2018 swept spur \u00b0 f tba Himalayas, gazing into the \n\nAs wondering men have always done \nSince beauty and the stars were one,\u201d \n\n\u2014and he is not ashamed to have us know that he worships as he gazes \n\nrnmmmmrn \n\nsmallest part of the universe. Though the student of rZ l COnsciousness ln every \n\nrsr* * \u25a0 \n\n\nT. D. \n\n\n\nQuestion No. 339 (Continued from July, 1928).\u2014 In what various ways can a new member \nof the T. S. qualify for \u201c active membership?\" That is a term I have noticed in the Convention \nReports , and it appeals to me for I do not wish to be a drone in the Society. \n\nAnswer. \u2014In order to \u201cqualify for \u2018active membership\u2019 \u201d in the T. S., it is necessary to have \nsome understanding of the principles and objects of the Society. These must be grasped first \nby the mind, through reading and study of our literature; then, by pondering and meditating \nupon them, they must be made a part of our being,\u2014to be lived in our daily lives, through our \nthoughts and actions. Marshal Foch, in his Principles of War, insists upon the necessity of \nkeeping the objective in mind. What is our objective? This was answered in Mr. Griscom\u2019s \nfirst Elementary Article\u2014\u201cThe Purpose of Life\u201d\u2014in the Quarterly for April, 1914. This \npurpose he states to be: \u201cThat each human soul shall be reunited to the Central Spiritual \nUnity, with full self-consciousness, and self-realization .\u201d He then goes on to point out that \n\nthis reunion can be accomplished only by the giving up of self,\u2014by the voluntary surrender \nof our free-will to the Higher Self, and that this gift of free-will was \u201cnecessary to enable the \nsoul to realize itself,\u2014to become self-conscious.\u201d \n\nSurely, if one could accomplish this through the development of positive will, one would be \nenabled to qualify for \u201cactive membership.\u201d \n\nAnswer. A member is \u2018active to the extent to which he does all that he can to co-operate \nin carrying out the purpose of the Society. The T. S. differs from other organizations, in that \nit is an instrument of the Theosophical Movement, which exists and works on all planes. A \nbed-ridden cripple, unable to move hand or foot, may be a most active and helpful member if \nhe love and devote his heart to that for which the Society works. It has been said that the \npurpose of the Society is to keep alive the spiritual intuitions of mankind,\u2014and those over \nwhich we have the most control are our own. We nourish them by meditating on them, \nattending to them, and above all, by living them: to do this is to work most effectively for the \nSociety. \n\nHaving realized that Theosophy is the truth of his own soul, the meaning and purpose of \nhis life, the road to happiness, he rightly longs to share this great discovery with those he loves. \nIf he make the mistake, as most beginners will, of trying to do this by talking about it, bitter \ndisappointment awaits him. The result is always the same\u2014the antagonizing of friends who \nmight otherwise have been drawn to the Movement at some later time. The only way to \narouse interest in the great truths of Theosophy is to let its light shine through one\u2019s deeds, \ntransforming them and him. Then others will long to acquire something that they see he has \n\u2014and when they ask about it, is the time to speak. J. F. B. M. \n\nAnswer. \u2014The questioner would have been more likely to derive help from answers to his \nquestion, if he had given specific references (date, page, line) to the use of the expression, \n\nactive membership. If used by an older student, mere surface activity could not have \nbeen meant, but, primarily, an ever-deepening co-operation with the spirit of the Society. \nThis can be achieved only by inner development, brought about in ways frequently outlined \nin our literature under the general head of preparation for discipleship. The questioner should \nread Letters that Have Helped Me, vol. I (the last section deals with the subject directly); \n\n191 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n192 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nFragments, vol. I, especially pages 73-81; 90-98; articles on Ch\u00a3laship in Five Years of Theoso\u00ac \nphy; and many articles in back numbers of the Theosophical Quarterly, Mr. Griscom\u2019s \n\u201cLetters to Students\" among them. Y Y. \n\nQuestion No. 340 .\u2014What should one do with wrong moods? We are told to pray and to \nmeditate, but if one be in a mood that seems like a stonewall of resistance, must one not watt for \nit to pass? \n\nAnswer. \u2014All moods yield to right action. They are psychic unrealities, caused by think\u00ac \ning about oneself. Act as if the mood did not exist\u2014which one can always force oneself to \ndo\u2014and it will disappear. Most moods are negative, and hence will yield to so simple a \nremedy as brisk physical movement, a quick walk, for instance. It would be interesting to \nsee whether any mood would persist were it faced by a definite resolution which imposed and \ninflicted severe penance in case it had not disappeared by a given time. The difficulty is \nthat in a part of ourselves we enjoy even those moods which appear to make us most gloomy \nand miserable. Lower nature will indignantly deny this enjoyment, but its reluctance to \npermit such simple action as would cure the mood, proves its wish to continue it. \n\nJ. F. B. M. \n\nAnswer. \u2014What is gained by deferring prayer until one is in the mood to pray? A great \nservant of God once wrote to a struggling friend, \u201cRemember that what the Master desires \nis your will, not your feelings.\" When one is so dominated by a mood, joyous or depressed, \nthat it has for the time being walled him in,\u2014what a splendid opportunity he has, by piercing \nthat wall, to offer the gift of a resolute and loyal will. E. \n\nAnswer. \u2014St. Francois de Sales remarked that we should treat certain moods with in\u00ac \ndifference, \u201cas if they were dogs barking in the distance.\" Perhaps that advice does not seem \nto apply when the dogs are barking close at hand. But let us imagine an occasion when we \nare suffering from a particular mood. Someone offends us and we brood over our wrongs. \nThen suddenly something happens,\u2014a thunder-storm or a headache or a fire across the \nstreet. When we have recovered our psychic senses after this physical interlude, we shall \nbe surprised and perhaps irritated to find that the mood has disappeared. As a matter of \nfact the barking dog was always in the distance and only fancy made it seem near. It is \ncertain that we can, by imagination and will, produce the same diversion that the thunder\u00ac \nstorm provided. At any rate we can continue to try, and even if we continue to fail, our merit \nwill be greater than if we wait for time to do our work for us. S. L. \n\nAnswer. \u2014Surely the mood which seems like a stonewall of resistance is a call to action, \nto start doing something about it. When the student finds himself immersed in a mood which \nhe discovers to be wrong, then, if he be true to his best Self, he has got to fight his hardest. \nTrue, his mood may be the culmination of inattention to obvious duties, and the personal self \nand its indulgence may thus have lured him into such laziness that the call to action seems \nan unendurable burden. In that case it might be wise to invoke ambition, pride or the desire \nnot to be beaten, and through one of them to dominate the mood\u2014thus making the enemy \nact as servant of the Self which declines to be the slave of a mood. A. K. \n\n\nNOTICE \n\nThe regular meetings of the New York Branch of The Theosophical Society will be held \nthroughout the winter at 64 Washington Mews, (between Washington Square and East 8th \nStreet), on alternate Saturday evenings, beginning at half past eight and closing at ten o\u2019clock. \nBranch members will receive printed notices, giving the dates. This notice will also be mailed \nto non-members who send their names to the Secretary T. S. Out-of-town members of the \nSociety are invited to attend these meetings whenever they are in New York, and visitors \nwho may be interested in Theosophy are always welcome. \n\n\n\nSTANDARD BOOKS \n\n\nBlavatsky, H. P. Isis Unveiled, Vols. I and II.doth $10.00 \n\nKey to Theosophy ... cloth \u00bb 3 - 50 \n\nSecret Doctrine. The, Vols. I and II and Index..... .doth, 20.00 \n\nComplete in one book, without subject-index volume, 7.50 \n\nTheosophical Glossary . dot ^\u00bb \n\nTransactions of the Blavatsky Lodge .cloth, -.50 \n\nVoice of the Silence .cloth, . 85 , leather, 1.50 \n\nCav 6 . Fragments, Volume I.boards. 1.00 \n\nVolume II.boards, 1.00 \n\nVolume III . Karels, 1.00 \n\nGerard, John. Letters to Friends .\u2022 ..boards, 1.75 \n\nHillard Katherine. Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine, .cloth, 3.00 \nJohnston, Charles. Bhagavad Gita .Translated. J; 2 * \n\nCrest Jewel of Wisdom, The .cloth, 1.25 \n\nFrom the Upanishads .paper, .50 \n\nGreat Upanishads, The, Volume I.cloth, l.so \n\nParables of the Kingdom, The .paper, .so \n\nPATANJALI\u2019S Yoga Sutras .Translated, annotated; cloth, 1.25 \n\nSong of Life, The .paper, .75 \n\nJudge, William Q. Bhagavad Gita .Edited; doth, 1.251 leather, 1.50 \n\n~ Echoes from the Orient ..... - 60 \n\nLetters That Have Helped Me, Volume I and II, each, .doth, 1.00 \n\nOcean of ..cloth, 1.00 \n\nPatanjali\u2019s Yoga Aphorisms .cloth, . 75 ; leather, 1.50 \n\nKeightley, Archibald. Theosophy as an Influence in Life paper, .20 \n\nLaDow, Stanley V. Plotinus. \u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022 V.;:. paper ' #5 \u00b0 \n\nMitchell, Henry Bedinger. Meditation, Special edition, .20* paper, .50 \n\nTalks on Religion .cloth, 1.50 \n\nTheosophical Society and Theosophy, The .paper, .20 \n\nSinnett A. P. Esoteric Buddhism . cloth, 2.50 \n\nOccult World, The .cloth, 2.50 \n\nWalker, E. D. Reincarnation . cloth, 1.75 \n\nIdyll of the White Lotus. \u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022\u201d\u2022;\u2022 \n\nLight on the Path .cloth, . 75 , leather, 1 . 50 , lambskm, 1.75 \n\nThrough the Gates of Gold. doth * 1,20 \n\nTHE QUARTERLY BOOK DEPARTMENT, \n\nP. a Box 64, Station 0 , New York. \n\n\nnwvoTioNAL* Bhaeavad Gita; Crest Jewd of Wisdom; Fragments; The Great Upani- \nshads* Letters That Have Hdped Me; Letters to Frieds; Light on the Path; The Par\u00ac \nables of the Kingdom; The Song of Life; Through the Gates of Gold; \\ oice of the Silence. \n\nPhilosophical: Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine; Isis Unveiled; Key to Theosophy; \nPlotinus; Reincarnation; The Secret Doctrine; Talks on Rdigion; Theosophical Glossary; \nTransactions; Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. \n\nIntroductory: Culture of Concentration; Echoes from the Orient; Esoteric Buddhimi; \nIdyll of the White Lotus; Meditation; The Occult World; The Ocean of Theosophy \nThe Theosophical Sodety and Theosophy. \n\n\nTHE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS. NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n192 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nFragments, vol. I, especially pages 73-81; 90-98; articles on Ch\u00a3laship in Five Years of Theoso\u00ac \nphy; and many articles in back numbers of the Theosophical Quarterly, Mr. Griscom\u2019s \n\u201cLetters to Students\u2019 1 among them. Y Y. \n\nQuestion No. 340.\u2014 What should one do with wrong moods? We are told to pray and to \nmeditate, hut if one he in a mood that seems like a stonewall of resistance, must one not wait for \nit to pass? \n\nAnswer. \u2014All moods yield to right action. They are psychic unrealities, caused by think\u00ac \ning about oneself. Act as if the mood did not exist\u2014which one can always force oneself to \ndo\u2014and it will disappear. Most moods are negative, and hence will yield to so simple a \nremedy as brisk physical movement, a quick walk, for instance. It would be interesting to \nsee whether any mood would persist were it faced by a definite resolution which imposed and \ninflicted severe penance in case it had not disappeared by a given time. The difficulty is \nthat in a part of ourselves we enjoy even those moods which appear to make us most gloomy \nand miserable. Lower nature will indignantly deny this enjoyment, but its reluctance to \npermit such simple action as would cure the mood, proves its wish to continue it. \n\nJ. F. B. M. \n\nAnswer. \u2014What is gained by deferring prayer until one is in the mood to pray? A great \nservant of God once wrote to a struggling friend, \u201cRemember that what the Master desires \nis your will, not your feelings.\u201d When one is so dominated by a mood, joyous or depressed, \nthat it has for the time being walled him in,\u2014what a splendid opportunity he has, by piercing \nthat wall, to offer the gift of a resolute and loyal will. E. \n\nAnswer. \u2014St. Frangois de Sales remarked that we should treat certain moods with in\u00ac \ndifference, \u201cas if they were dogs barking in the distance.\u201d Perhaps that advice does not seem \nto apply when the dogs are barking close at hand. But let us imagine an occasion when we \nare suffering from a particular mood. Someone offends us and we brood over our wrongs. \nThen suddenly something happens,\u2014a thunder-storm or a headache or a fire across the \nstreet. When we have recovered our psychic senses after this physical interlude, we shall \nbe surprised and perhaps irritated to find that the mood has disappeared. As a matter of \nfact the barking dog was always in the distance and only fancy made it seem near. It is \ncertain that we can, by imagination and will, produce the same diversion that the thunder\u00ac \nstorm provided. At any rate we can continue to try, and even if we continue to fail, our merit \nwill be greater than if we wait for time to do our work for us. S. L. \n\nAnswer. \u2014Surely the mood which seems like a stonewall of resistance is a call to action, \nto start doing something about it. When the student finds himself immersed in a mood which \nhe discovers to be wrong, then, if he be true to his best Self, he has got to fight his hardest. \nTrue, his mood may be the culmination of inattention to obvious duties, and the personal self \nand its indulgence may thus have lured him into such laziness that the call to action seems \nan unendurable burden. In that case it might be wise to invoke ambition, pride or the desire \nnot to be beaten, and through one of them to dominate the mood\u2014thus making the enemy \nact as servant of the Self which declines to be the slave of a mood. A. K. \n\n\nNOTICE \n\nThe regular meetings of the New York Branch of The Theosophical Society will be held \nthroughout the winter at 64 Washington Mews, (between Washington Square and East 8th \nStreet), on alternate Saturday evenings, beginning at half past eight and closing at ten o\u2019clock. \nBranch members will receive printed notices, giving the dates. This notice will also be mailed \nto non-members who send their names to the Secretary T. S. Out-of-town members of the \nSociety are invited to attend these meetings whenever they are in New York, and visitors \nwho may be interested in Theosophy are always welcome. \n\n\n\n\nSTANDARD BOOKS \n\n\n\n\nBlavatsky, H. P. Isis Unveiled, Vols. I and II .doth fio.oo \n\nKey to Theosophy ...doth, 3 - 50 \n\nSecret Doctrine, The, Vols. I and II and Index...... doth, 20.00 \n\nComplete in one book, without eubject-index volume, 7 .50 \n\nTheosophical Glossary .doth. \n\nTransactions of the Blavatsky Lodge .doth, -.-0 \n\nVoice of the Silence .doth, . 85 , leather, 1.50 \n\nCav6. Fragments, Volume I.boards, 1.00 \n\nVolume II.. 1.00 \n\nVolume III.b 08 \" 1 *- 1 *\u00b0\u00b0 \n\nGerard, John. Letters to Friends .\u2022\u2022.boards, 1.75 \n\nHillard Katherine. Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine, .doth, s.oo \nJohnston, Charles. Bhagavad Gita .Translated, \u2022nnog^drth, i.m \n\nCrest Jewel of Wisdom, The .cloth, 1.25 \n\nProm the Upanishads .paper, .50 \n\nGreat Upanishads, The, Volume I. cloth \u00bb 1,50 \n\nParables of the Kingdom, The .paper, .50 \n\nPatanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras .Translated, annotated; cloth, 1.25 \n\nSong of Life, The.. * 75 \n\nJudge, William Q. Bhagavad Gita .Edited; doth, 1.251 leather, 1.50 \n\nEchoes from the Orient . .doth, .eo \n\nLetters That Have Helped Me, Volume I and II, each, .doth, 1.00 \n\nOcean of Theosophy . doth * \n\nPatanjali\u2019s Yoga Aphorisms .cloth, . 75 , leather, 1.50 \n\nKeightley, Archibald. Theosophy as an Influence in Life paper, .20 \n\nLaDow, Stanley V. Plotinus. \u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022 v.;: . paper \u2019 #5 \u00b0 \n\nMitchell, Henry Bedinger. Meditation, Special edition, .20* paper, .50 \n\nTalks on Religion .cloth, 1.5c \n\nTheosophical Society and Theosophy, The .paper, .2c \n\nSinnett, A. P. Esoteric Buddhism .cloth, 2.5c \n\nOccult World, The. cloth, 2.5c \n\nWalker, E. D. Reincarnation . cloth, 1.7c \n\nIdyll of the White Lotus. \u2022\u2022\u2022;-\u2018**\u2018*i* 't\u00b0^' J'*! \n\nLight on the Path .cloth, . 75 , leather, 1 . 50 , lambskm, 1.71 \n\nThrough the Gates of Gold. doth \u00bb \n\nTHE QUARTERLY BOOK DEPARTMENT, \n\nP. a Box 64 , Station O, New York. \n\n\nrwoTinvAL- Bhaeavad Gita; Crest Jewd of Wisdom; Fragments; The Great Upam- \nshads\u2019 Letters That Have Hdped Me; Letters to Friends; Light on the Path; The Par\u00ac \nables of the Kingdom; The Song of Life; Through the Gates of Gold; \\ oice of the Silence. \n\nPhilosophical: Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine; Isis Unveiled; Key to Theosophy; \nPtotin^; Reincarnation; The Secret Doctrine; Talkson Religion; Theosophical Glossary; \nTransactions; Patanjali s Yoga Sutras. \n\nIntroductory: Culture of Concentration; Echoes from the Orient; Esoteric Buddhian; \nIdyll of the White Lotus; Meditation; The Occult World; The Ocean of Theosophy; \nThe Theosophical Society and Theosophy. \n\n\nTHE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS. NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFounded by B. P. Blavatsky at Haw Vork Hi 1875 \n\n\nHE Society does not pretend to be able to establish \nat once a universal brotherhood among men, but \nonly strives to create the nucleus of such a body. \nMany of its members believe that an acquaintance \n\n. , ' , * f * \u2022__I \u00abUllnii/snh<\u00abr well \n\n\n_\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 Many of its members believe tnat an acquaintance \nSPP1 with the world's religions and philosophies will \nISSSSSV reveal, the common and fundamental principle \n\n\nunderlying these, that \"spiritual identity of all Souls with the \nOversoul \u201d which is the basisof true brotherhood 1 and many \nof them also believe that an appreciation of the finer forces \nof nature and man will still further emphasise the same idea. \n\nThe organization is wholly unsectarian, with no creed, \ndogma, nor personal authority to enforce or impose} neither \nis it to be held responsible for the opinions of its member^ \nwho are expected to accord to the beliefs of others that \ntolerance which they desire for their own. \n\nThe following proclamation was adopted at the Conven\u00ac \ntion of the Society, held at Boston, April, 1895I \n\n'The Theosophfcal Society in America by its delegates and \nmembers in Convention assembled, does hereby proclaim \nfraternal good will and kindly feeling toward all students of \nTheosophy and members of Theosophical Societies wherever \nand however situated* It further proclaims and avers its \nhearty sympathy and association with such persons and \norganisations in all theosophical matters except those of \ngovernment and administration, and invites their cor~ \n\n\nApplications for membership should be addressed to the \n\nSecretary T. S., P. O. Box 64, Station O, New York. \n\n\n\nVOL. XXVI, No. 3 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVOL. XXVI, No. 3 JANUARY 1929 \n\n\nfAVt \n\n\nf>~ u! \n\n< <* \n\nB O \n\n\niHEOSOPHJ \n\nQuarterly \n\n\nPUBLISHED BV \n\nINK THEOSOPNIOJU. SOCIETY \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJANUARY, 1929 \n\n\nThe Theosophical Society , as such , is not responsible for any opinion or \ndeclaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed , unless contained in an \nofficial document. \n\n\nRajput and Brahman in Buddha\u2019s Day \n\nT HE understanding of Buddhism by Western scholars is in general marked \nby certain limitations. To begin with, they are inclined to lay too \nmuch stress on what may be called the negative aspect of the Buddha\u2019s \nteaching, as, for example, when they represent that great Teacher as denying \nthe existence of the soul, or the existence of a Divine Principle in the universe. \nThe deeply misleading term, Nihilism, has been applied by certain of these \nWestern students of Pali to the Buddha\u2019s doctrine, and they have described \nNirvana as unconditional death. \n\nThe view that the Buddha denied the existence of a soul in man turns on \nthe misunderstanding, and therefore the mistranslation, of the Pali word \nAtta, which is a softened dialect form of the Sanskrit Atma. But besides the \nchange of form, there is also, between Sanskrit and Pali, a profound change of \nmeaning. It is true that in Sanskrit the word Atma covers a wide range, \nbeginning as a simple pronoun, \u201coneself,\u201d the habitual personality, often \nincluding the body, and ranging upward through ascending stages of self- \nidentification, and, in the great Upanishads, signifying the Higher Self, and, \nfinally, the Supreme Self of all beings. A careful study of the Pali records of \nthe Buddha\u2019s discourses indicates that, philosophically, the word Atta had \nsuffered from the downward tendency which affected all India after the great \nwar of the Mahabharata, when Kali Yuga, the Age of Evil, began. As the \nknowledge of the Divine Mysteries was steadily contracted within a narrow\u00ac \ning circle of Initiates, and, it should be added, as able Brahmans, intellectually \nrather than spiritually developed, gained a steadily increasing influence in \nthe religious life of India, mystical and philosophical conceptions were nar\u00ac \nrowed, and grand principles were hardened into dogmas. The word Atma \nshared the general fate, with the result that, in the Buddha\u2019s day, the con\u00ac \nception had become intellectualized, and the noble intuitional ideal of the \nDivine Self had been replaced by an image, firmly rooted in the mind, of a \n\u201cself\u201d limited and set apart from the great total of Being, with definite \n\n193 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n194 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nboundaries, even when it was described as infinite and everlasting. This \nsteady concentration of thought on a \u201cself\u201d which was in reality only a \nmental image, gave rise to a type of intellectual egotism that was a far more \nserious barrier in the way to true spiritual progress than the passional egotism \nof the man of desire, since this more dynamic egotism may rend itself apart \nand bum out through its very intensity. Intellectual egotism may, and \noften does, co-exist with all the outward forms of virtue and purity; it may be \nthe source of characteristics, in appearance seemingly excellent, and yet devoid \nof true spiritual life, because their root is poisoned; or, to put the matter in \nanother way, these \u201cvirtues\u201d can develop only up to a certain point because \nthere is a deep-seated conviction of limitation behind them, which eternally \nblocks their expansion toward the great Liberation. \n\nCertain of the Buddha\u2019s discourses, as recorded by his disciples, make it \nclear that this intellectualizing of the \u201cself\u201d prevailed among the Brahmans, \nboth those who lived a worldly life under the protection of the princes, and \nthose who, following the old tradition of renunciation, had abandoned worldly \nlife and had become homeless ascetics, often practising bodily and mental \nmortifications of extreme severity, and carrying them on for years, with \npersevering honesty. \n\nIf we grasp this progressive intellectualization and hardening of the idea of \n\u201cself\u201d, we shall find in it the clue to many different sides of the Buddha\u2019s \nteaching. To begin with, we shall see clearly that the presence of this obses\u00ac \nsing thought in the minds of those who were in other ways fitted to become \nhis disciples, made it necessary for the Buddha, as a preliminary, to break up \nthis mental image once and for all, and, consequently, to over-emphasize and \nover-state the unreality of \u201cself\u201d, thus lending colour to the view taken by \nWestern scholars, that the Buddha flatly denied the existence of the soul. \nOne is led to believe that the great Teacher clearly saw that, until this inner \nidol was broken to atoms, there could be no beginning of spiritual life; any \nseeming beginning would be a false dawn, a danger, not a real progress. He \nfurther saw, we may believe, that those who successfully passed through this \nshattering of the interior image of \u201cself\u201d, would in due course enter the silence \nbeyond the storm, and that the dawn of the true Self within their hearts \nwould supply the positive truth, the supplement of his initial negative teaching. \n\nThere are many recorded conversations of the Buddha with learned and \ndistinguished Brahmans, both wealthy landowners and homeless ascetics, \nwhich are fully intelligible only when we have grasped this clue of the intel\u00ac \nlectualization and hardening of the idea of \u201cself\u201d. But in reality the problem \nis not limited to distorted philosophical views and the need of controverting \nthem. The tendency which carried the Brahman type of intellect so far in \nthis direction, was strongly operative in other ways also. Rightly to under\u00ac \nstand them, and to see how they affected the life of India then, as they affect \nit to-day, we must consider the history of the Brahmans through many \nmillenniums. And it may be said in passing that the contraction of these \nlong millenniums into brief centuries by Western scholars, under the influence \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n195 \n\n\nof a distorted dogmatic chronology, has immensely complicated the problem \nof Indian history, including the spiritual history of that ancient land. \n\nWhile there has been race mixture among the Brahmans, they remain \nto-day, as they were millenniums ago, distinctly a white race; Brahmans of \npure ethnical type sometimes have blue eyes, showing an ancient connection \nwith the white-skinned, blue-eyed races of more Northern lands. Indeed, \nboth tradition and the evidence of the oldest hymns indicate that the Brah\u00ac \nmans, or the white race from which the Brahmans originated, entered India \nfrom the North, at a period immensely remote. It seems also certain that \nthey were already in possession of what, for lack of a better name, may be \ndescribed as a \u201cmagical\u201d system, in part embodied in the chanting of the \nVedic hymns; and that these hymns, or, rather, their manner of chanting \nthem, represented a knowledge of magical powers, of \u201coccult\u201d forces, depend\u00ac \ning on the correlations of sounds and tones with forces in Nature which may \nbe described generally as \u201cetheric\u201d or \u201celectrical\u201d. If this be true, then the \nVedic \u201cdivinities\u201d, the Fire-lord, the Wind-lord, and the rest of the Vedic \nhierarchies, were personifications of cosmic \u201celectrical\u201d forces, such as the \nscience of to-day is beginning to reveal; and the \u201cincantations\u201d represent the \ntechnical method of controlling these forces. \n\nThere are indications that this science of subtiler substances, of \u201ccelestial\u201d \nelectricity and magnetism, was a part of a more comprehensive science, mysti\u00ac \ncal and spiritual in the fullest sense, possessed by the ancestors of the white \nBrahmans long ages before they crossed the Himalayas and entered India \nby the North-western passes; and that much of the deeper and more spiritual \npart of this ancient wisdom had become obscured, so far as the majority of \nthat white race was concerned, before they crossed the Himalayan snows. \nThe causes of this obscuration are hidden from us in an immensely remote \npast, but we can trace some of its effects. Indeed, these effects are clearly \nbrought to light and underlined in certain significant passages of the great \nUpanishads. To make the matter concrete, we may say that the Brahmanical \nteaching, as represented by the hymns of the Rig Veda, does not contain, \nor, at any rate, does not reveal, the heart of the Mystery teaching: namely, the \ntwin doctrines of Liberation and Reincarnation. The life beyond death, as \nset forth in this oldest Brahmanical system, pictures an under-world very like \nthat of Babylonia: a limbo of shades, the wraiths of deceased ancestors, who \nwere in danger of perishing from inanition unless they received yearly offer\u00ac \nings of food from their descendants, in the Shraddha sacrifice. At this point, \ntwo thoughts suggest themselves: first, that this view of the life after death \nis a shadowy memory of a fuller version of the Mystery teaching, such as we \nhave supposed the remote trans-Himalayan ancestors of these white Brahmans \nof Upper India to have possessed millenniums earlier. This is suggested by \nthe fact that these partial and limited beliefs will yield a consistent and much \nmore spiritual meaning, if interpreted according to the principles of symbolism \nwhich run through the great Upanishads. To illustrate: the departed \n\u201cshades\u201d must be nourished by offerings of food made by their children and \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n\nSubscription price, $1.00 per annum; single copies 25 cents \n\nPublished by The Theosophical Society \nat 64 Washington Mews, New York, N. Y. \n\nJuly; October; January; April \n\nAddress all communications to P. O. Box 64 , Station O, New York \n\n\nJANUARY, 1929 \n\nThe Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opin \ndeclaration m tins magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless contained \nofficial document. \n\n\nIn Europe, single copies may be obtained from and subscriptions may be sent to John \nM. Watkins, 21 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, London, W. C. 2, England; or to \nMr. E. H. Lincoln, 9 Beaconsfield Road, Low Fell, Gateshead-on-Tyne, England, from \nwhom all back numbers may be obtained. Annual subscription price, 6s., postpaid. \n\n\nRajput and Brahman in Buddha\u2019s Day \n\nT HE understanding of Buddhism by Western scholars is in gem \nby certain limitations. To begin with, they are inclined \nmuch stress on what may be called the negative aspect of th \nteaching, as, for example, when they represent that great Teacher \nthe existence of the soul, or the existence of a Divine Principle in tl \nThe deeply misleading term, Nihilism, has been applied by certa \nWestern students of Pali to the Buddha\u2019s doctrine, and they havi \nNirvana as unconditional death. \n\nThe view that the Buddha denied the existence of a soul in ma \nthe misunderstanding, and therefore the mistranslation, of the \nAtta, which is a softened dialect form of the Sanskrit Atma. But \nchange of form, there is also, between Sanskrit and Pali, a profounc \nmeaning. It is true that in Sanskrit the word Atma covers a v \nbeginning as a simple pronoun, \u201coneself,\u201d the habitual persona \nincluding the body, and ranging upward through ascending stag \nidentification, and, in the great Upanishads, signifying the Higher \nfinally, the Supreme Self of all beings. A careful study of the Pali \n\n\nCONTENTS OF VOL. XXVI, NO. 3 \nJanuary, 1929 \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS. \n\nFRAGMENTS. \n\nOF CABBAGES\u2014AND KINGS. \n\nWAR MEMORIES. \n\nSYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. \n\nLODGE DIALOGUES. \n\nELEUSIS. \n\nA REVERSED TRIANGLE. \n\nWHY I REJOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD. \n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME. \n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS. \n\nREVIEWS. \n\nQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. \n\n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\nThe principal aim and object of this Society is to form the nucleus of a \nUniversal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, \ncaste or colour. The subsidiary objects are: The study of ancient and modern \nreligions, philosophies and sciences, and the demonstration of the importance \nof such study; and the investigation of the unexplained laws of nature and the \npsychical powers latent in man. \n\nEntered ns second-daw matter September 5. 1933 . at the Post Office at New York. N. Y., under the \nAct of March 3. *879. \n\nCopyright, 1929, by The Theosophical Society \n\n\nfzl \n\n1 \n\nH \n\n51 \n\n\nml \n\ncr I \n\n553 \n\nyf35 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n194 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nboundaries, even when it was described as infinite and everlasting. This \nsteady concentration of thought on a \u201cself\u201d which was in reality only a \nmental image, gave rise to a type of intellectual egotism that was a far more \nserious barrier in the way to true spiritual progress than the passional egotism \nof the man of desire, since this more dynamic egotism may rend itself apart \nand bum out through its very intensity. Intellectual egotism may, and \noften does, co-exist with all the outward forms of virtue and purity; it may be \nthe source of characteristics, in appearance seemingly excellent, and yet devoid \nof true spiritual life, because their root is poisoned; or, to put the matter in \nanother way, these \u201cvirtues\u201d can develop only up to a certain point because \nthere is a deep-seated conviction of limitation behind them, which eternally \nblocks their expansion toward the great Liberation. \n\nCertain of the Buddha\u2019s discourses, as recorded by his disciples, make it \nclear that this intellectualizing of the \u201cself\u201d prevailed among the Brahmans, \nboth those who lived a worldly life under the protection of the princes, and \nthose who, following the old tradition of renunciation, had abandoned worldly \nlife and had become homeless ascetics, often practising bodily and mental \nmortifications of extreme severity, and carrying them on for years, with \npersevering honesty. \n\nIf we grasp this progressive intellectualization and hardening of the idea of \n\u201cself\u201d, we shall find in it the clue to many different sides of the Buddha\u2019s \nteaching. To begin with, we shall see clearly that the presence of this obses\u00ac \nsing thought in the minds of those who were in other ways fitted to become \nhis disciples, made it necessary for the Buddha, as a preliminary, to break up \nthis mental image once and for all, and, consequently, to over-emphasize and \nover-state the unreality of \u201cself\u201d, thus lending colour to the view taken by \nWestern scholars, that the Buddha flatly denied the existence of the soul. \nOne is led to believe that the great Teacher clearly saw that, until this inner \nidol was broken to atoms, there could be no beginning of spiritual life; any \nseeming beginning would be a false dawn, a danger, not a real progress. He \nfurther saw, we may believe, that those who successfully passed through this \nshattering of the interior image of \u201cself , would in due course enter the silence \nbeyond the storm, and that the dawn of the true Self within their hearts \nwould supply the positive truth, the supplement of his initial negative teaching. \n\nThere are many recorded conversations of the Buddha with learned and \ndistinguished Brahmans, both wealthy landowners and homeless ascetics, \nwhich are fully intelligible only when we have grasped this clue of the intel\u00ac \nlectualization and hardening of the idea of \u201cself\u201d. But in reality the problem \nis not limited to distorted philosophical views and the need of controverting \nthem. The tendency which carried the Brahman type of intellect so far in \nthis direction, was strongly operative in other ways also. Rightly to under\u00ac \nstand them, and to see how they affected the life of India then, as they affect \nit to-day, we must consider the history of the Brahmans through many \nmillenniums. And it may be said in passing that the contraction of these \nlong millenniums into brief centuries by Western scholars, under the influence \n\n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\nof a distorted dogmatic chronology, has immensely complicated the problem \nof Indian history, including the spiritual history of that ancient land. \n\nWhile there has been race mixture among the Brahmans, they remain \nto-day, as they were millenniums ago, distinctly a white race; Brahmans of \npure ethnical type sometimes have blue eyes, showing an ancient connection \nwith the white-skinned, blue-eyed races of more Northern lands. Indeed, \nboth tradition and the evidence of the oldest hymns indicate that the Brah\u00ac \nmans, or the white race from which the Brahmans originated, entered India \nfrom the North, at a period immensely remote. It seems also certain that \nthey were already in possession of what, for lack of a better name, may be \ndescribed as a \u201cmagical\u201d system, in part embodied in the chanting of the \nVedic hymns; and that these hymns, or, rather, their manner of chanting \nthem, represented a knowledge of magical powers, of \u201coccult\u201d forces, depend\u00ac \ning on the correlations of sounds and tones with forces in Nature which may \nbe described generally as \u201cetheric\u201d or \u201celectrical\u201d. If this be true, then the \nVedic \u201cdivinities\u201d, the Fire-lord, the Wind-lord, and the rest of the Vedic \nhierarchies, were personifications of cosmic \u201celectrical\u201d forces, such as the \nscience of to-day is beginning to reveal; and the \u201cincantations\u201d represent the \ntechnical method of controlling these forces. \n\nThere are indications that this science of subtiler substances, of \u201ccelestial\u201d \nelectricity and magnetism, was a part of a more comprehensive science, mysti\u00ac \ncal and spiritual in the fullest sense, possessed by the ancestors of the white \nBrahmans long ages before they crossed the Himalayas and entered India \nby the North-western passes; and that much of the deeper and more spiritual \npart of this ancient wisdom had become obscured, so far as the majority of \nthat white race was concerned, before they crossed the Himalayan snows. \nThe causes of this obscuration are hidden from us in an immensely remote \npast, but we can trace some of its effects. Indeed, these effects are clearly \nbrought to light and underlined in certain significant passages of the great \nUpanishads. To make the matter concrete, we may say that the Brahmanical \nteaching, as represented by the hymns of the Rig Veda, does not contain, \nor, at any rate, does not reveal, the heart of the Mystery teaching: namely, the \ntwin doctrines of Liberation and Reincarnation. The life beyond death, as \nset forth in this oldest Brahmanical system, pictures an under-world very like \nthat of Babylonia: a limbo of shades, the wraiths of deceased ancestors, who \nwere in danger of perishing from inanition unless they received yearly offer\u00ac \nings of food from their descendants, in the Shraddha sacrifice. At this point, \ntwo thoughts suggest themselves: first, that this view of the life after death \nis a shadowy memory of a fuller version of the Mystery teaching, such as we \nhave supposed the remote trans-Himalayan ancestors of these white Brahmans \nof Upper India to have possessed millenniums earlier. This is suggested by \nthe fact that these partial and limited beliefs will yield a consistent and much \nmore spiritual meaning, if interpreted according to the principles of symbolism \nwhich run through the great Upanishads. To illustrate: the departed \n\u201cshades\u201d must be nourished by offerings of food made by their children and \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n. THEOSOPHICAL quarterly \n\n190 \n\ngrand-children: inten^ted ; future \n\nbe maintained, this can on y -descendant\u201d, the personal man, must \n\nward in life after We_ Again h d man ig to be strengthened \n\nceaselessly offer sacrifice, if the high , P perp etual suggestions of \n\nand sustained. On the one hand trad iLnal Brahmanical doc- \n\nan inner, deeply spiritual meaning doctrine in the fullest \n\ntrines, a meaning going back p , c i ea r indications that, at \n\nimport of that term. On the other hand when they \n\nleast for the great majority of the obs cured. The technical \n\nentered India, that meaning ^d been ^ & dearly marke d \n\nmethod of effective \u201cRation * d developmen t, had likewise been \n\nintelligence are preserved a.ong the \n\ninvaders with older Indian ofmountains. and the Dravidians, \n\nKolanan, dwelling mainly m d ar k ra ces of Southern India, \n\nso called also in ancient times, Who are 1 ^y ^ of the New \n\npossibly remnants of an o er white race with older yellow or black \n\nGuinea region. This concussion \u00b0f the white ra< ^ ^ Wack Dasyus , \n\nraces has been clearly seen by om schd , ^ the ancient Sanskrit books \n\nand of yellow Dasyus, in the Jedicbo ^ name ly, the red Rajput \n\nthere are equally clear records y ^ b Weste m scholars. Yet \n\nrace, which is by no means so clearly that \u201cthe colour of \n\nthe Sanskrit texts are explic t. Kshatriva (Rajput) is red\u201d; and, \n\nthe Brahman is white; the colour o . . tht these words are symbolical, \nchat there may be no obscurity, no int0 \u201cred-limbed\u201d \n\ndescribing moral qualities only, the w P which \n\n(rakta-anga). Besides rakta, a second wordfor should stffl remain \n\nmeans the colour of fresh iron rust. \u00ae te of pure race in their \n\nin doubt, keen andableobservers arc t(>day exact i y what the Maha- \n\nown Rajputana, tell us that tl JP r ed-limbed, a red race, dis- \n\ns\u00bb - * a \u2014- - \n\nBrahmans and the red Rajputs, we t follow the clues thus \n\nling the tangled skem of ancient understand the attitude of \n\nfound, we shall be better ab e, and als0| perhaps, to gam some \n\nL h ;^ \n\n* \u201c da /o\u2019i^hTt SaSST- a P- of - Northern \n\n\n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n197 \n\n\nrace which crossed the Himalayas; for one thing, there are clear indications \nof white races, but not of red races, in Central Asia, from which these white \ninvaders proximately came. But there were red races in ancient Egypt. \nThe red granite of the Egyptian statues may have been chosen, not only \nfor its excellent lasting qualities, but because it well represented the skin- \ncolour of the ancient Egyptian race, as contrasted with whiter limestone or \nmarble. 'This likeness of skin-colour may suggest an ethnical kinship between \nthe ancient Egyptians and the remoter ancestors of the great races of Raj\u00ac \nputana, whose pure descendants are a red race to-day. The symbol of the \n\u201ceye of Osiris\u201d has been found in Mesopotamia, probably earned thither by \ncolonists from Egypt, and there is no difficulty in supposing that another \nlarger colony may have reached the mouth of the Indus, the Westem doorway \nof Rajputana, many millenniums ago. \n\nWhatever their earlier home, the Rajputs as described in the Mahabharata , \nbelong to a red-limbed, fighting race, clearly distinguished from the white \nBrahmans. But, to gain a full comprehension of the line of demarcation be\u00ac \ntween these two great races, we must go to the far older Upanishads, and, in \nparticular, to a vitally important passage, more than once translated and \ndiscussed, which reveals the true relation between Rajput and Brahman at a \ndecisive point in the history of India. \n\nWithout repeating that story, we may say that it puts on record three pro\u00ac \nfoundly important truths. The first of these, dramatically and also very \nhumorously set forth, is, that at that immensely remote time, the Brahmans, \nhere represented by a humble father and a conceited son, already possessed \nthe Three Vedas, namely, the Rig Veda of the hymns, the Yajur Veda of the \nformulae of sacrifice, and the Sama Veda of incantations; the three together \nconstituting the practical method of using the command of cosmic \u201cetheric\u201d \nforces which was the hereditary treasure of the Brahmans. It seems further \nclear that the ability to operate these \u201cetheric\u201d forces through the rites which \nmay broadly be described as \u201csacrificial ceremonies\u201d, gave the Brahmans \ntheir power and prestige, and led to their being employed (as \u201ccelestial elec\u00ac \ntricians,\u201d if the expression be permitted) by rich princes and landowners, \nwho thereupon bestowed largesse upon the successful operators, gifts of cattle \nand gold. The Brahmans of that earliest period of the Upanishads were thus \nin full possession of an ancient literary and ceremonial culture, which conferred \ndefinite and valuable powers over what may be called ethereal natural forces; \nthis knowledge being an heirloom, what remained of the far more compre\u00ac \nhensive knowledge of the Mysteries which their remote ancestors had pos\u00ac \nsessed in some region of Central Asia, north of the Himalayas; a land that \nmay then have flowed with milk and honey, but which slowly and steadily \ndeteriorated under the influence of those far-reaching climatic changes that \nhave made an arid desert of so much of Inner Asia, where streams flow down \nfrom the snow-clad mountains, to lose themselves in sandy wastes, and never \nreach the sea. It is altogether likely that this climatic deterioration of a once \nfertile region was the cause of the southward emigration of the white race, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCOMMENTS \n\n\nNOTES AND \n\nsupposition be correct a \n\nnean an hereditary cap ^een obscured, \n\nier knowledge of t e My ^ them to attain \n\ntten, would make it races possessing no \n\nthan would be the ca anc ient tendency \n\nYet it would also seem that the_ anc^ \n\nof necessity be opera ive, \u2019 treasure of wisdom. \n\nthe secret wisdom had been imparted to \nassimilate that secret w.sdom and \nThe immense development of the \nthe system of the Vedanta. \n\nTies, is sufficient evidence \nsystems, and even in the \n,f wisdom, is also evident, \nthe expense of intuition; \n\n; transcendental reasoning \nof the awakened spiritual \n1 attainment, and, \n\n*--5 devoted their powers, \ntheir opponents. It thus \n; whether of the Vedanta \n- -'.'markable examples of intellectual \n^tal spiritual realities. But it should \nthere must have been ^ \n\nig and crystallizing \nms. Something was \n: Buddha. But it is \nswer as is involved in ^ \n\ntain to react strongly \n\nsay that the inherent \nthis intellectualizing. \n\n\u25a0e, both on higher and \ns expression would be \nire for rich possessions \nit of recognition and \nto make spiritual gifts \nce in the Brahmans of \nearlier, and a number \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nremarkable gifts. If th \nHimalayan ancestors w \nknowledge still testified \nhymns, then this woulc \nwhich, even after the e; \nor even completely for \nthis spiritual knowledg \nsuch spiritual heredity. \n\nto obscuration '\u25a0- \n\nstances, \n\nBoth tendencies seem \none hand, that the Brahmans, \nthem by the Rajputs, i- \non the whole, with rei \nphilosophical systems ( \nembodied in t.. \nof this success, \nlater Vedanta, the \nIntellect gained a r< \nor, to put the matter more \nwere developed, rather than \nwill. Brilliant knowledge t \ntoo often, the possessors of this m ^ ^ \n\nnot to gaining spiritual gr t , cornm entaries, \n\nr \u201d zZyZ are \u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0 \n\nthe Sankhya, or tne __:^i \n\ngymnastics, rather than revelations \nbe added that at every period \nthe defects of their qualities, \neifts and of the rich spiritual \n\nThis deep y who , e history of \n\nspiritual truth mar t b \n\n\u2022 1 outset concerning its pcu \n\nsaid at tn ^omental misdirection \n\n\nof Liberation and Reincarnation. When the youth, \u201cconceited, vain of his \nlearning and proud,\u201d was asked five questions by the Rajput King questions \nwhich quite clearly imply these twin doctrines, and which were, in fact, trans\u00ac \nparent leading questions\u2014he failed completely to answer them; in his own \nwords, \u201cThe Rajput asked me five questions; I did not know even one of \nthem.\u201d If, as has been suggested, the remote trans-Himalayan ancestors of \nthese Brahmans had of old possessed a full knowledge of the Mysteries, of \nnecessity including these twin doctrines, then we are compelled to come to \nthe conclusion that, at the time of the earliest and greatest of the Upanishads, \nthe descendants of the white invaders of India, though retaining a partial \nknowledge of the Mysteries, with the effective mastery of etheric, electrical \nforces, had so completely forgotten the more spiritual side of that knowledge, \nthat they altogether failed to recognize its central truths, even when laid \nbefore them in an almost transparent disguise. \n\nThe third of the three truths revealed by this ancient Upanishad story is \nthe most important; it is the clue to the whole subsequent history of India, \nspiritual and political, through the millenniums down to the Buddha\u2019s day, \nand onward to the present and the still unrevealed future. It is that, while \nthe Brahmans, father and son, though masters of the \u201cmagical\u201d lore of the \nThree Vedas, yet admitted frankly that they were wholly ignorant of the \nheart of the Mysteries, on the other hand, the red Rajputs, represented by \nKing Pravahana, were in full possession of that deeper teaching. More than \nthat, the text clearly implies that they had possessed this treasure for ages, \nand that it had been handed down in regular succession of Teacher and disciple \nin the Rajput race. This is explicitly brought out in the famous commentary \nattributed to the great Brahman Shankaracharya, who here uses the term \nguru-par am par a, the technical meaning of which is the chain, or apostolic \nsuccession, of Teacher and disciple, through which a spiritual teaching is \nhanded down from century to century. \n\nFinally, we have the practical conclusion of this deeply significant story. \nOn the occasion there described, the elder of the two Brahmans, because of \nhis great humility and aspiration, was initiated into the Mystery teaching \nhereditary among the Rajputs, but which, as the texts explicitly record, \u201chad \nnever before been given to any Brahman.\u201d Here, then, is the key to all the \nlater history of India, through the period of the Great War, the time of the \nBuddha\u2019s teaching, the later centuries of conflict between Brahman and \nBuddhist, and the whole modern period, as well as centuries yet to come. \n\nThe Brahman race had a great heredity, and possessed, and still possesses, \n\n\nwould also \n\nmight once again \n\nto have come \n-1, once \n\nmade great efforts to \n^markable success. \n\n; of India, and in particular \nthe Brahma Sutras and their comme \nYet in these highly philosophic \nsecond tendency, the darkemr \n\u2022emarkable development, but \n\ndefinitely, the powers oi \ni the far deeper powers \ntook the place of real spiritual \nitellectual brilliance u-. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n200 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nSIT S ?ef,Ws w\u201eX** ' JPan ' Sh '\u201c 1S *\"\" Pr ' d \u201c' y \u2122 this Brahmanic, \namess. Yet this worldhness was more or less on the surface of the moral \n\n\u00bb m , d T'\"' ,ar \"*\u2014 its ta\u00abr co\u201e\u201e\u00b02 \n\nS\u2019 thl f ambition and arrogance, which might easily comport \n\nmth the possession of great \u201cvirtues\u201d, ascetic rigours, bodily and even psy \n\nof spiritual ^p'ride alllT ^ UP \u00b0 n \" ^ and dangerOUS foundation \nspiritual pnde, and an exclusiveness which, shutting out other less rifted \n\nrevelation'oOh^ !. \u201cZ \u201c\"I\u2019 th ' \u201c \u201c\u00bbA .J outly \u00a3\u00a3 \n\nevelation of the Logos, thus barring the way to the true path of Liberation \n\nshall be tble t ; iSt r C a al and Spi . ritUal considerati \u00b0ns clearly in view, we \nwith the R l \u00b0 Und f t Stand m detai1 the recorded relations of the Buddha \n\nVedas and ra thre n xce\u00b0ed i % b \u00b0 tH ^ WOrldly P ossessors of the Three \n\n, n ee , compelled, to make special efforts to enlist the best of the Brah \n\nverrin^The R* f \u00b0\"? ^ Say that he had - his heart on W \ntha . \" g , the Brahmans from intellectual brilliance to spiritual attainment- \n\n\u25a0n the larger aspect of his undertaking, the ZdZVLTVhet ^T V' \n\ntormidabl \u2122\u201e\u201c MyT\u2122 1 \u201d' r \u201c Buddlm ' s c,ia \" e \"^ * \n\nSnowy Mountains to China.'Tibet and JuJ^rZ \n\nhis mighty effort to tmnsfon^B,\u2019, ^. \u201c \u201c \u2122 \u201d' h '\" \u00ab\u201c \u25a0\u00bb\u00bb<\u201c \n\nbuS,\",'Ce\u201caTto^aUo*' \u201cI B h2^p m \u201c b S\u201cy b S up^ \n\n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\nRajputs also, the warriors of the race to which the Buddha and some of his \ngreat disciples belonged. The Rajputs themselves, or many of them, had \nalso suffered deterioration. Their warlike energy had the defects of its \nqualities, and they were altogether too prone to fratricidal quarrels and \nrivalries. This had been true for millenniums. The war of the Mahdbharata , \nbesides its mystical meaning brought out in the Bhagavad Gita , has its historical \nside. It was a fratricidal war among the tribes and clans of Rajputs, waged \nwith unrelenting ferocity, and it was precisely the weakening of the Rajputs \nin this internecine war that gave the Brahmans their opportunity to seize and \nhold predominant power in India, a power fully in evidence in the Buddha\u2019s \ntime, and not less strongly operative to-day. \n\nThe influence of the Rajputs, weakened in the Great War, was never fully \nrestored, though they always possessed, and still possess, many elements of \nmoral and spiritual greatness. But, in part because of this weakening, the \nRajputs were not able to give the Buddha the support which they ought to \nhave given, in his campaign against Brahman arrogance and ambition. And \nit would further appear that their hold on their great hereditary possession, \nthe sacred Mysteries, had been so restricted and impaired, that they were \nnot able, as a race, to recognize the magnificent opportunity presented to them \nby the Buddha\u2019s mission, by his incarnation among them as a Rajput. \n\nThe available evidence tends to show that the failure of the men of Rajput \nrace adequately to support the Buddha, not less than the spiritual arrogance \nand ambition of the Brahmans, contributed to hold the Buddha\u2019s mission \nback from full success, and was, therefore, one of the causes of its ultimate \nand humiliating failure, so far as India was concerned, a failure which has \nbrought in its train centuries of degradation and spiritual bondage. Such \nfailure is no new experience for the Masters of Wisdom; but, for them, failure \nis ever an incitement and a challenge, a signal to try again, with renewed \neffort and immortal valour. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfragments \n\n\nI t was just the grey hour before dawn. Whispers were coming out of the \n\nshadows, the tree-tops swayed a little; then the great stillness fell that \nis prelude to a new day. \n\nI turned and saw him, casque and chain shirt, and the white, voluminous \nfolds of his cloak, settling over his shoulders where the upspringing rays of \n\nmagnetic light give the look of half-opened wings. He smiled, saluting with \nhis sword. \n\nIn the eastern sky, though the dawn had not yet come, it was as if a vast \ncurtain were lifting, and then behind it another curtain, and yet another, and \nso on and on, and in and in, as slowly each was raised. There was no light on \nthis side, but on that a suffused brilliance that increased in intensity as curtain \nsucceeded curtain, and sight was lost in the endless vista. The expanses \nbetween were filled, as one had never dreamt f\u201ei\u201e\u201e.... \n\n\nOF CABBAGES\u2014AND KINGS \n\n\n\u201c The time has come , the Walrus said , \n\nTo talk of many things; \n\nOf shoes\u2014and ships\u2014and sealing-wax\u2014 \n\nOf cabbages\u2014and kings \u2014\u201d \n\nT HE twin doctrines of evolution and involution are basic in the \ntheosophical philosophy, and Theosophy has welcomed and made its \nown all the evidence upon which science has constructed the theory o \nbiological evolution and through which it traces man\u2019s ascent, ^ descent, \nTom lower forms of life. Yet as all truth is a two-edged sword, and as half- \ntruths may be the worst falsehoods, cutting back against the hand that tries \nto use them, the thoughtful student of Theosophy is likely to consider the \nmodem teaching of evolution as one of the gravest dangers of our time. In \nthis, even if in little else, he finds himself in agreement with the late Mr. \nBryan and those who are quite erroneously called \u201creligious fundamentalists. \nThe name is erroneous because the ground on which they take their stan is, \nin reality, neither religious nor fundamental; and the controversy between \nthem and the \u201cevolutionists\u201d has been from the first a paradoxical contest \nbetween truth drawn from error and error drawn from truth. \n\nThe Scopes trial, three years ago at Dayton, Tennessee\u2014the case of the \nyoung teacher who persisted in teaching his conception of evolution to his \npupils in the public school, despite the State law prohibiting it-awoke \nlaughter which has scarcely yet died down, but for the m(*t part it was \n\nunthinking laughter, with little appreciation of the actual cond.Uons tha t la y \nbehind the fulminations of the self-appointed champions of academic \nfreedom\u201d and evolution on the one hand, and of the literal interpretationi o \nthe book of Genesis on the other. Legally, the issue was very clear and simple \nbut both parties to the controversy did everything possible to shift it,, and to \nmake it appear that evolution itself was on trial, and that \u201cthe -al question \nwas\u2014as stated by Mr. Bryan and accepted by Professor Osborn\u2014 Did God \nTse evolurion a S His plan^\u2019 To attempt to settle that question by the vote \nof a jury of farmers and shop-keepers, drawn from a little country town was \nof course, supremely ridiculous; and the plain common sense of the jury \nscarcely needed the ruling of the judge to know that they could not, and did \nnot have to, pass upon it. All that concerned them was ^ther Scop^ had \nviolated the conditions of his employment and the law of the State Bryan s \nquestion lay far beyond their jurisdiction and could only become, even theoret\u00ac \nically pertinent after a whole series of other questions had been answere . \nSome of these other questions are well worthy of earnest fought, and as it \n\n\n\u25a0 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n204 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nother legal tests of State educational laws, it may be of value to consider them \nIn the recent elections an \u201canti-evolution\u201d act was submitted by referendum \n\u2022 \u00b0 ., 6 f' tlZe \" S \u00b0 f Arkansas and was overwhelmingly approved. As set forth \nm the New York Times (November 25th, 1928), the bill provides \u201cthat it shall \nbe unlawful for any teacher or other instructor in any university, college, \nnormal, public school or other institution of the State, which is supported in \nwhole or in part from public funds derived by State or local taxation, to teach \nthe theory or doctrine that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order \no animals. The act becomes effective December 6th, 1928, and it has been \nannounced that \u201cits constitutionality may be challenged, and in any event \nthe State Supreme Court will be asked to interpret its meaning.\u201d \n\nThe result of the Arkansas referendum has been widely proclaimed as a \ntriumph of the fundamentalists,\u201d and, equally widely, as indisputable and \nalarming proof of the backwardness and ignorance of our rural communities, \nhampering the advance of truth and showing themselves at least half a \ncentury behind the times in their disbelief in evolution. But it bv no means \nfollows, as a logical conclusion from their vote, that the people of Arkansas \ndo disbelieve in evolution. It would be quite as logical to infer that the people \n, . \u00b0 r disbelieved in all religion, and had unmistakably asserted their \n\natheism in the ordinance excluding from their public schools the teaching of \nlgion. he questions passed upon in the two States were not whether \nevolution, and religion, were true or false, nor whether the majority of the \n\nwheSerevo^r Ved \u2019 Z ^ SbeHeVed \u2019 in either ' The <l^stion in Arkansas was \nwhether evolution and the question in New York was whether religion, was \n\nDubHc g ed, aS r\u00b0 Z 14 d6SirabIe t0 indude this \u2019 ns truction in the system of \npublic education designed to mould the State\u2019s future citizens and which all \n\nStatS T S 7 T 1 t \u00b0 l SUPPOrt Jt may be our P ersonaI \u00b0Pin>on that both \nStates decided wrongly, but it is difficult to defend the action of New York \n\n\u201cacademic^ d * Nor is eas y to see how the principle of \n\nthev freedom 15 threatened by either. The teachers may believe what \n\nSnclusi 0 o 0 n S s e ' t hro SU h SUCh ^ Ch \u00b0\u00b0 Se \u2019 ^ PUbHsh their beliefs and \n\nconclusions through any media that will accept them. They are required \n\nsubjectsTnTnot 5 ? \u201c the ,P ubllc schooIs they are employed to teach certain \nsubjects and not others; and that if they wish to teach these other subjects \n\nand to chi Id re h\u00b0 * ^ S !? te \u2019 S expense \u2019 making use of the State\u2019s facilities, \n\nS?Wr C ^patts'X ndanCC thC COmpdS \u2019 irreSp6Ctive \u00b0 f th6ir \n\ninsttad^f betffir 41 ^ 117 \u2122\" cei r able \u2019 therefore, that the State of Arkansas, \nulyabreastifnoT T ^ ^ \u201d its ignorance \u00b0f evolution, is \n\neffects which the u th6m \u201c c \u00b0nsideration to the actual \n\nettects which the present teaching of evolution tends to produce and in \n\ndeeding that these effects are neither of such proved and universal beneficence \n\nchildre^at tSnubl ^ \u201c a Wh \u00b0 le \u2019 that they should be forced u P on all \n\nbe taxed to nc,r , ,r PenSe \u2019. S \u00b0 that BrOWn 3nd J \u00b0 nes should continue to \nbe taxed to inculcate them m the progeny of Smith. There has been a vast \n\n\n\n111C1C \u00abi\u00abmy true iormulae tor the prepara- \nives from simple materials; but however true, \nmay be, it could not be sound policy to insist \nno warning of their danger \nIf knowledge be power, education in its \nand at no time in the world\u2019s history has \nas it is in America to-day. \nmorning paper (New York Times , November 29th, \n\n.perhaps few readers will have related. \n\na sentence of life imprisonment upon a Mr. Tripp, aged \n\n-J in all other respects, had for \n\nsupplying intoxicating beverages to his \nis an extract from the annual report \n; of Columbia University. It is pointed \n* J take graduate courses never fulfil the \n\n-1 college merely desire \u201cto \n\nin the groves of the academy,\u201d believing \u201cthat the atmos- \n\n--2.\u201d The Dean does not wish \n\nit presents a situation which is not \nthe important thing is not the \nis done in consequence of their coming\u201d. In \nmeans should be devised for the early \u201cscgrega- \n\n-come here to breathe\u201d; \n\nand research courses, which \u201care \n\nThey \n\n\nunar an sciiool children should be taught them, with \nor restrictions against their misuse, \nright use should precede its bestowal, \nthis principle been so disregarded \nIn a recent issue of a r* '__ o \n1928) there appeared two items which \nThe first records \n\nthirty-seven, who, though of a blameless record \nthe fourth time been found guilty of < \nfellow citizens of Michigan. The second \nof the Dean of the Graduate Faculties c ~ \nout that two thirds of the students who 1 \nrequirements for degrees, but after graduation from \nlive a little longer i \n\nphere of a university provides good air to breathe.\u201d \nto discourage this, but considers that \nunderstood and which should be studied,\u2014as \nnumbers that come, but what \nparticular he recommends that \n\ntion of those who come here to work from those who \n\nand, second, for safeguarding the advanced l_I_ \n\nnot instituted for teaching purposes or for the benefit of individuals \nare instituted for the advancement of learning. Their value diminishes in \nP - P T- aS thCy become Pedagogical instruments and discipline, or are \na \u00ab- ded by students whose attitude is that of passive absorption. They \nshould be strictly safeguarded for the purposes for which they exist\u201d. It is \napparent from this report, therefore, that so far from the advancement of \ntruth requiring its dissemination to those unready to make right use of it \nresearch may thereby be hampered and not helped. What is not apparent\u2019 \nhowever, and what is far too little considered, is the effect of advanced courses \nupon students who merely \u201cbreathe\u201d where work is required for right under\u00ac \nstanding and mental health. Those who work at first hand in any subject \nbecome clearly conscious of the limitations of their knowledge and gain some \nsalutary sense of the vast unknown potentialities that lie beyond- but those \nwhose attitude is mere \u201cpassive absorption\u201d lack this corrective and are given \nto assuming that what they have heard is all there is to know. This is not so \nmuch strong meat \u2019 as it is strong wine; and if our prohibition laws extended \nto mental intoxicants and narcotics, one wonders what sentences would be \nearned by university professors, popularizing their research for the consump- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n206 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ntion of the immature. It would not be a question of the truth and purity of \ntheir teaching\u2014as that teaching would be understood by their colleagues\u2014 \nbut of its alcoholic content when unbalanced and unneutralized by first-hand \nknowledge, and of its actual effect upon the student. \n\nSuch sympathy as we may have with the State of Arkansas, therefore need \nimply no disbelief in evolution. Our quarrel is not with the biologist\u2019s truths, \nbut with their misuse and the mental intoxication which results when it is \nassumed that the biological theory of evolution tells us all there is to know \nabout the origin and nature of man. We may accept, as fully as any modern \nbiologist, the doctrine that all the multi-cellular organisms, including the \nbody of man, have arisen in progressive ascent and development from uni\u00ac \ncellular life; that there has been a continuous adaptation of organisms to their \nchanging environment; and that throughout all of nature \u201cthe simpler and \nmore lowly forms always precede the higher and more specialized forms\u201d,\u2014 \nsave that we might have to ask in just what sense the \u201csimpler\u201d is to be \nsupposed \u201cmore lowly\u201d than the complex which develops from if for the \ntheosophical view of evolution is that of a great helix, sweeping from the simpli\u00ac \ncity of unity through the specializations of diversity to realize unity again \nupon another plane. But to the student of Theosophy the evolutionary \nprocess is seen as primarily a movement of the spirit\u2014a movement which \ncauses, and is not caused by, the evolution of organic forms which the biologist \ntraces. As man is more than his body, so is his evolution more than that \nof his physical organism; and therefore the biologist\u2019s truths, when taken out \nof their own field and applied to anthropology and history, psychology and \nsociology, become but misleading half-truths, acting sometimes as narcotics, \nsometimes as intoxicants, upon minds whose attitude toward them is \u201cpassive \nabsorption\u201d. This is their mischief and their danger. \n\nExamples of it abound. In one of his essays, called forth by the Scopes \ntrial, Professor Osborn points out that, \u201cIn one of the great states of the world \nRussia, the experiment is being made on a colossal scale to rule mankind by \nscience alone, on a platform of atheism, of denial of all religious restraints and \nprohibitions, and of affirmation of atheism\u201d. In Professor Osborn\u2019s view it is \nbound to fail, because even the Russian peasants \u201care much more than \nmachines; their bodies are easy to account for by evolution, their spirits and \nsouls can be accounted for only through very long, continuous progress \nclosely akin to creation\u201d. Professor Osborn does not seem to see, however\u2019 \nthat this colossal, tragic experiment, foredoomed to failure, this welter of \nmurder and evil preached as good, would never have been tried had it not \n\n!u T i? 6 T 7 r Wh ' Ch SClenCC has been mistau ght, intoxicating minds \nwith the thought that it ,s itself enough. But we do not need to look so far \n\nfrom home. It is difficult to find a modem book, dealing with these themes \nwhich does not assume that man has risen from the beasts through long sons \nof savagery; that his most deeply rooted and fundamental instincts have a \n\n\u00abv! f \u00b0 r K SaVage / ngm ' HlS m \u00b0 ral SCnSe and rel 'Si\u00b0us beliefs, arising from \nsavage taboos and superstitious ignorance; and that the right use of his very \n\n\nOF CABBAGES\u2014AND KINGS \n\n\n207 \n\n\nnewly acquired intelligence is to free himself from all that has been reverenced \nas sacred. \u201c Nothing is more essential in our attempt to escape from the bond\u00ac \nage of consecrated ideas than to get a vivid notion of human achievement in its \nproper historical perspective\u201d, writes Professor Robinson in his book The \nMind in the Making. \u201cWe find in savage thought a sort of intensified and \ngeneralized taboo in the classification of things as clean and unclean and in \nthe conceptions of the sacred. These are really expressions of profound and \npersistent traits in the uncritical mind and can only be overcome by carefully \ncultivated criticism. They are the result of our natural timidity and the \nconstant dread lest we find ourselves treading on holy (i.e., dangerous) ground. \n\n. . . In dealing with the relations of the sexes the terms\u2018pure\u2019and\u2018impure\u2019 \nintroduce mystic and irrational moods alien to clear analysis and reasonable \nreadjustments. . . . Man, like plants and animals in general, tends to go \non from generation to generation, living as nearly as may be the life of his \nforebears. Changes have to be forced upon him. . . . The conservative\u2018on \nprinciple\u2019 is therefore a most unmistakably primitive person in his attitude. \nHis only advance beyond the savage mood lies in the specious reasons he is \nable to advance for remaining of the same mind. What we vaguely call a \n\u2018radical\u2019 is a very recent product due to altogether exceptional and unpre\u00ac \ncedented circumstances.\u201d \n\nSuch passages could be paralleled endlessly, and the smallest reflection \nshows the danger that lies in their popular acceptance. Professor Robinson \nhimself points out that \u2018\u2018The great mass of humanity has never had anything \nto do with the increase of intelligence except to act as its medium of transfusion \nand perpetuation. Creative intelligence is confined to the very few, but the \nmany can thoughtlessly avail themselves of the more obvious achievements of \nthose who are exceptionally endowed.\u201d He points out, too, that \u2018\u2018Man has \nnever been able to adapt himself very perfectly to his civilization\u201d, yet the \nwhole effect of his teaching is that the age-old restraints of civilization should \nbe cast aside, leaving the ordinary man only his passions as a guide. \n\nBehind this whole body of thought lies the assumption that evolution has \nbeen an ascent from what is low to what is high, from unworthy to the worthy, \nfrom error to truth, so that whatever is ancient is to be left behind. But that \nis neither the meaning of the word, nor is it the theosophic view. Literally \n\u2018\u2018evolution\u201d means \u2018\u2018the act of unfolding; a displaying\u201d; and it is in this \nliteral sense that Theosophy accepts it. The multi-cellular organisms arising, \nas biologists tell us, from uni-cellular life, display the potentialities that lay \nwrapped within the single cell. In it lies the basis of all its derivatives; \ndestroy it and you destroy them. Truths do not owe their origin to false\u00ac \nhoods. Truths become known as the unfolding of the content of simpler\u2014 \nand profounder\u2014truth, on which they rest. The propositions of geometry do \nnot progressively reveal the falsity of earlier propositions and the unworthy \n\u2018\u2018lowliness\u201d of the simple axioms from which they have arisen. Rather do \nthey progressively reveal the depth and breadth of content which lay within \nthem. It is so with all evolution; that which comes earlier contains within \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nitself all that comes later; the past lives in the present; and to advance is to \ncause it to live more richly and completely, so that the end is the full realization \nof what was potential in the beginning. This view, accepting and making its \nown all the evidence on which the common theory rests, leads to diametrically \nopposite conclusions from those commonly drawn by modem writers who \npurport to apply the principles of evolution to sociology and psychology, but \nwho really base their argument, as we have just seen, upon assumptions which \nevolution neither involves nor justifies, and which the biologists themselves \ndo not attempt to defend. \u201cThe very operation of life,\u201d as Bergson has said, \n\u201cconsists in the gradual passage from the less realized to the more realized, \nfrom the intensive to the extensive, from a reciprocal implication of parts to \ntheir juxtaposition\u201d; and though Theosophy adds that this process of evolution \nand differentiation is followed by an involution and renewed synthesis, gather\u00ac \ning all up into a new unity of realized content and significance, it is clear that \nthat which is realized in the end was implicit in the beginning. We cannot \nreject or eliminate our origins; we must fulfil them perfectly. \n\nThis principle is basic in theosophic philosophy, and governs each step in \noccult training and development,\u2014for occultism is but man\u2019s conscious and \nfull co-operation with the processes of life in nature and supemature. \u201cSpeak \nto the earth and it shall teach thee.\u201d This verse, quoted from the Book of \nJob by Professor Osborn in one of his replies to Mr. Bryan, has, for the theoso- \nphist, direct and immediate application to each stage of his path; for he knows \nthat everything that is, from the \u201clowest\u201d to the \u201chighest\u201d, reflects some facet \nof his own being, so that to study nature is to learn of Self, and to study Self \nis to learn of nature. More than this, because he sees evolution as cyclic,\u2014 \nspirit reflecting and manifesting itself in matter, gaining fuller consciousness \nof itself as it unfolds its interpenetrating inner contents into separate elements \nin the sequences of time and space, and then infolds them again in a new \nsynthesis and unity,\u2014because he sees that \u201cthe first shall be last,\u201d he knows \nthat it is the lowliest things that are the most fundamental and have most to \ntell him of the highest. \n\n\u201cIam that I am \u201d: it is the voice of the Most High, telling of Itself. But he \nwho listens, hears the same self-revelation whispered by all substance. It is \nthe voice of the mineral kingdom, of matter as matter, of the stuff with which \nnature builds\u2014the first reflection of the spirit, the revelation of spirit\u2019s inmost \nand essential being. It is the speech of rock and sand, of mountain and \nvalley, of the earth and the stars. Each is that which it is; nor can anything \nfrom without itself, change what it is. Storm and wind beat upon the \nmountain, wear and groove its face, but it remains itself, its integrity unshaken. \nWe can crush a stone to powder, yet in its dust it is still stone. There, in the \nmineral kingdom, the first lesson of life is made manifest; there man\u2019s manhood \nhas its roots. \n\nUntil this lesson be learned, there can be no passing into the vegetable \nkingdom; for the essential requisite of plant life is that it should be so intensely \nitself, yet so at one with what is about it, that it can draw and transform into \n\n\nOF CABBAGES\u2014AND KINGS \n\n\n209 \n\n\nitself what is not itself,\u2014that it can pass on the stamp it has itself received, \nand reproduce its kind. From the integrity of matter there has risen the \nintegrity of the astral mould. \n\nScience has not found it easy to draw the dividing line between plant and \nanimal. In common thought the outstanding difference is that whereas the \nplant must live and grow where its seed has fallen, putting forth its roots from \nthat unchanging centre, the animal, having gathered its roots into itself, has \ngained in mobility and can search in a wider range for food to nourish it. Yet \nhere, again, as always, the new power rests upon and is derived from the old; \nand if the old power weakens, the new becomes vitiated. \n\nIt is of interest to reflect upon this, and looking into our own lives and into \nthe lives of those we know, to note our need for the lessons which the vegetable \nkingdom should have taught us; to see that the virtues and powers of \u201ccab\u00ac \nbages are indeed those of \u201ckings\u201d, and that, without them, \u201cshoes and ships \nand sealing-wax are of little avail. The king, like the cabbage, must fulfil \nhis destiny in his native soil. He cannot leave it for another, that seems to \nhim more favourable. In his own kingdom, or nowhere, he must play his \nroyal part, drawing into himself and both personifying and transforming into \nhis own likeness, all the diverse elements of the nation that he rules. It is \nfrom these elements and none other that he must create his own and his \ncountry s greatness. If he abandon them, he abandons his kingship. The \nshoes in which he runs away, the \u201cships\u201d that bear him overseas, the \nsealing-wax that takes the imprint of his abdication, are but means to his \nundoing, if, as king, he forgets the lessons he should have learned as cabbage. \nFor a wandering, dethroned and exiled king is like an uprooted cabbage. \n\nBut it is not only kings that need to heed the lesson of the cabbage and to \nemulate its powers and virtues. How many times a day do we ourselves not \nforget them, and, abandoning the field of our own life and duty, seek to feed \nmind and heart upon exotic imaginings, striving to nourish ourselves upon \nfictions instead of drawing from the solid substance of truth ? \n\nLooking at evolution thus, we see that the first problem our newly gained \nintelligence must face is not at all how to free ourselves from the trammels of \nour lowly heritage, but is, in fact, the exact opposite of this,\u2014how may we \nfasten upon our consciousness the lessons that our ascent should have taught \nus, and manifest, in our \u201chigher\u201d life as men, the unfolding qualities of the \nspirit which the \u201clower\u201d kingdoms faithfully reveal? How are we to show \nthat we have not skimped our early lessons, and been \u201cbom too soon in human \nshape\u201d? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s War!\u201d \n\nI T is with a peculiar reticence, difficult perhaps to explain, that many of us \nwho took part in the War speak of it and of our own War experiences, \nalthough very probably few of us have memories which are more \ntragically dear. To those of us who passed through it (even those who, like \nmyself, played such very insignificant rdles), the world still continues largely \nto be divided into two parts\u2014those who were \u201cin it\u201d and those who were not. \nThis is not said with any sense of voluntary withdrawal, but because, if one \nmust speak of it at all, one asks: \u201cWhere shall I begin? How can I ever end? \nAnd can I do even faint justice to so noble and great a theme? Sir Philip \nGibbs, attempting a narration to non-combatants who had not yet glimpsed \nwar, of his experiences at the front, of what he had seen and shared, said. \n\u201c. . . . but it was only a few who understood.\u201d This was at the end of the \nfirst nine months. Of course, thousands of people, millions rather, have been \nadded since that first year to those who did see and share, and who therefore \nunderstand; yet there are still too many to whom the Great War has become \nrecorded history only, rather than the memory of intense life lived from day \nto day through those four crowded and immortal years. To some of us the \nexperiences of those years are as though they had happened but yesterday \nthey are scarcely even memories, so persistently present are they. When we \nlook back and think of boys, still in their first youth, with great ragged wounds, \ndying in our arms; or of women and children, hunted like animals, fleeing for \ntheir lives, overtaken and subjected to unspeakable outrages worse than \ndeath\u2014to write of this is only adding one more chapter to the countless \nchapters which have already been written, and will the speaking again of \nthat time make it more living? It seems incredible that the vividness of those \ndays could ever grow dim; that there should be a necessity for recalling them, \neven to those who took no active part. Why are they not continually present \nwith us all? Not the blood and the filth and the unspeakable weariness\u2014 \nthese were, after all, small matters\u2014but the majesty of it, the indescribable \nheroism of those who gave their uttermost. We remember those splendid \nmen and women who answered the Great Call, and we turn away in shame \nand disgust at the pettiness of much that is in our lives to-day. Did they \ncare whether they lived or died, so they could serve? Did they care who \nwould be first or last, prominent or obscure? There was no first or last among \nthose who gave their all. In war there are no inequalities among those who \ngive all they have to give, and it is that self-giving which is the initiation into \nthe brotherhood of soldiers. Those who did not give all they had, simply \nnever took part in the War at all in any real or lasting sense. That self-giving \n\n\nwas spontaneous with some, it had to be learned by others, but if it did not \ncome sooner or later, the War, and the War\u2019s deeper significance, remained a \nsealed book. If one had never seen whole-hearted sacrifice, one found it at \nlast in the men who lived month after month in the trenches, thinking only \nof how they could give more, not less; among the stretcher bearers or those \nwho drove ambulances under constant and deadly shell fire; among the \nwomen in field and base hospitals, where, tenderly, and under the most terrific \nstrain and danger, they nursed the sorely wounded back to life, or, more \ntenderly still, closed their eyes when they died. I can claim no part whatever \nin such great and noble deeds, but I have watched them, and the splendour \nof them still shines into my heart, and always will. Must we then be \nforced to remember our silent dead? Is it possible to forget those who are \nstill living\u2014a living death? Those who are hopeless paralytics; those still \ncrazed by shell-shock, or whose lungs are slowly rotting from the gas which \nGermany first used; those who are sightless; yes, those who have had their \nvery faces shot away\u2014what must they say to our ingratitude? Why should \nwe have to write of these things again since we all know them? Yet there \nwould seem to be the need, \u2018Test we forget\u201d\u2014not the true War veterans, \nthey never can forget; but for those to whom that magnificent conflict has \nbegun to fade into vague and shadowy dreams. \n\nWhen one attempts to write about one\u2019s own War experiences, one is in\u00ac \nstantly faced by a peculiar state of mind,\u2014what was actually my own personal \nexperience, and what has become so livipg to me that I think I saw it and took \npart in it? Many post-War writers have drawn attention to this phenomenon; \nI suppose, therefore, it is not an unusual one, but it is sometimes rather \nembarrassing if one is trying to record facts observed by oneself. With that \nstrange blending of consciousness which was experienced at times by many of \nus during the War, who shall say that there was any real separation? A \nbrother\u2019s peril was one\u2019s own; what he lived and suffered, one lived and \nsuffered with him, and in moments of great danger the feeling of comradeship \nwas so intense, our senses were so miraculously raised to unaccustomed \nheights, that many of us experienced \u201cthat release from the chains of ordinary \nlife,\u201d of which Through The Gates of Gold speaks. \u2018\u2018That you actually feel \nyour own physical wound is a weakness of your limitation. The man who is \ndeveloped psychically feels the wound of another as keenly as his own.\u201d \nThis is but another way of explaining that strange state spoken of by post- \nWar writers, and it was not as uncommon as the lethargy of peace conditions \nwould try to persuade us. Yet the adventures of any one person are neces\u00ac \nsarily limited when gauged by the colossal dimensions of the World War, and \nin my own case they will, of necessity, be so especially. At least they have \nthe advantage of being personal, however, and as such these \u201cMemories\u201d \nare written down. \n\n\nThe question: Who started it?\u2014that question which appears to be troubling \nsome strange people in these post-War years\u2014did not trouble us at all. It \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nnever even occurred to any of us to ask it: how could it? Austria had declared \nwar on Serbia; Germany had declared war on Russia, and had invaded both \nFrance and Belgium. Therefore, those of us having the good fortune to be \non hand when the first gun was fired, thanked that good fortune that we were \nthere, and we simply enrolled ourselves, both outwardly and interiorly, as \nsoldiers in our splendid cause, volunteering for active service in any capacity \nwhatever, if only we might serve; volunteering, each under his own flag, \nwhether that flag were inherited by birth, or, as in my case (being an American \nand therefore, alas, that unfortunate thing technically known as a \u201cneutral\u201d) \nwhole-heartedly adopted. \n\nNo use to retrace historical steps, or to follow the onward march of events \nbetween Fashoda and \u201cthe thirteen days,\u201d for in order to gain any moral \nlight, it would mean going back at least as far as that picturesque African \nepisode. No use even starting with the Serajevo crime in June of that year \nof years, 1914. Are there not histories\u2014mountains of them? And do they \nnot tell, each according to its own understanding, the rights and wrongs of \nthe gigantic issue ? \n\nIn one sense, we in England had not been allowed by circumstances to be\u00ac \ncome wholly deaf to \u201cwars and rumours of wars,\u201d but it was civil war that we \nfeared, and few of us, at that time, paid much attention to the troubles abroad. \nI believe it can safely be said that up to the third week of July the best of \nour attention was given to the unhappy Irish question, and we seemed to \nhave no eyes or ears for the great world across the Channel. The Home \nRule Bill ruled the public mind, and the press was full of editorials and letters \nin favour of a \u201clarger Ulster\u201d or the reverse, as the case might be. We read \nabout gun-running and its inevitable and tragic sequels. What would it \nlead to? The South and the West, while entertaining the greatest hostility \nto the North, appeared, none the less, to look upon the Ulster Volunteer \nMovement with a smile or a sneer. \u201cOne Catholic is the equal of ten Orange\u00ac \nmen , it was maintained with a sarcastic shrug, and the Nationalist \u201cMolly \nMaguires\u201d were paraded as more than a match for any number of Northern \nUnionists, however well armed they might be. We read too, of the Con\u00ac \nferences at Buckingham Palace; of the efforts of the King to pour oil on the \ntroubled waters; of the attacks of radical newspapers on the King in conse\u00ac \nquence; of Mr. Asquith\u2019s immediate and scornful reply to these attacks; of \nMr. John Redmond\u2019s demands and threats; of Sir Edward Carson\u2019s protests; \nof the final breakdown of the Conferences\u2014and meanwhile the horrors of \ncivil war continued to stare us in the face. In France, L'Affaire Caillaux was \nall that most people seemed to talk or think of, though certainly the Quai \nd Orsay was far more aware of the cloud in the East than was Downing Street. \nRussia, somewhat enigmatic, while wrestling with her labour riots, kept a \nsharp eye on the Balkan situation, as well she might, for it was considered \nthat the Austro-Hungarian demands on Serbia were an indirect, but none \nthe less purposed challenge to her interests there. \n\nThe ever memorable thirteen days\u201d, preceded as they had been by nearly \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n213 \n\n\nurop r caim ' began ' as an \n\nan ultimatum had, until that time nev i ^ \u00b0 n tke 2 '^ rd July. Such \nof European po^r alreadv \u2122 ^ \u00b0 f '. The delicate balance \n\ndisturbed, and we entered upon tho^f \u2018\u2018tv? Cqu , lhbrmm \u2019 was dangerously \nthen know them as such) wondering , thlr *\u00ae en days \" (though we did not \nhad the morning newsjmpers'bee^so^ow^in^e^^^'^^ 1116 ^ Never \n\nappeared so halting and so shrouded \u00ab, achmg us; never had diplomacy \nthat many of us find it somLwhatliffie hT ' ^ \u201c matt6r \u00b0 f faCt ' 1 thi \u2019* \ntime \u201copen secrets\u201d, and what has since h re \u2122 ember what were at that \nchronological place by a later adjustment tT\" ^ int \u00b0 its \n\nhowever, few of us seemed willin r ( Th gh the tlmes were troublous, \n- a vast It,, ropean \"L l \u00b0 v \u201c' e rV l,S \u2018 l \n\nlast days of July (one mZt 7 T V T * and as late a * the very \nboldly to our illusions, through the upsTnd d^ m \u00b0 St \u00b0 f US stiH clung \nus. Such an interlarding of good Zd bad ^ Which reached \n\nby side with the news of the Sorbin \u2018 neWS \u2019 \u00b0 f \u00b0 Cal and general! Side \ncame reports of the Dublin riots causing,s th ^ Austro ' Hun S a rian Note, \nvery next day we were told that the F g ^ greatest uneasiness; but the \nthreatening than it \n\nasserted itself with all the greater assurance h d f 'T\u00ae \u00b0 Ur confider >ce re- \nOn the 28th, however, Austria had declar, d beCaUSe \u00b0 f the recent depression, \ndanger threatened the whole of Eurooe anTT UP \u00b0 n Serbk \u2019 the most fearful \nthe English press to IrishloyaKy \"S\u2019*Z appeaIs made in \n\nthe call; \u201cIn the face of dVsaster'let u ^ ^ the ranks \"' \n\nand rose, only to fall again. ' K together - So our hopes fell \n\nScenes of great excitement had been ronnrf^ r \u2022 \n\nreply was made public. The usual Saturdav fr \u00b0 m Pa \u201d S when the Serbian \ning through tho streets. ,,\u2019,re\u201chS \u00bb,U T\u201d'\" 8 '*>\u201c*' \u00bb\u00bb*- \nstrolling crowds. This stirred the in r ^ unwonted enthusiasm by the \n\nSyndicalists who, setting up a protesting shou^of \u201cA 7 asT f\u00b0 UP \u00b0 f y \u00b0 Ung \ninstantly mobbed by patriotic onlooker, ,h J A - * trots ansI were \nFrance! Vive VArmee* \u201d Tho r \\ 10utmg ln th eir turn: \u201c Vive la \n\ning a, the Quai d Orsay, II,\u2122 y\u201e\u201e Scbbn. Jg \n\n\u201ccommunication\u201d which to many F,\u2122 japprehension by his famous \nof the Agadir coup *\u00b0 b ' \u201c \n\nwere with the French Fleet and there \u2022 th \u00b0, Pnme Mlm ster, Viviani, \n\ntaining UuinterrupUd *\u00b0 \u00bb * \n\nvaded and treops were sent to reinforce the frontim pre- \n\nS ioni^C:r\u00abr\"S2 , 8 ri Austro-Russian ten- \nto be a concen \"f ^ \n\nIn Belgium, pmcution.rymiSesXtS- \n\nand Nam\u00a3 were \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? ~ \" h \u201c' - \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nhad also been begun in England, the Admiralty \nSecond and Third Fleets to be in readiness in case \ndarker; Europe was rapidly arming; \ni their frontiers; little Belgium, \ndefend her neutrality, while Germany \nby this time, what was going on there! Yet, \nthe world seemed bristling with war preparations, there were still \nmany of us who did not think that war was inevitable. Surely itcould be \naverted, even at the eleventh hour. There might be hot words and threats, \nAustria would of course have her revenge on Serbia, but war would be con\u00ac \nfined to a small spot in the far East, and Europe in general would cool down. \nSo we who had no political wisdom, argued, the wish being father to the \n\n\nPrecautionary measures \nissuing orders to the First, \nof need. Day by day the situation grew \nFrance and Russia continued to strengthen \n\nmustering all her forces, determined to ci~- \n\n\u2014well no one was quite sure, \nwhile all - \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n215 \n\n\nand lift the little one up on his shoulder, giving his hand to the other, as he \nstill strode on. Within a few yards of us he stopped, and sent the children \nchasing a rabbit which dashed past at that moment, bounding joyously through \nthe low, sweet heather, and he came on alone. He held a crumpled telegram \nin one hand, and his face was like carved marble, but there was a fire in his \n\neyes that I have always been glad I saw. \n\n\u201cWell, its war!\u201d was all he said, looking at his wife. She did not need to \n\nbe told any more; she knew the rest. \n\n\u201cHow soon are you going?\u201d she asked, quietly, steadily. \n\n\u201cNow,\u201d he answered, in an even tone. \u201cWill you come back to the Inn \nwith me and help me pack? Good-bye,\u201d he continued, turning to me. \u201cMay \nwe leave the kiddies with you for a bit, and would you mind bringing them \n\n\nhome\u2014by and by?\u201d \n\nThe children had run up, just then, and were tugging at his coat, eager to \ntell him about the rabbit. He kissed each one of them tenderly, and then, \nwith his wife beside him, he walked silently away,\u2014they were both very \nyoung, and life was dear. As they came to a dip in the cliffs which would \nhide them from us, he turned for a moment, and waved. I never saw him \nagain,\u2014so swiftly and so simply does an old world pass away. He went out \nto France at the earliest opportunity, and gave his own life for the life of a \nwounded comrade. \n\nLater in the day I too packed my bags, intending to go up to London to \noffer my services. I did not yet know in what capacity, but that seemed \nto make little difference just then. To my dismay, I found that I was no \nbetter than a prisoner on that tiny spot of earth; that the Government, imme\u00ac \ndiately war had been declared at eleven o\u2019clock the night before, had taken \nfull control of the railways of Great Britain, and that all trains, for a day or \ntwo at least, were to be used for the transport of troops, stores and food \nsupplies only. I confess that I felt like a caged animal, and the day dragged \nitself out interminably; but of course, like everyone else caught napping, I \nhad to make the best of things. As it turned out, however, I did not need \nto wait till I got up to London to have my first, if comparatively mild glimpse \nof war conditions, for after dark when, alone, I stole out into the soft Cornish \nnight, and down to the beach not far from the small Inn where we were stop- \nping\u2014the beach where only the night before we had all sat happily watching \nthe stars come out, and listening to the soft wash of the waves\u2014there, to my \ngreat surprise, a short distance from the shore, a battleship lay, a huge black \nmass grim and silent. The home waters were being well protected by the \nNavy One wondered how she had crept up so stealthily, for, an hour or so \nbefore she had not been there, and as I looked and thought of what it signified \nto have a solitary battleship standing like that, close in to shore, I became \naware of something else which made my pulse beat quicker. As though he \nhad suddenly sprung from the very sands themselves, close to the water s \nedge black and sharply silhouetted against the clear, grey silver of the sea, \n\u2122 march inn the lonely coast-guard, erect and alert, in full service kit, rifle \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n216 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\non shoulder\u2014I could see the sharp outline of the barrel as he moved. Now \none knew that war had really come, and that over there, across the waters, \nlay France, and battle-fields, and burning villages, and dying men. \n\nTurning home again, I passed in unnoticed at the little entrance gate, and \nwalked through the silent garden, across the dewy lawn, past groups of great \nwhite dahlias shining like silver lamps in the summer darkness; the roses \nwith a poignant fragrance scenting the still evening air, as though their sweet\u00ac \nness were being pressed from their very hearts by the dark hours through \nwhich they were passing. But all this loveliness belonged to the old world \nwhich was gone\u2014and gone so swiftly\u2014for out there lay the great battleship, \nand not far away that lonely coast-guard watched and listened; and just \nacross the Channel, France (the France we knew so well and loved) was \nfighting for her life. \n\nI was able to get up to London some forty-eight hours later, and on the \nway became well aware that we were indeed irrevocably at war, for all the \nrailway lines were closely guarded, especially at vulnerable places, and at \nmany points we passed detachments of British soldiers, massed close to the \nlines, evidently waiting entrainment. Reaching town, I found a transform\u00ac \nation which had taken place, as it were, over night. It was literally bristling \nwith war preparations, and looked curiously unfamiliar; yet strangely enough, \none felt that one was seeing, perhaps for the first time, the real community, \nas we may view an old friend suddenly wakened from the comfortable lethargy \nof ordinary, daily life, exalted, and on the eve of a great sacrifice, when we \nrecognize that we are now seeing the real man, hitherto but dimly felt behind \nall the veils of the personality\u2014the real man, the real friend whom we have \nalways loved. When I had left London three weeks before, it had been in \nnormal condition, with its endless streams of taxis, busses, delivery wagons \ndrawn by sturdy, well-fed horses, and all the other familiar home sights. \nNow it was like an armed camp, largely khaki hued, where before it had been \ndrab greys and blacks; unimaginably busy and electric. One of London\u2019s \ncharms before the War, was its repose, its ease; but with the 4th of August \none may say that the old-time quiet and deliberate calm passed away, never, \nperhaps, to return; and in the weeks that followed, while I was looking for \nmy \u201cchance\u201d, I often had to stop and collect my wits in order to assure myself \nthat I was still living and moving in the old, lately familiar and dear haunts, \nfor now, day and night, day and night, troops were marching through the \nstreets. Often through the dark hours one heard them pass. Oh, the sound \nof marching men in the night! Can anyone who has heard it, in hours of \ndanger, ever forget it? In the great parks and gardens, where formerly there \nhad been strolling, leisurely crowds, one now saw soldiers in full campaigning \nkit; station platforms were filled with them, sometimes resting, their rifles \nstacked, while they waited further orders. In many of the squares and open \nspaces, raw recruits, without uniforms and carrying dummy rifles, were receiv\u00ac \ning their first instructions and their first drilling. In other open spaces, \nquantities of gun carriages were massed, ready for transport. Motor cycles, \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n217 \n\n\nwith their despatch riders, dashed noisily to and fro; military cars, with impor\u00ac \ntant looking occupants, came from all directions, and drew all eyes. Carrier s \ncarts, with their old legends still betraying their late owners and their legitimate \nemployment, were driven through the streets, metamorphosed into ammuni\u00ac \ntion wagons. Bow Street had issued warrants authorizing the military \nauthorities to seize motor cars, horses\u2014anything which was likely to be of \nuse to the Army, and the requisitioning of horses, especially, had its humorous \nside, for the astonishment of the driver, swiftly and unceremoniously relieved \nof his horse, and sometimes left, whip in hand, still perched high up on the \nseat, was most amusing. Any well-conditioned horses, strong and fit for \narmy use, were liable to find themselves transformed in the wink of an eye, \nfrom private \u201cdrays\u201d into Government servants. Carter Paterson, that \nfriend of all householders, is said to have furnished in those first days of the \nWar a great quantity of horses which were shipped to Southampton forth\u00ac \nwith, on their way to France and Belgium. Hospitals were being started \neverywhere, and travellers were swarming back from Germany with tales of \nhair-breadth escapes. \n\nWhitehall was one of the most interesting sights in London. From Trafal\u00ac \ngar Square to the Houses of Parliament it was a seething mass of humanity, \ncrowds so thick that you wondered where all the people had come from, and \nif the rest of the London area had been emptied in order to furnish these \ncrowds. At the entrance to Downing Street one could hardly push one\u2019s \nway through; in front of the Admiralty and the War Office it was a solid wall, \n\u2014particularly did the War Office seem to attract the crowds. There was a \nreason for this, for after the temporary easing of the Irish situation, there \nwere two things in those early days which, I think, heartened us all more, \neven, than we guessed at the time,\u2014the splendid and generous response of the \nDominions to the call of the Mother country: \u201cWhen Britain is at war, we \nare at war\u201d they declared; and the last minute recall of Lord Kitchener for \nhome duty just as he was leaving England to return to his post in Egypt. \n\nI think the whole of the British Empire gave a deep sigh of relief when they \nknew him to be installed at the War Office, when they knew that he was at \nthe helm; for even the severest of his critics had to admit that there was no \none who gave to the public mind such a sense of security, while, at the same \ntime, firing the public imagination as \u201cK. of K.\u201d did. Whatever he sadp \nbrought conviction; whatever he asked met with instant response. Thulr \nwhile at first many people declared that \u201cthe War would be short and bloody, \nand over by Christmas,\u201d there were always those who retorted: \u201cKitchener \nsays it will last three years,\u2014and he knows if anyone does.\u201d And when his \nfirst \u201ccall to arms\u201d rang out, when he asked for the first hundred thousand \nmen, the response was beyond all expectation, and was a conclusive proof not \nonly of what he himself could accomplish, but also of Great Britain\u2019s apprecia\u00ac \ntion of him. Great Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Recruiting \nDistrict, was invaded as soon as war was declared, and within forty-eight \nhours, if I remember correctly, divisional recruiting stations had to be opened \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2I g theosophical quarterly \n\nin many parts of London, and, of course, in the provinces There were steady \nstreams of applicants; crowds of men in all walks of life gathered outs^eeve^ \nrecruiting office as quickly as it was installed, and in somecasesthevolunteers \nwere so persistent and so eager, that mounted police had to be called p \nhold them in check. It was reported that the army recruiting authorities \nfound it necessary to keep some of these offices open all night in order to deal \nwith the men who had waited doggedly through long hours for their turn \nfor, in general, only five or six could be admitted at once. T le wee g \nout\u201d was put through with care but also with despatch. It was deeply stir\u00ac \nring to watch the faces of those men who were, for one cause or another \nweak heart, myopia, flat foot, etc.\u2014disqualified for active service. iey \ncame out, some of them, with an air of dejection which did them great honour. \nNo doubt many, if not most of them, found service of a different sort in less \nexacting fields, but the faces of some of the \u201crejected\u201d are a dear and proud \nmemory to me. No lukewarmness there! Kitchener\u2019s New Army was rapidly \ntaking shape, and we civilians drew a deep breath of relief in consequence. \n\nBut it was not only the men who were mobilized. The volunteering of the \nwomen was magnificent; their response was Nationwide. From all parts of \nthe country they came forward in a mass, clamouring to help, and soon the \ndaily papers had to begin printing long articles of advice: \u201cHow to be Useful \nin Wartime.\u201d Women accustomed all their lives to the utmost luxury and \ncomfort, turned their backs without a thought on the old life of ease, and \neagerly embraced the new conditions of hardship and danger, or of very dull \nand unremitting work. They petitioned for work of any sort. I remember \nso well at one of the Wartime Industrial Depots, hearing one day a most exquis\u00ac \nitely refined-looking young woman say, with ill suppressed eagerness and \nevident and complete sincerity: \u201cI\u2019ll scrub floors, I'll do anything if only you \nwill take me. My husband has gone out as a common trooper, and I cannot \nbear that he should give more than I do. We women can at least try to do, \nin our small way, what our men are doing.\u201d Later I learned that she and \nher husband were well known in the world of letters. She was only one in \nthousands who sought toil and drudgery as their small contribution. Many \nwomen filled the posts left vacant by their husbands who had enlisted; or, if \nfitted, they volunteered as despatch riders or as ambulance drivers, or as mere \ncarters, or for work on the land. Of course the Red Cross and the St. John \nAmbulance, being such ancient and honourable institutions, were, so to speak, \nalways mobilized, and detachments of nurses needed but their marching orders \nto be in the field as quickly as transport could get them there; but there were \nalso the V.A.D.s (those Voluntary Aid Detachments which were supple\u00ac \nmentary to the Territorial Medical Service, and of which many of us had \nnever even heard until then); the Women\u2019s Emergency Corps and many other \norganizations, all of which were as busy as the Army Recruiting Stations. \nNo one can ever say that there was any lack of response to the new conditions \nof life on the part of England's women, for they, like the men, rose to meet \nthat call to arms. \n\n\n219 \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\nWe all felt the advancins \u2018TtS \n\npared for shocks of a1 ' sort M ^ whic h was among the first_ to b \n\nhad r* sex**-*- \n\nwomen and.children asjell as^ ^ ^ ^ o{ the \n\nhouses, while firing Dinant; of the sacking which \n\nwe read of the terrible fate <* ^ ^ and lonely farm ^ \n\nBurgomasters execu m of Uhlans after.^icTwere destroyed, the \n\nwerese on fireby ro g^ chered; of convents which w^ ^ of heU \n\n^f^d pensionnaires turned adrift, German hordes had begun \n\nnuns and p but too evident that tr von Bethmann- \n\nwere opened, and it as t he Imperial Chancel , deepen , if \n\nthe O d Conte p ^ ^ bagpipes; we watched_ that g sweep of troops \n\ndrums or the s e ver f org et the mg ^ speed? \n\n\u201cbonnets tipp the mont hs to come the H g who> because of \n\ngaily and w eezi \u2022 d {ame as fighters, for 1 bewildered enemy \n\n7 0rk , d y s ee through the palings, to the pa\u00abd ff t here from the near-by \n\nI could see t K chelsea pensioners, who had h re imen t of Regulars \n\nscarlet-coated, . ed what was taking plac \u2022 \u2022 f or its march \n\nChelsea Hospita . we saw so many go!) was in ^ nQ bustle, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n220 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nof command rang out, and the serried lines seemed to stiffen, if anything to \ngrow firmer. Then, like one living organism, those men (as it were one man) \nmarched away, most of them never to come back. To the thunder of drums \nthey marched, to the crashing of martial music; heads up, eyes forward, as \nthough seeing only their goal, with a kind of superb indifference to everything \nelse. The crowds which stood watching were silent, awed by that sight, \nbut men there were in plenty who quietly raised their hats, standing bare\u00ac \nheaded, while the women\u2019s faces were aglow with pride, and even the children \nseemed touched by the greatness of that moment. \n\nIt makes me profoundly indignant whenever I read or hear it said that \nGreat Britain went into the War for economic reasons. That is not true \nand no one will ever forget the agony of those hours when England\u2019s politicians \nseemed to be wavering, and when, as we have learned since, some of them \nactually did waver. There can be no possible question regarding the feeling \no England as a whole. Her people cared nothing whatever for economic \nreasons. They were outraged at what had been done; they felt that Great \nntain s honour,^and so their own, was in the balance, and when Germany\u2019s \nproffered bribe to England was made known; when the people at large \nunderstood that their country had actually been offered a \u201cprice\u201d if she would \nremain neutral, public indignation knew no bounds. When war was declared \nthere was a universal cry; \u201cThank God we are in it! We can continue to look \nthe world in the face. Those of us who saw the men of the First Expedi\u00ac \ntionary Force march out, know better than to believe that they went fo^the \nsake of so cold an ideal as an economic reason. Besides which, we have been \n\nDo ie nor ny aCC K Un r' by S \u00b0 ldierS themselves < of their reasons for enlisting \nDo we not remember (just to mention one) the story appearing first in an \n\nevening paper, about the London Scottish, \u201cour Scottish \u201d, one offhe \u201ccrack \u201d \nTerritorial Regiments, whose intrepid and resolute stand at Messines on \n\nSsheTh 3 \u2019 T\u00b0 n S , UC \\ WldeSpread admir ation, and which General Allenby \n(as he then was) spoke of as \u201cworthy of the best traditions of British Resrular \n\nSZfwho^ St \u00b0H ry \u00b0! th : fight and itS Sequel has bee \" retold by* a^young \nsoldier who descnbes its effect on him before he had enlisted savinv <Zf g \n\nsoon as he had read it, he hurried to the nearest re^\u2019^Z is an \n\ntheir thinning rank,, and the third Se Td \u201e 7 \" 7 \u2019T \n\nwas left of the London Scottish returned uTTes Bu\u201cttev C t^ \n\nhi^in o^a str^he^wi'th\u2019their\u2019own^Uled^nd'woluided 11 ^^hght \n\nno matter wha, hi. \u201e\u00abTo ?\u00a3 c,T\u201e* TT \n\nGerman and treated him as one of their own \u201d Thn H S ? b \u00b0 yS took the \nof his charity, and for the honour of the regiment, tended to him firs^while\" \n\n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\nDoes that sound like an economic reason? When we remember the glorious \nOld Contemptibles as we saw them march away, have we no better monument \nto raise to them than that? For one of the most splendid memories which \nany of us can hope to keep untarnished is the air of serene detachment from \nall the lesser interests of life, the high-hearted equanimity with which they \nwent. We have recently been reminded that the tradition of the British \nsoldier is to \u201cgo out without a word.\u201d That is at all times wholly British\u2014 \nit is true whether a matter of facing death or of facing irremediable loss, and \nwhat is true of the Army as a whole is therefore true of individual soldiers. \nI have always loved the story about Lord Roberts who, at his club one day, \nduring the South African War, was reading aloud to others assembled in the \nroom, the latest casualty list, just brought in. As he read of those killed in \naction, and as name after name went by, suddenly he came upon the name \nof his only son, the first intimation he had of his death, but when he came to \nit he read it out as clearly and steadily as he had the rest, without a shade \nof hesitation, finishing the list, which was a long one, in the same quiet voice, \nand when he had finished, with a little nod to his companions, he turned, erect \nand soldierly as always,\u2014and went out without a word. That was the spirit \nof the Old Contemptibles. \n\nSo we, still sitting at home in safety, watched our men go out, and read of \nthe onrushing storm which they had gone to meet. In due course we were \nofficially informed that the Expeditionary Force had been safely landed, \nin France. Then casualty lists came pouring in, and as those fateful dayy \npassed, one by one, and as they shaped themselves into weeks, it became more \nand more a matter of consuming importance to discover how one could make \nthe best use even of one\u2019s inefficiency. It was a simple matter for most men, \n\u2014the taking of an active part in the War. They could fight, thank God! \nThey could fight with pucka rifle and bayonet, or with trench mortars or hand \ngrenades or any other kind of weapon as the case might be. But with us who \nwere women it was not so easy, not if you wanted to get into the thick of it, \nwhich of course most of us did, and I soon found that \u201cwar work\u201d under these \nconditions, did not drop into one\u2019s lap. It was not a question of wanting \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n222 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto do the work; the question naturally was: \u201cIf we sent you to the front, \nwhat could you do ? Are you a trained nurse ? Can you drive an ambulance ? 9 \u2019 \nTo both of these questions I, personally, was obliged to answer \u201cNo.\u201d But \nI had made up my mind that I was going to get abroad, even though I seemed \nto be regarded as lacking in all the requirements necessary for foreign service, \nand I refused to look upon the situation as an impasse. So I did whatever \nwork I appeared to be fitted for, and in leisure moments I continued my \nactive service search. I used to ask: \u201cIf I join such and such a unit, do you \nthink it will be sent abroad?\u201d \u201cWe cannot promise you that,\u201d was the \nusual answer, so I would turn away and go back to the rolling of bandages \nand the knitting of socks. At last I heard of a unit which was being organized \nby someone I knew, who told me, sub rosa, that she had every reason to hope \nthat it would be sent to Belgium if its prospective members got certain First \nAid Red Cross Certificates. The Red Cross classes had already started, \nbut I got permission to join them, as a late comer, trusting to pass the exami\u00ac \nnation when the time came. We all worked hard, attending lectures, at which \nwe took copious notes; in the intervals bandaging unfortunate Boy Scouts, \nfurnished us for the purpose; applying tourniquets until their poor little hands \nbecame quite black and swollen as a result of our inexperienced methods; \ntrying every kind of First Aid experiment on them. We were very zealous \nm this work, and generally, by the time we had each got our Boy Scout\u2019s \narms and legs done up in splints for imaginary compound fracture- had en\u00ac \nveloped his head in yards and yards of gauze; had tied up his jugular vein; had \nwound thick compresses over his chest (pneumonia of course); and had added \nan abdominal band as a final touch, what was still visible of the original Boy \nScout was really not worth mentioning-a mouth or an ear or two, no more. \nHad those small Boy Scouts, issued to us by the Commissariat for our private \nconsumption, not been young and tender, and therefore very innocent and \nong-suffermg, there would have been open mutiny among them. Thev cer\u00ac \ntainly did their \u201cbit\u201d! Yet after all our efforts; after the class had success\u00ac \nfully graduated, we were told that the official forming of us into a unit would \nnot be done for the present.\u201d No explanation. That settled it. \u201cBother \nunits. I said to myself, \u201cI\u2019m not going to sit here stuffily to be strangled by \n\ntarteT'ani i\u2122 'T 1^ W f Wi \" ^ \u00b0 V6r bef \u00b0 re 1 have 50 \u2122ch \n\nwinter !'\" \u00a3 t\\\u00b0 T m \u201c\u2019 1 m g \u00b0 ing t0 get int0 1 ^fuse to be \nf g \u2018 \u00b0 1 began to look about for an independent opening, and \n\nof course, I found one almost immediately. \u2019 \n\nVolunteer. \n\n{To be continued) \n\n\nj \n\n\n\nSYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN \nOF SPECIES' \n\n\nT HE term symbiosis or symbionticism is used by the biologist to signify \nan associational life of two dissimilar organisms. It may often happen \nthat the association is mutually advantageous, but, on the other hand, \nit may as often come about that one of the partners gains at the expense of \nthe other. Indeed it is all but impossible to draw lines of demarcation in a \ngraded series of symbiotic associations which range from partnerships indif\u00ac \nferent to both contributors, through various shades of mutualism, to the \nextreme of parasitism in which one symbiont preys upon and often ultimately \ndestroys its companion. The lichen which lives upon a tree trunk derives a \ncertain small advantage from its position. It is no longer subject to the \ndestructive competition of the more robust soil vegetation; it is lifted into the \nlight and air and it is able to obtain its slender requirement of food salts and \nwater from a substratum which would be fatal to most plants. Likewise the \nSpanish moss whose grey, beard-like streamers hang from the trees in Southern \nwoodlands, is but a harmless air-plant which has utilized the shoulders of a \ntall friend as a convenient method of getting up in the world. \n\nBut it is very easy to pass from such an innocent \u201cleaning on\u201d to a condition \nof true parasitism with its attendant degradation. Parasitic plants lose their \nleaves; their green colour, upon which depended their ability to live an inde\u00ac \npendent life, is taken from them, and they become degenerate images of their \nindependent brothers of the same family. Parasitic animals may lose their \nsense organs and their powers of locomotion. Their digestive systems may \natrophy, and at the extreme of degeneracy, such as is seen in the parasitic \ncrab, Sacculina , the whole body becomes a repulsive sac anchored to its host \nby cancer-like roots. \n\nBut the host, too, may be made to pay a penalty for submitting to the \nravages of the parasite. There are certain flowering plants which become sqj \ndependent upon the fungi which invade them that they lose the ability ter \ncarry on their essential vital functions without aid. Their very seeds cannot \ngerminate unless the fungus slave is at hand to feed the young seedlings, and \nthe plant dies if its parasitic associate is torn from it. Yet the fungus is \ndestined to be ultimately devoured. For a brief protection and a chance to \nfeed on the kitchen scraps, it is willing to be offered up on the host\u2019s table. \nThe relation reminds one of that of Sybarite and slave in some dark tale. \nThe orchids are notable sinners in this respect. They are associated with \n\n\n1 Wallin, I. E., Symbionticism and the Origin of Species; Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, 1927. \n\n223 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n224 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ncertain fungi (mycorrhiza), and the association has become obligatory to \nboth parties. Have we not been told in another connection that certain \norchids \u201chave an atmosphere which is distinctly evil\u201d? \n\nOur study at this time, however, is not concerned with parasitism, but rather \nwith that type of mutualistic association which is beneficial to both contrib\u00ac \nutors, and which, though it may well involve certain sacrifices, does not \nnecessarily imply the weakening of either party. Seeking for illustrations, \none is embarrassed by a wealth of pertinent material, though only a few \nexamples need be given here. The hermit crab, which adopts an empty \nsnail shell for its home, may carry about with it, affixed to its house, a colony \nof stinging sea anemones. The latter picks up fragments of the foods which \nescape from the voracious jaws of the crab, while the crustacean itself is \nprotected from the assaults of its enemies by the living battery of stinging \ncells mounted upon its castle wall. Certain insects have entered into symbiotic \nrelations with one another. Well known are the associations of ants with \ntheir \u201caphid cows\u201d. Another example is that of white ants, or termites, which \nprovide themselves with insect pets much as we ourselves play big brother to \ncats and dogs. \n\nThe striking symbiotic relation between insects and flowers forms almost \na science in itself. In extreme cases, such as that of the yucca and the pronuba \nmoth, the relation is obligatory for both participants, since the moth deliber\u00ac \nately pollinates the flower and then lays her eggs in the young fruits where her \nlarvae may feed upon the developing seeds. \n\nAll these associations involve rather complex multicellular animals or \nplants, and there is little possibility that the combination would be considered \na single organism by the biologist; but certain microscopic races of living \nthings effect such extremely intimate associations with their hosts that they \nsometimes seem to be integral parts of its body. For example, the ordinary \nAmoeba is a colourless one-celled animal. But Amoeba has two close relatives, \nChloramoeba and Chrysamoeba, which respectively contain green and brown \ngranules in their bodies. The green granules of Chloramoeba are known to be \nsymbiotic green algal cells (zoochlorellae), while the brown granules of \nChrysamoeba are associated brown algal cells (zooxanthellae). So the zoologist \nrecognizes three distinct genera of these allied amoeba, yet admits that two \nof them have arisen through an intimate association of the animal with \ncertain algal cells. \n\nCan it be possible that in this peculiar fact we have a long neglected key to \nthe profound mystery of the origin of species? Darwin does not explain how \nnew species arise; he merely shows how natural selection may work upon a \nbasis of organic variations which are already provided, and, while conserving \nthe \u201cfit\u201d, may destroy those which are ill adapted to the environmental \nconditions. The question as to why there should have been any variations \nin the first place, is left as an unsolved mystery. \n\nCan it, then, be possible that in a principle usually considered to be a mere \nbiological curiosity and an aberration from the normal course of nature\u2014 \n\n\nSYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES \n\n\n225 \n\n\nnamely in symbiosis-we have all the time held in our hands the key to the \nTTclr\u2014e is a resemblance \n\nhybridism. It is becoming increasingly evident that P \n\nthrough the latter process. In order, howler that J, unite> \n\nthe species must usually be ^ ^^XnSsm the parti- \nwhereas in the theoretical genesis of new spe y invo lve the whole \n\ncipants may be of widely diverse affinities and the blending inv \n\nby hybridism and by symbionticism: the for \u2122* of C g lls t0 be attracted \n\nlatter, and both are but manifestations of a tendency ot \n\nto one another. fnllv the numerous and peculiar \n\nf 4-v.of associations between algae ana iungi cue ^ \n\nhowever, that the asso ection> since they constitute the group of \n\nimportance in the present spec ies of lichen is a sym- \n\nplants known as lichens. In o her y ^ ^ ^ ^ they \n\nbiotic organism, yet the characters b I tanist has been obliged to give \n\nh \u201c* ! the Eam \u201d\u2018 from \nmere indifterent association, through will be well to \n\nBefore dea.inn ^Sr \u201cX pSoS^llogionl mystery- \n\nturn aside or a mo Whence arose the primordial cells with \n\nthat of the origin of the cell \u2022 believe that the present free- \n\ntheir nud^r and c^toc e^^p q\u00a3 ^ water> perpetuates the \n\nliving, unicellular pbat a P ^ each tiny organism lives \n\nconditions of an earlier worl individuals of a species increase in \n\nan independent existence, an Furthermore we are assured that \n\nx^berbyttesiinple^^\u00ae^ 6 \u25a0 mu lticellular organisms arose, \n\nfrom this swarm of discrete u of prev iously free-living cells \n\nWhether their origin was due to a whether it arose from the \n\n(much as birds of a feather &**(\u00a3*).\u00b0r \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3* division o{ an \ncoherence, or better, the non-ffis undue* but in any c ase , the result was to \noriginal cell, would be ar o e ^ multicellular species. Physical \n\n\u00b0 f hi8h \" dee, \u201c \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n226 theosophical quarterly \n\ninto manifestation, and started the declaration of the hierarchical principle of \nwhich the whole drama of evolution has been the progressive revelation. \n\nThere remains still the question of the genesis of the cell; it is unthinkable \nthat it arose by a sudden leap out of inorganic matter. Such a supposition is \nas bad as Milton\u2019s specially created lions pawing their way out of the encom- \npassing earth. \n\nSpeculations relative to the genesis and the evolution of the cell, have not \nbeen wanting. Professor A. H. Church cuts the Gordian knot at a single \nstroke: \u201cthe nucleated cell . . . arose from nothing at all but the ionized \nsea-water; there was nothing else to make it from.\u201d Very good, and in like \nmanner man arose from an \u201camoeba\u201d; but it is not always necessary to \nneglect the intermediate links in a chain of causation. Professor Minchin \nhas suggested a line of primordial chromidial particles arising from colloidal \nmatter of the sea, to organize later into biococci (which he compares definitely \nto existing bacterial micrococci), to undergo reaggregation into a nucleus \nwhich secreted cytoplasm and became thereby a typical cell. \n\nSuch hypotheses have appeared so highly tenuous to most biologists that \ntheir discussion has been generally regarded as a waste of time, since they were \nbut speculation resting upon no known facts. \n\nBut let us regard the problem more intimately. Just what is it that must \nbe evolved out of ionized sea-water? The typical cell is a unit mass of cyto\u00ac \nplasm containing a nucleus. The nucleus is a body of extreme structural and \nphysiological complexity; it governs the activity of the cell and seems to bear \nthe hereditary material of the organism in the form of a substance known as \nchromatin. The cytoplasm is a colourless, viscous emulsion made up of an \nelaborate mixture of chemical compounds. It carries many kinds of visible \nbodies, but the most important of these, from our present standpoint, are the \nchondriosomes or mitochondria. These are normal cytoplasmic constituents, \nand are sometimes present in such great numbers that, when properly stained, \nthey become the most conspicuous bodies in the cell, reminding one forcibly \nof swarms of bacteria. They occur in the form of granules or rods, and seem \nto be ubiquitous in plant and animal cells. Reaching back no farther than \n1890, when they were first described by Altmann, the literature upon these \nmysterious bodies has already grown to enormous proportions. Almost every \nconceivable function has been attributed to them. Benda (1899), and, later, \nMeves, stated that they became the myofibrils of muscle cells; Guillermond \n(1912) asserted that they became the chloroplasts of plants. Other inves\u00ac \ntigators have attributed to them the r 61 e of transformation into a wide variety \nof pigments and secretions in both plants and animals. \n\nAlthough in 1890, Altmann had named them bioblasts, and had described \nthem as living bodies in the cell, and, in fact, as the ultimate units of living \nmatter, his view was vigorously attacked and quickly lapsed from view. In \n1922, Professor I. E. Wallin, in a published article, asserted that the chondrio\u00ac \nsomes are actually bacteria living in symbiosis with the cell. In 1927 appeared \na book by the same author, entitled Symbionticism and the Origin of Species, \n\n\nSYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES \n\n\n227 \n\n\nin which he reasserts his belief in the bacterial nature of the chondriosomes, \nand, in addition, puts forward the startling thesis that the cell arose from \nbacterial fusion, and that symbiosis is a dominant factor in the origin of \nspecies. His view rests upon a series of careful comparisons between bacteria \nand chondriosomes in regard to staining properties, chemical and physical \nreactions, etc. But as a crowning proof that chondriosomes are really \nbacteria, he claims to have cultured them free from the cell in nutrient \nsolutions. \n\nWallin\u2019s view has not been widely accepted, and it is still too early to say \nwith assurance that chondriosomes are bacteria; the work must be repeated \nby other investigators, and the broader theory must run the fire of scientific \ncriticism. \n\nIt is this broader theory which interests us most, and we have already paved \nthe way to its further consideration. Professor Wallin not only asserts that \nthe chondriosomes are bacteria, but he boldly suggests that the cell arose in \nevolution from the symbiotic union of bacteria, and that the evolution, not \nonly of the single-celled, but also of the multicellular races, was due to the \nsuccessive invasions of different strains of these minute beings. It has long \nbeen known that the bacteria are without nuclei, and that in this respect they \ndiffer from all other organisms except their close relatives, the blue-green \nalgje. They do, however, possess granules of chromatin-like material in \ntheir bodies, and this substance is supposed to be the essential material which \nforms the basis of the nucleus in higher organisms. Bacteria are the smallest \nknown plants,\u2014certain micrococci, for instance, are so tiny that 1,000,000,000 \ncould be accommodated inside a cubic millimeter of water. Furthermore, \nbacteria and blue-green algae constitute the most ancient plant fossils known. \n\nIn addition to all this, some species are capable of utilizing the carbon-dioxide \nof the air to produce carbohydrates, though they possess no chlorophyll, and \nthey can also absorb free atmospheric nitrogen for protein synthesis. Organ\u00ac \nisms with such an assemblage of peculiar features, suggest an early earth \nwhere conditions for life were more austere than those which characterize the \nworld to-day. So from a basis of structure, history and physiology there is \nnothing which negatives the idea that the bacteria may have been ancestral \nto the nucleated cell. \n\nProfessor Wallin suggests that bacteria of various kinds entered into| \nsymbiotic organizations to form the diverse, elementary, planktonic races \nthe sea. Their chromatin granules aggregated to make a nucleus, while the \nresidue of their combined somas became the cytoplasm of the cell. The \nchondriosomes of our present cells are those more recent bacterial invaders \nwhose fusion with the earlier cytoplasm is not yet accomplished fully, and \nwhose entrance and blending with the original \u201csymplasm\u201d transforms the \norganism into a new species. The bacteria are supposed to yield their units \nof hereditary substance (chromatin) to the mass of germ-plasm already in the \ncell, so that the whole combination can be perpetuated by heredity. Such \nnew species may be at first merely physiological\u2014viz., characterized by a new \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n228 theosophical quarterly \n\nfunction which separates them from previous specie, \n\nevident elsewhere, symbionticism is quite capa e 0 g d .. It \n\nlogical transformations. To quote Professor Wallin s own for \n\nappears to the author that Symbionticism offers a rational exp \nmany of the variations in the morphology and physiology of P la \" ts \nanimals. When these variations are of sufficient magnitude and P\" en J\u00ae \nthey constitute new species. The fact that mitochondna are t^ver^y \npresent in the cells of all organisms higher than the \n\nare bacterial in nature and that microsymbios.s can deterrmne mo^hol P \nand physiologic changes in organs and cells, can lead \n\nthan that Symbionticism is a fundamental causative factor m the origin of \n\nAnd now, having listened to the words of a modern maa \nturn to The Secret Doctrine, Vol. I, p. 281, to a passage written by Madame \nBlavatsky in 1888. \u201cScience teaches us that the living as well as the dead \norganisms of both man and animal are swarming with bacteria of a hundre \nvarious kinds; that from without we are threatened with the invasion of \nmicrobes with every breath we draw, and from within by leucomaines aerobes \nanaerobes and what not. But Science has never yet gone so far as to assert \nwith the Occult doctrine, that our bodies, as well as those of animals plants \nand stones, are themselves altogether built of such beings; which, with the \nexception of the larger species, no microscope can detect. So far as regards the \npurely animal and material portion of man, Science is on its way to discoveries \nthat will go far towards corroborating this theory. Chemistry and Physiology \nare the two great magicians of the future which are destined to open the eyes \n\nof mankind to great physical truths.\u201d \n\nAre our bodies, then, built up from bacteria and smaller lives. H. P. \nBlavatsky asserted it, and the findings of the modern trained scientist go far to \ncorroborate her words. It will be noted furthermore that the above quoted \npassage refers to organisms too small for the microscope to detect. This, too, \nis significant in view of the modern problem of \u201cfiltrable viruses\u201d. It has \nbeen known for some time that no visible causal organism can be connected \nwith certain transmitted diseases such, for example, as Texas cattle fever. Body \nfluids from diseased animals may be filtered through porcelain filters and yet \nthe clear filtrate, seemingly free from particles so far as the microscope can \nshow, will produce the disease if introduced into healthy animals. This has \nled to the theory of causal organisms outside the limit of microscopic visibility. \nIt has been claimed that they can be cultured upon gelatine where they produce \ncolonies visible to a compound microscope. Such colonies must, in theory, \nbe made up of myriads of separate individuals. The very fact that they can \nbuild up visible colonies implies that they are living units possessed of repro\u00ac \nductive power. Once more modem science tends to corroborate the words of \nThe Secret Doctrine 2 :\u2014\u201c beings which, with the exception of the larger species, \nno microscope can detect.\u201d \n\na See also Vol. I, pp. 268, 269. 278. 279. 281 1 1 seq. (1893 ed.) \n\n\nSYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES \n\n\n229 \n\n\nOne more scientific approximation to the great truths given out by the custo\u00ac \ndians of Wisdom many years ago. Slowly, year by year, their number increases \nwhile each scientific advance is hailed as a \u201cnew discovery . If, in trut , \nSymbionticism is a Principle which has played a considerable, or even a major, \npart in evolution, it holds a great significance for us. Principles have a way \nof being applicable to widely diverse fields. Here is a Principle which lifts \norganisms of diverse origin into a higher autonomy, to which each is indee \nsubordinated, but to which each contributes and from which each receives. \nFurthermore, it is evident that the newcomers may perhaps be the ones who \nwill shift the association to still higher levels, helping to generate a new species \nor, in other words making it possible for the organism to manifest a new and \n\nmore dynamic Idea. RET \n\n\nTo every man there openeth \nA Way and Ways and a Way, \n\nAnd the High Soul climbs the High Way \nAnd the Low Soul gropes the Low. \n\nAnd in between, on the misty flats, \n\nThe rest drift to and fro. \n\nBut to every man there openeth \nA High Way and a Low, \n\nAnd every man decideth \nThe Way his soul shall go.\u2014J ohn Oxenham. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLODGE DIALOGUES \n\n\nVIII \n\nThe duties of each moment under their baffling appearances, conceal the truth of \n\nthe Divine Will. They are, as it were, the Sacrament of the present moment \n\nDe Caussade. \n\n4T Recreation I joined a group of Brothers and novices sitting in the \n\\ garden. As I slipped noiselessly into a seat I heard one of the \n\n^ Brothers saying:\u2014 . . \n\n\u201cNo, I cannot altogether agree with you. God is a Unity, not a diversity; \nbeing a perfect Unity he contains all diversity. There can, therefore, be \nbut one Religion, one binding of the soul to God; \u2018the Wisdom of God and \nthe Power of God\u2019, which binds to God, must be One, else how could it con\u00ac \nsummate union with him? Yet, as there is great diversity of souls, in various \nstages of development, even in the limited range of consciousness available \nto our perception, so, this one Religion, to meet all those needs, must be \nsubjected to a like diversity,\u2014a diversity which, at times, may appear prac\u00ac \ntically antagonistic, even as the souls to which it ministers are antagonistic, \nbut in essence still the same, springing from the same source, and binding \nback to that source. Would you hold a leopard and a butterfly with the \nsame cord? God has an equal understanding in dealing with his children; \nand their diversity, which exists in him, is provided for by the corresponding \ndiversity of custom and creed which also exist in him. See many religions \nas you see many kinds of men; see God, the Divine Light and Life, in them \nall,\u2014the tolerance, the compassion, the unerring insight of the Law.\u201d \n\n\u201cThe fault, then, lies in lack of insight?\u201d asked a novice. \n\n\u201cNot fault, surely\u201d, the Brother answered, \u201cbut lack of evolution, of \ndevelopment. One thing that we greatly need is to take true measure of \nmen, to see where they really stand; to expect neither too much nor too little \nof them; to stop measuring them by ourselves as yardstick. We are of little \nuse in outer work until we have learned this. It requires great detachment: \ndetachment from ourselves, first and foremost; then from human respect . \n\n\u201cCharity also, I suppose\u201d, someone added. \n\n\u201cCharity is inseparable from detachment, nor can we have it without: \n\u2018it follows as the night the day\u2019. Detached from self, we shall always be \ndetached from 'creatures\u2019, and thus increasingly attached to God,\u2014not above \nthe world, nor apart from the world, but in the world, though not of it. Noth\u00ac \ning entangles us with others or with life itself save self-love. Freed from \nthat, we may behold those about us dispassionately, purely\u2014therefore under- \nstandingly and with sympathy.\u201d \n\n\n230 \n\n\nLODGE DIALOGUES \n\n\n231 \n\n\n\u201cI am so glad you did not say with kindness\u201d, murmured another novice. \n\nA Brother near him heard, and laughed. \n\n\u201cYes, we have all suffered from kindness\u201d, he said, \u201cit is usually a heavy \naffliction, the trouble being its personal quality,\u2014the gratuitous assumption, \ntoo often in it, that what the doer likes is also to our taste. Those who \nhave lived much with kind people, know its wonderful training in patience.\u201d \n\nThere was a general laugh at this. \n\n\u201cWhat you say proves my thesis\u201d, said the first Brother, \u201cthe necessity of \ndetachment for charity. When a man works from himself as centre, his \nworks will come back to himself: when a man works from God as his centre, \nhis works will return to God, and diffuse a divine blessing,\u2014not his, as in \nthe former case.\u201d \n\n\u2018\u2018May we go back to the subject of religions?\u201d asked one of the company\u2014 \n\nI fancied he to whom the Brother had been speaking when I came. \u201cSince \nthere is then really one Religion, there is some justification for the attitude \nof those religious and denominations of religious (and in one guise or another \nit is the usual attitude) who hold that their particular form is the one and \nonly true form, or at least the best; they are feeling after a truth even though \nthey pervert it.\u201d \n\n\u201cA perversion proves the existence of a truth in its vicinity,\u201d said a Brother. \n\n\u201cAnd I should go a step further,\u201d said the Brother who had spoken first. \n\u201cThe average understanding is still two-dimensional. Men think up and \ndown and back and forth, some in a wide area, some in a narrow; but give \nthem depth, make them think in, and they are confused, lost, feel themselves \ndrowning in a fathomless ocean,\u2014which it is, but no need to drown there. \nNow to minds of that type, whether good or bad does not matter, what is \nthe use of trying to give them universal truths? They can have, with their \ninstrument, no possible means of understanding what you say; and if you \npersist, and are successful in convincing them that there is something after \nall in what you are saying, your accomplishment is probably deplorable \nin its results. You will have robbed them of some of their zeal and enthusiasm. \nUnable to go in, their thoughts will spread over a portion of the larger \nterritory you have given them and, become shallow, cease to have their \nstrength of current; you will have injured, not have aided them. Take \nfrom an average Christian the idea that Christ is unique as a Master, and! \nyou run a serious risk of taking Christ away from him altogether. It is \ncharacteristic of the two-dimensional mind to consider its truth in terms of \nsuperiority\u2014the superiority that consists in being on top, on the surface; \nfor to it, what is not on the surface is below; must therefore be wrong. His \ninherent feeling is that his Master, or his Church, must be the one and only \nMaster or Church, or else it is not a real Master or Church at all. Here an \nincomplete instrument gropes after the profound truth that that which is \ndivine must be One and indivisible; but brought to the surface of this mind \nit can be seen only in terms of surface, proportioned to its limitations. What \nMaster has ever failed, in any demonstration of himself, to recognize this? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n232 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nHas not the Christ, in all ages, appeared, to those who could see him, in forms \nof their understanding, in terms of their \u2018religion\u2019 and their time? Catholic \nto Catholic, Protestant to Protestant. What folly for either to claim that \nhis vision is true and the other false. What folly upon folly to weaken the \nhold of either vision by explanations that cannot explain, by knowledge that \nobscures. O little man, of little knowledge, hold thy peace, lest a like fate \nbefall thee. Give to thy brother more of his Christ, by deepening his love \nand devotion for what he can see, by purifying it, and increasing its power \nupon him. Stop there: his Christ, in the fulness of time, will do the rest. \n\n\u201cSo of all the religions; convert their followers to their own, not to yours. \nAt the heart of each lies the one Religion sprung from the heart of God. \nWho am I to say by what cord God will have a soul bound to him ? But when, \nby means of his cord, the soul has been drawn in to the Centre from which \nhe came forth, nay, long before he has reached that Centre, cords he no longer \nrequires. When the soul enters the magnetic circle, he is drawn, drawn by \nthe Love about him, by the Love within him. The cords fall away. He is \nnot bound: he is a part.\u201d \n\nOn the last words sounded the Compline bell. In silence we prayed: \n\n\u201cSave us, O Lord, while we wake, and watch us while we sleep; that we \nmay watch with Christ, and rest in peace. Amen. \n\n\u201cO Lord hear, O Lord grant, O Lord forgive.\u201d \n\nAmen. Amen. \n\nInto the shadows of the quiet garden we silently dispersed. \n\nM. \n\n\nTrue philosophy is that which renders us to ourselves, and to all others who \nsurround us, better , and at the same time more content, more patient, more calm, \nand more ready for ad decent and pure enjoyment. \u2014Lavater. \n\n\n\n\nELEUSIS \n\n\nBlessed is ke \u00ab*\u00ab \u201c\u201c aZgs \u201c \n\ntoZZlh, SO, U .niorsUsM \u00ab. \u00ab* \u00ab\u00bb \n\ndivine. , , i _ \n\n^AHE traveffer at Athens *h. r i \nI will find much to interest hi \u2022 it reac hes the place hallowed \n\n1 the Sacred Way for some fif ^\u2122 ted \u2019 es On leaving Athens the road \n\nin antiquity by the celebration o ^ pi a to\u2019s Academy; then it win s \n\npaS ses the gardens which occupy count ry of hills covered with scan y \n\nthrough olive groves, and on past a dese rted monastery of Daphne, \n\nundergrowth. Half-way to mentioned in Pausamas \n\nwhich is probably on the site of a sanctu ^ P hrodite> where the Greek \nDescription of Greece ^ !fie5ngs d^fands a'nd flowers, though now m \npeasant girls still make their g unexpectedly emerges onto alow pla , \n\nhonour of the Virgin Mary. splendid sweep of a wide bay and m the \nand the sea is in view; there is P beauti{u l island of Salamis. T \ndistance can be seen the outhne f , over the low-lying marsh land, and, \nSacred Way leads along a causeway, built \n\nskirting the bay, ends at Eleusis. precinct venerated m \n\nBeyond the present village Shinto rites. Exeat,one \n\nancient times as the place of ini w hich there remain little b\u00ab \n\nhave revealed a number of sanctuar , ig a gro tto, in the slope of \n\nscattered stone columns and ^onume ^ far the most interesting of \n\nrising ground, known as the Cave o{ Initiat ion. Only the paving stones \nthe archaeological ruins is the S reat 11 bamberi its roof supported by rows \nremain of what was once a vast squ 1 \u2022 RaU wh ere the initiated sat to \nof columns; tiers of step s . \u2122 * Iteries On one side, the tiers (which still \n\nwatch the performance of the y w hich continues along the hillside, \n\nremain, cut in the rock )lead up.to af terra , towards the West, over \n\nthence the \u201cenlightened coidd obtain a s^ndid^ ^ ^ d rehds \n\nthe gleaming sea. Further on is m particular, is of interest as \n\nwhich have bee. found cm the mm. On, pla,^ , 0 two centra.^ \n\nshowing all the deities of Eleusis, unknow n or unnamed God an^ \n\nfigures designated as Theos and Thea the un ^ ^ ^ is unique m \n\nGoddess who presided over the iac meoti \u201e K , or etttain, of its bind, and \n\nsr \"^st e X\u201d\u00bb. - -\u2014 the a \u201c es ot \n\nis a matter of considemlried^<mU^o ^destitute a com^tive^account \nof the Eleusinian rites, from the scanty \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n234 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThe pledge of secrecy was binding on all who approached the mysteries, and the \npenalties for divulging the teachings were severe. Yet, in classical times, the \ngreat number of those who took part in the rites would seem to show that there \nwas no rigid selection and examination of candidates for initiation, for the \nceremonies had become a popular ritual, within the reach of all who were not \nof depraved character. In the fifth century B.C., Aristophanes, in his comedy \nof the Frogs , could afford to laugh, without fear of penalty, at the procession \nof candidates making their way to Eleusis. At the same time, Socrates \nincurred some criticism for refusing to apply for initiation into the Eleusinian \nmysteries. It is probable that, by that time, the ceremonies were valued \nchiefly on account of the advantages they afforded to the initiated at the time \nof death, from the knowledge gained as to the underworld. Some writers \ncriticized this, as providing an unfair advantage. Perhaps it was somewhat \nsimilar to the merit gained by pilgrims in the Middle Ages, who undertook \ncertain journeys, or penances, or ritual acts, as affording plenary indulgence \n\u201capplicable at the hour of death.\u201d \n\nWhatever the conditions may have been in the fifth century B.C., it is certain \nthat the origin of the Eleusinian mysteries went back into a far distant past, \nco-extensive with the \u201cante-Phidian sculptors and the pre-Homeric poets,\u201d \nwhen, in truth, the Mysteries held the \u201cworld of thought and beauty.\u201d By \nthe time of the classical epoch of Greek history, the light that illumined that \nearlier age had grown dim; the Mysteries were no longer understood by men. \nIt has been suggested in an article in the Quarterly (July, 1922) that the \n\u201cpublication and vulgarization (in the literal sense) of the substance of the \nMysteries \u201d may have been either a cause or an effect of the \u201cspiritual degenera\u00ac \ntion of Greece.\u201d An attempt to reconstruct the ritual of the Eleusinian \nmysteries, as it has come down to us, may serve to show that the origin \nof all such ceremonies was divine, dating from the time when the Mysteries \nwere kept very secret and holy, and divulged only to the few. Indeed, it has \nbeen hinted in The Secret Doctrine that all exoteric ceremonial shows traces of \ndivine foundation, often misunderstood and travestied by popular superstition. \nAll that the historian can do is to collect and set down the evidence, and leave \nit to the intuitive to clothe the facts in living thought,\u2014to make the dry \nbones rise. \n\nThere were definite stages in the ceremonial, which led from a preliminary \npurification ( catharsis ), through the united performance of sacrificial or ritual \nacts ( sustasis ), towards a revelation {telete or muesis), and on to a crowning vis\u00ac \nion ( epopteia ). The sequence is interesting, and it may be noticed that much \nimportance was attached, in Greek worship, to the need for purification. The \nGreater mysteries were held every year, after the harvest in the month of \nSeptember; but all candidates for initiation must have received preliminary \ninstruction in the Lesser mysteries, celebrated at Athens in the early spring, \nduring the month of February. The candidate might then aspire to initiation \nas a mystes. Before the celebration of the Greater mysteries, heralds, in many \nof the Greek cities, proclaimed a \u201csacred truce.\u201d The immediate preparation, \n\n\nELEUSIS \n\n\n235 \n\n\n, , \u201e On the first day the candidates \n\nat Athens, extended over several \u201c Come all ve who are pure of \n\nassembled, and the herald made P\u2122 cl * whosoever hath not clean hands, \n\nheart and whose speech can be understood. at initiation.\" It seems \n\n- -\u2014- \n\ndwells in a mantram. ^unification, it is thought that \n\nAll the candidates had to undergo ri e p system of \u201cconfessional,\u201d \n\nthere may have been instituted, y ^ \u00ab\u25a0 P n ^ next day the cry went up, \u2018\u2018To \n\nbut authorities are not agreed as to this. ' the candidates to the \n\nthe sea, Mystics,\" and a process.\u2122\u2018ttfUed Way, On the \nceremonial bathing, in two consecra driv e it down to the sea, \n\nfollowing day each candidate had to provide q{ lower nature . \n\nand there make sacrifice^ P 08 \u00ae* 1 * * orocess i on of pigs, as affording useful \nAristophanes makes much fun P exte nded over some time, and \n\ncomic relief in a series of ceremon^swh^h extended ^ ^ ordained \n\nwhich involved considerable strain and g , re was banned. Various \non the third day, and every fon * of I\u00ae ca ndidateLsembled at nightfall for the \n\nprocessions took place, an na >\u2019 miles Candidates were required to \n\nmarch to Eleusis, a distance of ftteen:^ , \u00a3 &ny woman chose to \nwalk along the Sacred Way, u 1 * f or the privilege. All bore \n\nride in a chariot, she should W* ^They .ere in \n\nL^Stta\u00abluo\u201ch,cMn \n\nname of the Deity. . , . F , eus i s the actual ceremonies were \n\nOnce the processtah*! ^^^stri,ctaco\u00bbse\u00bbtiv\u00aba\u00abonnt \nperformed m the great Hall, C0 \u201e sis ,ed of ritual acts, wh.ch were \n\nof what took place. The ceremo suggested that the \u201crevel- \n\nfollowed by \u201crevelations Some ^ ^ the help 0 f underground \n\nations\u201d wer e elab\u00b0r a tely staged by h l q{ archaeolo gists has shown \n\napparatus and scenic effects. 13 t i t is certain that \n\nno subterranean structure, or secrc P typify the mournful wanderings \n\nsome kind of mystery drama wm, \u201c^Twho had been carried off by \nof Demeter in search of her d \u201c 8 \u2018 P drama als0 sym bolised the n.ndp \nthe god of the underworld. P\u00b0 SS \\J before it has attained the true ligWT \nings of the soul in the regions of darkne , foreboding. \n\nThe effect, on the spectators offln The centre the Hail, the \n\nThen suddenly, from a *\u201c red P'\u201c\u201c 5 \u201e This constituted the first deEtee \n\nSlth ^\u201c\u201chird degree was the most soimnn o, ad, showing \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n236 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthe result of that union, revealed in the fulness of knowledge. It is probable \nthat a sacred feast fonried part of the ceremony. Clement of Alexandria, who \nclaims to have been initiated in the second century a.d., afterwards disclosed \nthe pass-word: \u201cI have fasted, I have drunk the barley-drink, I have taken \nthings from the sacred chest, tasted, and placed them back in the basket, and \nagain in the chest.\u201d \n\nThe initiate pronounced the words, \u201cI am free,\u201d and then uttered an \ninvocation, including a promise of secrecy, which ended with the words: \u2018\u2018So \nelp me, Word of the Father which he spake when he established the whole \nuniverse in his Wisdom.\u201d These words resemble well-known verses in the \nopening chapter of St. John\u2019s Gospel: \u201cIn the beginning was the Word. . . . \nthings were made by him. \u201d They are also curiously similar to an Hermetic \n\nM a? w ent J qU \u00b0! ed m T>le Secrel Doctrine > which included an invocation,\u2014\u201c by \ne Word, only Son of the Father, who upholds all things.\u201d The writer of \n] 6 SeCret Doctrlne comments on the fact that the invocation is exoteric in \nform, since, in esoteric teaching, \u2018\u2018to speak of God is impossible.\u201d Possibly \nthe esoteric truth was concealed, at Eleusis, in the worship of Theos and Thea^ \nie unknown God and Goddess who presided there over all the other deities.\u2019 \ney are unique in Greek worship, though, in later times, St. Paul, when in \n\nhirndedam\" unt oyou. \u201d ^ ^ Who \u201c 76 ign0nmtly worship - \n\nwo^ C < e !? rati \u00b0 n \u00b0 f ^ myS u rieS WaS terminated b y hierophant with the \nd : . f Conx ompax - whlch are said to mean, \u2018\u2018Watch and do no evil \u201d \nthough it is not necessary to assume that this was other than a \u201cblind\u201d to \ntheir true meaning. They are supposed to have been Egyptian in origin and \no have been the same as those used at the conclusion of the mysteriJof\u2019 Isis \nMore than one wnter-m particular Paul Foucart in Les Mysteres d'Eleusis \nhas drawn attention to the similarity between the Eleusinian mysteries and \nthe Egyptim n tual . H e concludes that Demeter is the same as Isis and that \nDionysus is Osins; and this supposition is confirmed by various other authori- \n\nthe S Cornaild W SSll>le Tf \u00b0 Ver ! 00k the si 8 nifican ce of the deities presiding over \nthe Corn and Wine. It is said that in the third degree of initiation +1 \n\nZ\u00ab\u201c n V \"7\u201c.;\u00b0\u201d\" \u201d s \u201c\u00bb\u00bb\u00ab\u00ab\u00ab* \", tS. \n\nT! Tt ? b,r,h \u2019 de * th and -i** n\u00ab.\u2122 r n/\"S \n\nn Orphic teaching, much consideration was given to the eternal i f \n\nmumon with the Divinity, foreshadowed in ti^ pi \u2022 \u2022 . mea of corn- \n\ndeveloped in Orphic ritual Ther v> i r euslnian n *- es , was further \n\n\n\"I am the son of Earth and starry Heaven.\u201d \n\n\nELEUSIS \n\n\n237 \n\n\n\u201cI am perishing with thirst, give me to drink of the waters of memory. \n\u201cI have paid the penalty of unrighteousness.\u201d \n\n\u2018\u2018I have flown out of the weary sorrowful wheel ( kuklos ) of life.\u201d \n\n\u201cOut of the pure I come.\u201d \n\n\u201cThou art become God from man.\u201d \n\n\u201c 0 blessed and happy one, thou hast put off thy mortality and shalt become \ndivine.\u201d \n\n\nIn the last sentence one is reminded once more of St. Paul,\u2014\u201cthat mortality \nmight be swallowed up of life.\u201d \n\nFoucart denies that there was any outer connection between the Orphic \nbrotherhoods and the Eleusinian rites, though he stresses constantly the \nEgyptian origin of the mysteries. It is clear in any case that while identity \nof teaching is noticeable in the study of every true religion and brotherhood, \nthis proves their unity of origin rather than any outer connection. \n\nAt first sight it is somewhat confusing to find Plato, in a number of dialogues, \nreferring with great reverence to the sacredness of the Mysteries, while his \nteacher, Socrates, refused to have anything to do with the Eleusinian rites. \nThis is probably explained by the fact that in the time of Socrates, the \nceremonial at Eleusis was a mere travesty of the original teaching, which had \nits source in a distant past. As to the true Mysteries, there are illuminating \npassages in Plato. It is well to remember that he has been accused of divulg\u00ac \ning too much about the secret doctrine, to those not yet prepared to receive it. \n\nIn the Phcedo is given the dramatic and moving scene of Socrates in prison, \nsurrounded by his disciples who have come to be with him until his last hour, \nwhen he is compelled to drink the poison, and fulfil the sentence of death \npassed upon him. Socrates, in eloquent words, has described the glory and \nbeauty of the immortal soul, and he comments: \u201c I fancy that the men who \nestablished our mysteries had a very real meaning; in truth they have been \ntelling us in parables all the time that whoever comes to death uninitiated and \nprofane will be in the mire, while he who has been purified and initiated will \ndwell with the gods. \u2018For the wandbearers are many\u2019, as they say in the \nmysteries, \u2018but few the god-possessed.\u2019 And by these last are meant, I \nbelieve, only the true philosophers, in the number of whom, during my whole \nlife, I have been seeking, according to my ability, to find a place.\u201d The \n\u201cwand\u201d of initiation is said to have been similar to that used by Prometheus,^ \nwhen he concealed the fire from Heaven in a hollow stalk. It was perha^^ \nafterwards used, during the ceremonial, as a torch. Students of Theosoph^^ \nwill connect this with what The Secret Doctrine says about Kundalini. \n\nIn the Phcedrus are many passages, of wonderful beauty, showing the joy \nthat attends the study of true philosophy. It is said that he who recollects \ndivine teachings and employs his memory aright, \u201cis ever being initiated into \nperfect mysteries, and alone becomes perfect; he forgets earthly interests and \nis wrapped in the divine.\u201d Of the true philosophers it is recorded: . \u2018\u2018We \n\nbeheld the essence of beauty and were initiated into mysteries. . . . which we \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n238 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ntomb ?\u201e which\u2122 m to\u201d*'15 rm - \u201c d n \u00b0*. yet enshrin ' d \u00ab\u00bb' Hvinj \n\nknown teaching of the OrnhiV h \\V 1\u00b0 \u00b0J ster ln lts she11 -\u201d It was a well- \ndirect allusion fo secretS brothe [ ho \u00b0^ that the body was a tomb. A \n\nseen the mysteries of Eleusis and read th o^h' \u2019 t Pausanlas: \" He who has \n\nThe death and resurrection of the 0rphlc hooks, knows what I mean.\u201d \nOrphic ritual. It is not known to ? y * US ' VaS perhaps the central fact of \nat Eleusis. A P\u00a3e an found a t m \u00ae. xtent thls drama was re-enacted \nand declares, \u201che is worshiooed ^p^' ^ \u00b0 f pIaCes Sacred to Di \u00b0nysus, \nthe Eleusinian the name of ^cchos.\u201d In \n\nMother, who searched in sorrow^or^ f\u00ae lty , Was Dem eter, the great Earth- \n\nwell-known: the Maiden wandered too far^the^ddt 0116 ' J he myth is \nnarcissus and other spring flowers m i 0 \u201eDi7 fields one day, picking \n\nappeared in his dark chariot and\u2019carried , Ut \u00b0\u2019^\u00b0 d \u00b0Jl the underworld, suddenly \n\nsought her, disconsolate and allTth mo ? ^ The ^\u2019 s Mother \n\nplants drooped and died. Finally a com\u2122 6 \u2022 Wlth hef \u2019 and a11 Rowing \nPersephone should dwell for six months WaS effected whereby \n\nm the regions of darkness. The seasonal death* A !\u00b0 ther \u2019 and f \u00b0r six months \nwas thus connected with the journey of the s,^ re f urrecti \u00b0n of all nature \nlight. The whole legend is given with a w S\u2019 S\u00b0 Ugh darknes s and through \nto Demeter, which * the H \u00b0 meric hym \" \n\nthe Mother, in her wandersca^oSZT? ^ 11 is Said \n\nwas kindly received by Celeus and Metaneira\u2019 \u00b0 ld woman - and \n\nrearing of their child, Demophoon and Dem^ 7 ^ 1 ^ 6 ' 3 her with the \nimmortal. For this purpose she fed\u2019him \u00b0 u eter . decided to make him \nnight in the glowing fire on the hearth One d am , r0Sla \u2019 and concealed him by \nknown to the panic-stricken parTn ts Once the T and mad e \n\ncould no longer work the charm to mSce th^ eh M W&S r6Vealed - Dem \u00aeter \ngave to Demophoon (some say to his brother T . . mxaorU1 - Instead, she \nand seeds of wheat. She a dra ^-chariot, \n\nagriculture, and revealed the cult of the \\ -\u00b0 Peusis the methods of \n\"to* sho -d them the ~ Tbe Hymn concluded \n\n/ T?\u2019 h \u00b0 ly mySteries which none LIv vilt ^ them her \nabroad, for the curse from the gods restrains thl ^ \u00b0 r int \u00b0\u2019 0r noise \n\nmortals who hath beheld thesethings S he^ Tf- H&PPy is he amon ? \nno part m them, hath never equal lot in / a u that 1S unlnit iate, and hath \nThe significance of the wheat, in the^eu^ 11 ^ murk y & loon i-\u201d \nunderstood. Other symbols are of interest An nt6S \u2019 Can be rea <Uy \nshows the goddess with a handful of poppief astellT^ ^ \u00b0 f \npoppies seem to have entered into th* \u2019 as a s heaf \u00b0f corn, and the \n\n\nELEUSIS \n\n\n239 \n\n\nlegend, the beautiful youth Narcissus fell in love with his own form, seen \nreflected in still water. Unable to reach the image, he pined away and died, \nand was changed into the flower which bears his name. The flower, a six- \npointed star, is sometimes taken as symbolical of the soul which has become \nenamoured of corporeal life, and has \u201cfallen\u201d into generation. It was the \nbeauty of that flower which led Persephone away from the calm abodes of the \ndeities, to be enticed into the region of darkness, there to learn, through \nsuffering, before her return to the light of day. \n\nThe comments of classical authors all show considerable reverence for the \nEleusinian rites. Even Aristophanes, who has the comic-poet\u2019s privilege of \nlaughing at everything, while he jests, in the Frogs, about the procession of the \ncandidates, yet describes the chants of the mystics in lyrics of surpassing \nbeauty, which have been freely translated in these lines: \n\n\u201cLet us hasten, let us fly \nWhere the lovely meadows lie, \n\nWhere the living waters flow, \n\nWhere the roses bloom and blow, \n\nHeirs of Immortality.\u201d \n\nIt is probable that the teaching at Eleusis testified to the truth of Reincarna\u00ac \ntion, and that Pindar gained his hope of immortal life from the same teaching, \nwith knowledge as to the end of all things, \u201cand their source, which is divine.\u201d \nIsocrates, in a panegyric, writes: \u201cDemeter bestowed two priceless gifts, \ncultivation of the fruits of the earth, and the ceremony which brings to the \ninitiated the sweetest consolation at death, and hope of immortality.\u201d It is \ntrue that the materially minded looked on such knowledge as a safe guide-book \nto the journey after death, rather than as an incentive to earn immortality in \nthis life. Plato refers to the fact that, in his day, the teaching of the mysteries \nhad become degraded, by popular superstition, to the advantage of the \n\u201cmystery-mongers,\u201d\u2014a condition of things which provides a striking analogy \nto what has happened in this century, since the swing of the pendulum of \npopular thought has led multitudes from scepticism to over-credulity in \nregard to any new or mysterious teaching. There is a passage in the Republic \nwhich tells of mendicant prophets who produce works by Musseus and Orpheus^ \npersuading people and cities that thus atonement may be made for sid| \n\u201cprocesses which they call initiations, that free us from the pains of Hades!\u201d \nSuch teaching, which tended to destroy the sense of responsibility in man, \nbecame a menace, providing a cheap way of obtaining salvation, only com\u00ac \nparable with the \u201cSale of Indulgences\u201d during the most corrupt period of the \nMiddle Ages. \n\nPausanias writes of the halo of antiquity that surrounded the rites at \nEleusis: \u201cThe Greeks of an earlier age esteemed the mysteries as much superior \nto all other religious exercises as they esteemed the gods superior to heroes.\u201d \nAristotle declares that the finer few were changed for the rest of their lives by \nwhat they saw at Eleusis, and those few were the makers of Athens. He says: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n240 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cThe initiated do not learn anything so much as feel certain emotions and are \nput into a certain frame of mind,\u201d and he comments on the absence of dog\u00ac \nmatic teaching. It is possible\u2014though this is a conjecture of the present \nwriter, unsupported by historical evidence\u2014that although great numbers of \npeople were admitted to the rites at Eleusis in classical times, perhaps only \nvery few attained to the higher degrees of initiation. There were three known \ndegrees, and at least a year had to elapse between the second degree, of \nmystes, and the third degree of epoptes , or seer. Possibly these were only \npreliminary stages, to prepare those who had sufficient intuition to seek for \nthemselves where the true teaching was to be found. \u201cKnowledge exists and \nis attainable,\u201d and earnest students might be led to undertake the essential \ndiscipline and training necessary before they could discover these truths for \nthemselves, in the secret places of the heart, or find them confirmed by those \nwho had both knowledge and experience. The full ceremonial of the Eleusin- \nian rites extended over nine days, said to symbolize the fall of the soul through \neight spheres (which included seven planetary regions), down to her dwelling \non this earth; but the true philosophers realized that a life-time (or, rather, \nsuccessive incarnations) of purification, aspiration, and contemplation, was \nbut a light price to pay for the immortal glory or real initiation, the \u201cbeatific \nvision\u201d of the true mystics. \n\nPlutarch writes of the beauty of life after death in the following passage \n(which has been condensed): \u201cThe soul, at the moment of death, experiences \nsensation as at initiation into the Greater mysteries,\u2014wanderings in darkness, \nfear, shuddering, terror. Then it beholds a marvellous light and fair places and \nsacred words and divine apparitions. Man, made perfect, walks without fear, \ncrowned with a garland, and he walks with holy men.\u201d Diodorus suggests \nthat the mysteries came from Egypt, by way of Crete; and that that which was \nopenly performed in Crete, was revealed only to the initiates at Eleusis. \nSpeaking of the mysteries celebrated at Samothrace (which are referred to in \nseveral passages of The Secret Doctrine ,) he says that \u201cthose who participate \nbecome more religious, more just, and in all ways better.\u201d \n\nThe celebration of the mysteries at Eleusis continued, without interruption, \nthrough Roman times. Cicero declares: \u201cMuch that is excellent and divine \ndoes Athens seem to me to have produced and added to our life, but nothing \nbetter than those mysteries by which we are formed and moulded from a rude \nand savage life, to humanity; and indeed in the mysteries we perceive the real \nprinciples of life, and learn not only to live happily, but also to die with a \nfairer hope.\u201d \n\nThe external control of the Eleusinian festival was taken over by the city \nof Athens in the time of Solon, but the regulation of all details concerned with \nthe ritual and teaching was in the hands of a special tribe of priests, the \nEumolpidae. It is worth remembering that at Athens there were no pro\u00ac \nfessional priests; any citizen of good repute might be elected by lot to perform, \nfor one year, the priestly functions connected with the city. But at Eleusis the \npriests were experts, who gave time to study and meditation, and were required \n\n\n\nto lead holy lives and to remain celibate. They obtained office by right of \ninheritance in the priestly tribe. There were a number of different officials \nconnected with the mysteries. The hierophant revealed the sacred symbols; \nthe torch-bearer led the procession; the herald made solemn announcement; \nprevious initiates introduced the new candidates. There remains an inscrip\u00ac \ntion on a statue of a hierophant named Glaucos, to the effect that \u201cfor nine \nyears he revealed to men the radiant ceremonies of the Goddess; in the tenth \nyear he went to the Immortals. It is surely beautiful, that mysterious secret \nwhich comes to us from the Blessed; for mortal men, death is not only not an \nevil, it is a good.\u201d \n\nThere is an interesting record that Apollonius of Tyana, in the first century \nA.D., came to Eleusis and desired to be admitted into the mysteries, and that \nthe hierophant refused, on the ground that Apollonius was a magician. Apol\u00ac \nlonius conjectured that the refusal was due rather to the fact that the hiero\u00ac \nphant was afraid of him, because he knew so much more about the initiatory \nrites than the priests themselves. The hierophant gave way; but Apollonius \nwould not then accept the privilege, and declared that he would be initiated at \nsome other time, foretelling the name of the priest who would then receive him. \nThis actually took place, four years later, and Apollonius was perhaps given \npriestly rank. An inscription to confirm this has been found at Eleusis on a \nstatue erected to a hierophant: \u201cAsk not my name, the mystic packet has \ncarried it away to the blue sea.\u201d A later writer added below: \u201cThis is the \nfamous Apollonius.\u201d \n\nIt would seem that the character of the priests and the conduct of the \nceremonies at Eleusis were maintained on a high level, nor have any valid \naccusations been made to the contrary. It is true that some of the Christian \nwriters, in the early centuries, made various allegations which were, however, \nprobably unjustified. They can perhaps be attributed to the fear, on the part \nof the Christian priests, of too great influence proceeding from the Eleusinian \nmysteries, which bore, in several respects, such striking resemblance to \nChristian ceremony. \n\nThe Neo-Platonists found deep significance in the ritual of the Eleusinian \nmysteries, interpreting the legend of Demeter in several ways, and on different \nplanes of being. It is perhaps a little confusing that they refer to the Greek, \ndeities Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus, by their Roman appellations Cere \nProserpine and Bacchus. There is a valuable article by Thomas Taylor on \nthe subject, published in 1816, 1 which is referred to in The Occult World. \nTaylor affirms that \u201cthe intention of all mystic ceremonies is to conjoin us with \nthe world and the gods,\u201d but he declares that the profound truth as to immor\u00ac \ntality, was not given to all candidates for initiation, but merely a preliminary \ntraining. He declares that Virgil, in the sixth book of the ASneid, interpreted \nthe external form of the mysteries, but not their recondite meaning. Virgil\u2019s \ndescription, none the less, has many points that are significant, and probably \n\n\n1 The Eleusinian Mysteries, by Thomas Taylor; published in \u201c The Pamphleteer,\u201d Vol. VIII, 1816. \n\n\nELEUSIS \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n242 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nhad considerable influence on the thought of a later mystic, Dante, in the \nDivina Commedia. Eneas has to find his way through a dense wood, which \nsymbolizes the material world, till, under the guidance of the Sibyl, he reaches \nthe mouth of Hell. It is said that the wise men of old \u201cuniversally considered \nHades as commencing in the present life.\u201d The hero encounters various \nshapes and monsters, but finds his sword of no avail against these ghostly \nphantoms. At last he meets his father Anchises, who reveals to him the \nspiritual origin of all Creation, in the grand passage,\u2014\u201cAn inner Spirit gives \nlife, and Mind moves the whole mass of matter.\u201d Before he returns to the \nworld above, .Eneas is given further instruction in the mystery teaching \nconcerning Reincarnation and Immortality. \n\nThomas Taylor has made a study of Neo-Platonic commentators, and gives \nuseful quotations on the subject of the mysteries, as, for instance, from Proclus: \n\u201cInitiation and inspection (vision) are symbols of ineffable silence, and of \nunion with mystical natures, through intelligible visions.\u201d The teaching as \nto the divine appearances in the mysteries was confirmed by Plotinus. Taylor \ncondemns the arrogance of the critics of his day, who declared that the \n\u201cillumination\u201d was merely a mechanical contrivance of the priests. He would \nbe even more scornful of modern scholars\u2014the Germans in particular\u2014some \nof whom, having examined the evidence from every aspect, and being baffled \nby the secrecy surrounding the teaching, have confidently declared that there \nreally was no secret to discover! The various interpretations of the legend of \nDemeter suggested by the Neo-Platonists, are rather too elaborate to give in \ndetail; but it is interesting to note that Taylor derives his authority from \nmanuscript writings \u201cin possession of the few.\u201d Perhaps it is with intention \nthat he does not comment on the symbolism which is, possibly, of central \nimportance in the Eleusinian rites,\u2014that of the stalk of wheat, shown to the \n\u201cenlightened.\u201d \n\nThe mystery teaching can be traced back to the records of ancient Egypt; its \nlanguage is to be found in the writings of St. Paul, the apostle to the Greeks; \nthe similarity of its ceremonial with Christian ritual is marked and significant. \nThose who believe in the fundamental unity of religious teaching will appreci\u00ac \nate Taylor\u2019s concluding statement: \u201cAs to the philosophy, by whose as\u00ac \nsistance these mysteries are developed, it is coeval with the universe itself: \nand however its continuity may be broken by opposing systems, it will make \nits appearance at different periods of time, as long as the sun himself shall \ncontinue to illuminate the world.\u201d \n\n\nS. C. \n\n\nA REVERSED TRIANGLE \n\n\nMs folios.. *> t~\u201d \u00bb \n\n\nWnen ms tmuw* j\u201d* - * \n\naway, as the wind carries a boat away to sea. \n\n\nBhagavad GiTA. \n\n\n.. rpBE soul is in the body\". ? h 7?he\u201cmM.1T*5\u201c \n\nI and Plato added, completing t the great philosopher s \n\nI soul is to live disembodied. We ^^ tte separation of the soul \nidea, if we assume that by disem o lmei ^ astral dissociation during life, \nfrom its physical vesture by dea \u00b0 ^ q{ the sou i, i s the vehicle of passion \n\nand i^iorancZ^the elemental was to reveal to the \n\n. elemental consciousness. To that en ^ d laws of nature and the psy- \n\nwhich was a commentary u P on . ifkance of that teaching for him natu \nchical powers latent in man. Th g derstan ding. But growth in under\u00ac \nally depended upon the degree o\u00a3 d tance in thought and deed, of the \n\nstanding was the reward of a comp heavens faU .\u201d Therefore, he was \n\nmaxim: \u201cLet truth prevail though l the h'eavens J^ - t and to still \n\nenjoined not only to exercise his mmd * th ^ reflected in his C onscious- \nits perturbations, so that when an imag In the last analysis, this \n\nness, it would not be deformed beyond \u00ab\u00ab\u00ab* - whole array of his desires \nmental catharsis involved the realign and transform the passional \n\nIn the fire of a selfless ^ \n\nelements which deflect the ra>. Madame Blavatsky desenbed m a sen \n\nIt seems that very few succeeded. . many efforts to reestablish \n\ntence the fate of the ancient Mysteries4 J ^ hitherto ended m \n\nthem : \u201c Every such attempt as theTh . V ^ & ^ set up hard-and- \n\nfailure, because sooner or later, it . tible de grees that vitality which \n\nfast dogmas of its own and so lost by P ^ If th e Theosophical \n\ntruth alone can impart\u201d (The Key to T have {ailedi it is because it \n\nSociety has succeeded where o 0 f its members have reason \n\nhas not degenerated into a sect. transmitted by Madame \n\nto believe in the truth of the h y Y members has e ver been able to \n\nBlavatsky and others, no memberorchq ^ ^ acceptance of this or of \n\ncommit the Society as an official u , t J obv i 0 us danger threatens the \nany other belief. In spite of that no ^ remembered that the \n\ncontinuity of this tradition of t^^ toleran . members to keep free \n\nfrom dogmatism and to grow in \n\n\n243 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n244 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nbecome \u201caspirants\u201d of the restored Mysteries, such freedom and growth \nmust be regarded as indispensable for the work to be done. Therefore, it \nis not amiss to reflect a little upon the very real perils which are latent in \nevery dogmatic expression of the mind. \n\nThe term, dogmatism, has certain connotations which may make us forget \nits essential meaning. It is usually associated with the pretensions of theo\u00ac \nlogians, especially of those theologians who have been thoroughly discredited \nby science and common sense. But it is not confined to theology. There are \nprobably few living men who do not daily make innumerable positive assertions \nwhich are incapable of proof. Consider, for instance, the platitudes about \ndemocracy and international peace which are the common currency of our \npresent public opinion. \n\nThe essence of dogmatism seems to be the spirit of active misunderstanding, \nand this explains why its appearance in the mind is fatal to the appreciation \nof truth. When the mind conceives an idea imperfectly, its conception tends \nto crystallize as a dogma. One can think of many reasons for this,\u2014inertia, \ninadequate mental training, self-satisfaction, and so on. However, there is \none cause of active misunderstanding which may be said to include all the \nothers. In every case which can be submitted to self-examination, it appears \nthat we believe what we desire to believe. If we desire truth in itself, we shall \nbelieve that this truth exists, but we shall not be unduly impressed by the efforts \nof our minds to assimilate or to symbolize it. If we desire to justify ourselves, \nit will not be the truth which concerns us but some mental formula authorizing \nour desire. Such a formula has all the qualities needed to define a dogma. To \nbe convinced of this, one need only recall the mental processes which are most \nactive when two or more people are engaged in a religious or political argument. \nWhat is at first a minor difference of opinion, or only of definition, becomes, \nthrough the desire of each speaker to justify himself, a difference of dogma \nenhancing in each heart the sense of separateness. \n\nWhen the subject of misunderstanding is some phase of the Mystery doctrine, \none may believe that the resulting evils are much greater than when two very \nordinary minds engage in a battle of notions which are quite devoid of any \nsignificance in themselves. It seems that a dynamic truth cannot be dragged \ndown to the plane of elemental desires without suffering a perversion which \nbecomes more or less potent in proportion to the original sublimity of the truth. \n\nIt is possible to illustrate such a perversion by reference to what appears \nactually to have happened during the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century, \nwhen a great effort is said to have been made to revive a true understanding \nof the Mystery doctrine among the European nations. It is only too obvious \nthat this effort ended in a veritable orgy of misunderstandings, until at last \nthe spiritual maxims of the Mysteries were reflected upside-down in the minds \nof those who made use of them. At the same time and according to the \ndegree of their inversion, they assumed a gross and dogmatic colour. Thus \none sees, in some old \u201cseals of Solomon\u201d, the lower triangle filled with a \nmurky light and half-materialized into the shape of a devil. Finally, the \n\n\n\n\nA REVERSED TRIANGLE \n\n\n245 \n\n\n-r ed P\u00b0 Wer , 0f the corru Pted formula blended with other forces to pro\u00ac \nduce an external cataclysm, the French Revolution. \n\nOne original form of the Mystery teaching may be studied in the writings \n\n\u201ca true S TheoJ f S * l i nt ' 1 ^ ar ^ ln -. who was - according to Madame Blavatsky, \nc \u201e , \u2022 \u00b0 phlSt ' and who ,s traditionally associated with Mesmer and \n\n^lostrointhe att6mpt t0 6Stablish a \u201cTheosophical Society\u201d during the \n\nhet stated teh y ' \u2022 W T k h3S a PeCUlkr and tra ^ c interest - because \nFn l t d r haVe originated the famous triad of the Revolution, \u201cLiberty \nEquality, Fraternity,\u201d which he called le ternaire sacre. \u2019 ' ' \n\nEven a very cursory examination of his philosophy reveals the contrast \nof the sacred ternary and tLt of the \n\nwho adapted it to their own ends. It is the difference between an image or \nideal of spiritual evolution and a fatal political dogma. 8 \n\nccordmg to Saint-Martin, liberty, equality and fraternity are inalienable \n\nthefact that threat lit H \u00ae f \u00b0\"\u00b0 WS Pythag \u00b0 ras a \"d Plato in his explanation of \ne fact that the earthly expenence of man is, nevertheless, marked by tvrannv \n\ninjustice and fratricide. These evils are not represented by him as the effects \n\nr:: au r ,T he i oui has brought them up \u00b0 n ^ it h as a^d \n\ntself to be enslaved by the passions and ignorance of its bodily instrument \nBy virtue of its birthright of liberty it can free itself, if its wiri ieTnZ ed \nactive and turned in its proper direction. rendered \n\nr n his book, Erreurs et de la Verite, published in 1775 he discusses at \n\nfollowing quotatio \" makes ** ae \npowers, to maintain ffsdfTn acc^lancewith\" th^law prtscnbedfo^ft Tnd 7 \n\ning in thTTtruggL^o/to^uffer^defeat^t^s^nl^necessa'iy'Rir a^free S B CCUm t' \ncease to will the acts which are appropriate j mg t0 \n\nwhy rh degrade and Cnfeeble WS \" berty at \"dtisTpllI \n\nwhy the human species is less free to-day than it was in the beginning \n\nNevertheless, the chains of a slave prove only that he is no longer aWe to actA \n\naccording to the full extent of his natural forces; they do not prove that hW \n\nwas never free. On the contrary, they suggest that he couM m^ freeN T \n\n(Vo S 1.\u201cT\u201di- 2 1) had n0t br \u00b0 Ught a C \u00b0 nditi0n \u00b0 f SCrvitude upo \" himself\u201d \n\nIn a later passage, Saint-Martin reconciles the theory or axiom of the \npotential equality of all souls with the observed fact that social incHt f \nhave been based upon the \u00abe\u201ew inequalities o( \n\nment recalls the teaching of Mahayana Buddhism in which every soul is held \nto contain within itself the seed of Bodhisattvaship or enlightenment, \u201c in \n\n1 Theosophical Glossary, p. 264. \n\n* Mrs. Nesta H. Webster: World Revolution, p. 7. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n246 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nthe natural Order\u201d, writes Saint-Martin, \u201cif each man manifested all his \npotential excellence, then every man would be a King.\u201d But in fact all men \nhave not evolved their true natures in equal measure. There are souls m \nvarious degrees of bondage and there are other souls which are altogether free. \nIf fraternity or brotherhood be the natural relationship of souls, if the in\u00ac \ndividual soul be, indeed, an emanation and an undivided part of the Universal \nSoul, then the unity of spiritual life provides that the strong must serve the \nweak. This service they perform by acting as governors or directors of the \nweak who are unable to govern or to direct themselves. This is the philo\u00ac \nsophical basis of the \u201cdivine right of kings\u201d. \n\n\u201cThe man who has the courage and the good fortune to preserve himself \nfrom the pitfalls of elemental darkness, will have disfigured the ideal of his \nPrinciple less than other men who have not made the same efforts. Because \nhe is their superior, because there is between those others and himself a real \ndifference based upon his possession of faculties and powers which they do \nnot equally possess, they will have need of him. . . . Moreover, he who \nfinds himself thus endowed with a temporal empire over others, can be happy \nonly in so far as he stands firm in the virtues which have brought him domin\u00ac \nion\u201d (Vol. II, p. 20, seq.). He makes no distinction between his own interests \nand those of his subjects. \n\nUnder the form of an apparently political discussion, Saint-Martin seems \nto make explicit certain phases of the ancient teaching concerning the nature \nand destiny of the soul. He admits that few historical rulers have manifested \nto any degree the assemblage of high qualities with which he endows the \u201creal \nSovereign\u201d. There are many who are evil shepherds of the people or who \nrule in name only, but the viciousness or anarchy of so many actual govern\u00ac \nments is not the product of hazard or of diabolical ingenuity. It is the fatal \nconsequence of the blindness and lack of aspiration of the fallen race of men, \nwho have the rulers whom they desire and deserve. Nevertheless, mankind \nhas never been deprived of the inner support of its true rulers. \u201cI beg you \nto believe that real Sovereigns are not imaginary beings, that such beings have \nalways existed and always will exist, because such is the nature of the Order \nof the Universe.\u201d \n\nThese real Sovereigns, whom we may identify with the Masters of Wisdom, \nare ready to serve us if we yield them our loyalty and willing obedience. \nTheir supreme service consists in aiding us to become ultimately their equals \nin power and understanding, through the communication to us of all their \nprivileges and authority. \u201cThey signify that which every man can and ought to \nbecome, even in the midst of the impure realm which he inhabits to-day.\u201d \n\nThese quotations sufficiently illustrate the nobility of Saint-Martin\u2019s \nthought, and its essential identity with the ideas which were re-bom with \nthe Theosophical Movement of the Nineteenth Century. The \u201csacred \nternary\u201d of liberty, equality and fraternity seems to have been his formula \nfor the universal theosophical ideals of liberation and brotherhood, these \nideals being based upon the affirmation of the oneness of all souls with the \n\n\nA REVERSED TRIANGLE \n\n\n247 \n\n\nOversoul. Thus the saered ternary m^be th* \n\nbeing within the nature o realize that form will be the guiding \n\nmanifestation of the Logos, e degree of evolution. In man, that \n\nmotive of every creature according must co6pe rate with Nature, in \n\nrr\u00ab c ri\u201c \u00bb\u00ab, s \u201c h ' o6per! \u2018 ti<>n imp \" es \n\ntury France did not interpret the sacred. tern ry misund erstood \n\nverted it into a dogmatic affirmat\u2122, of ^ that liberty . \n\nor, rather, disregarded the central ld - fest as political, social and economic \n\nequality and fraternity cannot become of the se lf- C onsciousness \n\nrealities until they have been evo . t once t0 the actual political \n\nof the soul. They demanded their ^ ^ ^ developme nt or \n\nand social state of mankind, wi \u2022 ^ Qther words> they appropriated \n\nin any way concerning^sev ng and claimed them as the natural \n\nthe rights which belong to the s Thefe was _ in fac t, nothing unique \n\nprerogatives of the psychic personal >\u2019\u2022 Th of human history. \n\ni-ar- msm - - - ~ \u201c m= \n\nmodem democratic . ddition t0 its reversal of aspect it is a very \n\nmodel, we shall notice a in looking at some object reflected m a \n\n\u00a3ST\u00abiS. \u00ab grotesquely .nagged, while other. \n\nobligation to respect t e rig , 0 f one\u2019s neighbours who possessed \n\nto justify the expropriation of the g ^ ^ the elemental world as class \nmore than oneself. Fraternity a num ber of men share the \n\nconsciousness. It was calculated th ^ q\u00a3 th e desire \n\ndesire to possess their neighbours g - It ; s qu ite useless to \n\n\u00abi-P-ed i\u00ab they 0f^S ~\u00abon, q i\u00bb the original \n\nattempt to recognize \u201c detad tb p Sain t-Martin! for they have practically \nattributes of the sacred ternary of S one most important \n\nreached the ^S S hardly app-' at all \u00bb the Revolu.mnar^ \n\naspect of the Martmst doctnne ha y TO n terms of the evolut^i \n\ninversion of it. Saint-Mar m 1 , he r61e of the rea l Sovereigns or \u201cAdept \n\nof consciousness, and had emp a^^ ^ susta iners of the weak and ignorant. \nKincs\u201d of mankind as the w ^ and equality here and now were \n\nThe Revolutionists who wan olerate the notion that there might exist \n\nnot evolutionists, and they co^d not tol^th, ^ The sus . \n\n\n_ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n248 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nDoubtless, many of the Revolutionists\u2014homicidal maniacs, like Marat, \nand amateurs of political power, like Danton\u2014were intellectually detached \nfrom the dogmas of the new democracy which they regarded as mere formulae \nwherewith they might cloak their ruling passions. But it may be taken as a \nfact that without these dogmas to support it the Revolution could never have \ntaken its actual course. They were already present in the consciousness of \nthe nation as dynamic centres of active misunderstanding before the political \nupheavals began. It is significant that the Abb6 Siey&s could assert without \nchallenge before the Convention that the Rights of Man were \u201cso clearly known \nand so self-evident that their extreme simplicity is without doubt the only \nreason why anyone ever imagined that the truth could be otherwise\u201d. There \nis historical authority for the view that the dogmas of the Revolution were \nprimarily the product of an intense Masonic activity during the last quarter \nof the Eighteenth Century, and that the debasement and failure of the Masonic \nlodges preceded the convulsions of the First Republic. When the lodges were \nbrought into contact with the Mystery doctrine through the work of Saint- \nMartin, Cagliostro and others, the response, indeed, was great, but the wrong \nelements responded. \n\nIn a recent article, 3 M. Louis Rougier seems to touch the most active cause \nof that wrong response. He hints that there are some people who cannot \nenjoy the opera because they are in the family circle, while others\u2014no better \nthan they, of course, only richer\u2014have seats in the orchestra. Such persons \nas these are easy converts to the cult of equality. It is an allegory illustrating \nthe hatching of a dogma. Perhaps, the dogmas of the Eighteenth Century \nwere the fruit of similar meditations dictated by similar envies and resent\u00ac \nments. Rougier imagines Rousseau and his followers saying, in some moment \nof lucidity, exactly what they meant 1 We want to be free, but we are not as \nfree as we want to be. To legitimize our desire, we decree a priori that we \nhave a right to liberty, and that any state refusing our demand is in the wrong.\u201d \n\nIt would seem that the student of Theosophy can learn much for his own \nguidance from reflection upon the causes of the failure of past efforts to pre\u00ac \nserve or to revive the Mystery teaching in the world. The failure of the \nEighteenth Century, of which a tentative and fragmentary sketch has been \nattempted, is, perhaps, the easiest to study because the data are, in general, \nmore available, and because certain reliable information has been published \nconcerning some of the individuals who were then active in France as agents \nof the Lodge. \n\nIt has been suggested that their labours were frustrated by the active \nmisunderstandings of those who received their teaching, and that these mis\u00ac \nunderstandings resulted in the conversion of a doctrine, intended to move the \nsoul, into a system of dogmas which expressed and \u201csanctified\u201d the passions \nof the elemental man. In this way the theosophy of Saint-Martin and his \n\n\n\u2018 MerCUr \u2018 de FranC \u2018\u2018 September '\u2022 IP28 > \" De la Mystique diSmocratique.\" by Louis Rougier. \n\n\nassociates passed from mind to mind until at last it appeared in the outer \n\u201c\u201c\u201c a m \u00b0 tlVe r f Sedlt '\u00b0 n and self - assert '\u00b0n. as a generator of acts which \ndoctrine 6 r6V6rSe ^ intended by the authors of the original \n\nAll this may seem remote to the contemporary student who has no intention \nof joining the Bolshevilci. Nevertheless, the history of the Eighteenth Cen- \n\nSdi T 168 - 16 P\u00b0 tencies which are contained in any active misunder- \nng of a spiritual truth. If misconceptions be essentially the productions \nof wrong desire, they are ipso facto the moulds of wrong actions. The more \nnoble the truth which is travestied, the more destructive will be the ignoble \nact which ultimately gives physical form to the travesty. \n\nThe student will recall the statement that the Mystery teachings are con\u00ac \ncerned with universal principles and that no intellectual view of them in \nur present condition of consciousness, can possibly be other than partial \nand imperfect. The value of an intellectual view is that it may fire our imagi\u00ac \nnation with some intuition of a cosmic purpose in which we are privileged \n\npretend that\u201d 6 ' \u2122 effectivel y Participate in it, if we seriously \n\npretend that any mental form by which we symbolize our intuition can be the \nimage of all the truth that there is in the Universe. \n\nAs so often one must resort to a paradox. \"One thing I know that I \n\n5 S T % \u2019f\" 5 rebukin \u2018 ! \u2014 \u00bbP~*ed youth. To \n\n\u00a3'\u00ab.\"t r \u201eXr nndem \u201c d '\" E ' iS 10 *\u2022- \u201c T '\u00bb\u00bb \n\n\u201c\u201d\" d m \u201c\u2018 '* c,llti \" ted - our efforts to our- \nmnrf ! ! If lf T d \u00b0 n0t P ractise constant discernment between the \n\nSnth C? t lmm \u00ae! ementS \u00b0 f desire \u2018 The intelligentsia of the Eight\u00ac \neenth Century were intellectually arrogant, but their arrogance was the \n\naTbSons XPreSS1 \u00b0 n \u00b0 f 3 h \u00b0 St \u00b0 \u00a3 PaSSi \u00b0 nS \u2019 enViCS ' i ea > ou sies. vanities, and \n\nA philosopher has said that the Good is the true object of every desire but \nthat in their ignorance men confuse reality with some warped reflection of \nit n the mind. The essence of a desire is real and its true objectTreal \nbut, between them, the imagination, misguided by egotism or passion inserts a \nfalse object, a counterfeit of reality. In order to fortify the illusion that the \ncounterfeit is the real, we make a dogma and assert that it must be so. \n\nS. L \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWHY I REJOINED \nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\n\nM ANY members of the T. S. have told us in the Theosophical Quar\u00ac \nterly why they joined the Society. It is interesting to students of \nTheosophy to note the various circumstances which have influenced \ntheir comrades of quite different religious beliefs and ideas to take so impor\u00ac \ntant a step. \n\nI happen to be one who joined and left the Society, but who became sub\u00ac \nsequently thoroughly convinced that the only consistent course was to seek \nfor re-admission. Since this return no misgivings have arisen as to the value \nof that great opportunity, which every member enjoys, of learning the real \nmeaning of theosophical life and work. It may be of interest to record some \nof the considerations which led me to retrace my steps, and link my life again \nwith those who are associated in the effort to form a nucleus of Universal \nBrotherhood, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or colour. \n\nA Catholic by birth, much of my thought had been given to the ideas of \ndeath, judgment, hell, and heaven; to the doctrine of the vicarious atone\u00ac \nment; to the efficacy of prayer; the virtue of the sacraments and the necessity \nof obedience to authority. Authority was really the axis upon which these \nvalues turned, for they derived their weight from teachers who inculcated them \nbefore the mind was capable of estimating their merits or determining their \nvalidity. \n\nA child born of Catholic parents is instructed, as a rule, in the catechism at \na very early age, and the preconceived notions of his parents are sedulously \npacked into his unfolding intelligence. Later on, he is sent to a Catholic \nschool, where the same doctrines are further insisted on in the name of author\u00ac \nity delegated by Jesus Christ. He is taught that the goal is the saving of \nhis own soul, so that a sublimated form of self-preservation becomes the mo\u00ac \ntive power of his spiritual battery. His basic presuppositions are: (i) That \nJesus Christ is God and Man in one Person. (2) That Jesus Christ founded \nan exoteric Church identical with the institution of the Papacy. \n\nAnybody subscribing to these propositions is said to be logically committed \nto Catholicism. These constitute the Rock on which the Church is founded, \nbut, as a writer has wittily said, the Rock itself is in the air. \n\nThe religion of Catholic authority held me with a tight rein until my thirty- \nfifth year. About that time I was much attracted by Florence Marryatt\u2019s \nbook, There is no Death , in which the main ideas of modem Spiritualism are \ngraphically expounded. Spiritualism paved the way to acquaintance with a \nnumber of mediums\u2014to \u201cmaterialization\u201d stances\u2014clairvoyant delineations \n\n250 \n\n\nWHY I REJOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\n\n251 \n\n\nand puzzling psychic phenomena. Spirit Teachings , by the late Stainton \nMoses, and similar books, gave the first shake to my faith in religious authority. \nBut when the fascination of spiritualistic wonders had worn off, a disillusion \nset in. The vast majority of the alleged communications from the \u201cother \nside\u201d were too undignified to be ascribed to the human entities we had known \nand loved before death took them out of sight. Then the wearying repetition \nof tests had very little point when once the fact of extra-mundane communica\u00ac \ntion had been established. Nor was I much impressed by either the intellec\u00ac \ntual or the moral status of the leading exponents of Spiritualism, who had \napparently no safe guidance to offer in the most vital and sacred requirements \nof the human soul. Turning to the lives of the great Catholic saints and \nmystics, I frequently found the soundest advice and the most uplifting example \nin the record of their luminous experiences. Anybody who compares the \nwonders of grace which illumined their ways with the paltry tricks and morbid \nvulgarities of Spiritualism, cannot but feel that the saints were genuine \ndisciples in the spiritual life. \n\nA note of interrogation, however, had forced its way into nearly every page \nof my book of faith. The hidden assumptions of dogmatic teachers and the \nmind-fashioning element in religious concepts, were subjected to a criticism \nwhich led me further away from the religion of my childhood. The saints \nseemed right, yet the Church seemed wrong! Where was the master-hand \nwhich would conduct the soul to the light and freedom of the one, and out of \nthe obscurantism and intransigeance of the other? \n\nIt was while persistently searching for guidance in this quandary that I \ncame across some members of the Theosophical Society. The numerous \ndifficulties I put to them were answered in a way which showed a living Power \nwas at work, pointing to some Truth towards which all minor verities gravi\u00ac \ntated\u2014to some Reality in which all reflections were resolved back into their \noriginal Light. An eager study of the Theosophical Quarterly followed, \nand after attending every available meeting for a few months, I applied for \nadmission into the Society. By this time I was pretty well outside the fold, \nas Roman Catholics understand it. There was a flow of life in the T. s! \ncomparable to the sacramental influx, but without any of those dogmatic \nlimits and obstructions which the Roman hierarchy imposes. \n\nThis change, however, was not achieved without some conscious re-actions^fc \nAll outward religious expression had been dropped, and the loss of'the haunt-^ \ning liturgy and impressive ritual of the Church was keenly felt. This may \nhave accounted for a lively interest in a neo-Platonic group devoted to the \nGreek wisdom. It had a ritual all its own, and a brotherhood which contrived \nto bring into harmonious concourse, for a time, persons of many social grades \nand attainments, under an inspiring enthusiasm for spiritual achievement. \n\nOne of the members of this group introduced me to a Kabalistic Order in which \na still more solemn ritual was progressively unfolded. Somewhat to my sur\u00ac \nprise, I discovered that several Roman Catholics held office in this Kabalistic \nCircle, and it was eventually through an influence they brought to bear that \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n252 theosophical quarterly \n\nI was persuaded to return to the Roman Catholic communion. ^ hen it \nbecame a question of receiving the sacraments some account of my lapse from \nthe faith became necessary, and my theosophical leanings were disclosed. \nThe good Father who heard my confession, acting under his Archbishop\u2019s \nspecial instructions, made my resignation from the T. S. a condition of his \npriestly absolution. I was reluctant to take this step, but felt that, while \nresigning outwardly from the Society, no authority could interfere with my \ndeep appreciation of the theosophical writers in the Quarterly. As M. \nLoisy says: \u201cYou cannot kill ideas with a big stick.\u201d Moreover, there was \nprobably some confusion in the Archbishop\u2019s mind, owing to Theosophy in \nEngland being so generally identified with Mrs. Besant s activities, so that a \ncondemnation perhaps was touching me which should have been reserved \nfor others. Once again, then, I was cradled in the Catholic Church, but \ngazing this time with interest through the network of the cradle, at other great \nreligions and philosophies now a little better known to me than before. It \nseemed impossible to silence the thousand voices of enquiry which kept up \na forum in my thoughts, even under the roof of orthodoxy. Echoes of the \nphilosophy of freedom followed me everywhere, while critical intuitions startled \nme with their invading light. The Spirit of Modernism danced in and out \nof my soul leaving me sometimes puzzled and wondering, sometimes anxious \nand apprehensive. Meanwhile, I had kept up a little correspondence with \nsome of my old comrades in the T. S. Occasionally we crossed swords on \nsome doctrinal question; but behind the points I tried to emphasize there was \na desire to reconcile Catholic theology with Eastern mysticism. \n\nIt was clear that the T. S. as such, being entirely free from any doctrines as \nobligatory upon its members, did not come into conflict with the adherents \nof any religion. After all, could there exist any RELIGIOUS body which \nobjected to the formation of a spiritual nucleus of humanity? \n\nYet there was a certain challenge in the fact that the Church put forward her \ndogmas and regulations in the name of authority from the outside. The T. S. \nsounded rather a clarion call to the slumbering spirit within man. The Church \nsaid \u201cObey\u201d; the T. S. said \u201cExamine\u201d. The Church offered a crutch; \nthe T. S. said \u201cWalk\u201d! Here seemed the parting of the ways between the \nreligion of authority and the science of the spirit. \n\nBut the invitation of the T. S. is not to an empty platform, as Professor \nMitchell pointed out in his 1927 Convention address. Truth seekers are not \nmerely urged to a terminus a quo , such as the religious aspect of Modernism \nhas initiated. On the contrary, it is clear that a very definite and profound \nphilosophy is put forward for examination, and that most students of long \nstanding in the T. S. accept the principles of this philosophy as outlined in \nEsoteric Buddhism and more fully expounded in The Secret Doctrine. Spiritual \nmonism being at the base of the esoteric philosophy, presents at once a chal\u00ac \nlenge to the dualistic foundation of Catholic doctrine. Catholicism, though \nclaiming Jesus as its founder, has retained a Jewish conception of God which \nhe repeatedly discountenanced. In The Secret Doctrine we are reminded that \n\n\nI \n\n\n1 / \n\n\n4 \n\n\nWHY I REJOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 253 \n\nFichte reveres Jesus as the great Teacher who inculcated the Unity of the \nSpirit of man with the God Spirit or Universal Principle. The breach widens \nas the sequences of this fundamental divergence develop. Like contortions \nproduced by some central shock, out of the dualistic foundation has come the \nwhole Catholic Christology\u2014the divorce between religion and science\u2014the \nsmothering of the \u201cdivine idea\u201d by the institution\u2014and the development of \nexplicit teaching from an alleged depositum fidei whose original terms have \nremained in abscondito. \n\nThere are many members of the T. S. who are able to reconcile adhesion \nto the Christian faith with theosophical ideals\u2014why not indeed? But surely \nit is impossible to accept the fundamental formulae of The Secret Doctrine , \nwithout putting oneself outside the pale of institutional Catholicism. \n\nFaced with this dilemma, I sought for some solution in the pages of writers \nsuch as Coventry Patmore, Miss Maud Petre, Fr. George Tyrrell, and others, \nwho looked to the spirit rather than the letter of religion; but my study of \ntheir views landed me on a negative path, aside from all the roads that led \nto any positive criterion. It was then that a friend obtained for me an invi\u00ac \ntation to attend a group engaged in learning the art of \u201charmonious develop\u00ac \nment\u201d under the guidance of Mr. Ouspensky. He set us working along the \nline of introspection; of non-mechanical thought and action, i.e. non-identi\u00ac \nfication with our own mental and emotional states. Behind Mr. Ouspensky, \nthere was an establishment at Fontainebleau where an extraordinary regime \nwas carried out under the leadership of Mr. Gurjieff, but circumstances pre\u00ac \nvented me from following up these studies. One day, in reply to my question, \nMr. Ouspensky referred to the Eucharist in connection with a certain original \nprovision in the Mysteries, and his remarks were the occasion of another \nblow to my Catholicism. \n\nScarcely knowing whither to turn for sound counsel and spiritual lucidity \nin this melange confus de bien et de mol , I felt impelled to look once more to \nthe T. S. for light. When I reconsidered the answers it gave to the problems \nof human existence; the foundation of all religious doctrines it disclosed; its \nabsolute freedom from dogmatic tyranny; the results it had produced in the \ncharacters of its living exponents; its seen and unseen resources in the work \nof spiritually educating the devotees of all churches and the students of all \nphilosophies,\u2014I realized that no other step was possible for me than to apply \nonce more for admission. I saw the T. S. as a prismatic organism inform^\u00ae \nand governed by a spiritual Unity of Divine Light. I assured myself that not \neven the meanest soul could become linked with so great an instrument, \nwithout sharing in that spiritual uplift of which humanity is in so great need \nto-day. \n\nIt then became my privilege to set to work with others like-minded, and to \nhelp to win this blessing for others; to become the means, if possible, of putting \nothers on the track of those mighty Truths which have come down to us \nunder the name of The Wisdom Religion or THEOSOPHIA. X. R. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\nPART II, SECTIONS 1-24 \n\n\nCORRESPONDENCE AND EMANATION \n\nI N the second Section of this great Upanishad, Instruction for Disciples is \ncarried a step farther. The principle of Emanation and the great law of \nCorrespondence are illustrated by a series of natural symbols, all of them \nfamiliar even to the youngest student of the sacred Wisdom. They are told, \nfirst, what it is that emanates, revealing the manifested worlds from the \nunmanifested Logos. And the triune being of the Logos is once more made \nclearer, this time by a play of words, based on several meanings of the word \nSama, besides its primary meaning, as the system of magical intoning which \nis the heart of the Sama Veda. The three meanings of Sama are Abundance, \nGrace, Goodness. They correspond to the True, the Beautiful, the Good of \nPlato\u2019s sacred triad, or to Sat, Chit, Ananda, Being, Consciousness, Bliss, of \nthe Vedanta of Shankaracharya. The hidden Logos becomes manifest through \nthe mighty music of the Word, the music of the spheres, \n\nStill quiring to the young eyed Cherubim, \n\nand this magical music emanates the worlds. \n\nThe series of emanations, earlier illustrated by groups of three, is now \npictured by a series of five, beginning with the Earth; that is, beginning from \nbelow and ascending; then comes the return, the descent from above, once again \nin a series of five degrees: Earth, Fire, Mid-space, Sun, Aether; Aether, Sun, \nMid-space, Fire, Earth. For him the Regions build, both the Powers going up\u00ac \nward and the Powers returning, who rightly understands this. This takes the \ndisciple upward from the stage where he must begin his course, the stage of \nnatural life on earth, through the fire of purification to the mid-space of the \nfirst inner world, through this to the sun, here, as always, symbolizing the \nLogos, and thence to the Aether, which represents the Eternal, Parabrahm, \nthe ultimate goal of the eternities. The progression of cosmic emanation \nis in the reverse direction: from the Eternal, the Logos comes into manifesta\u00ac \ntion, from the Logos comes the manifestation of space, from this again the \nfire of manifested life, and, finally, the earth, representing completely developed \norganic life. Here, the progression is given in both directions. Thereafter, \nthe disciple is left to work it out for himself, only one direction being given. \n\nThrough the whole runs an inner meaning. Thus, the Waters mean, as \nalways, the cosmic deep, the waters of space. In the Waters he goes not \nastray, of the Waters he is lord, who rightly understands this. He wins a \nhome in the air, and afterwards in the ether, who knows this. \n\n\n254 \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n255 \n\n\nThe same inner meaning is present in the enumeration of the Animals. \nThe word aja means \u201cgoat\u201d; it is also a-ja, \u201cunborn\u201d, the symbol of the \nLogos. The sheep, the celestial flock, are a familiar symbol in the West. \nThe cow has long been a symbol of the Logos in India, as the giver of susten\u00ac \nance. Similarly, the horse symbolizes the power of the Logos, with its swift \nextension through the worlds of space, as the manifested worlds. Bnhad \nAranyaka Upanishad opens with the symbol of the sacrificial horse, the Logos \nsacrificially offered in the manifestation of the worlds. \n\nThen the fivefold symbol is expanded to seven, the names of the successive \nparts or stages of the Sama chant being used to illustrate it. Once more, the \nuniverse is the Divine Song, rising from the first tone, at cosmic dawn, to the \nloud chant of fully manifested day, and sinking again to the closing tone in \nthe evening twilight of cosmic day. \n\nThe symbolism of the Sun as the Logos is then more fully developed. The \nsevenfold Logos, the sevenfold Host whose united consciousness and powers \nconstitute the consciousness and power of the Logos, are symbolized by the \nseven stages of the day from morning to evening twilight. And seven classes \nof manifested lives are in like manner symbolized by animals, men, birds, \ndevas and so on. This is followed by an exercise in arithmetic, based upon \nthe seven stages of emanation, each threefold, with the One, unchanging \nBeing, the whole numbering twenty-two. \n\nThe divisions which follow, dealing with a series of forms of Sama chants, \nhad a much richer and deeper significance for the young disciples of those \nancient days, than they can have for us, since they were familiar with these \nmagical songs. We may illustrate one of them: the Gayatrl is the great verse \nfrom the Rig Veda, attributed to the Rajput sage Vishvamitra: \n\n\nLet us meditate on the excellent radiance \nOf that Divine Sun! \n\nMay He guide our souls forward! \n\n\nEach division takes a symbol which illustrates a stage of the great cosmic \nprocess. Each division speaks of the victorious might of him who, attaining, \nbecomes Master of these cosmic powers. \n\nThen, after a passage which appears to give a clue to the magical correlations \nof the tones, comes an outline of the life of the disciple, beginning with sacrifii e, \nstudy, generous self-giving, leading onward through fervour of meditation \nand will in the \u201cfamily\u201d of his Master, to the great victory. \n\nThe three periods of the day, beginning with early morning, symbolize the \nthree great stages: disciple, adept, Master. Advancing, he invokes each \ndivine Power: \u201cOpen thou the door of the realm! Thrust back the bar!\u201d \nThe symbol is universal. To the disciple, it is said: You must be ready \n\nto lift the bar of the Golden Gate.\u201d Through the ages, the Master says, \u201cI \nam the door.\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n256 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \nFROM DISCIPLE TO MASTER \n\n\nOm! Reverence of the Sama in totality ( samasta ) is good, in truth. For \nwhat is good, that, in truth, they name Sama (abundance). What is not \ngood, they call not-Sama (lack). \n\nSo likewise they say: With Sama (graciousness) he came to him; the meaning \nis, With good will he came to him. Or they say, With not-Sama he came to \nhim; that is, Without graciousness he came to him. \n\nSo likewise they say: Verily, we have Sama (that which is good), if it be \ngood; the meaning is, This is good. Or they say, We have not-Sama, if it \nbe not good; the meaning is, This is not good. \n\nAmong the Regions, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms: \n\nEarth is the First Tone. \n\nFire is the Opening Praise. \n\nMid-space is the Loud Chant. \n\nSun is the Response. \n\nAether is the Closing Tone. \n\nThus among the Powers going upward. \n\nAnd so among the Powers returning: \n\nAether is the First Tone. \n\nSun is the Opening Praise. \n\nMid-space is the Loud Chant. \n\nFire is the Response. \n\nEarth is the Closing Tone. \n\nFor him the Regions build, both the Powers going upward and the Powers \nreturning, who, thus knowing this, among the Regions reverences the Sama \nas having five forms. \n\nIn the Rain, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms: \n\nRising wind is the First Tone. \n\nCloud forming is the Opening Praise. \n\nRain falling is the Loud Chant. \n\nLightning with Thunder is the Response. \n\nClearing after Rain is the Closing Tone. \n\nFor him comes Rain, he causes Rain, who, thus knowing this, reverences \nthe Sama as having five forms in the Rain. \n\nIn all Waters, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms: \n\nCloud condensing is the First Tone. \n\nRain descending is the Opening Praise. \n\nWaters rolling eastward are the Loud Chant. \n\nWaters rolling westward are the Response. \n\nOcean is the Closing Tone. \n\nIn the Waters he goes not astray, of the Waters he is lord, who, thus \nknowing this, reverences the Sama as having five forms in the Waters. \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n257 \n\nIn the Seasons of the year, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms: \n\nSpringtime is the First Tone. \n\nHot season is the Opening Praise. \n\nRains are the Loud Chant. \n\nAutumn is the Response. \n\nWinter is the Closing Tone. \n\nFor him the Seasons build, of the Seasons he is lord, who, thus knowing this, \nreverences the Sama as having five forms in the Seasons. \n\nIn Animals, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms: \n\nGoats ( aja ) are the First Tone. \n\nSheep are the Opening Praise. \n\nCows are the Loud Chant. \n\nHorses are the Response. \n\nMan is the Closing Tone. \n\nFor him Animals are multiplied, of Animals he is lord, who, thus knowing \nthis, reverences the Sama as having five forms in Animals. \n\nIn the Life-powers, let him reverence the Sama as having five forms, most \nexcellent: \n\nLife-breath is the First Tone. \n\nVoice is the Opening Praise. \n\nSeeing is the Loud Chant. \n\nHearing is the Response. \n\nMind ( manas) is the Closing Tone. \n\nMost excellent, verily, are these. His is the most excellent, most excellent \nworlds he wins, who, thus knowing this, reverences the Sama as having five \nforms in the Life-breaths. \n\nAnd so concerning seven forms. Let him reverence the Sama as having \nseven forms in Voice: \n\nOf Voice, whatever is hum , is the First Tone ( hin-kara ). \n\n^ Whatever is pra , is the Opening Praise ( pra-stava ). \n\nWhatever is d, is the Beginning (< d-di ). \n\nWhatever is ud t is the Loud Chant ( ud-githa ). \n\nWhatever is prati, is the Response (prati-hdra). \n\nWhatever is upa } is the Diminution ( upa-drava ). \n\nWhatever is ni, is the Closing Tone ( ni-dhana ). \n\nFor him Voice milks milk, which is the milk of Voice, of food he is lord, an \neater of food is he, who, thus knowing this, reverences the Sama as having \nseven forms in Voice. \n\nAnd so, of a truth, let him reverence yonder Sun as the Sama having seven \nforms. Because it is the same for all, it is the Sama. Toward me, toward \nme, it shines, they all say; because of this sameness it is the Sama. Let him \nknow that all beings here are correlated with the Sun. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n258 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThe time before sunrise is the First Tone. Animals are correlated with \nthis, therefore they sound the First Tone; for they are partakers in the First \nTone of this Sama. \n\nAnd so sunrise is the Opening Praise. Men are correlated with this, there\u00ac \nfore they are lovers of praise, lovers of laudation; for they are partakers in the \nOpening Praise of this Sama. \n\nAnd so the time of the early gathering of kine is the Beginning. The birds \nof the air are correlated with this, therefore they fly hither and thither bearing \nthemselves upward in mid-air without support; for they are partakers in the \nBeginning of this Sama. \n\nAnd so when it is exactly mid-day, this is the Loud Chant. The Bright \nPowers are correlated with this, therefore they are best of the offspring of \nthe Lord of Beings; for they are partakers in the Loud Chant of this Sama. \n\nAnd so when it is past mid-day in the early afternoon, this is the Response. \nChildren unborn are correlated with this, therefore they are upborne, they \ndescend not; for they are partakers in the Response of this Sama. \n\nAnd so when the afternoon is past, before sunset, this is the Diminution. \nThe Forest Lives are correlated with this; therefore, seeing a man, they make \nthemselves small in a hiding-place, a den; for they are partakers in the \nDiminution of this Sama. \n\nAnd so when the Sun has just set, this is the Closing Tone. The Fathers \nare correlated with this, therefore they make offerings to the Fathers- for they \nare partakers in the Closing Tone of this Sama. \n\nThus, of a truth, he reverences yonder Sun as the Sama having seven forms. \n\nAnd so let him reverence the Sama having seven forms, self-measured \npassing beyond Death. The First Tone ( hin-kara ) measures three syllable S : \n\nthe Opening Praise ( pra-stava ) measures three syllables. This is the same \nmeasure. \n\nThe Beginning (a-di) measures two syllables; the Response ( prati-hara) \n\nmeasures four syllables. Moving one from this to that, makes the same \nmeasure. \n\n, Lo \u201c d Chant ( ud -Z ltha ) measures three syllables; the Diminution \nmeasur es four syllables. Three and three are the same, with one \nsyllable remaining. Measuring three syllables, it is the same. \n\nThe Closing Tone (ni-dhana) measures three syllables; this is the same \nT t Se ' Venly \u2019 taken together measure two and twenty syllables \nWith one and twenty he gains the Sun, for yonder Sun is one and twentieth \nrorn ere. rough the two and twentieth he wins the realm beyond the \nSun. This is Rest, for this is free from sorrow. \n\nHe gams of a truth, the victory of the Sun, yea, his victory is beyond the \nvictory of the Sun, who, thus knowing this, reverences the Sama haW \nseven forms, self-measured, passing beyond Death,-reverencesT Sam^ \n\nMind is the First Tone. \n\nVoice is the Opening Praise. \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n259 \n\n\nSeeing is the Loud Chant. \n\nHearing is the Response. \n\nLife-breath is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Sama of the Gayatrl, woven on the Life-breaths. \n\nHe who thus knows this Sama of the Gayatrl woven on the Life-breaths, is \na lord of the Life-breaths, he fills his full span, he lives with power, he is rich \nin offspring and cattle, great in fame. Great in mind should he be: this is his \n\nVOW. \n\n\nHe whirls the fire-stick; this is the First Tone. \n\nSmoke is generated; this is the Opening Praise. \n\nFlames arise; this is the Loud Chant. \n\nRed embers are formed; this is the Response. \n\nIt sinks to quiescence; this is the Closing Tone. \n\nIt reaches complete quiescence; this is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Rathantara Sama, woven upon Fire. \n\nHe who thus knows this Rathantara Sama woven upon Fire, is a lord of \nDivine Fire, he is an eater of food, he fills his full span, he lives with power, he \nis rich in offspring and cattle, great in fame. He should not sip water and \nspurt it upon the fire: this is his vow. \n\nSunrise is the First Tone. \n\nThe risen Sun is the Opening Praise. \n\nHigh noon is the Loud Chant. \n\nAfternoon is the Response. \n\nSunset is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Brihat Sama, woven upon the Sun. \n\nHe who thus knows this Brihat Sama woven upon the Sun, is a lord of \nRadiance, he is an eater of food, he fills his full span, he lives with power, he \nis rich in offspring and cattle, great in fame. He should not blame burning \nheat: this is his vow. \n\nVapours float together; this is the First Tone. \n\nThe rain cloud is bom; this is the Opening Praise. \n\nRain descends; this is the Loud Chant. \n\nIt lightens, it thunders; this is the Response. \n\nThe sky clears; this is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Vai-rupa Sama woven upon the Rain. \n\nHe who thus knows this Vai-rupa (variformed) Sama woven upon the Rain^ \ngathers cattle of various form, of fair form, he fills his full span, he lives witlj \npower, he is rich in offspring and cattle, great in fame. He should not blame \nfalling rain: this is his vow. \n\nSpringtime is the First Tone. \n\nHot season is the Opening Praise. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n260 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\nRains are the Loud Chant. \n\nAutumn is the Response. \n\nWinter is the Closing Tone. _ e \u201e_ \n\nThis is the Vai-raja Sama woven upon the \u2018 n the Seasons. \n\nHe who thus knows this Vai-raja (radiating) Radiance , he fills \n\nhe radiates through offspring and catt: e, r 1 ca ttle, great in \n\nhis full span, he lives with power, he is rich in offspring a \nfame. Let him not blame the Seasons: this is his vow. \n\nEarth is the First Tone. \n\nMid-space is the Opening Praise. \n\nAether is the Loud Chant. \n\nSpace-directions are the Response. \n\nTh^.Je'pS\u00ab ofttasUvaH S.ma woven upon the world-reatan \n\ndSS \n\nworld-realms: this is his vow. \n\nGoats are the First Tone. \n\nSheep are the Opening Praise. \n\nCows are the Loud Chant. \n\nHorses are the Response. \n\nMan is the Closing Tone. \n\nThese are the parts of the Revati Sama woven upon Animals. \n\nHe who thus knows these parts of the Revati Sama woven upon Animals, \nhe is lord of Animals, he fills his span, he lives with power, he is rich m offspring \nand cattle, great in fame. Let him not blame Animals: this is his vow. \n\nHair is the First Tone. \n\nSkin is the Opening Praise. \n\nMuscle is the Loud Chant. \n\nBone is the Response. \n\nMarrow is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Yajnayajnlya Sama woven upon the parts of the body. \n\nHe who thus knows this Yajnayajnlya Sama woven upon the parts of the \nbody he is lord of the parts, not through any part does he fall short, he fills \nhis span, he lives with power, he is rich in offspring and cattle, great m fame \nThrough the year he should not eat the marrow: this is his vow. He should \nnot eat the marrow, verily. \n\n\nFire is the First Tone. \n\nWind is the Opening Praise. \nSun is the Loud Chant. \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n261 \n\n\nStar-spaces are the Response. \n\nMoon is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Rajana Sama woven upon the Divine Potencies. \n\nHe who thus knows this Rajana Sama woven upon the Divine Potencies, \nsuccessively advances to oneness of realm, oneness of power, oneness of being \nwith the Divinities, he fills his span, he lives with power, he is rich in offspring \nand cattle, great in fame. He should not blame knowers of the Eternal: this \nis his vow. \n\nThe threefold Vedic wisdom is the First Tone. \n\nThese three realms are the Opening Praise. \n\nFire-lord, Wind-lord, Sun, this is the Loud Chant. \n\nStar-spaces, winged birds, sun-rays, this is the Response. \n\nSerpents, seraphs, the Fathers, this is the Closing Tone. \n\nThis is the Sama woven upon the All. \n\nHe who thus knows this Sama woven upon the All, he is one with the All. \n\nTherefore, there is this verse: \n\nWhatsoever things have five forms, in threes each, than them naught else \n\nis greater, higher. \n\nWho knows this, knows the All. All world-spaces carry the offering to \nhim. Let him pay reverence, saying: I am the All: this is his vow. This is \nhis vow. \n\nI choose the loud-toned Sama like the voice of kine. This is the Loud \nChant of the Fire-lord. The undefined tone is of the Lord of beings. The \ndefined tone is of the Lunar lord. The soft and smooth tone is of the Wind- \nlord. The smooth and powerful tone is of Indra. The tone like the curlew\u2019s \ncall is of the Great Preceptor. The descending tone is of the Water-lord. Let \nhim make use of all these, yet let him set aside that of the Water-lord. \n\nLet me sing immortality for the Bright Powers (thus let him sing): oblation \nfor the Fathers; fair hope for the sons of man; grass and water for kine; the \nheavenly world for the Sacrificer; food for myself, let me sing. Meditating \nthese things in his heart, let him sing this praise unperturbed. \n\nAll vowels are selves of Indra. All breathings are selves of the Lord of \nbeings. All contacts (consonants) are selves of the Lord of death. \n\nIf one reproach him concerning vowels, he should say: I have taken refuge \nwith Indra, Lord of power; he will answer thee! \n\nAnd so, if one reproach him concerning breathings, he should say: I hav \ntaken refuge with the Lord of beings; he will pulverize thee! \n\nAnd so, if one reproach him concerning contacts, he should say: I have \ntaken refuge with the Lord of death; he will consume thee! \n\nAll vowels are to be voiced with full sound, with power, saying: In Indra, \nLord of power, let me give power! All breathings are to be voiced distinctly, \nnot suppressed, open, saying: To the Lord of beings let me give myself \nover! All contacts are to be voiced clearly, unblurred, saying: From the \nLord of death let me withdraw myself! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n262 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThere are three branches of the law of righteousness: Sacrifice, study, \ngiving, this is the first. Fervour, verily,\u2014this is the second. Service of \nthe Eternal, dwelling in the family of a Master,\u2014this is the third, entering \nand establishing himself perfectly in the family of a Master. All these lead \nto holy realms. He who stands firm in the Eternal goes to immortality. \n\nThe Lord of beings brooded with fervour upon the realms of life. From \nthem, brooded upon with fervour, the threefold Wisdom emanated. On this \nWisdom He brooded with fervour. From it, brooded upon with fervour, \nthese imperishable syllables emanated: Earth, Mid-world, Heaven. \n\nUpon these He brooded with fervour. From them, brooded upon with \nfervour, the sound Om emanated. Therefore, like as by the leaf-stalk all the \nleaflets are threaded together, so by the sound Om all Voice is threaded together. \nThe sound Om, verily, is this All. The sound Om, verily, is this All. \n\nThose who possess the Word of the Eternal declare that to the Powers \nof life belongs the morning sacrifice; to the Powers of force belongs the mid\u00ac \nday sacrifice; to the Sun-powers, the All-powers, belongs the third sacrifice. \n\nWhere, then, is the world of the sacrificer? If he know not this, how may \nhe do it? So let him who knows do it. \n\nBefore beginning the early morning recitation, let him seat himself behind \nthe household fire, facing the North, and intone the Sama to the Powers of \nlife : \n\nOpen thou the door of the realm! \n\nLet us behold thee for sovereignty! \n\nSo he makes the offering, saying: Obeisance to the Fire-lord, earth- \nmdwelhng, realm-indwelling! Discover the realm for me offering sacrifice' \nThis is the realm of the sacrificer! I shall enter! I, the sacrificer, when my \nspan is fulfilled. Adoration! Thrust aside the bar! Having said this, he \nrises. To him the Powers of life grant the morning libation. \n\nBefore beginning the mid-day recitation, let him seat himself behind the \naltar-fire, facing the North, and intone the Sama to the Powers of force \nOpen thou the door of the realm! \n\nLet us behold thee for wide sovereignty! \n\nSo he makes the offering, saying: Obeisance to the Wind-lord, mid\u00ac \nworld-indwelling, realm-indwelling! Discover the realm for me offering \nsacrifice. This is the realm of the sacrificer! I shall enter! I, the sacrificer \nwhen my span is fulfilled. Adoration! Thrust aside the bar! Having said \nthis, he rises. To him the Powers of force grant the mid-day libation. \n\nBefore beginning the third recitation, let him seat himself behind the fire of \n\noblation, facing the North, and intone the Sama to the Sun-powers, the \nAll-powers: \u2022 ^ \u2019 \n\nOpen thou the door of the realm! \n\nLet us behold thee for sovereignty of the Self! \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n263 \n\n\nThus for the Sun-powers. So for the All-powers: \n\nOpen thou the door of the realm! \n\nLet us behold thee for final sovereignty! \n\nSo he makes the offering, saying: Obeisance to the Sun-powers, to the \nAll-powers, Heaven-indwelling, realm-indwelling! Discover the realm for \nme offering sacrifice! This is the realm of the sacrificer! I shall enter! I, \nthe sacrificer, when my span is fulfilled. Adoration! The bar is thrust aside! \nHaving said this, he rises. To him the Sun-powers, the All-powers, grant the \nthird libation. \n\nHe, verily, knows the full measure of the sacrifice, who knows thus, who \nknows thus. \n\nC. J. \n\n\nIt is submission to the will of God which sets all the value upon our sacrifices; \nwhich gives merit to our sufferings; which sanctifies our joys; which takes the \nbitterness out of our afflictions , and the poison out of our prosperity; which sta\u00ac \nbilizes our irresoluteness; which calms our fears; which upholds our courage; \nwhich regulates our hopes; which puts our zeal in safe keeping; which , in a word , \ninsures all our virtues , and makes even our imperfections useful . This it is which \ninspires good counsel; which is answerable for the success of our undertakings; \nwhich makes us masters of circumstances; which sanctifies every condition of \nlife , and which determines every duty .\u2014 Massillon. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\npublic. It is all \u2018in the family.\u2019 Clearly, from the standpoint ot Masters, \nall nations are members of one family,\u2014even though one or more of them \nmay have become instruments of the Black Lodge. \n\n\u201cPoint number two: there is an absolute difference between the criticisms \nof a man like Lloyd George, writing for the American press, and attributing \nevil motives to the actions of his own Government\u2014addressing the American \nmob as a politician, in the hope that the feeling he arouses in America will \nstrengthen his hands in England (that he writes for money may have no \nbearing on the case)\u2014and the criticisms of those whose opinions appear in \nthe Quarterly; for the Quarterly is written only for those who are looking \nfor the Truth, regardless of politics and votes; whose minds are open in regard \nto the existence of the Lodge, even when they do not as yet actively believe \nin it; who turn to the Quarterly in the hope that it will give them further \nlight on the principles of Theosophy, and who thus deliberately place them\u00ac \nselves within the range of Lodge influence. \n\n\u201c \u2018There is no revelation but the ever-continuing.\u2019 Just as the Masters \ngave knowledge to the world\u2014which really means \u2018to the few\u2019\u2014in the early \ndays of the Society, first in Isis Unveiled, then through the pages of The \nTheosophist, Lucifer, The Path (so long as H. P. B. or W. Q. Judge were con\u00ac \nnected with them), as well as in many books, such as The Secret Doctrine, \nLight on the Path, The Voice of the Silence,\u2014 so they have continued to share \n\n\nthat some readers of \n\n\nT HE Recorder began the proceedings by saying \n\nthe Quarterly appeared to misunderstand the attitude o our \ncontributors when dealing with national and international questions. \n\u201cWhat ought to be our aim?\u201d he asked. \u201cSurely, to reflect, so far as we \nare able, the attitude of the Masters. I do not see how that can be questioned. \nNext, what is the attitude of the Masters? Here, the analogy of a father \nor mother with a number of children may help us. The father, let us hope, \nis profoundly interested in the development of each one of them. It is his \nduty to see both the best and the worst in them, and, where these overlap, to \nfoster the growth of the best, and to do everything in his power to discourage \nthe worst. He may have to be severely outspoken at times, and will not \nhesitate to \u2018speak out\u2019 about one of them in the presence of the others, if by \nso doing he thinks he can impress the delinquent more deeply. He is just, \nand distributes praise or reproof as his children deserve. He expects more of \nthe older children than of the younger, and, while he has no favourites, his \nhopes for some may properly be greater than for others. \n\n\u201cWith that picture and feeling clearly in mind, let us see how it works \nout in the case of the Lodge of Masters vis-d-vis to the nations of the world, \ntheir children. One child savagely attacks another. Point number one: \nMasters are far from being au-dessus de la melee. Point number two: depend\u00ac \ning upon the circumstances, as, for instance, the provocation received (if any), \nthey will be more or less angry with the aggressor. Point number three: \nthey will be determined to see justice done, although it may not be possible \nfor them to accomplish this immediately. Point number four: should the \noffending child prove unrepentant and recalcitrant, it may be necessary to \ncut him off from the rest of the family until he says he is sorry, and proves it. \n\n\u201cThis may help to explain the attitude of the Quarterly during and after \nthe Great War. \n\n\u201cBut now we come to times of so-called peace, such as the present. One \nchild, say America, is terribly pleased with itself, and the father says so,\u2014 \nright out before the other children (and if the Lodge is compelled to speak \nthrough the Quarterly, for lack of a better instrument, who should com\u00ac \nplain?). This does not mean that every citizen of America is pleased with \nhimself: we know too many of its citizens who are painfully self-depreciatory! \nIt means that the spirit of the country, as revealed in its newspapers, in the \nspeeches of its politicians, and in other ways, is one of, \u2018 I am holier, richer, \nmore intelligent than you are.\u2019 It is a spirit that needs to be banged, and to \nbe banged hard. \n\n\u201cPoint number one under this head: when a father speaks to his children, \nthere is no such thing as \u2018washing one\u2019s dirty linen in public.\u2019 There is no \n\n264 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n266 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\ncan get along with this sort of thing, because no one, I think, would dare to \nclaim that any nation is perfect. \n\n\u201c Point number three: just as individuals have a higher and a lower nature, \nwith many characteristics and motives that are mixed , and the inevitable \n\u2018defects of their qualities\u2019so is it with nations. Further, just as a father \nmay become almost distracted because of the way in which his son is led \nastray by the defects of his qualities\u2014kind-heartedness perhaps manifesting \nas a total inability to say \u2018No\u2019 at the right time\u2014so we can imagine the \nMasters, not as \u2018distracted\u2019, but in a corresponding frame of mind, when \nthey see some nation\u2014one of their children\u2014pursuing a course of action \nthat is inherently foolish, and that is bound to lead that nation and others \ninto trouble. In a certain limited sense, the better the child (the better its \ngeneral intentions), the more distracted is the father likely to become when \nhe sees that child repeatedly doing the wrong or foolish thing. His attitude \ntoward a bad child is different. \n\n\u201cPoint number four: just as we can think of the human personality as \nmade up of hundreds or thousands of elementals, grouped under certain \ndominant heads, some good, some bad, so is it possible to think of a nation as \nmade up of countless persons divided into groups, all these groups sharing \ncertain basic national tendencies, but differing in vital respects, one group \nrepresenting the acquisitive, perhaps the grasping tendencies of that nation; \nanother group the \u2018sporting\u2019 or \u2018fair play\u2019 tendency (\u2018complex\u2019, if you prefer \nthat word); yet another, the sense of self-preservation, and so forth. Until \nthe real and inner self has become paramount, the character of the nation, \nas of the individual, depends upon the established balance between these \ndifferent groups, and upon which group is most frequently dominant. \n\n\u201cThus, through the predominance of egotism, Germany became an instru\u00ac \nment of the Black Lodge; but this does not mean that all Germans are domi\u00ac \nnated by egotism, or that all Germans are blind to the condition of their \ncountry. Even in the case of an utterly selfish individual, there may be an \nundercurrent which sees better things, and which regrets the uncontrollable \nimpulses and tendencies of the rest of the nature,\u2014too feeble a minority to do \nanything about it, but aware, none the less, of its existence. I shall speak \nof this minority in Germany, later. \n\n\u201c There are detestable things in the French, and exasperating things in the \nEnglish make-up. (Is any one of us free from tendencies which, at least to \nourselves, seem detestable? Do we never exasperate our friends,\u2014those \nclosest and dearest to us?) By way of example: there is an element in France \nwhich will condone such a play as \u2018 Napoleon IV\u2019, by that unspeakable Maurice \nRostand, in which the author suggests that Queen Victoria of England was \nresponsible for the Prince Imperial\u2019s death at the hands of the Zulus in 1879,\u2014 \nthe truth being, as Pateologue has recently shown, that the old Queen had \nthought of the Prince as a possible son-in-law, and, as related in the last \n\u2018Screen of Time\u2019, was kindness and generosity itself to the boy\u2019s mother and \nfather. That element in France is thoroughly hateful, as is the political \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n267 \n\n\nelement typified by Caillaux; but neither of them is France , any more than \nan individual\u2019s lower nature is himself , unless he permits it to dominate him. \n\n\u201cIn the same way there is an element in England which those who love \nEngland find peculiarly exasperating, partly because it expresses the defect \nor perversion of a very fine quality, and partly because of the self-complacent \nstupidity which it engenders. The quality is a sense of fair play which really \namounts to a sense of noblesse oblige ,\u2014as rare among nations as it is among \nmen. The perversion of this quality is shown in the attitude of a great many \nEnglish people toward Germany since the war: it is \u2018grown-up and superior \nto be \u2018just\u2019, and justice, in this case, means that you should always be ready \nwith a good word for the \u2018defeated\u2019 party, and equally ready to criticize your \nlate Allies, especially France. There are boys who, having done something \nrather splendid, react from it by adopting an attitude of \u2018calm detachment\u2019 \nfrom themselves and their own performance. Somewhat mortified by their \nmoments of self-forgetfulness\u2014by their enthusiasm and sacrifice\u2014they will \ngo so far as to impugn their own motives rather than have it supposed that \nthey are what they had seemed to be. There are men whose ideals carry \nthem no further than being kind and gentle, and who, if held up by a high\u00ac \nwayman, would find it more congenial to invent excuses for his behaviour \nthan to defend the women in their care. Having done violence to their \ninclination, they seize the first opportunity to shake hands, very gently, with \nthe man they have knocked down. They are being what they call just , \nbut what some of us call, idiotic. Further, they are encouraging the high\u00ac \nwayman to renew his assault and to finish his job more effectively next time. \nAlways judging others by themselves, they are convinced that highwaymen \nlong for peace\u2014for a quiet home in the country, among lambs and chickens\u2014 \nand are grieved if you fail to accept their view. \n\n\u201cThere is a baser element, of course\u2014the tradesman element\u2014which \ncombines readily with the well-intentioned (and we know how the road to \nHell is paved). The tradesman element is governed solely by a short-sighted \nsense of expediency: to trade with Russia and with Germany will be profitable \nin the present; let the future take care of itself. This element would consider \nit necessary to pay its bills, in order to maintain its credit; but its appreciation \nof right and wrong is primitive, to say the least. . ^ \n\n\u201cSo, in England, you find a combination of different elements, all inclined^ \nto shut their eyes to facts and probabilities whenever these are uncomfortably \n\u2014a Christian Science attitude such as existed before the war; a general desire \nto be friends with everybody and not to \u2018take sides\u2019. The theory seems to \nbe that nations are neither good nor bad (that evil is an old-fashioned illusion), \nand that if \u2018 Peace, Peace\u2019 be uttered often enough, Peace will endure for ever. \nIt is the popular tune to sing. Consequently, the majority of politicians\u2014 \nConservative, Liberal, and Labour alike\u2014are now singing it, some, because \nthey helped to compose it. \n\n\u201c \u2018There is no religion higher than Truth\u2019 is not their motto. If it were, \nI believe they would know the truth, for those who seek, find; and the truth \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n268 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nis that the White Lodge and the Black are at war perpetually, with the souls \nof men and the souls of nations \u2018in jeopardy every hour\u2019. Stupidity arising \nfrom blindness, which in its turn arises always from some moral defect, such \nas self-satisfaction or laziness,\u2014stupidity can be used by the Black Lodge as a \nmeans to its evil ends, and when a nation behaves stupidly, those who love \nthe White Lodge and who strive to serve its purposes, feel as if they wanted \nto catch that nation by the scruff of its neck and shake it, not because they \nare \u2018down on it\u2019, but because their exasperation is a distant echo of that \nwhich must be the paternal feeling of the Lodge. \n\n\u201cTake one other instance: do you know of anything more foolish at the \npresent time, internationally, than the way in which England kow-tows to \nAmerica? English statesmen, so-called, announce almost daily that their \nchief aim in life is to please and to co-operate with this country. By so doing, \nthey invite snubs,\u2014and who can blame Washington for administering them \nfreely? Such servility is not the attitude that creates respect here; so that \nEngland defeats her own ends and constantly weakens the bond that ought \nto unite the two countries,\u2014a bond which, in the opinion of some of us, the \nMasters would wish to see strengthened. If England were to forget America, \nand were to proceed with its own affairs on a common-sense basis, this country \nwould soon be asking for notice. Ambassadors, living in Washington and \nthrown chiefly with 1 statesmen \u2019 and politicians, are the worst possible judges \nof American public opinion. . . . But have I made our attitude clear?\u201d \n\n\u201cNot altogether, I think,\u201d the Philosopher suggested. \u201cIt will seem to \nsome people that you have put internationalism in the place of patriotism,\u2014 \nwhich is not in the least what you mean, but which would be inferred by those \nwhose idea of patriotism is, \u2018My country, right or wrong.\u2019 The question of \ncourse is: What is true patriotism? The answer, as usual, is to be found \nin the example of Masters. No one can question the tragic devotion of the \nMaster Christ to the country of his birth\u2014Palestine. \u2018And when he was \ncome near, he beheld the city (Jerusalem), and wept over it, saying, If thou \nhadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto \nthy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.\u2019 Yet no Jew ever lived \nwho understood his people as he did, or who condemned the largest section \nof them so outspokenly: \u2018Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye \nescape the damnation of hell?\u2019 He certainly did not identify himself with \nthe Scribes and Pharisees! The Master K. H., in The Occult World , reveals \nthe same attitude, and is equally outspoken about the land of his birth. In \nother words, the patriotism which is not keenly alive to national defects, and \nfearless in condemnation of them\u2014which is not working consciously to change \nevil into good, and good into better\u2014is just as foolish and untheosophical as \nthe so-called love of a mother, whose children, because hers, are perfect.\u201d \n\n\u201cWhat were you going to say about enlightenment in Germany?\u201d the \nStudent now asked the Recorder. \n\n\u201cOne of our German members was good enough to send me several copies of \na weekly newspaper called Die Menschheit, published at Wiesbaden, the motto \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n269 \n\n\nfVip Progress of Nations through \nOf which is: \u2018For the Peace of shows the existence \n\nSelf-knowledge.\u2019 The sender m q{ their count ry is very similar to \n\nof a minority in Germany whose op - t ifl rough translation, and to \n\nour own. It is a pleasure, therefore to q t remaining conscience \n\nexpress satisfaction that this least remnant of con- \n\nof Germany) still exists, for, * an individ ual is exact, \n\nscience is better than none The anal \u25a0 & , Menschhe it, in one of its \n\n\u201cThe writer of the article in qu Louvain between the Rector of the \nrecent issues, reported the on the new Library: \u201cDestroyed \n\nUniversity (who caused the American aid\u201d, to be removed, in deference \n\nby German war fury, in the interest of European \n\n^ conmct \u2019 and passion - \n\nof retaining the original insenp 1 \u00b0*\u2019 which wro te of the Rector of the \n\nand we agree with the Begia ,, True brotherly love requires precisely \n\nUniversity\u2019s reference to charity . bending before the inexorable \n\nthat I should not spare my brother t V ^ ^ . g {ar from a rea l service to \n\nmight of Justice and Truth. P undeveloped and \n\n\u201d, peep,! whose political the nations \u00abn met. \n\nunenlightened condition, to bu ( , ie bo \u201e e st explanation of what \n\nforgetfulness; to spare the Germa pj natkms rega rding the past, \nhappened, and the actual ju g people. \u201cGuilt\u201d is after all not \n\nOurs is fundamentally a very u ow . men only, and which therefore \n\nsomething which has \u00ab with~u fehow^ ^ ^ pleasure . \ncan simply be cancelled invisible Powers, who are not satisfied \n\nguilt is before all a challenge of * e repaired. Had what was \n\nuntil the crime has been %\" h een condemned and regretted, \n\nperpetrated by Germany a ^ m \u00aeV? f h a way that a genuine conscious- \neven b, an UiU of the 0'\u2122\u201ccv.^thing would be different, \nness of guilt to! been made mamfe.t J| ,, y official German \n\nInstead of this, Belgium has ^ce mo ^ should not b e encouraged \n\nCommission. Such induct caus^h justly said that he who \n\nby harmful illusions of r is in reality preparing to treat his^ \n\ntoo easily excuses the guilt of a \u201e is involved in what purport \n\nown faults lightly. How much ^\"when, in truth, through mere \nto be Christian readiness to ber ^ ^ ^ in other men \u00bb \n\nfeebleness, every forceful mo \u00ab. P 0 f the WO rld, the awak- \n\nbetrayed! But Chnsl.not We decline to accept that \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n27 o \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nall doors to obdurate insolence, and which lacks the courage to refuse recog\u00ac \nnition. This appears to us to be the worst form of unfriendliness to Germany, \nwhich will finally ruin our nation, and give its most undesirable constituents \nthe confidence that one may permit oneself the wildest barbarity in the house \nof a stranger, and yet, after a time, without any word of excuse or sorrow, may \nvisit it again, and that no further allusion to the barbarity committed will \nbe allowed. So, then: We should wish, for the enlightenment of German \nyouth visiting Louvain, knowing nothing beyond the official lying fable\u2014that \nunfortunate German soldiers had to protect themselves against Belgian attack \n\u2014we should wish that the words might remain,\u2014 Furore teutonico diruta , Dono \namericano restituta .\u2019 \u201d \n\nMost satisfactory! the Philosopher exclaimed. \u201cIs it a signed article? \nIt is! Well, that is what I call real patriotism, because Germans who say \nsuch things in Germany are ostracized, when not actively persecuted, by the \nimmense majority of their fellow-countrymen.\u201d \n\n\u201cSpeaking of patriotism\u201d, began the Student, \u201cthere has been a Presidential \nElection, and-\u201d \n\n\u201cNo politics in the Theosophical Quarterly,\u201d the Recorder interrupted \nseverely. \n\nI was not going to talk about politics, but about politicians\u201d, protested \nthe Student. \n\n\u201cWorse and worse!\u201d \n\nBut the Student would not be discouraged. \u201cNow really,\u201d he said, \u201cI \ncould not be hired to talk politics. What is more, I shouldn\u2019t know how. \nBut the principles, or lack of principles, underlying politics, are just as much \nthe concern of a student of Theosophy, as the principles underlying war and \npeace, or any other department of human behaviour. Don\u2019t you agree? \u201d \n\nWe agreed. \n\nI have been reading a life of Kitchener: Soldier and Statesman , by S Stuart \nStamtt, published very cheaply, though well, by The Religious Tract Society \nIt is an appreciative account of a man who was not a politician. Jle was a \nsoldier, a statesman, and a gentleman. The jways and motives of politicians \nwere as foreign to him as the ways of earth-worms or bats. He was in mv \nopinion, the only great man of the World War.\u201d \u2019 * \n\nThis was certainly a challenge. Someone suggested Foch \"No\u201d said \nthe Student; \"Foch is a great soldier-a real man-and a man of honour \nbut he still tries to justify the Armistice, accepting full responsibility for it\u2019 \nwhile washing his hands of the Peace which followed. Foch knew that the \nterms of peace would be Settled by the politicians, and as he had suffered terri- \n\nv lr a n alI T through the war \u2019 he should have foreseen what happened \nter at Versailles It was inexcusable not to realize that his Armistice ; was \npremature and that the German armies should never have been allowed to \nreturn to Germany, armed, and with flags flying. Incidentally, all honour to \neneral Bliss, representing the United States, who urged that the Germane \nshould be totally disarmed,\u2014the opinion of Sir Henry Wilson also. \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n271 \n\n\nwar would last for several years, and based all- his plans accordingly. It was \nthis and his refusal to send every available soldier to France during the early \nmonths of the war-declaring that he must keep some in England to train \nis armies of the future\u2014that did as much as anything to undermine his \nnfluence. Sir John French, Sir Henry Wilson, Joffre, Foch,\u2014all of them \nvociferated that the war must be over within a few months, and that it was \nlittle short of criminal to refuse them the men they so badly needed \u201d \n\nSaid the Engineer: \"I thought it was Kitchener\u2019s failure to produce sufficient \nshells that turned the British Cabinet against him.\u201d \n\n\"That was the pretext of his detractors\u201d, the Student replied; \"but the \nfacts are that shortly after Lloyd George was put in charge of munitions \nreplacing Kitchener, shells began to pour in-everyone of them the fruit of \nKitcheners initiative and preparation, although naturally, being what he \nwas and is, Lloyd George took to himself the credit that belonged to the man \nw o was not a politician and who 'did not advertize\u2019. Nearly a year after \nthe Ministry of Munitions had been formed, the manager of Kynochs assured \nCommander Bellairs, who repeated this in the House of Commons, that his \ncompany had not turned out a single article as yet to the order of the Ministrv \nof Munitions and that everything was still being done on the basis of earlier \norders from Kitchener. \n\nKitchener was a mystic,\u2014a very practical mystic: that is why he is of \nspecial interest to us. The politicians could not understand him, and sensed \nhis complete distrust of them. They were afraid of him at first but like \nwolves, little by kittle they gathered courage, pushed to it by vox pop 'uli in \nthe person of Northchffe, until, in June, 1916, when he left England on the \nHampshire for Russia, he was practically degommed, to use the slang of \nthat period. They are a crew! 6 \n\nMany years ago, H. P. B. told a young member of the T. S. that if he \ncarried out his intention of becoming a lawyer\u2014a barrister\u2014it would ruin \nhim theosophically. Preferring his own opinion to hers, he studied law \necame a member of the Bar, and in due course completely justified her warn! \ning. He is still alive, but of course has a very poor opinion of her' The law \ndoes not necessarily ruin all men, but its study and practice are likely to \naccentuate certain tendencies\u2014such as hair-splitting and disingenuousness\u2014 \nif these exist already. Politics, as a career, is more debasing than any other \nknown to me, and with every year that passes it seems to sink lower in the A \nscale. King Edward VII certainly had had a long and intimate acquaintance i \nwith politicians, and what his opinion of them was, not long before his death \nmay be gathered from an incident related by General Smith-Dorrien in his \nMemories. He was at Biarritz, where the King was staying. \u2018One day His \nMajesty, on meeting me, asked in his deep voice if I had heard that a certain \nCaptain m the Army was leaving it to become an M. P\u201e and added - \"Fancy \n\na man leaving the Army to become a politician; a nice profession that now- \nadays.\u201d \u2019 \n\n\nmaiaicu Hum me nrst mat tne \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n272 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cOne need only think of what men have to do in order to succeed: first, \ncurry favour with certain political leaders so as to obtain a nomination; \nsecond, appeal to the mob to vote for you. Think of it in terms of The Theo- \nsophical Society, which we must imagine, however, to be divided into two \ncamps, with a number of uncertain votes to be won by this party or the other; \nand which, by a further stretch of the imagination, we must suppose to be \nserved by officers on a salary basis, instead of without pay of any sort, either \ndirect or indirect,\u2014this being, of course, the way in which The Theosophical \nSociety is officered, none of its members receiving the smallest compensation \nfor their services. So then: at a preliminary caucus, I have been nominated for \nthe office, let us say of Treasurer, with salary, \u2018appointments\u2019, and other \u2018ad\u00ac \nvantages\u2019. Before the next Convention, at which the election of officers takes \nplace, it will be necessary to visit all the Branches, and even the unattached \nmembers, to solicit their votes. Try to conceal it as I may, what I shall really be \nsaying will be: \u2018Fellow members, please observe what a superior person I am. \nThe other man who is running for this office is quite obviously my inferior. \nThink of all I have done for the Society, and how little he has done. I rely upon \nmy looks to persuade you to vote for me!\u2019 \u2018Perish rather The Theosophical \nSociety,\u2019 before we come to that; and yet that is the accepted procedure in \nnational politics. Worse,\u2014for if a candidate for office be married, he must \ndrag his wife around with him, and exhibit her on platforms, in order to con\u00ac \nvince the public that she is \u2018presentable\u2019 and will not disgrace the White \nHouse or the Executive Mansion in Little Rock or Topeka. If he visits \nChinatown it will be to solicit votes, which means that he must kiss Chinese \nbabies and pretend that his lack of a queue is one of the deeper sorrows of his \nhard and service-loving life. He must be photographed splitting logs in his \nown backyard, with the legend attached, \u2018This is how he spends his Saturday \nafternoons\u2019, and, in order to appeal to another type of voter, he must be \nphotographed in \u2018plus fours' on the links, swinging a golf club, smiling expan\u00ac \nsively, with the legend, \u2018Our candidate takes a day off.\u2019 \n\n\u201cNow I protest that even if a man can begin that sort of thing with self- \nrespect (and I don\u2019t see how he can), it is bound to turn him into a mountebank \nat the end of a week or two. Therefore when people say that politics is in \nthe hands of low class men because better class men selfishly keep out of it, \nmy answer is that a better class man necessarily becomes low class as soon \nas he touches it, and that the fault lies with the system, and with the whole \ntheory of government upon which that system is based.\" \n\n\u201cWell, what is the remedy?\" asked the Historian cheerfully. \n\n. 41 ' You answered the Student, \u201cthat if there be no remedy, nothing \n\nis gained by complaining of the condition; but there I should not agree with \nyou. If a man were a leper and did not know it, I should say that the first \nstep would be to start him looking for a cure, and that this could be done \nhelpfully, even if his informant had no panacea to offer him. So long as a \nsick man thinks he is in blooming health, he is likely to go from bad to worse. \nThe world to-day is delighted with its achievement of democracy. The first \n\n\n0N the screen oe time \n\n\n273 \n\n\n_\u2022 ^e astral \n\n. \u2022 se eing things upside down ^ ^ know, \n\nthing to do is toooj^ ^ take several the ultimate ><* \n\nW . 1 A the W* %, little leaven finally leav \n\nlump. , ultimate object individual? 0 v( i ra -headed \n\nS all governn\u00ab J'\u201c ou i d \u201etl,\u00abbee.^W Ilby . \n\n\u201dh. diSty would lie \u00bb ^ ileeo tesla \n\nb ke KUcn parfeme nt. The Q tQ acce pt such * mo nths or \n\nCongress o in persuading to pieces after {rom the \n\nKitchener, and would tea {oresee his \n\nAhnost iof^'Ae \u00ab f\u00ab \u00ab adenly (she - \u00bb\u00bb th \n\nyears, and ^ e w Visitor suddenly V \n\n\u25a0'Oh'\u201d said our New j thought Y u \n\n\u2022 an Avatar must be t . ttdrfc? .. \u201e por the moment 1 ve \n\n, an Avatar, don t . . war ming up- - ve me time, \n\njolly to be an student rephe , m e l{ yo uU g Avata r \n\nJ \u201cT\u2019m not sure > in n mav come oacK- know what an n \n\nI should think.\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n274 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cNo\u201d, the Student insisted earnestly: \u201ca great worry, I assure you. You \nmay have to provide for them in the first place, and then some of them may \ndevelop ideas, and ideas are always a worry. Whatever you do, never trifle \nwith ideas; they\u2019re dangerous.\u201d \n\n\u201cBut I\u2019m full of ideas!\u201d she protested, clasping her hands delightedly. \n\n\u201cWell, well\u201d, he said; \u201cand you\u2019re never anxious about them?\u201d \n\nFor a moment she looked puzzled. Then she said: \u201cNot very ; though there \nare moments, of course, when one is not busy.\u201d \n\nThe Student took a card from his pocket. \u201cI received this some weeks \nago from a friend who was then in England. It is headed: Overheard in an \nOrchard\u2019, and there is a picture at the bottom, of a robin, sitting on a twig \nof holly, talking to a sparrow. These are the words: \n\n\u201c \u2018Said the Robin to the Sparrow, \n\n\u201c I should really like to know \nWhy these anxious human beings \nRush about and worry so.\u201d \n\n\u201c \u2018Said the Sparrow to the Robin, \n\n\u201cFriend, I think that it must be \nThat they have no Heavenly Father \nSuch as cares for you and me.\u201d \n\n\u201cOh yes\u201d, she said eagerly; \u201cthat explains it; that\u2019s why I don\u2019t worry; \nthank you so much.\u201d \n\n\u201cNot at all\u201d, he replied; \u201cbut I really like those verses, and decided as \nsoon as I read them that I would drag them into the \u2018Screen\u2019 somehow; so \nI am your debtor, you see, for having given me my opportunity. I did not \nintroduce them as a joke.\u201d \n\n\u201cAs a joke?\u201d she questioned. \n\n\u201cI never'joke\u201d, he said solemnly. \n\nSome of us felt that the atmosphere was becoming a shade too rarefied, \nand were relieved when the Engineer, rather hesitatingly, asked if he might \nspeak. Assured that his contribution would be welcome, he said: \u201cA few \ndays ago I had an imaginary conversation with a Master,\u2014with my Master, \nas I like to think of him. It occurs to me that the fruit of it may be of use to \nothers who stand, as I do, at the very beginning of the Way. I was dressing, \nand was feeling grateful for things that had happened the day before. I \ncaught myself saying very clearly in my mind: \u2018 Oh my Lord, I do love thee,\u2014 \ndeaf, dumb and blind as I am, I do love thee. Well, you have some\u00ac \n\nthing better to do than to listen to that sort of talk; and what could you say \nanyhow, even if I could hear you!\u2019 Came a mental reply: \u2018Why don\u2019t you \nlisten and find out? I might have something to say after all!\u2019 To which I \nreplied, almost aloud: \u2018Listen! But I can\u2019t hear; you know I can\u2019t hear!\u2019 \nAgain came a mental reply: \u2018Of course you can\u2019t hear; you don\u2019t try to hear.\u2019 \nThen, though the words, if there were any words, escaped me, I had a clear \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n275 \n\n\nmental picture of . man who could not \n\ncolour, and who said so; and of a man who 1 hijerence \npigeon and a robin, but who was qui e u bad been told were \n\nbetween the dozen different km s o \\\\ar^ tbat either of these \n\nto be encountered in his garden ; an rea \u00ab \n\nmen could easily cultivate the became able to \n\n-that is to say. by making himself notice ^er^untu ^ ^ \n\ngive the differences their correct names. habitually \n\nprinciple applied to my inability toso^1 o Linguish, at \nto examine the quality, so to speak, of my thought, so a ^ \n\nfirst roughly, between those that \u2018com particula r dis- \nreach me from below, following this with a more careful ana P ^ y \n\ncrimination, until I am able to distinguish the voice or qu ^ \n\nor Z\u201e in what, so far, had merely been a \u2018voice from above avo c \n\nwiser section of my own inner the difference between its \n\nexactly the same process as it learns to r g \n\nnurse's voice, and its mother\u2019s its father\u00a3 visitor asked . \n\n\u201cWhose voice was it that told you to list . its f ru its. \n\nThe Engineer laughed. \u201cHow shouId I k ^. j^^f one 0 f our barriers \nit cannot have been a bad one. Sometimes I think: that^one ot ^ \n\nlies in adopting the attitude quite unconscioudy, that unlej ^ \n\n\u201e f , Master, it is no, wort!\u2018 \u201cfo \u201ceac h\u201chethe \nown inner self, so as to en should desire to make me \n\nresult is sufficiently satisfactory. If ^convey it to me. \n\na present, and were to send his se ^ an J ,r ?' ]{ must bring it - ? Truth is \n\nwhether i^comes'froin a^Maste^or one of his cMlas, or from our \u2018Guardian \nAngel\u2019, or from some higher level of our own ug must be \n\n,\u201ed E e said, '.he was called-though not for \n\ngreat importance. Quite recen y y Eoiscopal Church, as \n\nthe first time\u2014to what has come to b. known. mto'Et \u2122\u00bbP ^ ^ ^ \n\n'Buchmanism'. It is a movemcn w nc ^ ^ ^ thg im . pirat i on of the \ncomplete self-surrender to t e wi \u2019 he affairs 0 f life, both inner and \n\nH ol y Spirit as daity and ^>nry^n ^ that nece ssarily arouses sym- \n\nouter. At first sign , - \u00abHv\u00bbnn<rh further consideration will \n\npath, in a student of We know \n\nK.S g \u00a3 htr^nlZ\" cut themseu.es for i.ck of \npractice in its use. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n276 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201c \u2018Buchmanism\u2019 is nothing new. It is as old as the everlasting hills. \nTo depend chiefly upon the \u2018inner light\u2019 was the basis upon which the Society \nof Friends (Quakerism) was founded. There have been many similar move\u00ac \nments in the Roman Catholic Church\u2014that of Molinos, to mention only \none of them. Fundamentally, Lao-tsze taught the same doctrine Its danger \nlies in the tendency of the untrained\u2014of the uninitiated, to speak more accu- \nratdy-to confuse the voice of God with the voice of their own desire Right \ndiscrimination can come only as the result of years of self-study and discipline \nunder the direction of an expert. Take the Engineer\u2019s analogy-that of \nlearning to distinguish between different kinds of birds. It is not easy to \ndo this without a teacher. It is notorious that the neophyte, no matter \nhow conscientious, is easily mistaken: no ornithologist would dream of accept\u00ac \ning his \u2018say so\u2019. In the same way, imagine a lot of College boys, suddenly \nconvinced that they could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, and undertaking \nto guide their own lives accordingly! Inevitably they would blunder, perhaps \n\nterribly. . \n\n\u201cTheosophy makes it clear that to follow inner guidance is both a science \n\nand an art, and that\u2014as in any science or art\u2014thorough acquaintance with \npast achievements and failures is essential to success. Respect for experi\u00ac \nence, and for the experience of the entire human race, is the foundation upon \nwhich Theosophy would build the advances of to-day and to-morrow,\u2014always \nchecking the \u2018inspiration\u2019 of the present moment in the light of the past. \nIn that sense, Theosophy is most conservative, while always striving to deepen \nand broaden the understanding of its followers by encouraging them to be \nfearless in interpretation, and'ardent in their search for inner illumination \ninsisting, above all things, that no one can hope to hear the Voice of the \nSilence\u2014which is the voice of Masters\u2014correctly, until he has learned to \nrecognize, and utterly to disregard, the voice of his own self-will. \n\n\u201cThat \u2018Buchmanism\u2019 has been condemned by many on grounds entirely \nfalse, goes without saying. The Churchman , for instance, attacks it on the \nground that \u2018the Christian ideal of life in its larger social aspects as it faces \nthe inequalities and injustices of human relationships is given no considera\u00ac \ntion except such as the most elementary goodwill may promise\u2019; but the \nChurchman is significant only because it is so curiously heathen in its outlook. \na square meal for everyone, at the same table and, if possible, out of the \nsame dish, appears to be the height of its ideal. True, it would wish Christ \nto bless the meal; but why, it has never explained. \n\n\u201cMy own criticism of this new-old movement would be that it tends to \ncheapen the spiritual life, and the life of discipleship, by making it appear \nfar easier than actually it is. On the other hand, I believe it contains more \nof genuine religion than most of its critics have ever dreamed of in their \nphilosophy, and I hope it will grow and prosper. The world is not ready for \nTheosophy. Meanwhile \u2018 Buchmanism \u2019 could do much for the world if the \nworld would let it.\u201d \n\n\u201cWould its benefits outweigh its dangers?\u201d the Historian questioned. \n\n\n\nSCREEN OF TIME \n\n\\ \u201c It is certainly far less dan gt rou s ^ \n\n\u2019 Mr. Griscom\u2019s \u2018Letters to Students \nfor they constantly deal with \nwas a birth-right Quaker when \ndifficult to imagine that, before \n(,he magazine he \n\n\n\u201cI think so\u201d, the V \nthan the materialism \nthrow \n\nthe principles \nhe joined The \nthis issue < \nhave coi.\u2014 \n\neternity it seems! \n\nshall miss them. \n\nWhat a _ \n\nnow, though his physical \nSomeone- \n\nfor many years, now \nthe greatest pleasure, in spite \n\nsubject of Chfelaship, \u2019\u25a0.- \n\nnot hope to do more in this \nfuture life. \n\n\u201cThat is nonsense and c \n\u201cWhat you call \u2018age\u2019, as if \nlife-long accumulation of sm\u00a3 \nof whose house is packed \nOld letters and broken furniture^and emp \nand who says he is too old to have the \nchildren or his executors or somebody, wi \non\u2019. Yet he is quite strong enough to go t \nlike it- he can, in fact, do anything he re \ncase, it is not your children who will ever 1 \n. V ou fn your next life, you will \norTtop of you, and with the likelihood tin \n\u201d, Ivitil. years before you become .. \nR the eoal of existence. \n\n\u201cThat is all very well\u201d, grumbled our \n\ntrouble is 'a life-long accum^ata\u00ae of \nsuggest, I am weighted down with that, \n\npractical immobility? ...\u00bb t u e \n\n\u201cNot unless you insist upon , \nwithin you which is not weighted down, \nuntrammelled by the nightmare of the \ngested, is full of rubbish; but JJ\u00ab* \nhave been doing. There is a ladder t \nladder to a place of light and freedom, p \na level of your consciousness w \n\" u are old than when you are you** \nself- continually identify yourself witl \neyes (as it were). Even one step up \n\n\nvaluable light on the who e suu^ \ninvolved. As you know, he \nTheosophical Society. It is \nLl e of the Quarterly appears \nimmemorated the tenth anniversary \n\nThe last of his letters will appear \nThey have been of immense he p o \nfriend he was,-the most loyal of friends; ar \n\u2022 1 absence leaves an irrepiacedi \n\n-he shall be nameless-who has been a 1 \nremarked that he had read Mr. \n\n, in spite of the fact that they \nwhile he, the speaker, was \u2018too ( \nincarnation than pave tl \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n278 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nstrength enough to hurl some of the litter from your cellar. Try it and see! \n\nA spoiled child; an indulged and self-indulgent child! That was evident; \nbut if he could have heard, as some of us heard, the undercurrent of passionate \nregret in the Ancient\u2019s voice\u2014for wasted gifts, for lost opportunities and \nthe fear of what lay ahead, not in this life, but in the next I think he would \nhave realized that, behind and beyond the Ancient, the ever-lasting arms \nwere wide outstretched to welcome his smallest efforts. \n\n\u201cThere are people everywhere\u201d, concluded the Ancient, \u201cwho say that they \nlong to know; that they have tried to find their Master, but have failed, \nand, they add, what is the use? My answer is that they have not tried and \nthat they do not long to know; for if a man longs, really longs, to solve some \nproblem, or to find some hidden treasure, or to discover some unknown coun\u00ac \ntry, or to acquire the mastery of some art, he will live his life accordingly: \nhe will study, labour, prepare himself, with his objective ever in view. He \nwill not \u2018give up\u2019 other aims; other aims will disappear for utter lack of \nattractiveness. And how many, seeking in that spirit, have failed to find! \nI SSL y t \u2014none. It may seem dogmatic, but I speak from observation and \nexperience, not from theory; and my observation is that a man finds what \nhe seeks, and if he seeks Christ or any other Master, he cannot fail to find \nhim. But he must seek,\u2014not just for half an hour or an hour a day, for\u00ac \ngetting his search during other hours; he must seek with a hungry, passionate, \ndevoted heart; he must seek with intelligence, imagination, determination. \nHe is asking for the utmost that life has to give,\u2014for more than wealth, more \n\nthan worldly honour: he asks to look Heaven in the eyes.\u201d Then, \n\nafter a pause, he added: \u201cOh Light of the World, Light of the World, thou \nart so near, so still, so kind, so wonderful,\u2014nearer always to the humble \nthan to the wise,\u2014we who have failed thee in a thousand ways can only \nplead: call swiftly, strongly, surely, that souls may arise to fight thy battles \nand to fill the world with thy praise. Open their ears that they may hear; \nlift the veils from their eyes that they may see. We, who have not earned \nthis or any gift from thee, yet know thee as the boundless giver. In that is \nour hope,\u2014that a new love may be bom, a new fire be lit, a new light may \nshine, to carry onward and for ever the tidings of thy kingdom and thy peace.\u201d \n\nT. \n\n\nletters to students \n\n\n-- January 21 st,I9H- \n\nhave, or may th ' n ^ y \u00b0^ younge r members is nearly * P b t the se are \n\nintercourse with all the you g ^ fegret their mistakes aid . \n\niz ss Smuch and cannot be \n\nXmtry glad that \n\nbackin thematter of c^cisrm ^ ^ time . More than 1* ^ ^ \n\nS n U ot h d C o n goT True U \n\n- - \n\nS^ y0 S\u00bb\u00ab, unfaltering edort te ^ These ,\u201essle, \n\nbarriers. \u2122 . strenuous time with \u201c n There is nothing more \n\nI hope that the stren ^ they shou ld. There is n ot \n\nb '\u201c \u201c*\u00ab * Cl \u2019 i ' 4 i S something it \n\nfSSUy but n heaven-sent \u00abPP\u00bb^ ay you should-m\u2122 \n\nto lean, \u00bbd may deplore the necess.ty, \n\nthe opportunity, no matter * * * A \n\nv be due in part to the misdirected userf .^eun'neclssary \n\nis the immoral. F \u00b0 r \u201c t P o{ reneW ed strength andmspira ^ 0 ur- \n\nbut always way we learn; and\u00bbMo 8 yaluable \n\nW e are perfect, ana in* 2?9 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n: not perfect, that mistakes are inevitable, and then work \n;titude of mind should be when we do wrong. \n\n\nof life; but only the saints can do perfectly the small duties of everyday\u2014day \nafter day and year after year. It is thus that Heaven is gained. \n\n3. It is your motive in doing your daily tasks that turns them from \nmechanical drudgery into life-giving, spiritual forces. If you are puzzled \nbetween two courses of action, it is some comfort to realize that so far as \nothers are concerned it probably matters little what you do, if your decision \nis based on proper motives. The powers of life can use either course of action \nfor the benefit of others, if you put vitality into it by your motive: and the \namount of power in it will be in proportion to the purity of your motive. \n\n4. We ought to try to make these decisions, these daily, hourly efforts at \nself-conquest and self-repression, yield a harvest of joy, yield inspiration and \na strength that will enable us to carry on the fight still more aggressively. \nWe are too prone to lose the benefit of our self-denial and the value of the \ndiscipline life imposes on us. We must meet it and digest it\u2014these experiences \n\u2014in order to get the full benefit from it. \n\nDo not think too much about \u201cdead\u201d spots. We all have them, and we \nall live through them; learn by degrees to pump life and vitality into them. \nThink of your lower nature as a child you are bringing up. It hates to go to \nschool: it hates the discipline and restraint which school imposes: yet you \npersist, because you know that teaching it to read will open a whole new \nwonderful world, which will many thousand times repay the trial and pain of \nlearning. It is so with the spiritual life. \n\nWith best wishes, \n\nI am, \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nWith kind regards and best wishes, \n\n\nSincerely, \n\n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nOctober 27th, 1914* \n\n\n- \u25a0 \u2014I am so very sorry \n\n's pain and illness on top of the \nI could do to help. \n\n* I think you may \n\nThe Master will not force them \n\nIt is your duty to seek them, and as much of \n\nIt is just as much your duty to rest as to pray, \n\nfor both, so far as you possibly can. \nof trouble all have their meaning and their purpose: they are \nIt is often hard\u2014sometimes impossible to discover this \nbut that does not matter. Then we must have \nshall understand. \n\nand nothing more will be expected of you. I mean \n\u25a0Do the best you can. Not what you think you ought to \nhad more time or more knowledge, or less \ne that makes things different from what \n\nby circumstances, so that \nYou are fortunate that \nFollow this path and all \n\n\nYou are much in my mind these days of trial and stress, \nthat you should have had the burden of \n\nrest of your load. I wish there was something \n\nOne thing: about your getting plenty of sleep and res^. \nmisunderstand your duty in these matters, \nupon you. He cannot do that, \nthem as you ought to have. \n\nYou must make opportunity \nThese times \nnot accidents, \nmeaning and this purpose, \nfaith. Some day we \nDo the best you can \nexactly what I say- \nbe able to do if you were stronger, or \ndemands upon you, or anything els. \n\nYou have your work, your duty, laid out for you \nthere is no doubt what you ought to do all the time, \nit is so, for the way is not so clear for most of us. \nwill be well. \n\nI have not bothered you with letters or commer \nthat you need them just now. Your path is vei \ncertain things you must try always to remember,\u2014 \ndeep spiritual laws none the less. \n\n1. Remember that you can find the Master in \nroutine with children and house, not only as well as \n\nworking at-, but better, for your metier, your & \n\nat home, or your circumstances would be different. \n\n2. Remember always that it is what we are that < \nHoliness is acquired by struggle and effort doing \nwell, not by doing heroic things. Anyone, almost, can n \n_ can work themselves up to a point of great self-sa \n\n\nXmas Day, 1914. \n\nDear- \n\nI asked-to take you my Xmas greetings, but I want to supplement \n\nthem with some direct expression of my interest and affection. You are doing \nwe ll > \u2014some things very well. Do not allow that old cloud of doubt and dis\u00ac \ntrust to rise between yourself and your real happiness. The Master can only \ngive us our heart\u2019s desire on terms and conditions that will make it permanent. \nHelp him. Do not hinder him. Help him by surrendering everything to him \nwith the complete trust of a little child. Others may fail you, may not \nunderstand, but he always will. I do not think it necessary for you to talk to \nme about these things. Even if I do not know details, they are not necessary \n\n\nthe complete realization of \n\n\nWith best wishes for a happy New Year, for \nyour real desires, \n\n\nSincerely, \n\n\nC. A. Griscom, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n282 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\nNew Year\u2019s Day, 1915 - \n\n\n\u201c\u2018dolman, the day .\u00bb \"thou. my having th, pleasure of wishing \nyou all good things during this corning year. therefore should have \n\n\u2014- -\u2014 \n\nwaste of time. . . .. t v, P roa d to the Master. \n\nI hope 1915 will find you appreciably further on the road \n\n* * * * * * * \n\na. Wp are trying to leam the Science of \n\nI have nothing new to say 0 > \u2022 university learning the elements \n\nLife. A man spends four years at a TestTS life trying to \n\nof one of the secular sciences,^ ^ patience> therefore, in our task: \n\nTisth^ ot X duties, our - \n\ndisposition.^^ ZnT 2 own hands. We all know what we ought to do. \n\nIt is a question of doing it. Y ouuYfllritTyou enumerate is a besetting sin. \nI do not think that either of the faults youenum defin ite, \n\nLook rather to forms of self-wi to a ^ obstinate little person \n\nttXoresXSXngs as you want them. Work out something \n\ndefinite to do about this. \n\nWith best wishes, \n\n\nI am, \n\n\n\n\nJuly 22nd, 19 1 5 * \n\n\nDear-- # * * . * * * * \n\nIt seems to me that your resolution to stop and fold your hands at th \u00ae h \u00b0\"* \n\n. ' admirabTe one and I recommend that you keep it up. Any physical \n\npracticed! that kind, no matter how trivial, done with \u201cintention , makes\u00b0ne \npositive, and helps the will. Only we mm* strive to be fathM So to \n\nrd\"it e rw,\u00abr.o\u201co sr - \n\nvon tolld a valuable and favourite horse. Feed it proper food grve rt proper \nexercise and do not overwork it. At times you may have to drive and whip \nand spur to carry past some emergency, but the daily routine ought to be well \n\n\n\u25a0\u25a0i \n\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS TO STUDENTS 2g 3 \n\nwithin its normal capacity. Rest is essential to the proper performance of \n\nall your duties. . \n\nThank you very much for your desire to help me. Your \u201c intention does, \n\nI am sure, and I appreciate it and am very much touched by it. At the same \ntime there is nothing the matter with me. You must not let the over-enthusi\u00ac \nastic speculations of others disturb you. We none of us have a bit more to \nbear than is good for us and than we can bear with ease, if we behave as we \nshould. The fact that I may have shown evidence of fatigue or something, \nsimply means that I have not been doing what I ought to do, in the way I \nought to do it. There is no way out of this conclusion. \n\nDo not forget that, although you may hear many methods discussed, and \nhave a great variety of suggestions made to you, Occultism consists in being \ngood. The object of all this striving, of all our efforts, is to be good. Being \ngood means being like God, like the Master. Prayer, meditation, a rule of \nlife, all these things are simply aids to being good, to being like the Master. \nThink of them from this point of view. It will give point and reason to them. \n\nRemember, too, that you can be good at home, looking after your house and \nchildren, just as well, and more easily, than while doing anything else, any\u00ac \nwhere else. The environment the Master has given you is that in which it is \neasiest for you to grow. \n\nI hope you are not finding this very hot day trying. I have always thought \nchildren very warm companions for a hot day! \n\nWith kind regards, \n\nI am, \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nMay 7th, 1916. \n\n\nThere is one point upon which I should like to comment. ^ ou speak of \ncritical thoughts of others, and you say truly that this comes from self\u2014from \n\nself-centredness. , . r \n\nIt also comes from misunderstanding. You see the facts, the outer facts, \nand often there does not appear to be any doubt about them. But your mind \nmisinterprets them, not only misjudging, but actually mistaking their real \n\nmeaning, and this often causes you pain. \n\nMost of the pain would disappear if you could see truly, could really under\u00ac \nstand what actually is. Your self-will and self-love stand in the way of this \nunderstanding; but you should try for it. Whenever you have pain of this \nkind, realize that it is a signal that you are doing or thinking something wrong. \nStop' thinking about the event, and search for your wrong attitude and \nmisunderstanding. \n\n******* \n\n\n\u25a0 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nIt seems to me that your occasional practice of doing all day what \n\n/\u2022 i__ rloeimc ic an i \n\n\nIt seems to me mat yum K - ~ . . ov ^n PT1 f \n\nor some one else wants, regardless of your plans and desires, \u00ab an exceUen \nway of thwarting your self-will; but remember that you have the subtl \nwill of the woman, which can want to be thwarted! .. ]H t \n\nBe good, be kind, be considerate, to servants, to friends to ch,ldren -J\u00b0 \nhusband. Seek for ways of doing what has to be done m the way that will \nbe easiest or pleasantest for them, regardless of your way your will, y \ndesire. Yet use common sense. You are not very well, and you must not \n\nover-tax your nerves and strength. \n\nWith kindest regards, \n\nI am, \n\nSincerely, \n\nC. A. Griscom. \n\n\nInstead of deploring that roses have thorns, I am glad the thorny stem ts capped \nwith roses and that the tree bears bloom. Joubert. \n\n\n\nThe Nile and Egyptian Civilization , by Alexandre Moret; translated by M. R. Dobie; Alfred \nA. Knoff, New York, 1927; price, $7.50. \n\nThis book, like one reviewed in the last issue of the Quarterly (The Migration of \nSymbols) belongs to the series entitled the \u201cHistory of Civilization\", edited by C. K. Ogden. \nM. Moret, a Member of the Institut de France, and Professor at the College de France, is \nwell known to Egyptologists, and this latest work of his is wholly convincing in regard to one \nof the most important aspects of Ancient Egyptian life,\u2014the enduring inner unity which \nunderlay its manifold outer expressions. Many writers, unconsciously attempting the \nimpossible when commenting on the civilization of Ancient Egypt, endeavour to shed light \non the subject by approaching it from some pet angle of their own; by an almost impeccable \narray of historical facts; by a wide survey of cultural habits and mannerisms; by a careful and \noften (though by no means always) sympathetic analysis of the religious aspects, the Pantheon, \nthe ritual, life in the temples, and all. These, however, are but isolated rays illuminating \nsome small area for a brief moment. M. Moret has gathered these rays together as the \nseparated rays of the spectrum may be gathered, assuring us that in Ancient Egypt there were \n\u201cno dividing lines.\" As the Sacred River kept open the channel of communication from end \nto end of the \u201cTwo Lands,\" from the austerity of the upper reaches to the low, sweet pasture \nlands of the Delta, reconciling the sharp contrasts of the long, narrow valley, leaving its \npeculiar mark on the outer conditions of living, so, we are told, \u201cThere were no water-tight \ncompartments separating State from religion, the civil services from the priesthood, profane \nart from sacred art, science from dogma. In Egypt . . . what we call religious feeling was \nat the bottom of institutions of all kinds.\" Religious feeling \u2014not religion, for that had many \nforms; religious feeling, or what in Theosophy we might term a consciousness of the reality and \nmeaning of inner things, was what cemented into one powerful whole, political ideas, art, \nliterary and scientific inquiry. It was this ingrained and deep rooted conviction of the reality \nof an invisible world, of its closeness to the visible, of the powers which lie hidden from the \nordinary senses of men, which made possible the amazing continuity of this most amazing \ncivilization, enabling it to survive all vicissitudes, to leap across vast periods of social and \noolitical obscuration, to rise magnificently above the shame of conquest and the humiliations \nof defeat. In the early, golden days, when Egypt was young, it was in Pharaoh (whom students \nof Theosophy would think of as the living representative of the Lodge) that the \u201cSacred \nForce\" was vested, and so long as he remained supreme, the ancient Faith lingered. With \nthe gradual passing of his greatness; when many of the royal obligations were delegated to \nothers; when in short, democracy began to creep in, the \u201cmystical conception of power \nbegan to wane, and while there followed a long period of highly moral tendency, this era was, \nin fact, moral rather than spiritual. When it had reached the point where there was no \nlonger \u201cthe profound feeling that godhead is a vital force, a creative energy,\" the end was at \nhand, and Egypt became, according to the words found in an ancient papyrus, \u201ca body with\u00ac \nout a soul, a chapel without a god.\" The book closes with a famous Lament written by a \nSage who lived in the twilight of Egypt\u2019s glory. It is a bitter cry of the heart, because of the \npassing of the splendour which had once irradiated the \u201cBeloved Land\":\u2014\u201cOh Egypt, Egypt, \n\n285 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n286 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nof thy doctrines only fables will be left, in which thy posterity will no longer believe, and \nthere will survive only words, engraved on stones, to tell of thy piety. ^ ^ \n\nLiving India, by Savel Zimand. Longmans, Green and Co., London, New York, Toronto, \n\n1928; price $3.00. . - \n\nUnder certain heads, the author has compressed much valuable and accurate information \nconcerning India, in a singularly readable book. He has read much, studiously and thought\u00ac \nfully. He has travelled much in India. He has a gift for descriptive writing. He is \neminently fair minded. He has intellectual and moral earnestness; India and her problems \nhave deeply moved him, and he communicates his feeling for India to his readers. \n\nUnfortunately, concerning ancient India, he sees only a part of the truth. This is due in \nsome measure to the confusions introduced by the first generation of English Orientalists of \nthe days of Warren Hastings, whose minds were warped by the false chronology of Archbishop \nUssher with the result that they crowded millenniums into centuries and blurred the per\u00ac \nspective of a splendid past. It is in part due to the fact that the white Brahmans have re- \nwritten Indian history in their own interest. Arrogantly claiming to be representatives of the \ngods on earth, they have so coloured the story of past ages that the real greatness of the more \nancient Rajputs is overshadowed. Savel Zimand repeats an ancient parable concerning \nthe four castes, which illustrates this. The Brahmans, says this parable, proceeded from \nthe mouth of Brahma; the Kshatriyas, or Rajputs, from the arms of Brahma; the Vaishyas \nor cultivators, from the waist of the Divinity; the servile Shudras, from his feet. Therefore \nthe Brahmans claim pre-eminence. Yet the true meaning of the parable would seem to be \nnot mystical but geographical. The Divinity here represents the sacred land of India. From \nthe head, the North, where the Five Rivers descend from the Himalayas to the plains, came \nthe white race of the Brahmans, entering through the mountain passes from Central Asia. \nThe arms of India, stretching from Western Rajputana to Ayodhya, the modem Oudh, are \nthe home of the red Rajputs. The yellow Vaishyas cluster across Central India, about the \nVindhya Hills. The black Dravidians, from whom were drawn the Shudra caste, inhabit \nthe South, the feet of Brahma Varsha, forming, it may be, a remnant of an ancient Lemunan \n\npopulation. . \n\nWhile he gives us an excellent account of the whole span of Indian history, so far as it can \nbe summed up in a few chapters, and adds many vivid pictures of India to-day, Savel Zimand \nis especially interested in the movement of the modem reformers, agitators, home-rulers, \nbeginning with the Indian National Congress. While he clearly sees that Brahmans have \nbeen the strongest and most intelligent element in all these modem movements, he does not \ndraw the logical conclusion: that this modem agitation is an outcome of Brahman policy, the \npriestly hierarchy which has so long enslaved India now fighting to prolong their power in \na new way, and using the modem weapons of constitutionalism for their own ambitious ends. \nHe does bear testimony to the fact that the Brahmans demand for themselves the highly \npaid positions now held by Englishmen. But he does not clearly see that, if the fullest demands \nof the Indian home-rulers were granted to-morrow, the vast majority of toiling peasants \nwould be no better off than before. Priestcraft and the tyranny of landlords, many of them \nBrahmans, would bear as hardly upon their necks as formerly. The solution of India\u2019s problem \nis not so simple as it appears to the Western friends of the Indian agitators. \n\n\nJ. \n\n\n\nQuestion No. 341. \u2014It seems to me that one of the most terrible things \\n life would be to lose \na child,\u2014to miss all the interesting things in the growth of the child. In the next life, that is, \nafter death, does the child grow to maturity as we know it? If so, are there records or pictures of \nsome sort to which a mother may, after her death, have access, and so not entirely lose knowledge \nof the development of that child? \n\nAnswer. \u2014Of one thing we may be certain: nothing in the universe ever permanently \nseparates us from those we love. Love is the strongest bond there is, and will inevitably \ndraw together in future lives, on this and the other side of death, those whose love is real. \n\nThis drawing together becomes in time an actual union of consciousness, not a watching and \nyearning from the outside, as at present. \n\nOf course, the real child\u2014the soul\u2014did not die; it had dwelt for a time in a child\u2019s body, and \nthen left it. That may have been a young soul or a very old one; in any case, it and all other \nsouls, including the mother\u2019s, should go on growing toward \u201cmaturity\u201d, to a state of splendour \nbeyond our present imagination. That process will take, not a few score years, but thousands \nof lives. Both \u201cchild\u201d and \u201cmother\u201d have already lived many lives before this one, and if \nthey really loved one another, will be drawn together in the future as they were drawn together \nthis time. Obviously, the development of the glorious potentialities of the soul is far more \ninteresting to watch than the growth of a personality for a single life. \n\nIn the astral light there are pictures of all that has ever happened. These can be seen by \nthose who have the power and the right to look. J- F. B. M. \n\nAnswer. \u2014To lose a dearly loved child must indeed be a grief most difficult to bear. It \nwould be far more terrible, however, to see such a child grow up, if the direction of its growth \nwere toward selfishness and evil. Apart from that, it seems to the present writer that when \nthe querent speaks of missing \u201call the interesting things in the growth of the child , much \nhas been overlooked. Ask a mother who has brought her child to maturity whether joy \nor agony were the greater, as she fought for life against death, for virtue against vice, for high \nstandards against bad example; and although she well may put the joy of her achievement \nfirst, she will not have forgotten the suffering. \n\nThe nature of the after-death states depends entirely upon the stage of evolution attained \nby the Ego who was the child. If, in a future earth-life, I were to die in infancy, I hope most \nsincerely that it would not be necessary for me to \u201cgrow to maturity as we know it\u201d in any \nafter-death state; because I hope that I should not have lost my \u201cmaturity\u201d in that world, m \n\nwhen incarnating. No one, however, is robbed of his desire: we find what we seek. The \nRed Indian finds his \u201chappy hunting-ground\u201d; the mother finds either the baby, or the soul, \nv depending upon which her longing has been fixed. And if it has been fixed on the child she \nlost, at just that age and of just that sweetness,\u2014she will find the same child awaiting her, \nutterly unchanged; and the child will grow before her eyes, just as she had longed to see \nit grow,\u2014and there will be no pain or sorrow or crying, for the former things will have passed \naway. Yet,\u2014there are better things, for in that world there are \u201cmany mansions\u201d, and, in \nthe course of time, she may find better, deeper meanings (meaning within meaning) in the \npromise: \u201cfor the former things have passed away\u201d. T - \n\n287 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n288 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nQuestion No. 34 2 * \u2014Observation of the motives from which I habitually act has shown me \nconstant self-reference\u2014the desire to get what I liked, to appear wise and good and yet please self, \nto avoid what was distasteful or required unwelcome effort, to give others what I thought they ought \nto want, to stand in the limelight. Or else, my acts were prompted by the lowest possible cause, \njust nervous energy. Please express this in strictly theosophic terms, using the seven Principles. \n\nAnswer. \u2014The phenomena faithfully recorded by the questioner lead one to suppose that his \nor her self-consciousness is mostly centred in the lower quartemary. The various forms of \ndesire which are outlined, are characteristic of Kama-Manas, the mental-emotional nature \nwith which most of us so persistently identify ourselves. Prana, the life-force, would seem \nto be the source of the \u201cnervous energy\" which we should control but which usually controls \nus. Linga Sharira, the astral body, may be conceived as a medium preserving the force which \nis put into every mental or physical act, so that a dynamic memory-image of the act is always \npresent at some level of consciousness. This image tends to produce the desire for repetition \nof the experience which created it and thus to strengthen the kamic principle. The physical \nbody, Sthula Sharira, is the vehicle through which Kama-Manas, the Linga-Sharira and Prana \ncome into contact with the material world. \n\nHowever, the questioner has a lively conscience, as is proved by the honesty of the self- \nexamination and by the sense of dissatisfaction which the question reveals. Buddhi, the \nspiritual soul, has emerged from the condition of abstract potentiality, though it may be far \nremoved from real self-consciousness. Higher Manas, the power of aspiration, is overshadow\u00ac \ning the lower nature, for otherwise the conscience which is latent in Buddhi could have no \nmeans of manifestation. \n\nAs to the highest principle, Atma, it must be present as the essence of all the other principles; \nbut it is probable that only the highest Masters are self-conscious as Atman. For the ques\u00ac \ntioner, as for the rest of us, it is the abstract source of all the aspects of our being. It is the \nrain \\\\hich falls upon the just and the unjust. It is the divinity which supports and makes \npossible the whole series of manifested existences. Therefore, as Aquinas said, even the \ndevil, in so far as he has power, is divine. y g \n\n\nNOTICE OF MEETINGS \n\nThe regular meetings of the New York Branch of The Theosophical Society are held \non alternate Saturday evenings, at 64 Washington Mews, which runs from the east side \nof Fifth Avenue, midwa> between 8th Street and Washington Square, North. No. 64 \nis the first studio east of Fifth Avenue, on the north side of the Mews. The meetings \nbegin at half-past eight, and close at ten o\u2019clock. There will be meetings on,\u2014 \n\nJanuary 5th and 19th \n\nFebruary 2nd and 16th \n\nMarch 2nd, 16th and 30th \n\nApril 13th and 27th (Convention Meeting) \n\nMay nth and 25th \n\nOut-of-town members of the Society are invited to attend these meetings whenever they \nare in New York. Visitors who may be interested in Theosophy are always welcome. \n\n\n\nBlavatsky, H. P. Isis Unveiled, Vols, I and II.doth, $10.00 \n\nKey to Theosophy .doth, 3 .bo \n\nSecret Doctrine, The, Vols. I and II and Index .doth, 20.00 \n\nComplete in one book, without subject-index volume, 7.50 \n\nTheosophical Glossary .cloth, 3.50 \n\nTransactions of the Blavatsky Lodge .cloth. 2.50 \n\nVoice of the Silence .doth, . 85 , leather, 1.50 \n\nCav 6 , Fragments, Volume I.boards 1.00 \n\nVolume II.boaras, 1.00 \n\nVolume III.boards, 1.00 \n\nGerard, John. Letters, to Friends .boards, 1.75 \n\nHillard, Katherine. Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine, .doth, 3.00 \n\nJohnston, Charles. BHAGAVAD Gita .Translated, annotated; cloth, 1.25 \n\nlimp leather, 1.75 \n\nCrest Jewel of Wisdom, The .doth, 1.25 \n\nFROM THE UPANISHADS.paper, .50 \n\nGreat Upanishads, The, Volume I.doth, 1.50 \n\nParables of the Kingdom, The .paper, .50 \n\nPATANJALI\u2019S YOGA Sutras .Translated, annotated; doth, 1.25 \n\nSong of Life, The .paper, .75 \n\nJudge, William Q. BHAGAVAD Gita .Edited; doth, 1 . 25 | leather, 1.50 \n\nEchoes from the Orient .doth, .oo \n\nLetters That Have Helped Me, Volume I and II, each, .doth, 1.00 \n\nOcean of Theosophy .doth, 1.00 \n\nPatanjali\u2019s Yoga Aphorisms .doth, .75* leather* 1.50 \n\nKeightley, Archibald. Theosophy as an Influence in Life paper, .20 \n\nLaDow, Stanley V. Plotinus .paper, .50 \n\nMitchell, Henry Bedinger. Meditation, Special edition, .201 paper, .50 \n\nTalks on Religion .doth, 1.50 \n\nTheosophical Society and Theosophy, The .paper\u2019 .20 \n\nSinnett, A. P. Esoteric Buddhism .doth, 2.50 \n\nOccult World, The .doth, 2.50 \n\nWalker, E. D. Reincarnation .doth, 1.75 \n\nIdyll of the White Lotus.doth, 1.35 \n\nLight on the Path.doth, . 75 j leather, 1 . 50 1 lambskin, 1.75 \n\nThrough the Gates of Gold.doth, 1.20 \n\n\nTHE QUARTERLY BOOK DEPARTMENT, \n\nP. Q. Box 64, Station O, New York. \n\n\nSTANDARD BOOKS \n\n\nDevotional; Bhagavad Gita; Crest Jewd of Wisdom; Fragments; The Great Upani\u00ac \nshads; Letters That Have Helped Me; Letters to Friends; Light on the Path; The Par\u00ac \nables of the Kingdom; The Song of Life; Through the Gates of Gold; Voice of the Silence. \n\nPhilosophical; Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine; Isis Unveiled; Key to Theosophy; \nPlotinus; Reincarnation; The Secret Doctrine; Talkson Rdigion; Theosophical Glossary; \nTransactions; Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras. \n\nIntroductory: Culture of Concentration; Echoes from the Orient; Esoteric Buddhism; \nIdyll of the White Lotus; Meditation; The Occult World; The Ocean of Theosophy; \nThe Theosophical Sodety and Theosophy. \n\n\nTHE KNICKERBOCKER PRE88. NEW ROCHELLE, N-Y. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<B3je tH3)tos!opi)ical Iboctetp \n\nFounded by 15. P. Blaoatsky at new York in IWf \n\n\nl \u2122lHE Society doe* not pretend to be able to establish \nat once a universal brotherhood among men, but \nonly strives to create the nucleus ox such a body. \n_\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 g Many of its members beUeve that an acquaintance \ngEM with the world's religions and philosophies will \nSSSBBSl reveal, the common and fundamental principle \n\u00abn<fer!vin? these, that \"spiritual identity of all Souls with the \nOversoul \u201d which is the basis of true brotherhood J and many \nof them also believe that an appreciation of the finer forces \nof nature and man will still further emphasise the same idea. \n\nThe organisation is wholly unsectarian, with no creeo, \ndogma, nor personal authority to enforce or impose) neither \nla it to be held responsible for the opinions of its members, \nwho are expected to accord to the beliefs of others that \ntolerance which they desire for their own. r \n\nThe following proclamation was adopted at the Umven \ntlon of the Society, held at Boston, April, 1895\u00bb , \n\n\"The Theosophical Society in Americaby its delegates and \nmembers in Convention assembled, does hereby proclaim \nfraternal good will and kindly feeling toward all students of \nTheosophy and members of Theosophical Societies wherever \nand however situated. It further proclaims and avers its \nhearty sympathy and association with such persons ana \norganizations in all theosophical matters except those of \ngovernment and administration, and invites their cor\u00ac \nrespondence and co-operation. , \n\n\"To all men and women of whatever caste,creed,race,or \nreligious belief, who aim at the fostering of peace, gentleness, \nand unselfish regard one for another, and the acquisition ot \nsuch knowledge of men and nature as shall tend to the eleva* \ntion and advancement of the human race, it sends most friendly \ngreeting and freely proffers its services. \n\n\"It joins hands with all religions and religious bodies v. hose \nefforts are directed to the purification of men's thoughts and \nthe bettering of their ways, and it avows its harmony there\u00ac \nwith. To all scientific societies and individual searchers atter \nwisdom upon whatever plane, and by whatever righteous \nmeans pursued, it is and will be grateful for such discovery \nand unfoldment of Truth as shall serve to announce and con\u00ac \nfirm a scientific basis for eihics. \n\n\"And lastly, it invites to its membership those who, seek* \ning a higher life hereafter, would learn to know the pain to \ntread in this,\" \n\n\nApplications for membership should be addressed to the \nSecretary T, S., P. O. Box 64, Station O, New York, \n\n\n1 \u25a0; *.t>. .. \n\n\n\nVOL. XXVI, No. 4 APRIL, 1929 \n\n\nAnpover-H arvard \nTheological Library \n\nCambridge, mass. \n\n\nPUBLI8HED BY \n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n\nSubscription price, $1.00 per annum; single copies 25 cents \n\nPublished by The Theosophical Society \nat 64 Washington Mews, New York, N. Y, \n\nJuly; October; January; April \n\nAddress all communications to P. O. Box 64 , Station O, New York \n\n\nIn Europe, single copies may be obtained from and subscriptions may be sent to John \nM Watkins 21 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, London, W. C. 2, England; or to \nMr E H. Lincoln, 9 Beaconsfield Road, Low Fell, Gateshead-pn-Tyne, England, from \nwhom all back numbers may be obtained. Annual subscription price, 6s., postpaid. \n\nCONTENTS OF VOL. XXVI, NO. 4 \nApril, 1929 \n\nPAGE \n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS. 291 \n\nFRAGMENTS. 300 \n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY. 30 i \n\nWAR MEMORIES, III. 315 \n\nTHE CAVE OF THE NYMPHS. 326 \n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE, PART II. 336 \n\nA HINDU CHELA\u2019S DIARY. (Reprint). 346 \n\nWHY I JOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 354 \n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD. 356 \n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME. 364 \n\nREVIEWS. 375 \n\nQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 379 \n\nT. S. ACTIVITIES. 382 \n\nINDEX. 383 \n\n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\nThe principal aim and object of this Society is to form the nucleus of a \nUniversal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, \ncaste or colour. The subsidiary objects are: The study of ancient and modem \nreligions, philosophies and sciences, and the demonstration of the importance \nof such study; and the investigation of the unexplained laws of nature and the \npsychical powers latent in man. \n\nEntered as second-class matter September s. 10*3. \u00bbt the Post Office at New York, N. Y. f under the \nAct of March 3. it70\u00ab \n\nCopyright, 1929, by The Theosophical Society \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA .-P-tlARVARD \n\nTheological Library \n\nCAMBRIDGE, MASS. \n\nA ' i \n\nYd\u2019j 1 \"^7 \n\n\nThe Theosophical Quarterly \n\n\nSubscription price, $i.oo per annum; single copies, 25 cents \n\n\nPublished by The Theosophical Society \nat 64 Washington Mews, New York, N. Y. \n\n\nJuly; October; January; April \n\n\nAddress all communications to P. O. Box 64, Station O, New York \n\n\nIn Europe, single copies may be obtained from and subscriptions may be: sent to John \nM Watkins 21 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, London, W. C. 2, England, or to \nMr E H. Lincoln. 9 Beaconsfield Road. Low Fell. Gateshead-on-Tyne. England, from \nwhom*all back numbers may be obtained. Annual subscription price, 6s., postpaid. \n\n\nr \n\n\nNOTES ^COMMENT \n\n\nL \n\n\nAPRIL, 1929 \n\n1 he 7 heosopliical Society , as such , is not responsible for any opinion or \ndeclaration 'in this magazine , by whomsoever expressed , unless contained in an \nofficial document. \n\n\n\u201cFor I Desired Mercy, and not Sacrifice\u201d \n\nT OWARD the close of the nineteenth century, it was the custom among \nOccidental students of Buddhism to maintain that the Buddha had \nnot laboured to establish a spiritual religion, but rather a somewhat \nbleak and arid system of morality, whose essence was negation, and whose \ninexorable goal was death, complete annihilation of conscious being. It \nhas, perhaps, already been made clear, in these Notes, that Gautama Buddha \nsought to establish a rich and living spiritual system, the heart of which was \na realization of the hierarchy of Masters, above whom was the still higher and \nmore august Celestial Hierarchy, and that the rules of conduct, of meditation \nand intellectual training, which hold so large a place in the Buddha\u2019s teaching, \nare precisely the rules of discipleship, a lucid and detailed description of \nwhat the disciple must do and learn, in order to draw closer to the Masters \nof Wisdom, to come consciously within the aura of the Lodge of Masters, to \nfollow in the footsteps of those great Beings, and, if he win full victory* to \njoin their ranks and help to bear their burden. And this has been shown, \nnot from the more transcendental and mystical texts of Northern Buddhism, \nbut from the Pali Suttas of the Southern School, the School of Ceylon and \nSiam: these most ancient and authentic Buddhist records are \u201cfull of the \nsparkle of esotericism, the heart and essence of that highest Occultism wj^ph \nour Theosophical studies enable us to recognize. \n\nOur studies should have shown us this, and something more. We should \nhave come to understand that the Buddha had clearly in view, and wisely \nand consistently laboured for, a great moral and spiritual reformation of \nIndia; for one reason, because India then represented, and even now represents, \nan immense investment of spiritual capital, an effort of millenniums by the \nLodge of Masters; for many centuries a submerged and buried capital, almost \n\n291 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n292 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nan investment that has gone astray; yet an investment which the Lodge is \nbound by spiritual law to recover, though the effort may take centuries. \n\nIn the \u201cNotes and Comments\u201d for January, 1929, an attempt was made \nto discover what this spiritual investment was, and through the operation \nof what forces of human sin and folly it became submerged. It was there \nsuggested that the spiritual history of India was in the main the history of \ntwo great and ancient races: the red Rajputs, coming, perhaps, from mystical \nEgypt; and the white Brahmans, who, at some time a good many millenniums \nbefore our era, came down from Central Asia through the high passes of the \nHimalayas, and, beginning among the Five Rivers which unite to form the \nIndus, in time spread southward and eastward through the Ganges valley. \nThe red Rajputs, when we get our first view of them, were already in possession \nof the Greater Mysteries, which are imparted through Initiation; those teach\u00ac \nings which our Western scholars mistakenly think of as the mystical specu\u00ac \nlations\u201d of the Great Upanishads; mistakenly, because they are the fruit, \nnot of speculation, but of spiritual experience, of direct vision. The Brah\u00ac \nmans, those of the white race who settled in the plains of India, do not appear \nto have known the Greater Mysteries. Of this, there is twofold evidence: \nfirst, the often stated fact that, in the hymns of the Rig Veda, the spiritual \nheritage of the Brahmans, there is no teaching of Reincarnation and Libera\u00ac \ntion, the twin doctrines of the Mysteries; and second, and even more explicit, \nthe statement of the two greatest Upanishads, that these twin doctrines had \nnever reached the Brahmans until they were imparted to the father of Shve- \ntaketu by the Rajput King-Initiate Pravahana; until that time these teachings \n\u201chad been among all peoples the hereditary teaching of the Rajputs alone.\u201d \n\nBut the Brahmans had nevertheless a great and exceptional spiritual \nheredity; their Vedic hymns are full of remote echoes of hidden wisdom, of a \nteaching which, perhaps, their earliest ancestors had fully and consciously \npossessed on the high plateaux of Central Asia, unnumbered millenniums \nbefore the descent through the snowy passes to the Indian plains. In virtue \nof this remarkable spiritual heredity the Brahmans, as soon as the Rajputs \nopened to them the doors of the hidden wisdom, became apt pupils, thence\u00ac \nforth supplying many recruits to the Lodge of Masters. \n\nAs against this credit, two less advantageous factors must be counted. \nThe first is the tendency of the Brahman mind to over-intellectual develop\u00ac \nment, as a result of which much of the practical mysticism of the Rajputs \nwas transformed into fine-drawn metaphysics; the commentaries of the \ngroups of Sutras, for example, are filled with long and subtle disputations, \nloaded with the contentious reasonings of opposing advocates. What belonged \nto the spirit and the soul was dragged down to the plane of the mind, and \nthere flattened out into lifeless intellectualism. \n\nThe second adverse factor had a wider reach. The intellectual \u201csuperiority \u201d \nof the Brahmans reappeared as ambition, which by degrees sought to domi\u00ac \nnate, and did in course of time completely dominate, the whole mental, moral \nand social life of India, and, to a large degree, also its political life, a domina\u00ac \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n293 \n\n\ntion which lasted for millenniums. It would seem that, as an echo of their \nearlier and fuller spiritual inheritance, the ancestors of the Brahmans, when \nthey entered Northern India, still possessed what one may call a system of \npractical magic based upon incantation, or the Occult correlations of sound, \nand on an understanding of personal, mental and psychical \u201cmagnetism.\u201d \nThis system they used, from the beginning, to establish their power and \ninfluence. .They sought and received rewards from those of the princes who \nwere not Initiates, for the performance of magical ceremonies whose general \npurpose was to secure success and prosperity by influencing and dominating \npsychic conditions, by establishing a favourable and positive psychic atmos\u00ac \nphere, much as a magnetically gifted orator establishes an ascendency over \nhis audience, largely by using, even though unconsciously, the same Occult \npowers of the voice, which carries and spreads his personal magnetism. So, \nin the Upanishads, we find many stories of Brahman practitioners of this \nmagical system of magnetic sound invited by princes to perform ceremonies \nmaking for success. And we find that they receive as their reward large \nherds of cattle, in which, as in other ancient lands, wealth mainly consisted. \nMany of these earlier ceremonies centred about an altar on which burned a \nsacred fire, symbol of the Hidden Fire of the Spirit, and personified as the god \nAgni, Lord of the Sacred Fire, to whom are addressed the first series of hymns \nof the Rig Veda. Worship of the Hidden Fire, symbolized by an ever-burning \nsacred flame, is of immemorial antiquity; it goes back to the immensely remote \ntime before a branch of the white Central Asian race made its way to prehis\u00ac \ntoric Persia, carrying with it the spiritual essence of Zoroastrianism. \n\nThus \u201csacrifice,\u201d in this earliest period, would appear to have consisted \nwholly of adoration of the sacred, perpetual fire, into which melted butter \nwas poured as an offering of consecrated fuel, symbolizing the offering of the \npersonal powers to the divine Spiritual Fire, the Logos. There was a second \nform of rite, namely, the Soma \u201csacrifice,\u201d with which the Sama Veda is \nlargely concerned. The Soma appears to have been a stimulant, or narcotic, \nwhich, by rendering quiescent the physical powers, gave the psychical powers \nfreer play, thus liberating the faculties of clairvoyance and clairaudience, \nmuch as these powers may be liberated to-day by the methods of hypnotism. \nIt is true that there was also a \u201cdivine Soma,\u201d a genuine spiritual influx, of \nwhich the natural Soma became the symbol; yet it seems certain that the \nphysical Soma, the magical narcotic, was widely used in the system of prac\u00ac \ntical magic hereditary among the white Brahmans. It may be noted, in \npassing, that a very similar cult exists to the present day among the remoter \npagan tribes who inhabit the high mountains of Western Mexico; they prepare \na magical potion from certain kinds of cactus, which they hold sacred, and \nby its use their magicians induce \u201cprophetic\u201d states, that is, psychical states \nof clairvoyance and clairaudience. To make the parallel closer, the aboriginal \nMexicans have a cycle of immemorial songs or incantations used in these rites \nonly, which may well be compared with the verses of the Sama Veda, chanted \nby the Brahmans at the Soma sacrifice. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n294 \n\n\ntheosophical quarterly \n\n\nBesides these two earlier \u201csacrifices\u201d of ^ i and ^.^mely^the sacrifice \n\n\u25a0 r *\u00a3 rs \n\nwould seem that three different motives may be asagn \u2022 J\u2019 \n\nto vain the goodwill of the supernatural powers for the flocks \n\nan offering corresponding to the first fruits of the e s. econ ^ ^ obtain \n\nsr s>v ** 2 ^ as \n\nit h rest b s e on a t r he n belief that freshly shed blood is a potent aid to '\"vocations \nof ghostly powers, whether human or elemental. It is, me , P \n\nXi^o^LTT^ee motives entered into te***%^\u00a3 \n\nanimal sacrifices by the Brahman priesthood, and it is also\u2019 of \n\nsvstem of animal sacrifices had prevailed for ages among the darker races; ot \n\nSouthern India, among whom many forms of black magic, generany associated \n\nwith mesmeric influences, have always prevailed. Atany' ra ^ \n\nthat the Brahmans very generally adopted the practice of f animal m^ cnfices \n\nas an additional means of extending the despotic power of^ their \n\nover the princes and peoples of India. Already m the oldest Upamshads \n\nthere is much evidence of their success m this effort. \n\nWhen the Buddha began his mission, this system of animal sacntewas \nfirmly established. It need hardly be said that in it his Order, ] g \nabstain from animal food and from the taking > of Me, could have no part \nwhatever. But it seems clear that the Buddha s plan went far \nestablishment of an Order as a direct recruiting ground for the Lodge H \ndesired also to bring about the redemption of the Brahmans tc.break^up \ngreat, tyrannous system of priestcraft, and so to purify the Brahman race \nthat its exceptional qualities and gifts might be turned in the direction of \nspiritual development and attainment. To gain this end he worked along \nseveral lines. First, he made many appeals to the best and highest elemen \nin the character of the Brahmans, to their ancient, submerged spiritual \nheredity, and in fact succeeded in winning many disciples from their ranks. \nHow far the Brahmanical minds of these new Buddhists were influential in \nchanging his directly practical teachings into the somewhat wire-drawn \ndialectics of certain schools of Buddhism, just as earlier Brahmanical minds \nhad metamorphosed the spiritual discipline of the old Rajput schools into \ncontroversial philosophical systems, is an interesting subject of inquiry \n\nwhich we cannot at present pursue. - \n\nThe Buddha made a second attack on Brahman priestcraft by flatly deny- \ning at everv opportunity, the claim of the Brahmans to rank above the \nRajputs, or kshatriyas, and to hold the highest place among the four great \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n295 \n\n\nclasses of Indian society. The Buddha in general refused to discuss questions \nof cosmogony, or, indeed, any questions which did not bear immediately on \ndiscipleship. It is of immense interest that on almost the only occasion \nwhen he did speak of cosmogony, giving an exceedingly interesting account \nof the development of the early races of mankind in the present world-period, \nthe practical moral to which this cosmogonical teaching was made to lead \nwas the superior rank and antiquity of the Kshatriyas, or Rajputs, and the \ninferiority of the Brahman priests. So consistently is this purpose carried \nout that, while in enumerations of the four classes in all Brahmanical books, \nthe Brahmans invariably stand first, this is never the case in the Buddhist \nscriptures, which as invariably give the precedence to the Kshatriyas. This \nbecame such an ingrained habit with the Buddhist recorders that even when \nthey tell of a Brahman enumerating the four classes, they make him yield \nthe first place to the Kshatriya, something which no Brahman would con\u00ac \nceivably have done. \n\nFinally, the Buddha threw the great weight of his influence against the \nwhole system of animal sacrifice, which was one of the means through which \nthe Brahman priestcraft riveted its power upon the people. He worked \ntoward this end both by example and by precept. The disciples of his Order \nwere pledged, as we have seen, not to take life. Further, his teaching of \nKarma, and of Liberation through spiritual effort, ran directly contrary to \nthe Brahmanical system of expiation through the sacrifice of animals; it was \nthe exact equivalent of Paul\u2019s affirmation: \u201cIt is not possible that the blood \nof bulls and of goats should take away sins.\u201d The Buddha further faced the \nproblem directly, in a discourse which is recorded in one of the Suttas named \nafter the Brahman Kutadanta, who is the central figure of the episode there \nrelated. It is a part of the fine, pervading humour of the Suttas that the \nname of this distinguished Brahman means \u201cpeak-tooth,\u201d as though with \nreference to his creophagous character. \n\nThe recorders of the Sutta begin, as always, by painting in a rich Oriental \nbackground, against which the leading figures presently come forth, repre\u00ac \nsented dramatically, by their own words, rather than descriptively. We are \ntold that the Buddha was journeying through the country of the Magadhas, ac\u00ac \ncompanied by about five hundred disciples, and that, coming to the settlement \nof Khanumata, he was encamped with his followers in a garden where young \nmango trees were planted; their deep shade offering a pleasant resting place.^ \n\nNow it happened that a part at least of the land of this region, very ferti^ \nand teeming with life, had been bestowed by the King of the Magadhas, \nSeniya Bimbisara, on the distinguished Brahman Kutadanta, just as large \ntracts are granted to Brahmans in Rajputana to-day; the Brahman Kutadanta \nhad succeeded to that extent in establishing himself and acquiring worldly \nwealth. Perhaps as an act of gratitude, he had formed the design of offering \na great sacrifice of animals: seven hundred bulls, seven hundred bullocks, \nseven hundred heifers, seven hundred goats and seven hundred rams had been \nassembled, to be slaughtered for the glory of Kutadanta, and many Brahmans \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n296 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nhad gathered together, to take part in the sacrifice, and, we may suppose, in \n11 the leavings of the sacrifice,\u201d according to the phrase of the Bhagavad Gita. \n\nWhen the Buddha and his disciples encamped in the mango garden, the \nfame of his coming went abroad among the people, both the Brahmans and \nthe householders of Khanumata, and they said among themselves: \u201cThe \nascetic Gotama, in truth, the son of the Sakyas, he who went forth from the \nSakya family, has come with many of his disciples and is encamped here in \nthe mango garden. Concerning the Master Gotama fair fame has gone abroad, \nthat this Master is an Arhat, a perfect Buddha, full of wisdom and virtue, \na welcome one, teaching the way of salvation to devas and men. He teaches \na law of righteousness lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in \nits consummation. It is good, in truth, to go to see such an Arhat as he!\u201d \nSo the Brahmans and householders of Khanumata went forth in larger and \nlesser groups toward the mango garden. \n\nNow, at this very time it happened that the distinguished Brahman Kuta- \ndanta had mounted to the upper terrace of his dwelling, shaded and cherished \nby cooling breezes, to enjoy a \u201cday-sleep,\u201d as the Pali phrase goes, and, seeing \nthe groups of Brahmans and householders going past toward the mango \ngarden, he asked his major-domo what this concourse might mean. His \nmajor-domo repeated to him what the Brahmans and householders were \nsaying to each other, concerning the coming of the ascetic Gotama and his \nhigh spiritual rank. \n\nWisely and logically the Brahman Kutadanta determined within himself \nthat, since he was contemplating a great sacrifice, and since the ascetic Gotama \nwas reputed to be learned concerning sacrifice, it would be well to visit the \nascetic Gotama, and to consult him regarding the proper consummation of the \nthreefold sacrifice with its sixteen concomitants. So he sent the major-domo \nto the Brahmans and householders of Khanumata, who were on their way to \nthe mango garden, asking them to await his coming, for he too desired to \nvisit the ascetic Gotama. So the major-domo carried the message. \n\nThe recorders of the story, with their love for round numbers, say that \nseveral hundred Brahmans had come to be present at the great sacrifice which \nthe Brahman Kutadanta had prepared. When the major-domo brought his \nmessage, they asked somewhat incredulously among themselves whether it \ncould be true that the distinguished Brahman Kutadanta was planning to \nvisit the ascetic Gotama. \n\nThe Brahmans raised their voices in protest, declaring that it was not \nseemly that the highly distinguished Brahman Kutadanta should visit the \nascetic Gotama; a Brahman deeply versed in Vedic lore, a teacher of disciples, \na holder of rich lands from the king of the Magadhas, and, withal, a man \nvenerable and full of years. On the contrary, it would be more fitting that \nthe ascetic Gotama, who was a much younger man, should first visit the dis\u00ac \ntinguished Brahman Kutadanta. It would seem, then, that this event took \nplace comparatively early in the Buddha\u2019s long mission, while the fact of his \nrelative youth was still very noticeable. \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n297 \n\n\nBut the worthy Kutadanta held to his purpose. The ascetic Gotama was \nan Arhat, a Buddha, supremely enlightened; moreover neither m birth nor \nlineage did he at any point yield to the good Brahman himself. So Kutadanta \nwould go, in spite of protests, to visit the ascetic Gotama. \n\nSo not only did he go, but carried with him the whole Brahmanical company, \nwinning them over to his view. So they all went together to the mango \ngarden and greeted the Master, taking their seats in silence beside him. \n\nThen Kutadanta the Brahman spoke thus: \n\n\u201cIt has been heard by me, Sir Gotama, that the ascetic Gotama knows \nwell the successful conduct of the threefold sacrifice with its sixteen con\u00ac \ncomitants. But I myself do not know well the successful conduct of the \nthreefold sacrifice with its sixteen concomitants, yet I desire to offer a great \nsacrifice. It were a fortunate thing for me, if the worthy Gotama would \ninstruct me concerning the successful conduct of the threefold sacrifice. \n\nThe situation is deeply humorous, and was so felt by every devout Buddhist \nhearer of the Sutta. That the Master of mercy should be consulted regarding \nthe right method of slaughtering hundreds of bulls and rams, and that, instead \nof reproaching Kutadanta and condemning the whole proceeding without \nstint, the Master should appear to give the advice which was asked for, of \nnecessity appealed to the keen sense of humour which runs through these \nancient books, a humour whose characteristic is, that it is invariably coupled \nwith a high spiritual purpose. Further, it is profoundly characteristic of the \nBuddha\u2019s method, that he put himself as far as possible in the position of his \nquestioner, accepted that questioner\u2019s views, and then proceeded, always from \nthe questioner\u2019s standpoint, so to unfold the principles involved, as to bring \nthe questioner gradually to accept the truer, deeper view, to adopt the prin\u00ac \nciples of the Buddha\u2019s teaching. In pursuance of this wise method, the \nBuddha said nothing to the Brahman Kutadanta regarding the evils of the \nsystem of animal sacrifices or the sin of taking life. Instead, he answered with \n\nhis habitual courtesy: \u201e \n\n\u201cHear, then, Brahman, paying good heed, and I shall declare the matter. \n\n\u201cSo be it, Sir!\u201d the Brahman Kutadanta replied. The Master said: \n\n\u201cIn by-gone days, Brahman, there was a king, Maha-vijita by name, whose \nkingdom was great, who had much wealth and stored-up gold and silver, \nwith great treasure of wealth and grain, with full treasury and bams. Once, \nwhen the king had withdrawn himself in secret, he reflected, thinkinfh^^ \npossess all the good things a mortal can desire, the wide circle of the eart|\u00ab \nhave won for my pleasure. It would be well for me to make a great sacrifice, \nto gain long life and prosperity!\u2019 And so King Maha-vijita summoned his \nhousehold priest and told him the thought that had come to him when he \nwas withdrawn into solitude, and of his purpose to make a great sacrifice, \nsecuring long life and prosperity, and asking to be instructed as to how the \nsacrifice should be made to this end. \n\n\u201cThus addressed, the Brahman household priest replied to the king, saying \nthat the king\u2019s realm was disturbed and troubled, beset with highwaymen \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n298 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nand robbers. Should the king levy a contribution at such a time for a great \nsacrifice, the king would err. Or should the king determine to visit these evil\u00ac \ndoers with swift punishment, this also would not avail, for those who escaped \nwould continue as before to do deeds of violence. But there is a better way: \nnot to punish, but to help. Wherever there are those in the king\u2019s realm who \nare engaged in husbandry, let the king give them seed-corn. Wherever there \nare those in the king\u2019s realm who are engaged in trading, let the king give \nthem money. Wherever there are those in the king\u2019s realm who are in the \nking\u2019s service, let the king give them food and payment. Then these men \nwill no longer trouble the peace of the king\u2019s land, the revenues of the king\u2019s \nrealm will increase, the land will enjoy peace, men will rejoice and dandle their \nsons in their arms, and none in the kingdom will bolt his door. \n\n\u201cThe king did even so, and all went as the Brahman household priest had \nsaid. The revenues of the king\u2019s realm increased, the land enjoyed peace, \nmen rejoiced and dandled their sons in their arms, and none bolted his door. \n\n\u201cThen the king summoned the Brahman, his household priest, and said, \n\u2018Tranquility is restored, revenue is increased, contentment reigns. I desire \nnow, Brahman, to make a great sacrifice. Instruct me how this may be done, \nfor long life and prosperity! \u2019 \n\n\u201cThereupon the Brahman, the household priest, counselled the king to \ngain the consent of four great classes of his subjects to the sacrifice: first, the \nKshatriyas who governed lands under the king; second, the Kshatriyas who \nwere ministers in the king\u2019s service; third, the Brahmans of distinction, \nwhether in the country or in the cities; fourth, the rich householders, whether \nin the country or in the cities. The king sought their consent, and all gladly \ngave it. Thus all these classes were made partakers of the sacrifice.\u201d \n\nThen the Buddha enumerated eight virtues, eight gifts and graces which \nthe king possessed, and in like manner four virtues possessed by the Brahman, \nthe household priest. These twelve gifts, together with the consent of the \nfour classes, making sixteen in all, became the sixteen concomitants of the \nsacrifice. And further, a generous attitude of the king\u2019s mind, thrice repeated, \ncompleted the threefold nature of the sacrifice, according to the traditional \nrule. The Buddha continued: \n\n\u201cAt that sacrifice, verily, Brahman, no cattle were slain, nor any goats, nor \nfowl, nor swine, nor was any living thing deprived of life; no trees were felled, \nnor was sacred grass cut to strew upon the ground; nor was any compulsion \nused upon those who helped. Only clarified butter, oil, fresh butter, curds, \nhoney and the juice of sugar-cane were offered in making that sacrifice.\u201d \n\nMany beneficent results followed in that ancient realm. And among those \nwho heard the Buddha, the results were not less happy. All the Brahmans \napplauded, saying, That was a true sacrifice! That was a successful \nsacrifice!\u201d \n\nAll, indeed, applauded excepting only Kutadanta. Then the Brahmans \nwho had come with him asked him whether he did not approve. Kutadanta \nreplied: \u201cI do not withhold approval from what the ascetic Gotama has said, \n\n\nNOTES AND COMMENTS \n\n\n299 \n\n\nbut this thought came to me: \u2018The ascetic Gotama does not say, \u201cThus did \nI hear,\u201d nor does he say, \u201cThus should it be!\u201d The ascetic Gotama says \ninstead, \u201cThus it was.\u201d\u2019 Therefore I thought within myself, \u2018Of a truth \nthe ascetic Gotama was at that time the king, or the Brahman, the household \npriest!\u2019\u201d The Buddha answered that he was the priest. \n\nThereupon Kutadanta asked whether there might not be some better, \nhigher sacrifice, noble though that ancient sacrifice had been. And in answer \nthe Buddha revealed to Kutadanta the path of discipleship, as the true offering. \nKutadanta was completely won, and straightway sought and gained admission \nto the Master\u2019s Order. \n\nThere remains the practical outcome of the story. The Brahman Kutadanta \ncountermanded the great sacrifice that he had planned, and gave orders that \nthe cattle and sheep and goats he had assembled should be spared, and should \nlive their lives in peace. In that instance, at any rate, the sacrifice of animals \ncame to an end. \n\nConcerning the larger results of this teaching, it may be profitable to quote \nwhat Professor T. W. Rhys Davids wrote, a good many years ago, concerning \nthis Sutta: \n\n\u201cOn this question, as on the question of caste or social privileges, the early \nBuddhists took up, and pushed to its logical conclusions, a rational view held \nby others. And on this question of sacrifice their party won. The Vedic \nsacrifices, of animals, had practically been given up when the long struggle \nbetween Brahmanism and Buddhism reached its close. Isolated instances \nof such sacrifices are known even down to the Muhammadan invasion. But \nthe battle was really won by the Buddhists and their allies. And the com\u00ac \nbined ridicule and earnestness of our Sutta will have had its share in bringing \nabout the victory.\u201d \n\nThis is, perhaps, too optimistic; for it is certain that the sacrifice of animals, \nunder Brahman auspices, lingers in India to-day, for example, at Kalighat. \nFurther, it is worth noting that the sacrifice of the story, which met with such \nhearty approval from the Buddha\u2019s listeners, namely, the pouring of melted \nbutter or oil into the consecrated fire, was more truly the original Vedic sacri\u00ac \nfice, as contrasted with the sacrifice of animals, which was probably taken over \nfrom the dark races of Southern India. \n\nFinally, Rhys Davids speaks of the long struggle between Brahmanism and \nBuddhism coming to an end. We should remember that it ended in the con^ \nplete defeat of the Buddhists, and in their violent expulsion from India, a \nviolence whose heavy Karma still weighs on that afflicted land. Brahman \npriestcraft was completely triumphant. Though the Buddha may have won \nthe lesser victory, the partial abolition of animal sacrifices, he failed in the \ngreat heroic effort, the spiritual redemption of the whole Brahman order with \nits rich possibilities for good. There have been, and are, many noble and \npure-hearted Brahmans; nevertheless, the Brahman order, as a whole, remains \na tyrannous and ambitious priestcraft, the greatest barrier to the spiritual \nregeneration of India. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFRAGMENTS \n\n\nS ILENTLY they come to us across the twilight spaces\u2014intimations of \nthe spiritual world, dim memories of the past, whispers also out of the \nfuture. Silently they come, like lines of golden light upon a sunset \nlawn; lengthening as they reach us, we of the shadows; creeping toward us, \ncloser and closer as we watch and wonder, until they touch us, touch our feet, \nour faces, then reach and touch our hearts. \n\nWhat do we do with them then, when we are conscious of that magical \ntouch, when the sweet pain of its yearning sweeps over us? Are we fright\u00ac \nened? Do we find unbearable that stab and quiver, that sense of something \nstrange, that force which holds and compels? Do we struggle to get free of \nit, to awaken into the understood and wonted? Yes, many times, alas; but \nGod is patient; and the experience returns again and again, with its wealth \nof opportunity, returns with added reproach and beseeching, with an invi\u00ac \ntation from which, perhaps, once more we fly. \n\nYet there it lies across our lives, like golden light across a sunset lawn; and \nhowever we turn we cannot forget; however much we deepen our shadows, \nthere remains the memory of that tender glory with all its poignancy of long\u00ac \ning and regret. \n\nSome day we shall not deny it; trembling, it may be, but with hope, we \nshall yield to its embraces. Then we shall have found heaven upon earth, \nheaven here and beyond: then we shall live in the radiance of union with \nthe Master. \n\nCave. \n\n\n300 \n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY' \n\n\nI HAVE been asked to speak to you to-night upon those recent advances \nin the field of physics which are revolutionizing the scientific view of the \nphysical universe, and which, as formulated in Einstein\u2019s Theory of \nRelativity, have been given wide notoriety\u2014though little intelligibility- \nthrough the public press. It is a theme which is of special interest to students \nof Theosophy for two reasons. First, because the break-down of the old, \naccepted theories, and the nature of the new, both confirm, to a remarkable \ndegree, the contentions of Madame Blavatsky as set forth fifty years ago in \nIsis Unveiled , and later in The Secret Doctrine ,* and, second, because it offers \nan opportunity to make clear the answer to a question which is, perhaps, not \noften asked explicitly, but which must, none the less, be present in many \nminds. This question is why we of the Society do not throw more of our \nweight and effort into the furthering of modern scientific research, but rather \nseem to hold back from it, though it is so patently pressing toward the very \ntruths which Theosophy has proclaimed and of which the Society was, at \none time, almost the only champion in the Western world. The answer is, \nthat knowledge of outer things which is not based upon knowledge of inner \nthings, knowledge which is gained from any other standpoint than that of \nspiritual reality, must always be deceptive; and intellectual attainment, not \nrooted in moral attainment, must ultimately act to its possessor\u2019s undoing. \nIt was through this unbalancing of man\u2019s nature that the great civilizations \nof the past were destroyed, and the same causes must act always to the same \nend. Truth, to be truth, must be universal, and knowledge which is sought \nand found only on the plane of the intellect is thus robbed of that which makes \nit true. The more accurate such knowledge is, the greater its achievement, \nits appeal and glamour, the more dangerous it becomes in ensnaring and hold\u00ac \ning man in the shadow-land of illusion, concealing from him that it is illusion, \nthrough its reference of shadows only to shadows, and thus shutting him \nout from the causal world of the real,\u2014the spiritual world, which alone enables \nhim to rise above the merely relative and temporal, and where, only, he can \nrealize his true being. \n\nI hope that I may be able to return to this question and answer, and to \nconsider the bearing of these new scientific views upon the theosophical phil\u00ac \nosophy and attitude, but whether it will be possible to do so this evening, oH \nwhether it must be postponed to another meeting, I do not know; for I have \nfirst the task of attempting to give an intelligible outline of the new theories, \nand of making clear the change that they require in the habitual concept of \nthe physical world. The readjustments demanded are radical, and at first \n\n\n* From the stenographic notes of an address before the New York Branch of The Theosophical Society \nFebruary i6th, 1929. \n\n\n301 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n302 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nseem very strange, so that the task is one of no small difficulty. That I am \nable to undertake it at all is in large part due to the brilliant expository genius \nof Professor A. S. Eddington, Plumian Professor of Astronomy in the Uni\u00ac \nversity of Cambridge, from whose work I shall draw freely. Though his \ntechnical Report on the Relativity Theory of Gravitation requires more than \nusual mathematical knowledge, his two popular books upon the subject \nSpace , Time and Gravitation , published in 1923, and The Nature of the Physical \nWorld, which has just appeared in book form, embodying the series of Gifford \nLectures he delivered in the University of Edinburgh in 1927\u2014can be read \nby anyone who is really interested in the subject. \n\nRevolutionary as is the change in view which the Theory of Relativity \nasks of us, it is not without precedent. It is directly comparable to that \ninvolved in ceasing to think of the earth as fixed and flat, and conceiving it, \ninstead, as a globe in very rapid motion. It is comparable in its difficulties \nand paradoxes, in its causes, and in its results. How great these difficulties \nwere we do not now often pause to recall, though I fancy most of us encoun\u00ac \ntered some of them in our own childhood when we thought of the antipodes. \nLactantius, a contemporary of Constantine and a man of no mean intellectual \nability, reflects the attitude of his time towards those who maintained the \nsphericity of the earth and that people might live upon its other side. \n\n\u201cHow can there be anyone so absurd,\u201d he says in the Divina Institutions , \n\u201cas to think that men can have their feet higher than their heads; or that in \nthose parts of the earth, instead of resting on the ground, things hang down; \ncrops and trees grow downward; rain, snow and hail fall upward onto the \nearth? Who indeed can wonder at the hanging gardens, which are reckoned \nas one of the seven wonders, when the philosophers would have us believe \nin hanging fields and cities, seas and mountains? ... If you ask those \nwho maintain these monstrous notions why everything does not fall off into \nthe heavens on that side, they reply that it is of the nature of things that all \nobjects having weight are borne toward the centre, and that everything is \nconnected with the centre, like the spokes of a wheel; while light things, like \nclouds, smoke and fire, are borne away from the centre and seek the heavens. \n\nI scarce know what to say of such fellows who, when once they have wandered \nfrom truth, persevere in their foolishness and defend their absurdities by new \nabsurdities. Sometimes I imagine that their philosophizing is all a joke, \nor that they know the truth well enough and only defend these lies in a per\u00ac \nverse attempt to exhibit and exercise their wit.\u201d \n\nThat is quite the tone and temper of many lay discussions of the modern \nRelativity Theory. It is the paradoxes which strike us first, and upon which \nwe are most tempted to dwell; but that is not the way in which we can come \nmost quickly to some understanding of the theory itself. For this we must \nlook to what can be said in its favour, rather than in disfavour, and consider \nthe reasons which have led to its adoption. These reasons are, as I have \nsuggested, comparable to those of which Lactantius was so scornful, and to \nthose which later led to the abandonment of the old Ptolemaic system in the \n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY \n\n\n303 \n\n\ntriumph of Galileo and Copernicus. Though it is not the usual method of \napproach, I believe we can come to the heart of the matter most easily bv \nmaking use of these parallels. \n\nFor the sphericity of the earth, there were good observational reasons,\u2014 \nnot apparent in small areas of the earth\u2019s surface, but becoming evident when \nobservations at distant points were compared. So far as we can go back in \nthe history of astronomy, we find that the shape of the earth was known \nto the learned, though not popularly accepted. It was as correctly given in \nthe Ptolemaic as in the Copemican system. For the theory that the earth \nrevolved around the sun, however, there was no observational or experimental \nevidence whatever. On the contrary, the evidence of the senses was all \nagainst it. One could see the sun rise and set; the stars circle through the \nnight, their motion known through the ages, charted and predictable. Coper\u00ac \nnicus had to overthrow this evidence of the senses, and to point out that in \nthe very nature of things no one could tell from observation whether it was \nthe earth or the heavens which moved. All one could say was that they \nmoved m relation to each other. Here he took his stand upon the first principle \nof Relativity, and challenged his opponents to overthrow him. Of course \nit supported his view no more than it did theirs, but it nullified the advantage \nthey had had and the evidence on which they had relied. It left a fair field \nfor either theory, so that what actually determined the adoption of the Coper- \nmean system was the greater simplicity of the motions it assumed, and the \nrelative ease of mathematical calculation,\u2014these, and the feeling which we \nall have, but which is often erroneous, that the simpler is the more probable. \nIt seemed far more probable and simple to suppose that the earth was turn\u00ac \ning on its axis than that all the heavens were revolving around it; and by assum\u00ac \ning that it revolved around the sun, the complicated epicycloids of the apparent \nmotion of the planets could be reduced to simple circles or ellipses. It was \nthen simplicity, and only simplicity, that led us to the theory that the earth \nmoved round the sun, instead of the sun moving round the earth. In all \nother ways the system of Ptolemy was as accurate, as successful in predicting \nevents, as that of Copernicus,\u2014and was far more closely in accord with the \nfamiliar appearance of things; for to trace the motion of the stars as we see \nthem, we have still to translate back from Copernicus to Ptolemy. \n\nBut what if the sun itself be also moving? Let us think for a moment of \nthe way in which motions compound. We are on a train; when, as Eddington \nsays, we look out of the window and see a cow gliding past at fifty miles an \nhour, \u201cwe remark that the creature is enjoying a rest.\u201d The train draws \nout from the depot; we walk back along the aisle, moving with regard to the \ntrain, but, for a time, keeping abreast of the same point in the platform. The \nplatform itself is moving with the motion of the earth, turning around the \nearth\u2019s axis, hurtling through space around the sun; and there is no reason to \nassume that the sun itself is at rest. What is at rest? What is our actual \nmotion? May all these different motions actually nullify one another? \nIs there any means of telling? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n304 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThis is the question that Michelson and Morley asked themselves forty \nyears ago, and thought that they had found a way to answer it. It is a well \nknown fact, easily proved by arithmetical calculation or experiment, that it \ntakes less time to swim a hundred yards across the current of a river and \nback, than it does to swim a hundred yards up or down stream and back. \nYou go through more water, in that sense your course is longer, in the latter \ncase than in the former. If then, as science supposes, the earth is moving \nthrough the aether like a boat through the water, or, what is the same thing, \nif the aether be flowing past the earth, it should take a swimmer in the aether \nlonger to go a given distance and back in the direction of the earth\u2019s motion, \nthan to go the same distance and back at right angles to that motion. Michel\u00ac \nson and Morley performed this experiment of racing two beams of light, as \nswimmers in the aether, to distant mirrors and back over courses at right angles \nto each other. They confidently expected that one would return before the \nother, and that so the direction of the earth\u2019s motion through the aether \nwould be determined. Greatly to their surprise the result was a dead-heat. \nThey turned the apparatus around and tried it again, but with the same \nresult. The two rays returned at the same time. They waited six months, \nso that the earth\u2019s motion around the sun should have reversed its direction; \nbut again there was a tie. This negative result appeared to contradict all \ntheory and experience. Two equal runners are set unequal courses, yet \nreturn at the same time. How explain the contradiction? \n\nFor a while there was no explanation. If we can imagine that Ptolemy \nand Copernicus were watching the experiment, it may be supposed that \nPtolemy would have had his revenge; for if the race appeared to prove any\u00ac \nthing, it seemed to prove that the earth was at rest in the aether,\u2014that Coper\u00ac \nnicus was wrong and that Ptolemy had been right. But by this time the \nconcept of the earth\u2019s motion has been too closely interwoven into the whole \nfabric of science to be easily extricated, and, so far as I know, the possibility \nwas never even suggested. The negative results of the Michelson-Morley \nexperiment, and of others which confirmed them, remained a mystery until \nFitzGerald advanced the theory that our ideas and measurements of length \nwere themselves dependent upon motion, and that the handicap which it had \nbeen thought had been imposed upon one of the two beams of light was \ntherefore illusory. It had been made to travel more miles, but each \u201cmile\u201d \nhad been shortened. \n\nThis at first seems a very wild assumption, but we must remember that all \nour measurements of length are ultimately equivalent to measurements with \na foot rule or yard stick\u2014the application of a rigid rod, end to end over the \ndistance to be measured,\u2014and so depend upon the assumption that that rigid \nrod maintains the same length. Now we know that certain things, tempera\u00ac \nture for instance, change the length of the rod. The length of the rod repre\u00ac \nsents, in the scientific view, a balance between the forces drawing its particles \ntogether, and the motions which tend to keep them apart. To increase the \ntemperature is to increase the motions, and so to lengthen the rod. This is \n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY \n\n\n305 \n\n\nunderstood and allowed for, the length of the rod being \u201ccorrected\u201d for tem\u00ac \nperature. But it had not occurred to anyone, before, that a similar allow\u00ac \nance might have to be made for any increase in the forces drawing the par\u00ac \nticles together. These forces are of an electro-magnetic character. The \nparticles are charged with electricity, and when an electric charge is set in \nmotion it generates a magnetic field, or force. This magnetic force acts to \ndraw the particles closer together in the direction of the motion given to the \nrod, so that when it is moved in the direction of its length, it becomes shorter \nthan when it is moved at right angles to its length. For small velocities the \ncontraction is negligible, but for large velocities it is by no means negligible. \nCalculated theoretically, upon the basis of Maxwell\u2019s electro-magnetic laws, \nit is found to be exactly what is required to account for the result of the \nMichelson-Morley experiment. The increased number of metres, which had \nto be traversed by the ray in the direction of the earth\u2019s motion, was exactly \nbalanced by the shortening of each metre along that course. \n\nThis introduces us into Alice in Wonderland. As I point my walking stick \nin one direction or another its length changes. I turn my body and grow \nthin and broad, or deep of chest and narrow of shoulder. I lie down on a \nbed with my head to the north and am of different length than when I sleep \nwith my head to the east. Why do we not notice it? Because everything \nkeeps the same scale, the same appearance, and so the fact is concealed from \nus, at least this is the explanation that Relativists ask us to accept. But \nas they point out that all motion is relative, the effects of motion must also \nbe relative, and therefore would only exist for an observer with respect to \nwhom we were in rapid motion, as we are not in respect to one another. The \nresult would, we are to suppose, be very noticeable to some observer on another \nplanet, or to the consciousness of a \u201cbeta\u201d particle shooting by us at something \nless than the speed of light. But to ourselves, our own motion, and the effects \nwhich it may produce, cannot be apparent. One effect must always neutralize \nanother. This is what has been called the first or restricted Principle of Rela\u00ac \ntivity: \u201cIt is impossible by any experiment to detect uniform motion relative \nto the aether.\u201d \n\nIndeed, if we try to think of what motion through a perfectly continuous \nand homogeneous medium might mean to us, we shall find the idea replete \nwith difficulties. We can think of motion through water, because we con\u00ac \nceive of water as composed of particles. We leave one particle behind and \ncome to another. But we cannot do this if there be no particles\u2014if all be \nhomogeneous and continuous. As Madame Blavatsky long since pointed \nout. the scientific conception of the aether is a congeries of mutually con\u00ac \ntradictory properties, and science to-day confesses this. It is a highly illogical \nconception, though it has been a useful one; and there is every indication that \nit must be revised\u2014as Madame Blavatsky contended. \n\nThe General Relativity Theory\u2014as distinct from the first, restricted theory \n\u2014may be approached, not through the motion of the earth, but through its \nsphericity; for this theory has, as one of its first and most important results, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3o6 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto find out what that invokes b ^ ** CUrVed \u2019 . not as flat We want \n\nment to the ordinary man Let^r tlf ^ 3 unint elligible state * \n\u201cordinary man,\u201d who int h e oaS t, ^ ^ C \u00b0 nSlder the P osition of the \n\nhe \u201c ve of iKand see wh - \n\nwas really thought of ^e^endint 3 *' i\u201d 1 -* 1 ? primit ' ve conception, the earth \n\ndirections in which men were frl ? 7 \u201c dl mensions,-i n the horizontal \nirregularities). As we have said wet\u2122 0 '\" 6 ar0Und (mountains being mere \nthe conception of the learned but it n \u00b0 tlme n blstory when this was \n\nman. A third dimension was of eo ^ PraCtlCaI notion of the ordinary \ndirection; but this was no tTJ, ^ to . him \u2019 the U P a \"d down \n\nsurface extension, but rather with \u201c HlS mind with the idea of \n\nof the turtle, or the^shoufdijT d \u00b0\u2122 to the ba ck \n\nconcerned. He knew about \" but d regard TV**\"? ? *\u201c*^ y \ndo, in order to understand the views JfZ , , firSt thm g he bad to \n\ndisregarded dimension and to add it to th * fiT**\u2019 Was to & ve hee d to this \naway, for the time being from the mem J Z tW \u00b0\u2019 tUming his a ttention \nIts solid substance as extending in ,11!^ \u00b0 f the earth ' and thinking of \nhad done this, and had the sS in his mtdl 1 *\u00b0\u2122 \u201c Whe/he \n\nfor it m any way he chose, and the \u201cscientific\u201d 6 \u2019 ^ ^ * SUrface \n\nwas a spherical one, was no longer difficult of T * the true surface \nthought of as a plane simnlv curved ! comprehension. What he had \nbeen neglecting. P 7 CUrVed ar0Und th \u2122g b the dimension he had \n\none step higher up^ We WbeerthS^ 8 7 ^ t0 SpaCe itself ' but \n\nembracing north and south east and f g \u00b0 extension as three-dimensional, \nnizant of another We, too, are cog! \n\nconnection with the extension of space-^ffiv a 7 th \u00b0 Ught of \u00ab \n\nspace, duration in time. We have to nut all h S f sort . of \"thickness\u201d of \nand think of duration in space, \u201cspace-time \u201d ^ \u00b0 U f d ' mens 'ons together, \n\nour idea of extension a four-fold thine whom\u2019 ^ 3 S ' ng e wbole . thus making \nThis is, of course, a very familiar L \\ n \u00b0 W 11 ' S generall y but three-fold \name Blavatsky pre ente h ? Pt t0 Students of Theosophy Mad \n\n1. oven\" 17ZIZ S\"\u201d\" 8 * ^ S \u2018\"\u00ab ^ id \n\nsolely of what is seen at any particular m o^Tk \" ^ d \u00b0 6S not consist \nOf all its various and changing conditions f \u201c'\u2022l bUt * S com P osed of the sum \nfonn to its disappearance from the earth Us app \u00ae arance in the material \nfrom eternity in the 'future\u2019 and pass bv dir gf\u00ae SUm t0tals \u2019 tbat exist \neternity in the \u2018past \u2019. No one would sL E T\u2122? matter to exist for \nthe sea came into existence as it left the ah- an/ 7 m6tal dropped in to \nthe water, and that the bar itself consisted onh, T/I^ t0 6Xlst as k en tered \nw uch at any given moment coincided with H \u00b0 f ^ cross ' secti \u00b0n thereof \nseparates, and at the same time joins the a L , mathemati c a l plane that \n\n\" of perso \u201d \u201d d ,hi -\u2014 \n\n\nr- u \u00b0n, as ]t were . Of their total selves as fC V \u00b0 Ur senses a cross- \n(as matter) on their way from one e ter ffitvJ thr \u00b0 Ugh time *nd space \nthat duration \u2019 in which alone anvthin/h . n \u00b0 ther : and these two constitute \nbut able to cognize it there\u201d (TheSecret Dor/\u2122 eX \u2019 Stence - were \u00b0ur senses \n\nto us in a \u2019t \u00b0\u00b0y ***' Jt is present \n\nimagine that each page of {he hL\u00b0 7 * Washm \u00a3t\u00b0n, let us sav. We can \nWashington, and \u2022 \u25a0**\u00ab or an aocoun, \u201c \n\n\"\u00bb life, as it were, i\u201e,\u201e , s\u201e\u201c \u201c \u201e ' ; \u201c C \"\u201c\"\" *\u00bbe, stratifying \n\nbook illustrate our ordinlry no, ^T[\u201c Th \u00b0\u201c \u00ab thl \n\ncertain condition of .Hairs, here and now j 1 *\u2122 1 \u201c'\u00abMce. Here is a \n\u00bbstmg At anothei ZZt thl i, T T *\" sp *\u201c relations. \nWe have stratified our life ffit^TsucceTsio an f \u00b0 ther S6t \u00b0 f Space relations.\u2019 \nleaves of the book stratify the life of Geor , ,T' States J ust as the \nbook as a whole that is his biography and Z But ft is tb e \n\narbitrary. We can conceive of it as IiavL K stratlfi cat.on is artificial and \nstratified, in a very different way Oeome wTsh ! VVr ' tten ' 3nd consequently \nas mystic. The temporal sequent nfed^fb^K ^ as s ^n \n\nacross m many ways, once we have before us uTf' bUt may be cut \nis this whole, unified life, that it iTim\u2122? ! Wh \u00b0 le We of the man. It \nWe shall see more clearly the real mT h t0 KraSp ' So Eddington says \nr,d \u201e.r minds of this i.luCn \u2122 S \u201d'\u2122 \" we eS \n\nrevealed, though strangely unfamiliar T Z , W \u00b0 rld that the n stands \na difference between simplicity and familiarity A SimP ' er \u2018 There is \nto us in the form of rashers, but the unst at ed P ' S may be m \u00b0 St familia r \nbiologist who wishes to understand how he a ffi H If \u201c Slmp,er \u00b0 b i e ct to the \nWe may see from this how, once vve have \" ' fUnCti \u00b0 nS \u2019\u201d \n\nmay recarve them in new forms no on! P \u201c Sp3Ce and time together, we \nwould correspond to curved surfaces -sp\"'\" at - StratlfiCati \u00b0 nS \u2019 but in what \ndimension of time. We may see too that 35 14 Were \u2019 thr \u00b0ugh the \n\nmany different ways- so that what \u2019 h Sh \u00b0 U,d be possible do this in \n\n-5ft \u2022* \u2014\u2022 -w s: \n\nrigidly fixed and the same for all under all cond't m \u00b0 n \u00b0 f time is not \n\nto us m the thought that Washington\u2019s life af TherC 15 nothin S new \n\nat a very different pace and in a dfrection diff T, \u00b0 haVe pr \u00b0ceeded \nhouseholder; or that those who apmS -?h his life as soldier or \n\nbun by different standards and malk his prot^ Sh \u00b0 Uld measure \n\nof events. Men are for eve^mcasu' Pr0gr f S by a diffe rent time-sequence \njudgments tell us as much about them a! ah !,l t by themse lves, and their \n\n\u201d\u00b0 l \u201d ew \u2019 bdl is -~ have S: J-\u25a0: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY \n\n\nAft \u201e all time, as distinct from dura- \nwhat we can do even with t e ou el \\ recur ri' n g phenomena. We measure \ntion, depends .pen the law ot cy \u00ab.^ ^ by the phases of the \nit by things which recur: by \u00bb\u201d'\u00ab\u00bb\u201c p pendu , um and the revolut.ons \nmoon, 'by days and years by the beating of a pen ^ ^ hang toge ther \n\nof the hands of a clock, measured by our pulse does \n\nas well as they do. It is perfectly patent tha ^ ^ does ^ time of 0 ur \n\nnot always agree with that \u201c^Naval-Observatory time. It has been the \ninner experience always pbe w her slig htingly of the time of inner \n\nhabit of \u201cthe ordinary man to\u2019 ^ and relative; but science is now \n\nexperience, as something pu e observatory time that is \u201crelative\", \nassuring him that it is really theOb i explicitly remind you \n\nWe must come now to gravit . j am doing my best \n\nof what I sincerely hope, you have^hs^ all along.^ ^ f and \n\nto present a definite scien fi tions; but these confirmations do no \n\nhas received very striking t ions and as it stands, and as I shall \n\nprove that it is correct in all its assutnp^ ^ ^ q{ The0 sophy. In certain \n\ntry to portray it, it is neither my f the classic form of Newton s \n\nparticulars, notably in its abandonm f contentions; but m \n\nU it is in accord with some of Madanrn B ^ ^ ^ gi lts \n\nothers it does not accord. . Einste i n has announced an extension \n\nfinal form. Within the past month, that others wiU follow, \n\nand modification, and there Y ^ a comparison with that which \n\nWe can again approach out' P was thou ght of as flat, gravitation \n\nfaced our predecessors. When ^ ^ fall down if they were not held \n\ncould be stated very simply, th g accord with experience; every- \n\nup . It was simple, universal and in per wag {ound to be a sphere, \n\nbody knew and understood it. Bu ^ simple to fit the facts. Either \n\nit was obvious that this simp wbat was meant by \u201cdown \n\nthings fell \u201cup\u201d on the other side of the ea ^ same every- \n\nhad to be redefined, and instead of be ^ ^ & merely re i at ive and local \nwhere and for all things, down h dt b earth - s surface, different, too \n\nthing, different at every f ffe \"ent p o the mean i ng from a spacial \n\nat every different moment of ^\u2122g\u00a3 b j ag dependent upon matter-a pointer \nor geometrical concept to someth g 1 where ver the earth was and \ndirected to matter, to the centredthe earth M a univer sal \n\nwherever the pointer was. Gravitation n ^ ^ moye in empty space \nand uniform law, describing bance 0 f the uniform condition, due tjfc \n\nbut as a local phenomenon \u00ab ach ievement was, of cour# \n\nthe influence of the earth. Newton s g all ma tter, not only \n\nthat he conceived a s ? mllal 'd\u2019^ ur \u201c a \u00b0 itation something of the generality it \nby the earth; and this restored to g t ^ restore all of that generality \n\n55S^\" r : \n\n\n308 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nnize that these differences, and dependence of the judgment on the judge, \nhave their direct correspondences in the physical world; and that the most \nmaterial properties of \u201cinanimate\u201d bodies, their mass and energy, their size \nand shape, their presence in the \u201cpast\u201d or \u201cfuture\u201d all those qualities which \nseemed most constant and independent of the personal colouring of our con\u00ac \nsciousness\u2014are relative, and vary with the motion of the beholder, though \nthis beholder be but a mechanical, scientific instrument in a laboratory. \nScience, it is true, has not yet recognized that this relativity and mutability \nof the outer world is but the reflection of the richness and depth of the inner \nworld\u2014and therein lies our quarrel with science; but it has at least begun to \nrecognize that the outer world has no permanence and definiteness of its own; \nthat it is but a shadow-land of shifting symbols. \n\nWe said, a moment ago, that what is merely time for one man may be a \nmingling of time and space for another. Professor Eddington illustrates this \nby a clock striking the hours. Our clock here has just struck nine; an hour \nfrom now it will strike again; and for us these will be two events which, occur\u00ac \nring in the same place, were separated only in time, an hour apart. But \nfor an observer on the sun, if we imagine him to see the fall of the hammers, \nthe two events would not have occurred in the same place, but about seventy \nthousand miles apart, for that is approximately the distance that the earth \ntravels in an hour on its orbit around the sun. When we speak of a \u201cdistant \nevent,\u201d we may mean \u201cdistant\u201d in space, or in time, or in both, for both \nseparate events. The Relativist, seeking greater definiteness, speaks of the \n\u201cinterval\u201d between two events, this interval being made up of two com\u00ac \nponents, one of space and one of time. Its measurement is a matter of the \ngeometry of space-time; but, as we have just seen, each of its two components \nis relative, and different observers, in different states of motion, would divide \nthem up differently. This opens a very fruitful field of paradox, where it \nwould be amusing and interesting to linger, if we had not so much else claim\u00ac \ning our attention. But as it is, we must seek the simplest view, and this \nis perhaps offered by the analogy that we used before. When our predecessors \nbegan to think of the earth as a sphere, they had to realize that what were \n\u201chorizontal\u201d and \u201cvertical\u201d for a man in one latitude were quite different \nfrom what they were at another. Between the pole and the equator they \nwould be completely reversed. At the equator the North Star would be on \nthe horizon; at the pole it would be directly overhead. This may make it \nseem less extraordinary that space and time should be relative in the same way. \n\nBut there is a real difference between them, just as there is a real difference \nbetween horizontal and vertical, a difference that we cannot ignore. As the \nforce of gravity acts vertically, not horizontally, upon us, so time acts on us \nas space does not. Though we put time and space together into a single \nwhole, it does not mean that they may therefore be indiscriminately confused \nand recarved in any way. Our notion of time is really dual. There is an \ninner time and an outer time, and we cannot take the liberties with the inner \nthat we can with the outer. As the two are not unrelated, there are limits to \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3 io \n\n\ntheosophical quarterl \n\n\n^ I \u2022 \n\nfall vertically downward,\u2019 tmdhg^ifZft'to th^ *f\u201c everythin g tending to \n\u25a0nes perpendicular to the flat surface on wh t'T*' t0 m \u00b0 Ve in P\"\u00aeUel \nthese parallel lines were all taken awav and ^ ^ In the new theory \nfrom every centre of matter and criss crossin ^ ^ Star \u2018 rays ' -bating \n\n>ng and inextricable manner. Instead of a \u00ab an \u00b0? her ln a mos t bewilder- \nthe crystal globes of the heavens ma^'est \u201e % rule d space, across which \n\nspotty space, each dot pulling against *\u2018 1CalIy *: evolved - he had a dotted and \nitself whatever its influence coufd reach d \u00b0 l and trying to draw to \n\n\u00abre, as the plain man must have seen it. mS 3 m \u00b0 St unattra ctive pic- \n\nformulated his firstTwof^lon \u2019'\u201cTu \u201c Newton \u2019 s when he \nuniform motion in a straight line, except ^ \u2018\u00b0 remain at rest or \n\nhaTT th j at State by an ext emal force \u201d But\u00b0tl ^ ey 3re com P e Hed to \nhad abandoned the idea of a fixed fl a f \u00ae ut the trouble was that, once we \n\nb \u00b0 dieS tmded t0 move straights \u2018 \"\" PerfeCtIy apparent that, \nthat did arf\u00ab a //y so move. Nor coulfweTT \u2019 We C \u00b0 Uld find no body \nTherefore, if Newton\u2019s law of motion \u2122 , bnd any that remained at rest \n\nacted upon by an external force. The ever ^ *7\u00b0' b \u00b0 dy must alwa y s be \n\nt nr -ssr*: !ac,iv ' ,ora ' \n\nthe teacher says, tends to move'Va staSr 4 *\u201d 8 reaSOning ' Everything \nWe throw a stone, and it does not inoveTn a r ^ H \u00b0 W d \u00b0 We ka \u2122 thS \ncomments, that is because gravity \u00a3,ib i d ^ Yes - the teacher \n\nFmllsit down? Because if gravity <1* not Sone ,J\u00b0 We kn \u00b0w gravity \n\nis \u00a3 th^tgrsOcular,. , h ; o\u201e,;tp* St ' aieh * \n\n\u201c nC ! Usi0n : ll 'M this univer\u2122r m \u201d\u201c\"\u00ae f \u2018N T' \u00b0 ut SToS \n\n. P \u201c* d human \u201ej\u201e d for ^ which ha' \n\nd,r.ct Mion \u201e , dis \u25a0\u00ab could \u201e pIa , n \n\n?*\u201c\" '\". lhe iutervening medium w,th \u201c t contradictions, as a \n\nX\u201d ioL'tr\"'\u2022-\u25a0 Msiz? r eihi \u201d E \n\n\u2022he ma,hematic \u00b0\u2018 \n\nbodies (hke people) really want to\u00b0 vo ddlngton remar ks, the suggestioiTthat \n\n\u00bb~?o sr* * \n\nto move differentlv ; J\u201c* \u00b0 Ve m straight lines but y \u2019 theref \u00b0re, \n\n5 \u00b0 of spuce-time (for ,i me \u201e ust \n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY \n\n\n3ii \n\n\nbe involved as well as space) would account for this, so that bodies should \ntend to move as they do move. The question may admit of more than one \nanswer. Basing his work upon that of Minkowski, and approaching the \nproblem as one of pure mathematics, Einstein has found several different \nsolutions. Though differing in detail, however, they are all of the same char\u00ac \nacter, and have successively \u201cexplained\u201d geometrically a widening range of \nphysical phenomena. As a result, gravitation was first identified with inertia, \nand, within the last few weeks, with electro-magnetic phenomena as well,\u2014 \nas Madame Blavatsky always said it should be. The mathematics cannot \nconcern us here, and our imaginations do not function very easily in the \nfour-dimensional space-time with which the mathematics deals. But if we \ncontent ourselves with trying to draw a sort of two-dimensional picture, \nrepresenting space as a surface, it is not hard to form a rough idea of what \nthat surface should be like. In the first place, it must be curved,\u2014not flat; \nand, where there is no matter, this curvature must be smooth and uniform. \nBut wherever there is matter, there must be a hummock, or hill, breaking \nthe smooth curvature. If you tried to walk across such a surface, these \nhummocks would deflect your course, and your path in their vicinity would \nhave a different curvature. Relativity theory, therefore, returns to a geomet\u00ac \nrical picture of gravitation; but instead of the flat space and ruled vertical \nlines of the primitive picture, it has a curved, hummocky space, and curved \nlines, and it contends that the Newtonian conception was the result of trying \nto force this curved, hummocky surface to lie flat on a plane. \n\nThis has been illustrated by the distortion that inevitably appears when\u00ac \never we try to draw a flat map of a considerable portion of the earth\u2019s surface. \nFor small areas, the distortion is negligible; but for large areas, if we preserve \none feature, we inevitably distort some other. Most maps are drawn so as \nto preserve direction: that is, the north and south lines run parallel up and \ndown the page. Now on the surface of the earth itself these lines are parallel \nat the equator, but all come together at the pole. On the map they are kept \nparallel, and the consequence is that a little circle around the pole is stretched \nout to the size of the equator, and all the northern regions are absurdly exag\u00ac \ngerated in size. Professor Eddington asks us to imagine how this would be \ninterpreted by some ancient inhabitant of Greece, let us say, who adhered to \nthe flat-earth theory and had found that flat maps represented quite correctly \nhis own familiar country. He would naturally assume that they were equally \ncorrect in their representation of Greenland, and that the distances sho\u00abn \nin his map were the true distances. But if he were to travel in GreenlWa, \nhe would find that these distances certainly seemed much shorter than they \n\u201creally\u201d were as given on his scientific map. He would find that he walked \nvery much faster in Greenland than in Greece, and was able to travel in a day \nwhat would have taken him weeks at home. How would he explain this? \nProfessor Eddington suggests that if he were an ordinary man of his time, \nhe would suppose that there was a demon living in Greenland who helped \ntravellers on their way; but that if he were a scientist he would \u201cinvent a \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n312 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nGrasco-Latin polysyllable\u201d to denote the mysterious force or agency which \nmade the journeys seem so short. Relativity exorcises the demon of gravita\u00ac \ntion by pointing out the curvature of the physical world. \n\nWhen we put together time and space into a single whole, it is necessary to \ndevise some common measure, or means of comparing distances in time with \ndistances in space. In Relativity theory this is done through the velocity of \nlight, which is about 186,000 miles a second, so that one second of time, \nwhat seems to us a very short period of time, corresponds to 186,000 miles, \nwhich seems to most of us, who are not astronomers, a fairly long distance in \nspace. If we try to imagine what a single second of our bodily existence \nwould look like in space-time, we must see it as very small\u2014no more than a \nfew feet in the space directions, but as stretching out 186,000 miles in the \ntime direction. When we realize that to picture our whole physical life, from \nbirth to death, we should have to multiply this length by the number of seconds \nour life lasts, we reach an idea in rather startling contrast to our ordinary \nnotion that \u201clife is short\u201d. It has been likened to an earth worm; but it is \na very thin and very elongated earth worm. It is often called our \u201cworld\u00ac \nline\u201d stretching through time and space. Every physical body can be so \nrepresented. \n\nThis affords us another way of illustrating gravitation geometrically. As \nwe did before with space alone, let us now try to imagine a surface model of \nspace-time. We shall have to condense all three dimensions of space into one, \nrepresenting extension in space by distances measured along one edge of this \ntable top, and extension in time by distances measured along the other edge \nat right angles to the first. The table cover, lying flat, would then serve to \nrepresent a flat space-time, in regions where there was no matter. Now let \nus try to introduce the picture of two material bodies in that space-time \nWe can do this by making two ridges or wrinkles in the table cover, taking \ncare to keep the rest of the cover smooth. As we trace their course, running \nback from the front edge of the table (along the time direction), these wrinkles \nmay approach or diverge, just as any two bodies may approach or diverge \nOf specia 1 interest to us, however, is the fact that they can run parallel \nThis is in flat space-time. But, Professor Eddington points out, if we try \nto make two similar puckers or wrinkles in a cloth lying on a curved instead \n\nand t 3 k 6 SU 1r ^ Sh f al \u2018 find that il is not 50 eas y t0 make them run parallel \n,, 1 , kL 7 P ., he rest . ofthe cloth smooth. My coat sleeve wrinkles at the \n\nti^tSTtor^ do not mn paraiiei: they run together - ** - \n\nJ ? I\" T Ut6S ' eft \u00b0 f the h \u00b0 Ur generousI y allowed me, and despite \n\ndemoted ?f! / P\u2122 63 *\u201c t0 \u00b0 sh \u00b0 rt for even the bare outline I have \n\nattempted. I have, of course, had to omit far more than I could suggest- \n\nparticular y I have slighted the paradoxes with which Relativity Theofv is \nreplete. It is these which are usually dwelt upon when Relativity is discussed \u2022 \nbut it seems to me that if they are introduced before the central ideas are \ngrasped, they tend to obscure rather than to clarify the subject. Therefore, \n\n\nTHE THEORY OF RELATIVITY \n\n\n313 \n\n\nI have deliberately omitted them. There are, however, certain conclusions \nto which the theory leads, that I ought not to omit, though I can do no mo e \nthan note them,-since an adequate discussion of any one would requ re \nan evening in itself. As you hear them, they will remind you of familiar \ntenets of Theosophy, and it is distinctly interesting that they should now be \nadvanced by a growing school of modern science as revolutionary discoveries. \nOnce more I must remind you that they are not my conclusions, but those which \n\nsciences now adva^ ^ ^ mQst sign i fica nt and profound change \n\nin the scientific view is the disappearance of causality from the physical world. \nForce could be regarded as causal; but geometry can scarcely be so regarded. \nPhysical science, in becoming geometrical, has thus become purely descriptive \nabandoning all effort to find or deal with causes. It sees the physical wo \nas but a \u2018\u2022shadow-land\u201d. Professor Eddington insists upon this over and \nover again. It has no causal properties; it merely registers effects Nor has \nit any \u201c reality \u201d in itself. Professor Eddington is not quite sure what others \nmean when they use the word \u2018\u2018reality\u201d; but, in his own thought, that which \nlies behind the physical universe must be something in the nature of m \nstuff\u201d, not always, perhaps, rising to the level of consciousness (or self- \nconsciousness), but still of the same nature as our own minds, which give a \nsignificance to the physical world it would not otherwise have. \n\n2 Cyclic law is imbedded in the stuff and shape of nature. All things move \n\nin cycles; and as cycles are the basis of time-in contradistinction to duration \n\n\u2014time is relative, as cycles are relative. \n\n, Space-time (manifestation) is not flat but curved, returning upon itself \nthrough a great sweep that yet is not infinite,-like the return upon itself of \nthe surface of a sphere whose radius is in the neighbourhood of a thousand \nmillion light-years (a light-second being 186,000 miles). The physical uni\u00ac \nverse is thus finite, but unbounded. All that reaches us physically, all that \nour senses can perceive, comes to us from within this sphere. Its centre is \neverywhere; its boundary nowhere. So Theosophy has spoken of the gg \nof Brahma\u201d, and of the great cycles or Maha Kalpas of manifestation. \n\n4. The physical universe has a grain in its structure, like the grain in \nrocks or trees, which is not merely relative, but inherent, and the same for all. \nThis grain is revealed by the track of light, and the velocity of light is the \nlimit which the velocities of material particles may approach, but never reac . \nAt the velocity of light, mass and inertia become mathematically infinite^ \nand time stops. \u201cLet there be light\u201d formed the grain, the structural hn <0 \n\nof all that followed. . \n\nr The light and heat and magnetism which radiate from a star out into \n\nspace, and which are not intercepted and absorbed by other bodies, return \nagain, through the curvature of space-time, to reconverge at the point of their \ndeparture. Thus there may be -ghost stars\u201d, indistinguishable from a \nsubstantial star as a source of light and heat, but in which there is no p y- \nSo Theosonhv traces the reconvergence of the skandhas, \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3 i 4 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nthe nucleus for the rebirth, or reincarnation, alike of stars and men and uni- \nverses. \n\n6. Matter has become wholly immaterial, unsubstantial. Mass and \nenergy are inter-convertible and pass one into the other. Inertia, gravity, \nelectro-magnetism, are likewise seen as different aspects of one another, and \nall are relative, the aspect that they show, or the effect that they appear to \nproduce, depending upon the motion of the observer. \n\n7. In all physical experiments and measurements of space and time and \nmass and force, we either gain only relative knowledge or else discover we \nare facing a mere truism. The reason for this is that we are viewing, or \nattempting to view the physical universe from within the physical universe , and \nare thus always measuring things against themselves. Our very notion of \n\u201clength\u201d is derived from what we try to measure by that notion. It is thus \nlike measuring a length by taking as a unit a fixed fraction of that length. \nEverything is four fourths of itself, or ten tenths of itself. Such measurements \nyield mere truisms; and all purely physical \u201claws\u201d are no more than such \ntruisms. \n\nOver and over again Madame Blavatsky contended that no real knowledge \nof any plane of being could be gained from within that plane; that to see it \ntruly, and as it is, it must be seen from above. This is fundamental in the \nwhole procedure of occultism. Relativity theory\u2014or more truly, as I believe, \nthe genius of Professor Eddington working on that theory\u2014now enunciates \nthe same conclusion. It, too, insists that no real knowledge can be gained \nthat way. There are no true and independent standards by which to measure. \nThe causes operative are not there. It is a mere shadow-land; but science has \nnot yet recognized that the more we compare shadows with shadows, the less \nwe perceive the one important thing about them that it behooves us most \nto perceive\u2014the fact that they are shadows. \n\nThey are of significance only in that they are shadows of something real; \nand that reality is to be seen, not by looking at the shadow or where it falls, \nbut by turning ourselves about until we face that which casts the shadow. To \nbecome absorbed in the play of shadows, to think of them as our own world, \nand to identify ourselves with them, is to make ourselves, also, but the shadow \nof ourselves. \n\nThe one outstanding merit of Relativity Theory is that it makes it so easy \nfor us to see this; to recognize the shadowy emptiness of the physical world, \nand so to turn away from it to the world of causal reality\u2014to the world of \nspiritual consciousness and spiritual being\u2014to the world to which Theosophy \npoints and to which it would lead us. \n\n\nHenry Bedinger Mitchell. \n\n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\nIII \n\n\n\u201cThe Race To The Sea\u201d \n\nA BOUT the middle of September, 1914, the world began to waken to a \nrealization of the fact (still only dimly felt, however) that the War was \n\n, \u201cJ*\u2122* a \" ew phase \u2019 that theatre of the fiercest conflict was to \n\nchange, and those of us in England who were straining at the leash in our \neagerness to get over there \u201d, breathlessly snatched at any and all news which \ncame from the front. Looking back upon that time, now that the years have \ngiven us not only a clearer knowledge of the actual military situation, denied \nus at the moment, but also a perspective, we can see that the rapidly moving \nand seemingly tangled events, so bewildering at all times to civilians, were in \nra rt y Btewiily p haPmg ^ hemselves int0 an overly plan. The Germans had \n\nBattl of^h A^\" 3 \u2019 BaMle \u00b0 f thC Mame had been followed b y the \n\nbut whfl! lh nC \u2019 r, 0fte \u201d b6en SP \u00b0 ken 0f as a transition battle; \n\nfrom Np the enemy had succeeded in forming a new line stretching eastward \nfrom Noyon to Verdun, and was attempting a new offensive, hoping to bring \n\nF Il t rr V1Ct \u00b0 r { Which they had failed t0 a t the Marne, the \nn - b H - Bh Command h ^ n their great flanking movement west of the \nOise, turning around the German right, aiming first at St. Quentin in the \nope of cutting off one of the chief lines of communication, then heading \n\nIf\u00b0the Afl f 3 m I h n GemlanS \u2019 \u00b0 f C \u00b0 UrSe \u2019 reco ^ ized the new danger \nstilf A A- S J\u00b0r d reach Be gUim ' they would i\u00b0 in the Belgian Field Amy \nstill guarding Antwerp and stretching along the Scheldt, and the German occm \n\npation of Belgium would become very precarious indeed; further, and of well \nnigh equal concern, all hope of taking the Channel ports-which it was now \nrealized should have been taken at a much earlier stage of the War, when \nit would have been comparatively easy-all chance of seizing this most impor\u00ac \ntant strategic position. opposite the English coast, would be lost, and a trench \ndeadlock would ensue. Hence during the latter half of September began the \nst plmse of the race to the sea\u201d, now so famous in history; that dash^ \nnorthwards by the two opposing forces, in their gigantic struggle each XjS \noutflank the other, the result being an incredibly swift extension of the active \nfront almost due north and south, instead of west and east, as formerly \nIf the Germans won in this desperate race; if they could seize Antwerp and \nannihilate the little Belgian Army, it would enable them to wheel sharply \nto the west and by quick marching reach the coast (where in late September \nthere was still a wide stretch of country between the Allied line and the sea) \n\nand sweep southward, seizing the Channel ports as they went, Calais being \nthe special objective. * \n\n\n315 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nThis is a very crude outline, even though viewed as it is now in retrospect, \nof the general military situation at the time that I first went to Belgium. \nOf course, only military experts could guess what was taking place. Civilians \nlike myself, living in the very midst of the bewildering comings and goings of \ntroops, could have only a vague and general idea of what was actually happen\u00ac \ning\u2014even if we had had the time to think much about it. We saw but a small \ncorner of the vast drama which was unrolling; the particular small comer \nwhere our work placed us, and I speak of this great phase of the War merely \nbecause it may be well to remind those who have momentarily forgotten the \nmighty \u201crace to the sea\u201d, what that \u201crace\u201d really was, and what it meant; \nalso because it naturally affected everything that we who were working in \nBelgium wanted to do or tried to do. \n\n\nI have said that during the first days of the War I joined some Red Cross \nclasses in London, in the hope of getting abroad with a recognized unit, but \nthat, when the classes came to an end, there followed an unaccountable pause, \na sudden cessation of activities. We were all left, as it were, dangling in mid \nair. The organizer of the classes had been an acquaintance of mine in pre- \nWar days, and she had urged me to join them, telling me that she had every \nreason to expect an Ambulance Corps to be formed from those students who \nsuccessfully survived the examinations, a Corps which would probably be \nsent to Belgium. I now determined to go to her boldly and ask what the \ntrouble was, and what her next move would be, for I was sufficiently \n\u201cinformed\u201d to realize that one must have an official excuse for getting abroad; \nwithout it one would find it almost impossible to secure the necessary visa. \nThe trouble turned out to be the not unusual one\u2014misunderstanding with the \nHigher Authorities. \u201cRed Tape\u201d again. But she had not given up all hope \nof her Ambulance Corps, for she was leaving London early the next morning, \nalone, for Belgium, to \u201clook over the ground\u201d with an eye to establishing \na foothold. \n\n\u201cI am convinced that the great thing is to be on the spot,\u201d she said. \u201cNo \nearthly use to be planning work on one side of the Channel, when you yourself \nare on the other.\u201d \n\n\u201cThat is exactly my idea,\u201d I exclaimed, \u201cI\u2019m going with you.\u201d \n\nThere followed a somewhat animated discussion. She preferred, not \nunnaturally, to go alone, since she had no idea what she would be getting \ninto \u201cover there\u201d, and I felt that she owed me at least this chance, since \nafter all, she had urged me to join her classes, and I had in consequence lost \nall that good time. I frankly told her that I was merely making her my \u201coffi\u00ac \ncial excuse , because once in Belgium I had no intention whatever of volun\u00ac \nteering in her Ambulance Corps unless it materialized immediately. Once on \nBelgian soil I intended to strike out for myself. On this basis she agreed to \nmy joining her. \n\nSo it came about that on that late September morning, after a rattier \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n3W \n\n\nhectic night spent in hurried \n\nWhich I was embarking, I found myself, with a heavy tw ^ \n\nhand bag (my only equipment) on the Os en P P . cheerily \n\nStation, looking for my travelling \" this time to my \n\nthrough the queer, mixed crow , \u00ae v \u2018 conceivable kind of traveller \n\npresence. The platform was packed with eve^ conce.v u was n0 \n\n'T'Vto iicnal tourist was conspicuous ny - \n\nplace forhlm; or,^fhe were^ oT course^officet^tchnnht^c^hc \n\nfor the hr,. \u00abrne\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 \n\nwar correspondents; chaplains, non ce.c 1 k ne w that the Norfolk \n\nwho did not \"look the part\", though tomeh^yon^U..* ^ \n\njacket was disguising a real mission, before so much individual \n\nmasculine, half feminine, for in those fi^t weeks before so m^ ^ ^ \n\neffort ceased to be purely individual and b fT whate ver we thought would \nan acknowledged uniform), many of us matched at whatever w ^g ^ ^ \n\nbe practical, appropriate, and in ica ive o * a p degrees and kinds, \n\nplunging- It was a strange \u00bb**;\u00bb\u00bbconsum.ng \noutwardly \u00a3-*\u00a3 toward the end of Sep- \n\ndesire to be m it , to se platform of Victoria station, saying \n\ntember, we gathered on that depa P { a term i nU s. \n\nour last words, or t.k.ng our las. look at tho ^old ye to \n\nhygreat \n\nGhent, which was our destination Them ^ ^ ^ va , uable \n\nwe had come for (our passports , in an east bound military \n\nletters besides), offered us the necessary transport in i ^ \n\nS2\u201c^ washed wondering it we had.\u2122r pas\u00bbd a day so \n\nPa Sn\u00ab^* s\u00aba\u00bb, we - - \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n318 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nIf before leaving London, I had had any misgivings about being able to find \nimmediate and useful employment, these misgivings were soon dissipated. \nThere was work and to spare in helping to feed and tend the refugees who \nwere pouring into Ghent by every road from the east. They came washing \nin on the flood-tide of calamity, terror-stricken yet dumb at the horrors they \nhad seen, at the immensity of the disaster, at the swiftness of their own utter \nruin; and Ghent, the lovely, dreamy old town of pre-War days, turned itself \ngenerously into a vast asylum, transforming the great Palais des Fetes (grim \nirony!) into a place where at least they had a roof over their poor heads, \nwhere they lay, bedded on straw hastily put down on the floors of the great \nhalls; packed so close, men and women and children, that at dusk (which it \nwas when I first saw them) you could hardly distinguish their separate forms. \nThere was no privacy, not even decency for most, and the clean, wholesome \nout-of-door life they were accustomed to, had been changed into what inevi\u00ac \ntably became irksome and wearisome surroundings. The first night that I \nwent there, which was the night after my arrival, there were nearly eleven \nthousand, if I remember.correctly, and they were still pouring in. Some of \nthese poor creatures, after a day or two, or as soon as they were able to walk \nagain, got up and staggered westward to the sea, and so by boat to England, \nor south, on foot, into France: others lay inert, too stunned to care what \nbecame of them,\u2014lay inert until the fall of Antwerp and the evacuation of \nGhent, when, joining the fresh, on-rushing tide of human misery, they fled. \n\nThe stories that they brought were so black, so foul, so unspeakable, that, \nhad it not been for the look in their faces (a look strangely alike in all, as \nthough the profundity of their suffering had gone to the very roots of Being, \nunifying them, giving them a kind of mysterious and tragic sameness)\u2014had it \nnot been for that look, you would hardly have been able to believe what was \ntold you. One cannot repeat most of these tales, they are too iniquitous, but \nthe many War records will tell the truth about these inconceivable outrages. \nDay after day, of those first days of mine in Ghent, I watched these poor \nhuman derelicts come crushing, thronging, surging. They had been herded \nin front of marching German troops, a human screen to protect the enemy \nwhich had ruined them; they had seen those they loved shot dead while pray\u00ac \ning at the foot of their wayside shrines,\u2014shot dead for no reason other than \nthe lust of blood; they had watched their wives and children driven into \ntheir cellars, there to be burnt alive, or driven out of their cellars where they \nhad sought shelter, into the village square\u2014to be butchered. Faint with \nexhaustion they came, many of them with terrible gaping wounds which, in \nthe precipitate flight, had not been tended; bayonet thrusts and jagged \nwounds made by flying shrapnel, where human flesh had been torn to rags. \nThose who could not walk, and for whom there was not even primitive trans\u00ac \nport, came limping or almost crawling; children were born by the wayside, \nyoung girls and women and old men, with injuries past healing, fell and died \nwhere they fell, and remained there, still and deserted, just as they had fallen, \nwhile the endless caravan of human woe passed on, and left them. Perhaps \n\n\n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\nthey were happier to have died q 319 \n\nSSlHbl/toT - some.\u2122. \n\nhusbands. tb eir bro.h'ers \u201c\u201cThl't\u2019 you fh\u201d \n\n\u00ab c ri?r/ w.sT h ;:r h \u201e\u201d \n\nlived in jW she had eome from k \"\u00b0\u2019 V \u201c> \n\nforget. Most tembToZn'T* \u00b0 f th<3Se women was a thin/\u2122' 1 hunfiTy \nwhole course of the w \u2019 however . worse than anyth' V\u00b0 U C \u00b0 uld never \nwhat they had J. Were the children utteriv Z 7 S&W durin & the \n\nLo \n\nthen? They did ,w\u2019i \u201c Ghent were to be evacuated t * you w \u00b0uld ask. \nthey live when the W H \u00b0 W ^ tileir home village had been h\u2122 WOUld the y go \n\n\u201c\u00bb\u00bb\u2022> T\u201e k r* ov Th \u25a0 (Wc uld \n\ninterest them little L T own misery seemed inV d be over \n\ninjury to their \u2019 S \u00b0 stunned were they but if a, \", 3 cunous way to \n\nremark on this) \u00a3?** \u00ab ^ \u201c *\u00b0 th \"\u00bb \u00b0> \u00ab>e \n\nin the Belgian character^ r \u00b0\u201c sed lmm ediately, f\u201e r one nr??\"\u00ae lh ' ret \"8\u201c\u00bb \nhal done right no.Tott .heOe\"\u201d\"\u201d' \u201c\u201c Sery \u201c lE' \n\nThen question would follow ^ PaSS \u2019 but wh y had the Germ C0Untry \n\nnightmare repetition W h !?^ q Stl0n \u2019 \u00b0 Ver a \" d over i n ! ZT COme? \n\nlh J\" \u201cey\u201cm\u00b0\"r \u2018JT'*\u201d- \n\nears \u2019 that IS one of the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n320 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthings you remember. Three years before the War, a German, speaking on \nbehalf of the powerful Pan-German League, had written: \u201cWar must leave \nnothing to the vanquished except eyes to weep over their misery,\"\u2014but these \nBelgian peasants did not weep; they could not. I hardly ever saw a tear. \n\nSo these simple dwellers of the country-side came flooding in, silent for \nthe most part, with a kind of heroic acceptance which you would not have \nhad otherwise, but which hurt beyond belief. Their poor shattered human \nloves, their wrecked homes, were memories only; yet that was accepted too. \nA man who stood watching that stream of appalling human misery wrote of \nit afterwards: \u201cThey were unimportant people; had they all stayed in their \nhomes to be slain there, the great world would not have missed them, would \nhave got along quite comfortably; probably not a dozen of them had been \nknown beyond a radius of ten miles from his native hamlet; I dare say they \nreally didn\u2019t matter\u2014but they were uncommonly like you and me.\u201d \n\nAccording to the Prussian Creed: \u201cThe sight of suffering does one good; \nthe infliction of suffering does one more good.\u201d It is to be regretted that \nthe German High Command could not have witnessed that pitiful entry into \nGhent of the non-combatants whom they had first dispossessed, then muti\u00ac \nlated, and finally hunted. \n\nI had been at the Palais des Fetes three or four days only, but time seemed \nto be moving with lightning speed; new Wartime experiences came crowding, \none on the heels of the other, and event followed event with such rapidity \nthat it was as good as listening to a quick-firing gun. Already the first days \nof October were slipping away, and we were warned that the Germans were \nclosing in on us. That race northwards of the opposing armies from the region \nof the Aisne, was being felt all over Belgium. Rumour constantly whispered \nthat the enemy was actually entering the town, that Ghent must be evacuated \nimmediately\u2014but they had not yet come. Antwerp was still holding out, \nthough we knew that the heavy siege guns had long since been brought up \nfrom Namur, and were pounding at the outer forts, and two of these were said \nto have fallen. We were told that there had been fighting at St. Nicolas, \nyet it was still possible to get through by car to Antwerp. (We civilians could \nnot, of course, always distinguish between rumour and reality.) There was \nfighting everywhere, or so it appeared; Termonde and Alost were constantly \nbeing shelled, and news, terrible news, came sifting in of desperate hand to \nhand encounters in outlying villages, where the wounded still lay untended, \nthough the Belgian Red Cross Ambulances shot to and from the firing lines \nwith unflinching and untiring heroism, while ambulance trains, packed with \nwounded, brought in their sorry freight from Antwerp. The hospitals in \nGhent were filled with wounded and dying\u2014what if the Germans did come ? \nHow would the wounded be carried away to safety? Ghent began to lose some \nof its earlier self-assurance, the feeling that it was immune; for day by day, \nlike the stem hand of Fate, a Taube hung overhead in the blue vault. Would \nthe expected French and British reinforcements never come? \n\nThen some cheering news reached us. We heard that French troops were \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\nrU 7 Ur 7 iSPered that they were in great \nGhent swarming with them \u2019 777 h W- we awoke one day to find \n\nfor the promised eomingTf the British\" ^ \n\ndenly one evening (evervthinrr i ri hey a S0 Came at Iast - Sud- \n\nwere full of them Those British El, 6 \u201c ^ dayS) the streets \n\nsunny, with \u201cTipperary\u201d on their li C j mC 1 tlng lnto town - serene and \npeople of Ghent went swiftly and utterly ma/ T\u201d\u2019 6 \u201d 77 7\u2122' and the \nsee the welcome that they gave \u2018\u2018les An^s\" T, 7'^ pathetic to \nthey had really come. It was not in th i 16y coud not believe that \n\nbetter than the French, but the French C T^ that they . loved the British \nalways been at their side and I nncct' \"7 3 WayS tbe ' r ne 'ghbours; they had \nremembered Mons, or realized w hat\u00b0th TTv \u00b0 f the Bel S ians at this moment \nas though they hakTust entered t S W 'f already done ' * was \n%ht for the first time. So they passed^n\u2019thei T\u00ae 33 new A1Iies t0 \n\n\u201c g m their rear a whole galaxy of London \u201c General \u201d ^77^\u2019 ^ f \u00b0 ll0W \u2018 \nammunition and supplies That wac \u2122 n . 3 motor -buses, carrying \n\ngrim shadow of War As the Manne h J \" hUm \u00b0 r \u00b0 US t0UCh to ]i g hten the \n\nlumbering \u2014\u201cShepherd's Bush *\"\u00bb \n\nmidst of them, but it might have been a cent\u2122 The 7 ? \u201c the \n\nhumed out to work, turning a comer sharolv T \u00ab' 7? m \u00b0mmg as I \n\nbus, drawn comfortably up at the side nfri 5 \u2019 \u00b0 ngbt lnto a Gricklewood \n\nsomeone to be serving \u201c eaSy tea \u201d fronts * 7 ^ CXpected \n\ndid it look. I could not heV stonnZ t p,atform - S \u00b0 C0Sy and domelike \n\u00bbi\u00bbb one o, two of the\u00b0V?*' \u201c d \ncan remember, I have never been in (vtn \u2019 ,, \u00b0 peed ' So far as 1 \n\nCricklewood bus was like a kind * d bl d m my Hfe - but that old \nof those stirring d^s \u201c d Steadymg hand in tbe rush and fever \n\ntime. It is perhaps difficult toTeah^ 77777 C3me &t this \n\nvery little those of us who were7 77 7dst 0 f I\" \" ?*** US \u2019 h \u00b0 W \n\nof what was going on. It is easv now fn V \u2022 armies \u00bb really knew \n\nof the War, and get things all neatlv 7 ' a \u00b0 &lT and read some history \nmoment we looked at the passinf shoTT '*\u25a0?*\u2019* ^ bUt at tha \nmore as it was related to our \u00bb n if u\u2019 the rapid m \u00b0vement of troops, \nwhole, for the si^pfe reason7aT 7 \u2019 7 ^\u2019 than 38 fittin g **> the great \nlong enough view of the situation non - co nTbatants on the spo t had a A \n\nBesides which, we were so desneratelv 1 W much . about the great whole. W \nend. I cannot hope,Thereto! actulllv'to ^ 'T* t0 up our small \n\nthings which I must\u2019 have witnessed beca^eT^ \u201c*7 \u00b0 f the interestin g \nportion of those great and terrible davsTf r 1 7\u201d relatlvely to \u00b0 small a \nand what was not, and rather trivial'thinT* ^ & W3y8 What was im Portant \npressed one most at the time thouvhi^f i7? T etimeS th \u00b0 Se which \nwas almost violently interesting, everything ^ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n322 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nof the utmost importance. There was so much to see, however, that \ninevitably you missed a lot. While, for instance, you would be noting the \ndifference between the marching of the Poilu and the Tommy, you would forget \nto note some of the regiments as they passed, and now you probably wish you \nhad kept a sharper lookout. So, as I have said, I have no idea how many \nFrench and British I saw come into the town. It is stated, however, that \nin these last days, before the fall of Antwerp, there were between 25,000 and \n30,000 Allied troops concentrated in Ghent, and I often wonder where we \nall put ourselves! \n\nAt the end of my first three or four days at the Palais des Fetes , it was \nsuggested to me that instead of working among the refugees there, I should \njoin a kind of scouting organization, members of which were sent out into \nthe surrounding country to pick up some of the countless refugees who, \nunable because of utter exhaustion to go any further, were literally in danger \nof dying of starvation if not from open and untended wounds. It was a small \nBelgian unit, and I think it was chiefly owing to the fact that I was an Amer\u00ac \nican that I got into it. The good Belgians looked on us with a kind of dog-like \ntrust, counting always on the help and sympathy of our country, and as I \nlook back on those early days of the War, I am always astonished at the \nthings that Americans could do; the doors which suddenly opened; the facility \nwith which we could move about. We could go almost anywhere, right into \nthe German lines without any apparent preliminaries\u2014I knew of several \nmost curious cases while I was in Ghent\u2014because,'being \u201cneutral\u201d, we were \ntherefore Hun-proof; this meant, or was supposed to mean, arrest-proof; and \nit did mean this if you could establish your identity satisfactorily. It might \nhave included bomb-proof\u2014but of course, that was asking too much. \n\nI joined this small organization, then, and with it scoured as much of the \ncountryside as was left us to the east, for, as I have said, the actual firing \nline was often not more than four or five miles distant. This work took us \ninto lonely and dreary places indeed; into semi-destroyed and abandoned \nvillages which had been the scenes of sharp and terrible fighting in the inter\u00ac \nminable advance and retreat of the battle lines\u2014sharp and terrible fighting \nas the bullet-spattered walls and the heaps of fallen bricks and shattered glass \ntold us, and great gaping holes in the sides of the houses where some shell \nhad burst; always, too, solitary and half starved cats creeping noiselessly \nthrough the ruins, adding an air of indescribable desolation. We found our \nabandoned refugees in all kinds of comers, wherever they could drag them\u00ac \nselves for imaginary shelter; often in the cellars of the demolished houses \nwhere they had crawled, to die like animals, out of sight. It was a heart\u00ac \nbreaking occupation to go down to fetch them from there, for on hearing our \nfootsteps they usually thought at first that we were Germans, and their \nterror, even in their half dead condition, was a dreadful thing to see. \n\nI remember one night with special vividness, for this was the first time \nthat I had seen certain aspects of modern warfare save in pictures. We had \nbeen sent out very late (nearly midnight, I fancy) some distance on the \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n323 \n\n\nA Qf Nicolas for some special cases \nAntwerp road, beyond report ed to\u2019us. The password had \n\nin that general vicinity whic \u201e \"Mons\u201d, or something llke tha *. \n\nbeen given us, of course,-Marne o sentries who were at short \n\nthink-so we had no trouble in getting \u2022 { h sha dows to accost us, the \n\ndistances apart, and who came-eepmg out^ of unreality . Uke \n\nred lanterns which they cam f J ? a dim , sad moonlight, over the \n\nfigures on a stage, and we drovealo g, ^ ^ troops camped on \n\nroughly paved road, through mi bed wire entanglements, or wide \n\neither side of the road; past acres ^ sharp stake s which have \n\nstretches of ground thickly stake sow ing o{ dragon's teeth\u2014pale, \n\nmade so many people thinkofthem ^ ^ which stretched away \n\nash-coloured sand bags piled hig dikes mnn mg out into a gloomy winter \n\ninto the darkness, looking like - cava i ry , the horses tied close together, \n\nsea; sombre and indistinct masses \u00b0 ^ moon%ht; silent men stealing \n\ncuriously tranquil, as though dream g bark of some restless \n\nphantomlike here and there, the occasm up their strangely- \n\nSpoHce dog\u201d; and had come back to h e to \n\n~ ~ \u201c bdore many hom \n\npassed. , . spent at Melle, a village less than five \n\nThen came the terrible day that we sp ^ ^ of Ghent. Melle \n\nmiles away on the Alost ent renched just beyond the end \n\nhad not been evacuated, and th G of {ourth time) to seize it, were \n\nof the town, and trying (I believe f \u201c * The French were playing their \nbeing repulsed with day, and the street fighting- \n\nusual gallant part by the side of the g qu arters and the intolerable, \n\nthat deadliest of all kinds, becau \u00ae e s \u00b0 reets J k1 the crash of falling walls-the \nechoing din caused by the narrow streets ^ ^ ^ o{ CO urse, mixed \nstreet fighting was of the severest. O ^ ^ we were organized \n\nup in this, because unfortunate^ that ^ response to the call we \n\nfor civilian relief, but as we ha d come to help, the fight was still \n\nhad received, and m searc were to ld to keep as close as possibl \n\ngoing on, though now at the far end. \\\\ and so diminishing \n\nJo the houses, however, avoidingth^m ddle ^ ^ was terrific for, \nthe risk of being struck by bullet ^ ^ were shr i e king overhead, \n\nbeside the tangled street fight g ^ ^ tQwn itse )f. The reason for this \nthough none were actually bu . R German lines being on one side of \n\n(so we were told afterwards) was that the Gem ^ ^ each side \n\nthe village and those of the ' renc^ reinforcements; they were carefully avoid- \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3 2 4 theosophical quarterly \n\nand, the order given, they dashed forward down the thoroughfare m \n\nthe direction of the fighting. Then without warning, an be wildering \n\n(from heaven knows where-everything was happening with bewUder ng \nSty) tLre shot pa.t us two or three of the famous Brtooo \u25a0 \nd chien batteries, the dogs straining valiantly at their coll , , \n\n\u00bbyo* To . their smali guns into aetion. That really was a wondertu \n\nsightminiature, a, it were), for so small are the \n\nforgets what deadly work those little batteries can o. \u2018 _ \n\ngiving a good account of themselves, though just how or where I never \nfhTfivht was more noise to me than anything else; I saw little of it, for we \ntad come .\"it was evident that the Oemran. were bong pushed back \nfthev come on again later. I believe, and with more success), and. the sound \nthe fighting gradually subsided. As we advanced we saw how desperate a \ntow leSined the Lsault and the defence had been a * we \n\nhad arrived The straight main street, at some period of the fi g ht ' had be la \ntaket by-irufflenses from a part of the German lines no. two hundred yards \nh vnnrl the village limit and it was a place of horror; the dead piled high, \nKh.s\u00aby inanimate heaps, just as they bad f.llen-hundreds: toge.hen \nThere was no time to bury them for days, I was told afterwards. Though Red \nCross Ambulances were there, many of the wounded had not yet been came \nawav but lay half propped against the walls, or stretched ou on the hard \noaving stones 7 Some of the fields around the village were also filled with dead \nand dying and sorely wounded\u2014there, where the shells had been falling \nand there were some Belgian Red Cross Volunteer women belonging to an \nAmbulance Corps, whom I shall never forget. They did the most splendid \nwork that day. Without previous experience of warfare, they went straig \nacross those fields, the enemy guns trained on them because they could no o \ncourse keep out of sight, bringing in the wounded on stretchers too heavy for \nthem or tending the dying as they lay in their last agony; never pausing for \nrest or food; careless of-themselves; mindful only of the suffering of those \nwho had fought so bravely and who now needed their care. It was at Melle, \ntoo that I first came to realize what the priests of Belgium did on the battle\u00ac \nfields. They were everywhere, and they were heroic; true soldiers of Christ. \nThey went where only the hardiest veterans were to be found; into the trenches, \nunder the most murderous shell fire, exhorting the men there to remember \nGod and to fight to the death for King and country; they were to be seen in \nburning villages, pulling the helpless out of charred ruins; on open battle \nfields, exposed to bursting shells and ceaseless rifle fire ; and when there seemed \nto be nothing else to do which was more strictly within the supposed limits of \ntheir priestly vocation, they seized a rifle themselves from the hand of some \ndead trench-comrade, and fired at the enemy with hearty and vigorous aban\u00ac \ndon The soldiers adored them, and no wonder. They were their staunchest \nfriends. So this day at Melle I had an opportunity to see for myself what the \nBelgian priests were like, for there were two Cur\u00a3s I do not now remember \nwhere they came from, but one belonged to Melle itself, I believe\u2014who, \n\n\nWAR MEMORIES \n\n\n325 \n\n\naccording to the village folk, had been working without pause for three or \nfour days and nights; who were always to be found where the fighting was \nthe hottest, showing a supreme contempt for death; who picked up the \nwounded when bullets were flying and shrapnel was splintering all about them, \nbearing them away on stretchers or in their arms if need were; who, kneeling \nbeside the dying, in the open field and in full sight of the enemy, their cassocks \nsoaked with blood gushing from the open wounds of those they were succour\u00ac \ning, administered the last rites, without haste, in an immense and tender \ncompassion. Such were the priests of Belgium. Nothing could daunt them; \ntorture itself could not silence them; from first to last they showed the true \nBelgian spirit in all they did. \n\nAs soon as we were able to get there, we went to the Convent of Melle \nwhere we had been told there were wounded non-combatants needing help, \nfor although for the most part they had kept to their cellars during the terrify\u00ac \ning hours of the street fighting, some had been forced into the open by falling \nroofs or gaping walls, and so had been caught by bullet or bayonet thrust. \nThe sisters were of course overwhelmed with work, but there was a curious \npeace reigning in the convent. As we entered it, out of the dead-filled street \nwhere hell had been let loose, we passed as one would pass from the tumult of \na boiling cataract to the still, untroubled waters at the river\u2019s edge. There \nwas almost a twilight stillness, for the cool, white walls, and the silent minis\u00ac \ntrations of the nuns, gave a feeling of rest and calm despite the misery which \ngreeted us. It was a pathetic scene. Lying about, in all kinds of positions \nindicating mental as well as physical pain, were some of the simple people of \nMelle, also some refugees from distant villages who had been caught here in \ntheir flight to Ghent, and the good sisters were moving noiselessly among \nthem, speaking little save to offer some gentle encouragement, while giving \nthem really skilful medical attention; compassionately practical, and with a \nsweet and gracious wisdom. They knew their poor townsfolk well. The \nWar annihilated many beautiful things, but I doubt if the peace of that little \nconvent at Melle could suffer death. To me, that day, as I passed through \nits humble door, from the hideous blood-soaked streets, it was as though \nsomething out of the Eternal had touched me, and later, when we left with the \nfew refugees we had come for, I knew that I was carrying away with me a \nmemory which would never grow dim. \n\nIn my own mind I always think of that day at Melle as ending the first \nphase of \u201cthe race to the sea\u201d, for, immediately after, Antwerp fell, and that \nwas the signal for the second phase. The stubborn fighting at Melle is now a \nmatter of recorded history; the village was, on the day of which I have written, \nin the very midst of the danger zone, and it was one of the last of the towns \nto hold out against the German rush toward Ghent. \n\nVolunteer. \n\n\n{To be continued ) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOF THE NYMPHS \n\n\nCAVE \n\n\nBy what stars shall we direct our flight and by what means avoid the magic \npower of Circe and the detaining charms of Calypso? For thus the fable of Ulysses \nobscurely signifies , which feigns him abiding an unwilling exile , though alluring \nspectacles were continually presented to his sight , and his stay was invited by \neverything that could delight the senses and enchant the heart. But our true \ncountry , like that of Ulysses , is that from whence we come and where our Father \nlives. \n\nPlotinus. \n\n\nI T has been said that Theosophy is the revelation that there is a purpose \nof life. That purpose has been represented as the discovery by each \nhuman being of the real and enduring Self which is both the cause and \nthe objective of his personal existence. \n\nBy virtue of its divine ancestry, the soul inherits the right to know the Real, \nbut it must earn the privilege of exercising its right. Thus, the moment of \nthe discovery of the Real has been likened to the culminating adventure of \na romance. Before the Real can be known, the aspirant must be fired with \nthe desire to know it, and he must learn to stand firm in the conviction that, \nin spite of every lying appearance, knowledge exists and is attainable. \n\nThe ordinary language of metaphysical demonstration cannot do justice \nto this theme, for the reason that its subject-matter overflows the limits of \nthe intellect as at present constituted. Therefore, the sages and philosophers \nwho have described the quest of the Real, have been forced to illustrate \ntheir exposition with parables and allegories symbolizing the experience \nof the heart. \n\nThe quotation from Plotinus is an example. The philosopher is trying to \nmake his audience realize that the longing of the soul for the world of divine \nbeauty is not an abstract mental condition, but an intense and moving state \nof consciousness. After exhausting the resources of his powerful intellect \nto illumine his meaning, he calls in the aid of a poet. He compares the nostal\u00ac \ngia of the soul, exiled in the body, to the homesickness of Ulysses. It is the \nparable of the Prodigal Son. \n\nThe Odyssey has been read by many as a mere tale of earthly adventure with \nno other significance than that which is obvious upon the surface of the poem. \nThe wisest of the Greeks, however, did not regard it in this way. For them, \nHomer was more than a great poet; he was a seer, a mystic. The Iliad and \nthe Odyssey were cherished as mystical scriptures, as treatises revealing \nthrough the veil of romance and allegory the sacred destiny of the soul and \nthe process of initiation into the Mysteries. Especially during the late after\u00ac \nnoon of the Greek day, during the Platonic Renaissance which extended \nfrom Ammonius Saccas to Proclus, the best minds of the disappearing race \n\n326 \n\n\nTHE CAVE OF THE NYMPHS \n\n\n327 \n\n\nseem to have turned back to meditate upon the glorious dawn of its eye \nThe greatest of the commentators upon Homer were the later Neoplatonists \nIn the view of the Neoplatonists, Ulysses was the type of the human soul \nadrift upon the waters of illusion, but saved from annihilation again and \nagain by the ministrations of Pallas Athene (Divine Wisdom), the initiated \nGuide who responded in compassion to the prayers of the homesic wan erer. \nWhether we accept or reject their claim to have discovered an un cr yin \nmysticism in Homer, we shall be forced to admit that there are Passages in \nhis poems which are senseless if interpreted in any other way. And th \nare other passages which recall portions of the Divine Comedy, such a . \ninstance, the episode when Pallas Athene, like another unseals the \n\ninner sight of Ulysses after his return to his native island of Ithaca. Without \nthe aid of the Goddess, he could not see the true outlines of the dear country \n\nwhich he had reached at last. . \n\nIn the same Thirteenth Book where this scene is enacted, there is a descrip\u00ac \ntion of a hill above the little harbour where Ulysses had landed, and ot a \nmysterious cave which passes through the hill. It seems that this cave \ncaused much wonderment among the ancient readers of Homer The dis\u00ac \ncussions which revolved about it suggest, incidentally, that matter-of-ri \npeople existed in antiquity, just as they exist in modem tunes There were \nthose who argued that there was such a cave on the island of Ithaca \nthere were those who argued that the cave was only a fiction of the poet. \n\nFortunately we possess a treatise by the Neoplatonist, Porphyry, m w lie 1 \nthe philosopher considers what may have been Homer\u2019s purpose in intro ucing \nthe description of the cavern at this particular point in his narrative. Por- \nphvry comes to the happy conclusion that it is quite irrelevant whether the \ncave was or was not a feature of the Ithacan landscape, for the grotto depicted \nby Homer is the cave of initiation. He believes that Homer, speaking to \nthose who had ears to hear, intended to convey the idea that Ulysses, landing \non his island, had completed, as it were, a cycle of mystical experience, and \n\nhad thus gained a definite status in the spiritual world. \n\nA work must be judged by its merits, but it is certain that Porphyry did \nnot come wholly unqualified to his task. He was the most distinguished \ndisciple of Plotinus and, after his master\u2019s death (270 A.D.), was the leading \nexponent of the Neoplatonic doctrine. Though much of his time was devoted \nto the paraphrasing and editing of the works of Plotinus, he holds independent \nrank as one of the great figures of the Platonic Renaissance Madame \nBlavatsky refers to him as \u201cthe most practically philosophical, and the \nsoberest of all the Neoplatonists\u201d (Theosophical Glossary, 239-240). In \n1823 Thomas Taylor translated The Cave of the Nymphs, and Ins version \nwith its valuable foot-notes, has been followed by the present writer who \nhas, however, taken the liberty occasionally of paraphrasing Taylor s phrases \nwhen their wording has seemed too technical. \n\nThe following are the verses from the Thirteenth Book of the Odyssey which \n\n\n1 _ 1 \u201e \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n328 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cHigh at the head a branching olive grows, \n\nAnd crowns the pointed cliffs with shady boughs. \n\nA cavern pleasant, though involved in night, \n\nBeneath it lies, the Naiades\u2019 delight: \n\nWhere bowls and urns of workmanship divine \nAnd massy beams in native marble shine; \n\nOn which the Nymphs amazing webs display, \n\nOf purple hue, and exquisite array. \n\nThe busy bees within the urns secure \nHoney delicious and, like nectar, pure. \n\nPerpetual waters through the grotto glide. \n\nA lofty gate unfolds on either side; \n\nThat to the north is pervious to mankind; \n\nThe sacred south to immortals is consigned.\u201d \n\nThe cave, says Porphyry, is the symbol of the material universe and of \nthe human body which is the microcosm of that universe. \u201cThe exterior of \na cavern is pleasant, but its interior is obscure and its very bottom is darkness \nitself.\u201d Similarly, physical Nature may be conceived as a cavernous island \nin a boundless space filled with the light of an undivided, divine consciousness. \nEmbodied existence, being separated by the walls of illusion from the direct \nradiance of the Central Sun, is qualified by limitation and darkness. It is \nnarrow and obscure, like a cave. \n\nIt is scarcely necessary to prove this point. The body has the appearance \nof being a thing quite complete in itself, so that the consciousness identified \nwith it, suffers the delusion of being distinct from all other consciousness, \nembodied or disembodied. As this incarnated \u201cself\u201d is limited in space, so \nis it limited in time, for the physical basis of its existence is in itself only a \ntransient aggregate of molecules which has no being beyond the confines of \nbirth and death. \n\nEmbodied consciousness is dark, since only an infinitesimal portion of the \nlight of the Real filters through the barrier of the body. This is true, in the \nmost concrete and physical sense. The eye is sensitive to one gamut of rays \nand blind to the rest. The other senses respond to various gamuts of vibra\u00ac \ntions, but each is operative in a zone which has the dimension of a point in \nrelation to the unlimited sphere of being which surrounds it. ' \n\nIt would seem that there are three possible attitudes to take towards bodily \nexistence. There is the irrationally hopeful acceptance of its limitations and \ndarkness, which is the attitude of the vast majority of mankind. This rests \nupon the continued resurgence of the psychic desire for sensation, coupled \nwith the notion that the body is designed to be an instrument for the gratifi\u00ac \ncation of psychic impulses. Then, as opposed to this general view of the \nbody, there is the opposite extreme of that false asceticism which loathes and \nscorns and abuses the sum-total of physical nature. This false asceticism is, \nin a way, symbolized by Simon Stylites sitting motionless on his pillar, and \n\n\nTHE CAVE OF THE NYMPHS \n\n\n329 \n\n\nseems to have taken deepest root in the East. Its votaries have, indeed, \nfreed themselves, to an extraordinary degree, from the vulgar craving for \nsensation, and from the illusion that incarnation is desirable as an end in \nitself; but they have not imagined that incarnation may still have its function \nin the economy of Nature. \n\nPorphyry suggests a third attitude toward the body, conceiving it to be \nthe matrix from which the real self-consciousness of the soul is born. In \nthe words of an Indian sage, \u201c Maya is the Shakti of Atman.\u201d The dark and \nnarrow cave of the human body becomes, then, a place of probation for the \nEgo which has voluntarily submitted to limitation and darkness for the pur\u00ac \nposes of its own evolution. \u201cThe ancient Persians occultly signifying the \ndescent of the soul into sublunary regions and its subsequent reascent, initiated \nthe mystic in a cavern.\u201d \n\nFrom this point of view, the body becomes a prison only when the soul \nlingers within it longer than is necessary for its instruction. In truth, it is a \ncorridor through which the soul passes from a lower to a higher stage of being. \nThe Mohammedans have preserved a saying of Jesus: \u201c Life is a bridge. Pass \nover it. Do not build upon it.\u201d \n\n\u201cPerpetual waters through the grotto glide.\u201d Porphyry comments: \u201cIn \nconsequence of containing perpetually flowing streams of water, this cave is \nnot a symbol of a spiritual substance but of a material essence.\u201d It is the \nquality of sensuous, animal life which is suggested by the image. \n\nHeraclitus, speaking of disembodied souls, says that \u201cwe live their death \nand we die their life,\u201d as if the animal life of the \u201cseparate\u201d self in the body \nappeared to the spiritual man as a chilling contraction of the partless con\u00ac \nsciousness of the Logos in which he participates. Certain properties of \nwater aptly symbolize the night which darkens the soul\u2019s vision as it descends \ninto generation and which compels the soul, as it were, to evolve specialized \norgans of sensation in order to feel its way in the dark, as a blind man develops \nand enhances the sense of touch. Thus, to mention two phases only of the \nanimal consciousness in which the soul\u2019s powers are condensed, it is aware of \nthings outside the body to the extent that their superficial aspects are reflected \non its own surface, as a stream mirrors more or less clearly the trees and \nrocks on the banks; and it is in a state of continuous change, like a river with \nmany currents and eddies. \n\nThe animal consciousness may be compared to a mirror enclosed in a set \nof lenses which absorb or deflect most of the rays directed towards it, so that \nthe images which it receives are fragmentary and inadequate representations \nof things-in-themselves. However, in the animal kingdom, this apparent \nwarping of consciousness seems to be normal, and to be designed by Nature \nas a means of compelling the animal to develop the germ of mind. In other \nwords, if the instinct of an animal were virtually omniscient, if its conscious\u00ac \nness were a perfect mirror of everything in its physical environment, it might \nescape suffering and prolong its life quite indefinitely, but there would be no \nincentive for it to become actively intelligent, for intelligence would only \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n33 o THE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nspoil its perfection. The animal is also forced by the struggle for existence \nto distinguish between the image of its own body and the images of other \nbodies, and this isolation and magnification of one image, at the expense of \nall the rest, would seem to foreshadow the rudimentary state of psychic \nself-consciousness, when the image of the body is regarded as a separate \n\nself. A . . \n\nThe animal consciousness is again marked by an endless series of displace\u00ac \nments. William James often compared the continuous succession and trans\u00ac \nformation of our ordinary moods and desires to a stream. There results \nfrom this condition a state of unremitting hunger and dissatisfaction. The \ndesires of the animal nature cannot be completely and permanently satisfied, \nfor each separate desire transmits part of its content of force to a new desire \nwhich succeeds it, while another portion of its force is mysteriously stored \naway as a skandha or seed of some future counterpart of itself. It has been \nsuggested that the stinging power of appetite is the great agent of evolution \nin the animal kingdom. Without its incessant stimulus, for example, the \nanimals would never have gained and retained the faculty of locomotion. \n\nThe \u201cmoisture\u201d of animal life, therefore, seems to provide a necessary \nmedium for the subsequent development of two of the great principles \nwhich the soul can only acquire, as it appears, by reflecting itself in the bodily \nconsciousness. These \u201cprinciples\u201d may be defined as individualized mind \nand desire. As Heraclitus said, \u201cSouls like to get wet.\u201d \n\nPorphyry\u2019s comment is, perhaps, less cryptic than it sounds: The ancients \nthought that (living) souls are incumbent upon water which is inspired by \ndivinity, as Numenius says, who adds . . . that the Spirit of God moves on \nthe waters. The Egyptians, likewise, represent the Sun and all the Planets, \nnot standing on anything solid, but on a sailing vessel; for souls descending \ninto generation fly to moisture.\u201d \n\n\u201c The cave is sacred to Nymphs,\u201d he continues, \u201cnot to Nymphs in general \nbut to a particular order, the Naiads. We give the special title of Naiads \nto the nature-powers that preside over waters; and this term is also commonly \napplied to all souls descending into generation.\u201d \n\nThe Naiads are the Reincarnating Egos of the Eastern Wisdom. Retaining \ntheir inalienable identity as an angelic host, they are, nevertheless, mysteriously \nimmersed in the waters of animal life. Out of the substance of the water \nthey weave vestures, \u201cpurple webs admirable to the view.\u201d \u201cTo souls \ndescending into generation, what symbols can be more appropriate than the \ninstruments pertaining to weaving? . . . The purple webs are evidently \nthe flesh which is woven from the blood. Thus also Persephone, the guardian \nof everything produced from seed, is described by Orpheus as weaving a web; \nand the Heavens were called by the ancients a veil, in consequence of being, \nas it were, the vestment of the celestial Gods.\u201d Furthermore, the webs of \nthe Nymphs are suspended from beams of marble, \u201cas the formation of the \nflesh is on and around the bones, which in the bodies of animals resemble \nstones.\u201d It is interesting to recall, in reference to the last sentence, certain \n\n\nthe cave of the nymphs \n\n\n331 \n\n\n1 \u201d n \u201c \u201c P \u201d'\u201d 1 \n\nof the skeleton. . .. { so i r itual and physical natures. \n\nThe purple web symbolizes the blend g ^P.^ ^ described as a com- \n\nThe personality or psychic self, b\u00b0 r In the image of the web the \n\nposite entity (suntheton) by the Neop ^ element which comes from \n\ndesign seems to stand for t e S P*\u201d ^ Q f an imal sensations over which \n\nabove, the purple dye sl lT lfy \u00abi g fl the substance of the \n\nthe noetic element moves, like the Spirit \n\nweb is differentiated matter. . th Nymphs finish on Earth the \n\nAccording to a beautiful mterpreUtion, the_Ny ^ ^ ^ Com . \n\nweaving which they began in Heave p -Orpheus says that Persephone, \nmentary of Proclus on the . Ttmceus of P \u2022 \u00b0P was on i y a Nymph, \n\nwhile she remained on high, weavl g he/proper habitation, she left \n\nas yet undefiled; but that, pn\u00abedmgI o{ the lo wer world, \n\nher web unfinished and was ra \u2122 s ^ y b u/iverse would be imperfect \n\nThe unfinished state of her were produced. Hence \n\nor incomplete if nothing m er many Demiurgi to weave \n\nPlato says that the one Demiurgus ca ^ us that the addi- \ntogether the immortal and mortal na u j b text orial life of the Universe.\u201d \ntion of the mortal genera is the perfection oE the texto, trcatise . There \n\nWe now come to the most suggestiye partof Porp yry - thebusy \n\nare \u201cbowls and urns of workmanship tone withm the ca ^^ \u201e \nbees within the urns secure honey e ici The fi rs t is the superficial. \n\nTwo meanings are latent in the \u25a0 : ntoxica tions of sensation, as the \nEarthly honey is a symbol of thesw sdf whi ch collect drops of \n\nbees represent the restless desires of topyh ^ 0rpheuS| Saturn was \npleasure from objects o sensa 1 \u2022 be ing filled with honey, was \n\nensnared with honey by Jupiter For Saturn g, \n\nintoxicated, his senses were c ar ene , mofe significant meaning. The \n\n- \n\nmisuses. \u2022 j t v. e symbols of Bacchus, since \n\n\u201cThe stony bowls in the grotto are, ^^ &nd theseare CO gnate \n\nthey are bodies of earth that have een^ ^ ^ q{ ^ yine is br0U ght to a \n\nto the vine, the gift of the , \u201e The honey which is depos- \n\nproper maturity by the celestial fin of the i ^ J o{ ^ \n\nited in these bowls is. uccording th P is gathered from the hearts of \nsenses. It is the nutriment of the sou j XDe ri enced . When this nectar \nflowers, that is, from the essence of thing\u00ae expen _ ^ puHfied and \n\nis poured into \u201cthe bowls \u00b0 f p^l\u2019s words,\u2019 \u201cThis corruptible shall \n\nhave ptfonin^pSd this mortal shall have put on immortality.\u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJ \u00a3 # \n\n\n\u00ab \n\n\n\n\n332 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nIt is clear that, with the introduction of these new symbols, we have come \nto the turning-point in the cave, where the path of the immortals diverges \n1 war s rom the path of the mortals. That turning-point corresponds to \nhe moment when the soul awakens in the body and becomes aware of the \ncavern walls which hem it in, at the same time that it remembers with pas- \n\nsivelvt TvS * tS u Wn bnght h \u00b0 me in the heavens - Hitherto it has pas- \ns vely submitted to the delusion that the body is its self, and that the body\u2019s \n\ndesires are its desires Now it sees that delusion as grotesque and monstrous, \nfor it recognizes that its real Self overflows the boundaries of the body and that \nits real desires cannot be satisfied by any sensation of the body. \n\nn the Odyssey, this moment of repentance or \u201cturning back\u201d occurs when \n\nGindin r eS /J e CyCl \u00b0 PS \u00b0 f Sight ' \u201c Th, ' S deed beca \u2122 the occasion of \nreminding him of his errors, until he was safely landed in his own country. \n\nfZZ\u00a3^L7?T tlC ^^ y .! ibera , ted from this life by the simple act of blind- \nlvfinY ( \u2019 S th f natal demon \u201d of the i\u00b0 wer nature) and of para- \n\n^ , He Wh \u00b0 dar6S t0 d \u00b0 this ' as U1 y sses dared - \"nH bepur- \nd by the anger of the marine and material \u2018Gods\u2019, whom it is first requisite \nto appease by sacrifices, labours, and patient endurance, at one time Indeed \n\n\u2014 g WU thC PaSS1 \u00b0 nS \u2019 and at an \u00b0 ther \u2019 em Pl\u00b0ying enchantments, and \n., y , Van ,\u00b0, US m f anS transforming himself ever more completely, in order \nthat being at length divested of the tom garments, by which his true person \nhas been conceded, he may recover the ruined empire of his soul \u201d P \n\nwhlnYt Y\u00b0eTan7, deSCnl r S K the W3r \u201c ^ the S \u00b0 uI enga e e s from the instant \nu d Sen0usIy be \u00ab ms to combat the errors which its psychic per\u00ac \nsonality has committed in its name. It is a battle to the death for the \n\nort;^cto OSe Thu d s e Yet nt 6X f enCe and iS transformed i^o the substance \n( ic US tbe tnump hant soul can return home, enriched bv the \npowers of self-consciousness which it brings beet from its adventures in the \n\nby the 'greLTbeautvT ti!e \u00b0- ^ \u00b0 ne SCa '\u2018 Cely fail to be moved \ninterpreted it ' lm&gery ' as the Neoplatonists have \n\niiesHssHxs \n\n\u201cNow with each other, on the golden floor, \n\nSeated near Zeus, the Gods converse; to whom \nI he venerable Hebe nectar bears, \n\nIn golden goblets; and as these flow round, \ne immortals turn their careful eyes on Troy.\u201d \n\n\n\nTHE CAVE OF THE \n\nas says that ambrosia, the : \n\n't, and signifies their spirit! \nanalogous to moist nutrimen \nmortal natures. \u201cWhen th \nprovidentially, they are said to drink \nI he pleasures of the Immortals \u2018 \nbe possessed therefore by all pure \nproperty of the whole only when uni \nof life with the children of earth, and \nevery terrestrial flower, where it \nm quest of it. \n\nOne can now perceive \nsouls proceeding into \nlive * \n\nto the Gods, will ^ \" aVmg 1 \n\nreturn to the place from whence it first \n\u2022 \u2022 \u2022 \\\\ e must, therefore, 1 \" * \n\nsymbols of a spiritual nature, which i \ngeneration.\u201d It would seem that an Eastern \nshad rnm^ietes the thought of the r \u2014- - \n\now the honeymakers\u2019 king when 1 \n\nso did voice, mind, sight a'nd hearing \n\n>olism of the two gates of the cave is rather i\u2122 \nical language of astrology; so that it is impossible \n\n1 Sis XT' , iketch \n\n. tha t the two portals are adapted to \n\nTme fl \u2018 I 030 Wh \u00b0 are f0rced by ^eir own nee. \n\nYforth I\u201d 1 \u00ae \u201c thC CaVe 0f the body, and of \n\nLrated'soulT f \u00b0 f \u00b0 therS ' Such a distinctio, \nberated souls, is frequently set forth in the scr \n\n\u2019 \u201d hlS ^markable essay on The Wanderings \n\ns or Plato f r ^ n \u00b0 meanS SUCh an exalted 1 \nih ZT' Fo r u ateS: f \u00b0 r they large \u2019y benefite \nTheYforo rn companions perished pri, \n\nt herefore, Ulysses may be taken as the tvoe of \n\ng the portal of the mortals, but who do not reas. \n\n2 ye\u201c he^ dis 77, during Physical life the \nne yet alive he is endowed with the consciousness \n\nother aspect of the symbol. Its astronomical \n\n3! T \u00b0 nS \u00b0 f the S0U1 \u2019 S e \"o'otion. 1 \nZ th /elf-conscousness is an expression of a \nthe formation of atoms and solar systems \n\"\u201c serM 'i Por Phyry. \" that th T, \n\n\n7 7 tfte '- r0ds . is analogous to dry \n>al and incorruptible natures, whereas \nand indicates their providential atten- \n\nnectar S \u201d are repr6Sented as energizing \n\nmust belong to the pure soul onlv and \n\nS'. X r T 1 th \u201c be ,he \n\nted. The Gods long to share the elixir \n\nis Tf a dr \u00b0 P \u00b0 f h in the heart of \n\nis duly found by the soul which goes forth \n\ni\u00bb it justly and wh\"S\u00a3I** \n\n\u25a0 * \u2022. \n\nadmit th*r T\u2122\u2019 ' S em >nently just and sober. \nthat honeycombs and bees are appropriate \n\n- Wedded t0 nature produced by \nit of the 1 scripture, the Prashna Upani- \n\nthe p ass age fr \u00b0 m Porphyry: \u201cLike as the \nr , V\" 1 he departs > and all return when \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n335 \n\n\nthat Numenius and his follower; thouSe oe \u201d f n? Wth \u00b0 Ut reaSOn \nrepresented Man, who passim over \u00a3 \n\ngeneration, and thus at Lgth a^ves at S ? 7 \u201c* \u00b0 f mattef and \n\nare unknown and where dwells a nation \u201c d ^ \n\n\u2018 Who ne\u2019er knew salt, or heard the billows roar.\u2019 \u201d \n\n\nStanley V. La Dow. \n\n\n\n\ntSf For man has closed himself up, \n\nnarrow chinks of his cavern. \u2014Blake. \n\n\nMl he sees all things through the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\nPART II \n\n\nT HE cycle of rituals which constitute the Hako Ceremony takes five days \nfor completion, and follows immediately upon The Preparatory Rites \nwhich were described in the preceding instalment of this article. As \nstated therein, a commodious earth lodge with a long passage-way leading to the \nouter entrance, which must of necessity face the East, has been prepared and \ndedicated for the enactment; in the centre is the hearth, back of which, to the \nest, is the Consecrated Holy Place where the Sacred Articles now lie at Cere- \nmomal rest m readiness for the approaching drama. Back of them sits the \nI ather, flanked by the bearers of the Calumets and the Eagle Wings, while \nthe Son occupies the \u201cplace of humility\u201d at the north of the entrance-way. \n\nas thl rSZ** th ?, Fa \u2018 her \u2019 S Party are ran & ed alon & the south wall, and \n35 Ch dren assemble they form an opposite line on the north. \n\nAr Sr *11 ga J her u d Within the Lodge ' the Fathers rise > lifting the Sacred \nArtjcles, and the Kurahus addresses the Children, telling them that they must \n\ndo! r y r V \u201c COndUCt as he tries t0 P erform faithfully the rites handed \ndown from their fathers; he further explains: \n\nfrrSr t] M du r \u00b0 f 1 the Kurahus t0 teach these things; he has received them \n\nand so onSro S \u2019 Wh \u00b0 ha$ r6CeiVed th6m fr \u00b0 m 3 Sti11 older kurahus, \nand so on through many generations back to the time when they were revealed \n\nto our fathers through a vision from the mysterious Powers Above; the vision \n\nby that P o r arii 1Se N ame f \u00b0l EaSt; they always descend The Above \nby that path. None of the songs of this ceremony can be changed- they \n\nmust be sung accurately just as they have been handed down to us for the \noTsuch SP words Ab \u00b0 Ve and t0 US \u2019 and We must * careful \n\nandSh^Jr T U ? deV \u00b0 te WS t0 l6aming these S0I * S and their meaning \nand the acts which accompany them; he must spend much of his time in \n\nbeen k t in w 2 thmgS and in pra >' in S to the Mighty Powers We have \nbeen told that m a vision our fathers were taught how to make the Feathered \n\nshould m;veTkr t rJngSof h rbi t rdrXhS m i t to the . SOngsso that the y \n\nSSSSiS; \n\ng S Feathered Stems over the heads of the people and sing- \n\n336 \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n337 \n\n\nmg that Tirawa is indeed the Father of all things here below and of the Lesser \nPowers which come to us in dreams. He sends help by these Lesser Powers \nbecause they alone can come to us so that we can see and feel them. And \nthen we sing of Mother Com, who has led us on our journey, who has entered \nbefore us the Lodge of the Son, and who brings promises of peace and plenty. \nWhen the song is over, the Children are given the feast which we have in \nreadiness, and then they go to their homes to remain until evening. \n\n\u201cWhen the sun has set and it is dark and the stars are shining, then again \nall gather in the Lodge; wood is piled on the fire, and when the flames leap high \n\u2018y 6 T ^ U , rahas and h,s Party, bearing the Hako, rise from their position behind \nthe Holy Place of the hearth. Although the Lodge in general is typified as a \nnest, the Holy Place at the west, back of the fire, is its special representative, \nand o, Cre When n0t ln actlon t]i e Hako is always laid at Ceremonial rest. \n\nv owly we make the circuit of the Lodge singing the invocation to the \nVisions, which begins with the words: \n\nHither come we pray you, come unto us \nBringing with you joy\u2019; \n\nthe spirits of the birds on the Feathered Stems join our spirits in this call, and \nhigh in their dwelling-place above, the Visions hear this call, joined to the call \nof our spirit, and descending by the Eastern Path, they pass over the quiet \nEarth The song tells that they approach the door of the Lodge, that they \ncross the threshold, that they fill the Lodge with their Presence and that they \n\n\u2018Touch the children, gently touch them \nGiving dreams of joy \u2019\u2014 \n\nconcluding with the words, \n\n\u2018They the sky ascending reach their dwelling; \n\nThere they rest above, \n\nThey their dwelling reach\u2014holy Visions, \n\nThere they rest above.\u2019 \u201d \n\nDuring the last stanza of this ritual, as the Kurahus and his assistants with \nthe choir and the drum-bearers march around the Lodge, the song is taken up \nby all the people, men, women and children, until the walls fairly vibrate with \nthe sonorous melody. Miss Fletcher tells us that the face of her old friend \nwas radiant with joy as he described and dwelt upon the happiness brought \nto all by the Visions which attend the Hako. \n\nIt is now past midnight, and at the close of the great chorus the people go \nto their homes to sleep and dream of their happiness. The Son remains at \nhis post near the >\u2122er door, while the Kurahus and his assistants keep watch \nfrom behind the Holy Place where the Sacred Articles again lie at Ceremonial \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n338 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ntst. I he fue burns to embers, the noise of the camp dies slowly away, and \ndarkness and silence settle down within the Lodge. \n\nAs the night at length draws to a close, a server is ordered to lift the skins \nwhich hang at the inner and outer doors of the long entrance-way, and to \nwatch for and report the first glimmer of light. \u201cWhen he comes in with \nthese tidings, we rise, take up the Hako, and, looking toward the East, we \nsing the first song of the Dawn ceremony. We sing slowly and with reverent \nofDawn \u00b0 f ^ mySterious and P owerful act of Tirawa in the birth \n\nt J\u2018J n ,., the 5 rst u V T Se we cal1 to Moth *r Earth, the Mother-who-breathes- \n\nu SS been aS ' eeP and restinK durin \u00a3 th e night; the life which she \nbreathes forth she receives with the breath of the Dawn from Tirawa: \n\n\u2018Awake oh Mother from sleep! \n\nAwake, the night is far spent! \n\nThe signs of Dawn are now seen \nIn the East whence cometh new life\u2019; \n\nDawn^thfflpa ' learS , tb \u00ae CaI1, She awakes \u2019 she arises - she f eels the breath of \n\ntzzsz d11 things move with the breath \u00b0 f the \n\nalthough it happenTevery\u00b0day. ^ ^ \u00b0 f ^ \u2014 d > \n\n\u201cNext we call upon the Mother Eagle to awake. She represents the \nPowers which dwell above, and which are sent by Tirawa to big us help \n\nwith 111 the e L re p heSe P \u00b0 W r S dWe \"\u2019 3nd She Can s P eak with them! \n\nstir for the hrLtk /l n'\u00ae ^ Stir \u2019 and 3,1 thin g s below awake and \n\n, \u2019 breath of the Dawn is upon them; the breath of New Life which \n\nhas come with the first signs in the East, is everywhere \n\nLodfeTnd M t 0 he h R \u201c ger \u00b0 f the Powers Above - stands within the \n\nPao f d th e Kurahus hears her voice as she tells him what the signs in the \n\nS e \u201c S tim th \u201c Tira \u2122' *<\u201c ^11-Father, moves oX knei \n*\u201c?=* fOT,h D >\u2122- I* \u00bb breath o\u00a3 new-bon, Dal \n\n- \u00a3\u00a3\u2022\u00a3*?\u00a3 p \u00b0\u00bb- -\u2014\u25a0*- \nthe SSI*! \"I' 5 Molher Ea S'\u00ab ^ understands \n\nr hild \u2018' th ThC Chi,d 0 \u00ab\u00b0 Da ^n S Man, S to \nof New Life for the coming dHy!\u2122* ^ \u2018 ^ r6Ceive the breath \n\nThis is the meaning of these songs; the words do not t P ii oil \u00ab, * \n\nf J om \u00b0ur fathers and taughTto \nmay teach it to any one who is serious-minded and truly \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n339 \n\n\ndesires to learn these sacred things, which were first taught to our fathers by \nKawa, the Mother Eagle. \n\n\u201cLast of all we summon the Son, who has been asleep and resting in the \nLodge. He hears the call and he too looks to the East and sees the signs of \n\n\u201cNow all the Powers above and all things below have risen and received the \nbreath of New Life; Mother Eagle has stood and spoken in the Lodge, the \nKurahus has heard and understood, and the Son too is awake and standing \nwith us, awaiting the coming of the Morning Star. Morning Star is one of the \nLesser Powers. Our fathers performed sacred ceremonies in his honour, and \nwe are reverent toward him. \n\n\u201c Morning Star is like a man. He is painted red all over, for that is the \ncolour of life; he is clad in leggings, and a robe is wrapped about him, and on \nhis head is a soft, downy feather; this feather represents the soft, light cloud \nthat is high in the heavens, and the red is the touch of the coming Sun. It \nis also a symbol of breath and of life. \n\n\u201cThe Star comes from a great distance, too far away for us to know the \nplace where he starts. At first we can hardly see him, he is so far off; then \nwe see him again for he is coming steadily toward us all the time; we watch him \napproach; he comes nearer and nearer, and now we see him clearly, standing \nthere in the heavens, a strong man shining brighter and brighter. The soft \nplume in his hair moves with the breath of the New Day, and the ray of the \nSun touches it with colour; as he stands there so bright he is bringing us \nstrength and new life. \n\n\u201cThen as we look he grows less bright, he is receding, going back to the \ndwelling-place whence he came; we watch him vanishing, passing out of sight. \nHe has left with us the gift of life which Tirawa sends him to bestow. \n\n\u201cStill we stand looking eastward through the long passage-way, watching \nand singing till we see the Dawn itself approach. Nearer and nearer it comes, \nits brightness fills the sky, the shadowy forms on Earth become visible and \nmore visible, and then the Dawn also slowly recedes; it is following the Morn\u00ac \ning Star, back to the place whence it came\u2014to its birthplace. \n\n\u201cThe Day is close behind, advancing along the path of the Morning Star \nand the Dawn; as he approaches, the Dawn vanishes wholly from our sight, \nand we sing: \n\n\n4 Day is here! Day is here, is here! \n\nArise my Son, lift thine eyes! \n\nDay is here! Day is here, is here! \n\nLook up my Son and see the Day! \n\nDay is here! Day is here, is here! \n\nDay is here, is here! \u2019 \n\n\u201cWe sing this song with loud voices; we are glad. We shout \u2018Daylight has \ncome! Day is here,\u2019 for the light is over the Earth. As we look out through \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n340 \n\n\nTHE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthe door of the Lodge we can see the trees, and all things stand out clearly \nin the light. Still we sing and shout, \u2018Day is here! Daylight has come!\u2019 \nWe call to the children to awake, that all the animals are coming forth from \nthe places where they have been sleeping. The deer leads them, she comes \nfrom her covert bringing her young into the light of day, and our hearts are \nglad as we sing: \n\n\n\u2018Lo, the deer! Lo the deer, the deer \n\nComes from her covert of the night! \n\nDay is here! Day is here, is here! \n\nLo, the deer! Lo the deer, the deer! \n\nAll creatures wake and see the light. \n\nDay is here! Day is here, is here!\u2019 \u201d \n\nMiss Fletcher comments,\u2014\u201cSuch is the drama of the Dawn, the mystic \nbirth of Day as conceived by a Pawnee fully versed in the beliefs of his people. \nThe aged Kurahus has given us a glimpse of its imagery and meaning from the \nvery centre of the magic circle, when otherwise we should have to content \nourselves with the superficial view of an outsider. As he shows it to us, the \nsimplicity, beauty, and reverent feeling, cannot fail to appeal to everyone \nwho has watched the silent majesty of a breaking day, whether on the sea or \nthe hills or the widespread prairies.\u201d \n\nThis paean of praise ushers in the second day of the ceremony, the day \ndevoted to celebrating the masculine qualities of virility and strength, typified \nby the Sun-Father. There is a charming personification of his Messenger as \nthe Bright Ray which alights like a bird on the Lodge, then enters it from above \nand moves about within, touching for a moment the centre of life, the fireplace, \nand which, departing, rests as a bright gleam on the western hills. This ritual \nis in two distinct divisions, the one enacted as the Morning Sun approaches, \nbearing life and strength, the other as he withdraws in the evening, leaving \nwith the people \u201cthose gifts which Tirawa sent him to bestow\u201d. In the \ninterval between is a cycle of songs, the first beginning, \u201cHark the sound of \ntheir wings\u201d, which likens the noise and bustle of the Hako to a vast flock of \nbirds, and continues with specific allusions to the master birds which are \nbound on the Feathered Stems. \n\nThis second day is brought to a conclusion in the evening by a repetition \nof the Invocation to the Visions, with a stronger emphasis on the supernatural \norigin of the rites, and the promise that the revelations shall again be vouch\u00ac \nsafed to the Children through the Hako. \n\nThe third day, when the feminine forces are honoured, is very like the second \nin general plan, with the Dawn ritual as a prelude and the third and last \nInvocation to the Visions as its closing ceremony. The songs are to Mother \nEarth and to all which she brings forth to sustain the life of the people. \u201cWe \nsing. Behold here lies Mother Earth, of a truth she lies here to bring forth, \nand we give thanks that it is so; we give thanks for the fields of com, and for \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n34i \n\n\nspreading trees and for the streams and rivers which flow over her. Of a \ntruth we know that Mother Earth brings these forth by the power of Tirawa- \natius, Father of All Things.\u2019 \n\n\u201cWhen these songs are finished, we make the smoke offering to Tirawa \nthrough the Mother Eagle Calumet, and then I, as Kurahus, sing the songs \nwhich teach the lessons of the birds to the Children, beginning with one about \nthe nest where the eggs lie in safety. We learn from the birds that we must \ncare for our children even before they are bom; that we must be cheerful and \nthankful for all that we receive; that we must protect and guide our families, \nand be faithful in storm and in sunshine, by day and by night. Through \nfollowing these teachings we shall receive in full measure the gifts of the \nHako. The words of these songs are few, but the story has come down \nto us.\u201d \n\nWhen the Visions are all invoked for the third and last time, there is an \nespecial summons to the shades of the Ancients, who are besought to come from \ntheir abode on high to give recognition to the Son; and furthermore to sanctify \nby their presence the rites which have already taken place, as well as those \nwhich are to follow on the fifth and last day, when the secret and most sacred \npart of the entire ceremony will be celebrated. \n\n\u201cThe Visions come in answer to our song; they hover over us and recognize \nhim who has been made our Son, and we all rest and are quiet in their presence. \nAs they depart to their dwelling place above, we give thanks in our hearts that \nthey have come to us.\u201d \n\nThe departure of the Ancients ends the outer ceremonies. In them all the \nPowers in turn have been called to the Lodge; in response, the birds of the \nHako have flown thither, the Visions have descended and entered, the Dawn \nand the Stars and the Day have brought their gifts, and throughout it all the \nabstract idea of the great creative forces in their cosmic aspect, has been \nfirmly held in mind. \n\nThere ensues a day of rest, after which the definite promises made by the \nFathers to the Children must be fulfilled in a most sacred rite, which is care\u00ac \nfully concealed from all but the immediate participants. The mystic stirring \nof the Dawn birth, the brooding fruitfulness of Earth and Mother Eagle, the \nvirile potency of Sun Father and the Man Eagle, and, above all thinking, the \novershadowing spirit of Tirawa, are to be focussed and concentrated in the \none person of a Chosen Child, a little son of the Son; through the investiture \nhe will become the child of the tribe, the bearer of new life to the coming \ngenerations. \n\nThis inner ceremony, which is the very heart of the drama, lasts only a few \nhours, beginning shortly after sundown of the fourth day with a review of the \nlessons already inculcated, which are summed up by the Kurahus as follows: \n\n\u201cWe have now made the four-times-four circuit of the Lodge. In the first \ncircuit we have recollected Mother Earth, and the Com symbols; in the next, \nthe Eagles which are messengers of the Powers above; in the third, the prayer \nand offerings of this ceremony, and in the fourth the Powers themselves, the \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n342 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nMighty Power above, and all those which are with the Hako. Four times \ntour means completeness. The night is nearly over and the children leave the \nLodge and go to their homes. \n\nAt the first signs of morning, when Dawn is again coming to birth and all \nthe creatures are beginning to stir with the life of the new Day, the Fathers \nrise and, taking up the Hako from its ceremonial rest, they march forth sing- \nng o seek the Chosen Child. The song is the same one which we sang when \n\nI1Q T eTe t / lIlage and sought the Lod S e where the Son was awaiting \nus. We have been four days and four nights in that Lodge, singing the songs \nand performing the rites, and now we seek the Son\u2019s own dwelling, that vve \n\nSacred 0bjects t0 fireplace and there touch with them his \nniJd, that the promises we have brought may be fulfilled.\u201d \n\nat ofT thlS dwelling of the Son th e group pauses, singing the last stanza, and \nln Vi H a Par 5 \u00b0 f Warriors \u2019 a P ure \u2019y masculine element, storms into the \nanrftv, 10Ugh t0 capture and hold !t - shouting and recounting, all at one \nrifts from 3 T e m \u00b0 men 7 \u2019 the deeds of prowess and daring which are their special \nSith rifk f ,r p Va ' ? 7 aS thC Babd 0f boasting dies down - the Hako itself, \ntTe hf ] P T 311 QulCt \u2019 6nterS the P assa ge-way, and going straight to \n\n.as , b v 0 ;:R OWS , hlm ^ P \u00b0 WerS \u00b0 f endurance - wisdom, and fruitfulness; and \nlastly the Kurahus, holding the joined Calumets, one close-wrapped within \nthe feathers of the other, touches him with Creative Power \nThus encompassed with all the forces of life, the little creature is coaxed \nby a crooning song to move and take for himself the four steps which symbolize \nlifted t h T St f nCe; and stra, ghtway when he has complied, he is gently \nfollowed h .ri T \u00b0 f thC AndentS and borne to ceremonial Lodge \nthe T d \"I, , K , U , rahUS and the Hako g rou P. all singing together. Within \nthe Lodge the child is seated in the Holy Place, while the members ramre \nthemselves ,n their prescribed positions, forming a close circle about him and \nthis inner group is in turn shielded from all observation by a curved Irie of \nwarnors which stretches from wall to wall, shoulder touching s^ouWer so \nat their robes, reaching the ground, form a solid screen. The face of the \n\nr,r,.\u201err^r ssr \u2022***<\u00a3\u00a3 \n\nthe heart of the Mother Eaele' so 1 ny * lr ' asl ' ,ea * l,ers takm from a spot near \n\ntoft e,o\u201e d , o, Tiraa^ ^*. \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\n\n343 \n\n\nEagle is tied in such wise that it flutters over his head without ceasing as if it \nwere indeed the ever-moving breath of the spirit. \n\nThus completely invested with the sacred signs, the Child is made to gaze \nin silence upon his reflected image. The mirror prepared for the rite is the \ndirect gift of the Earth Mother, for it is made of wood from her forests, fash\u00ac \nioned into a bowl shaped like the inverted dome of the sky, and it is filled with \nwater from her living streams. As he gazes upon its clearly reflecting surface, \nhe is for a moment shown his own young visage blended and made one with \nthe symbolic visage of Tirawa-atius, and immediately thereupon, the black \ncovering which must veil the mysteries, is thrown over and about him. \u2018\u2018Only \nTirawa looks on them and knows all they mean. We do not look on them for \nthey are holy.\u201d \n\nNow, centred around the Holy Place of the hearth, circles are drawn at \nthe Four World Quarters to represent the nests of tribal life and of kinship \ngroups; \u2018\u2018and as we draw these circles on the ground we think that Tirawa \nhas made the Earth, where all the people live, quite round like a nest. If \nyou go on a high hill and look about, you will see that the Earth touches the \nSky on every side and that it is a circular enclosure.\u201d \n\nInto each of the inscribed circles, the Child, freshly endowed with the life \nof Tirawa, is carried in turn and allowed to rest for a moment, while at his \nfeet is laid an oriole\u2019s nest containing certain symbolic objects. Thus he \nbears the good gifts of the Hako to his people. This act is carefully hidden \nfrom sight by an enshrouding robe, and no one but the officiating priest knows \nwhat is happening beneath it, \u2018\u2018For no one knows when a bird lays its eggs \nor when a new birth takes place. Only Tirawa knows when life is given.\u201d \n\nAfter the four requisite repetitions of the mystery, the Child is again \nseated on the Holy Place while an offering of incense is made by throwing \nsacrificial ointment and aromatic grasses on the glowing coals of the fire. \nSilently the participants watch the sweet-smelling smoke curl upwards until \nit is well on its way to Tirawa, and then the Kurahus waves the Hako Articles \nback and forth through it, and, with hands impregnated by the odour, strokes \nthe Child. Thus he receives its blessing, and in turn the smoke as it rises \nwill bear a witness of him to Tirawa. When the other members of the party \nin like manner have shared this benediction, all traces of the tribal nests \nand of the incense fire are painstakingly obliterated, and the Father bears \nthe Child, still veiled, outside the door of the Lodge to watch the presentation \nof gifts. \n\nThis is a joyous interlude; deeds of heroism are recounted and enacted, \nwhile two youths weave with indescribable grace and lightness the intricate \npattern of an Eagle Dance, and one by one the Children lead up the ponies \nwhich are given to the Fathers in grateful recognition of the blessings they \nhave brought. \n\nWhen all the presentations have been made, the group of inner participants \nonce more and for the last time retires within the Lodge, and the Child is \nagain carried to the Holy Place behind the fire. With gestures which follow \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niiiiiwourniLAL yUAKTERLY \n\n?t h \u00b0 f Tlrawa \u2019 s breath - he is stroked with the Com Symbol and \nwith the Mated Stems, while the Kurahus bows over him singing: \n\n\u201cBreathe on him! \n\nBreathe on him \n\nLife thou alone can give to him!\u201d \n\n\u201cThewhHr S thiS P . ar r \u00b0u f - the cerem0ny the aged Ir| dian said to Miss Fletcher: \nI Iave ieenT P \u00b0 t ^ ^ hidden fr \u00b0 m the P e0 P 7 means, \u2018All that \n\nbreath of Tirfwa g r T\u2019 ^ Child ' haS been a P rayer *> call down the \nvou belonJt T ^ y \u00b0 U Hfe and strength and ^ teach you that \n\nIZtfn T- h T'~ that y \u00b0 U are his Child \" and now I pray with all my \n\nface and Jllle tT and t0UCh with his breath the symbo1 of his \n\nI*?** a \" the \u00b0t her symbols that are on the Child. This is a very solemn \n\nhrc^r We beheve . that Tlra wa, although not seen by us, sends down his \nbreath as we pray, calling on him to come. \n\ntea\u00ab S VwJ 1 \u201d 5 S \u00b0 ng n \u00b0 W in Washin gton with you, I cannot help shedding \n\nHttle Chill ^ eVerSUn f U f \u00b0 re CXCept as 1 st00d looking down upon the \nhttle Child and praying for him in my heart. There is no little ChiM v, \n\nthat y \u00b0 Uar h e lT e Wntmga11 these things down that they may not be lost and \n\n\u201c\u201c\"i - pracdsediii \u00a3 \n\nyou. I an, pra) .i\u201e g for you t 10 \u201c\u00b0 d < \u2018 OW \" hk b,e * ,h \n\n\u201cf ^uitfulne,,. Peace and'Secnrity^iinT'ZsInhe Ne,V \ntie ol kinship, \u201c e ^ li '- \u201c \u2014* \u201c *\u00bb* \n\ns\u201e is f r b f ih? \n\nFathers depart \u201e\u201e \u2018 ,e * S \u2018 \u00ab\u201c \n\noft\u201etnn\u201cinrn,S\u201c'Uv\u201cLr re and more ^ Acuity \n\nthe wealth o\u00a3 ,h, Z^nTZt \u2018ZZ * ^ \n\n~ZZZ\u00a3ZZZT 7? \u00ab s \n\ninherent in and blue yel] \u201e \n\n\n345 \n\n\nTHE HAKO: AN INDIAN RITE \n\nimpress of magic power; the very meaning of a song may lie in the fact that it \nhas an eight-fold form or is given a four-times-four rendition; each prolongation \nof a syllable or change of rhythm is a necessity\u2014for thus the mind is held one- \npointed and concentrated in supplication, thus the High Powers are assured \nof unbroken attention. I have throughout sternly resisted the temptation \nto suggest parallels or interpretations, or in any way to interfere with the \nKurahus\u2019 straight-forward explanation, and I will end simply with his final \nwords to Miss Fletcher, when at long last their joint task was finished. \n\n\u201cDuring the days I have been talking to you, and during the days and \nnights that we have worked together, my heart has gone out to you. 1 have \ndone what has never been done before; I have given you all the songs of this \nceremony and explained them to you. I never thought that I, of all my people, \nshould be the one to give this ancient ceremony to be preserved, and I wonder \nover it as I sit here. I think over my long life with its many experiences; of \nthe great number of Pawnees who have been with me in war, nearly all of \nwhom have been killed in battle. When I remember all the people of my \ntribe who have died during my lifetime, and of those in other tribes who have \nfallen by our hands, they are so many they make a vast covering over Mother \nEarth. I once walked with these prostrate forms; I did not fall but passed \non, wounded sometimes but not unto death, until I am here to-day, doing \nthis thing,\u2014singing these sacred songs into that great pipe (the graphophone) \n\nand telling you these ancient rites of my people. \n\n\u201cIt must be that I have been preserved for this purpose, otherwise I should \nbe lying back there among the dead.\u201d \n\n\nAll knowledge begins and ends with wonder, but the first wonder is the child \nof ignorance, the second wonder is the parent of adoration\u2014 Coleridge. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA HINDU CHELA\u2019S DIARY* \n\nFrom T he Path , Vol. I, Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, June to September, 1886. \n\n[In the month of December he arrived at Benares, on what he hoped would \nbe his last pilgrimage. As much as I am able to decipher of this curious manu\u00ac \nscript, written in a mixture of Tamil\u2014the South Indian language\u2014with \nMahratta, which, as you know, is entirely dissimilar, shows that he made \nmany pilgrimages to India\u2019s sacred places, whether by mere impulse or upon \nactual direction, I know not. If he had been only an ordinary religiously \ndisposed Hindu we might be able to come to some judgment hereupon, for the \npilgrimages might have been made in order to gain merit, but as he must long \nago have risen above the flowery chains of even the Vedas, we cannot really \ntell for what reason these journeys were made. Although, as you know, I \nhave long had possession of these papers, the time had not until now seemed \nripe to give them out. He had, when I received them, already long passed \naway from these busy scenes to those far busier, and now I give you liberty \nto print the fragmentary tale without description of his person. These \npeople are, you know, not disposed to have accurate descriptions of them\u00ac \nselves floating about. They being real disciples, never like to say that they \nar f* a manner quite contrary to that of those famed professors of occult \nscience who opportunely or inopportunely declare their supposed ch\u00a3laship \nfrom the house top.\u2014 Translator.] \n\n\n.... Twice before have I seen these silent temples standing by the \nrolling flood of sacred Ganges. They have not changed, but in me what \nchanges have occurred! And yet that cannot be, for the I changeth not, but \nonly the ve il wrapped about, is either tom away or more closely and thickly \n\nCh61a \u2019 S ri ary \u201d was reprinted in the Theosophical Quarterly of April and July, 1916- \n\nrue-\"\u2014\u00bb\u00ab\u00ab \u00ab\u25a0; \n\nfriend tvho'cornmunicated \"he\u2122 t ter tous^IY \u201c ^ P \u00b0\u201c eSSi \u00b0 n - The introduct \u00b0^ \u2022\u00bb * \u00ab\u00bb \n\n\n346 \n\n\nA HINDU CHELA\u2019S DIARY \n\n\n347 \n\n\nfolded roun d to the disguising of the reality Tf , \n\nsince I began to use the privilege of IkmJ \u2018 Y Y 11 s now seven months \n\n\u00ab... i c,\u2122 \u201e u,.. tapTSe is \u2022 Eadiiim ' \n\n,u.t law, which compe|! 'I bMk. I, w,e Karma, ,|, e \n\nfaltered, and returned to the life even h r hat prevent e<l me. Had I \nthis incarnation would have been sealed-TndV\u201d P \u201c 1 \u2019 my filte \nWhy? Happy W as I that I knew the silent d ^ W \u00b0 U d haVe Said nothin g- \nany loss of interest in my welfare but 1 Z\u00b0 U ^ n0t have lndicated in him \ninterference. Very soon seetoet\u25a0\u2018\"\"\"ted \n\nappeared exteriorly to be. Then the feelinv *7* that he Was not what he \ntime so strong that four or five times I thn g \u00a377 'f 0 3 behef within a short \nand begging him to reveal himself to me T** at his feet \n\nas I knew that I was quite imnure flT1 d7 if * ! h \u00b0 Ufi:ht that was useless, \nIf I remained silent I thought that he tould W1 \u2019 th that secret - \n\nme worthy of it. I thought he must be t0 me whenever he found \n\nassumed that illusionary form But th 7? Hindu Ade P t wh \u00b0 had \n\nthat he received letters from various relatives i H'ff ffiCUlty ar \u00b0 Se \u2019 f \u00b0 r 1 knew \n\ncompel him to practise the illusion all^Z LteT** ^7 ^ this W \u00b0 U,d \nwere ,n other countries, where he had globe, for some of those relatives \ngested themselves to me. ' a Vario ^ explanations sug- \n\nKunSla that he is some great Tndin '\u00bb 7^ my . onginal conception of \ntalked with him since\u2014although I fear I ' ^ tilIS sub i ec t I constantly \n\u2018 h \u00bb '*\u25a0 wortI >y of their company \u201cm! \u201c\"\"T Sl \u201c\" \u201d* b \u2018 \u25a0\" \ndirection. I always thought of retiring from u'\u00b0 n \u20197 a Ways been ir > this \nup to devotion. To Kunala I often expressed ,, h ' S W \u00b0 rld and P^ng myself \nstudy this philosophy, which alone can mS matTh & \u00b0 that 1 might \nthen he usually asked me what I would d n 7 happy m this world. But \nof gaining my object I ^ He Said that \u00ab \n\njungles with no one to guide me- that I \"Tu 7 mg left aIone in the \ngoing into the jungles I could fall in withanAdef- l \u00b0 think that by \n\nto gain my object I should have to work in the ref^ ^ ' f 1 rea \" y wanted \nI had met so many good men and himself also- a \u00b0T'l\" ^ thr0ugh which \nwhom I dare not mention by any other nam\u00ab\u2019 \" the Higher 0nes \u2018 \n\nthemselves would call me away from the W \u2019 Satlsfied mth they \n\nAnd when I foolishly asked him many timeTT^ \u201c d me in private \u2018 \naddresses of some of those Higher Ones he sT'd 016 the names aad \n\nBrothers has told me that as yfu are so muc h^ft \u00b0\"\u201c * '\u00b0 ne of \nonce for all that I have no right to rive , 7 016 1 had better tell you \n\n>1 y ou go on asking Hindus you meet wha^Tev k K\u00b0 n ^ them \u2019 but \nmight hear of them, and one of those ffigher O ab \u00b0 Ut the matter \n\nin your way without your knowing him Ld \u00b0n? perhaps tb row himself \n\n\u201c \u201c\u201c lwo \u00bb< \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n348 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nto be \u2018Raj Yogs.* He also said he had heard of a man who had appeared \nseveral times in Benares, but that nobody knew where he lived. My dis\u00ac \nappointment grew more bitter, but I never lost the firm confidence that Adepts \ndo live in India and can still be found among us. No doubt too there are a \nfew in other countries, else why had Kun&la been to them. In con\u00ac \n\nsequence of a letter from Vishnurama, who said that a certain X. 1 lived in \nBenares, and that Swamiji K. knew him. However, for certain reasons I \ncould not address Swamiji K. directly, and when I asked him if he knew X. \nhe replied: \u2018If there be such a man here at all he is not known.\u2019 Thus \nevasively on many occasions he answered me, and I saw that all my expecta\u00ac \ntions in going to Benares were only air castles. I thought I had gained only \nthe consolation that I was doing a part of my duty. So I wrote again to \nNilakant: \u2018As directed by you I have neither let him know what I know of \nhim nor what my own intentions are. He seems to think that in this I am \nworking to make money, and as yet I have kept him in the dark as regards \nmyself, and am myself groping in the dark. Expecting enlightenment from \nyou, etc.\u2019 .... The other day Nilakant came suddenly here and I met \nSw. K. and him together, when to my surprise K. at once mentioned X., \nsaying he knew him well and that he often came to see him, and then he \noffered to take us there. But just as we were going, arrived at the place an \nEnglish officer who had done Kun 41 a a service in some past time. He had in \nsome way heard of X. and was permitted to come. Such are the complications \nof Karma. It was absolutely necessary that he should go too, although no \ndoubt his European education would never permit him more than half \nto accept the doctrine of Karma, so interwoven backward and forward in our \nlives, both those now, those past and those to come. At the interview with X., \n\nI could gain nothing, and so we came away. The next day came X. to see \nus. He never speaks of himself, but as \u2018this body\u2019. He told me that he had \nfirst been in the body of a Fakir, who, upon having his hand disabled by a \nshot he received while he passed the fortress of Bhurtpore, had to change his \nbody and choose another, the one he was now in. A child of about seven \nyears of age was dying at that time, and so, before the complete physical \ndeath, this Fakir had entered the body and afterwards used it as his own. \nHe is, therefore, doubly not what he seems to be. As a Fakir he had studied \nYoga science for 65 years, but that study having been arrested at the time he \nwas disabled, leaving him unequal to the task he had to perform, he had to \nchoose this other one. In his present body he is 53 years, and consequently \n\nthe inner X. is 118 years old. In the night I heard him talking with \n\nKunala, and found that each had the same Guru, who himself is a very great \nAdept, whose age is 300 years, although in appearance he seems to be only \n40. 2 He will in a few centuries enter the body of a Kshatriya , 3 and do some \ngreat deeds for India, but the time had not yet come. \n\n\n1 1 find it impossible to decipher this name. \n\n2 There is a peculiarity in this, that all accounts \n\napparent age as forty only.\u2014 [Ed.J \n\n\nof Cagliostro, St. Germain and other Adepts, give the \n3 The warrior caste of India.\u2014 [Ed.J \n\n\n\n. f . ^ CS \" day 1 ; ven r t Wlth Kun&la t0 look at the vast and curious temples \n\nw! \u00a3 f t by \u00b0 Ur wu efatherS- S \u00b0 me are in mins \u2019 and others \u00b0 nl y showing the \nnow , WHat a dlfference between my appreciation of these buildings \n\n, wi h Kundla to point out meanings I never saw, and that which I had \n\nfather ^ 1Gm UP \u00b0 n niade so many years ago with my \n\n\nas thi rft P r \u2022? h , e ^ S ' here \u2019 aIthough written in the same characters \n\nfuJdsh H \u2019 haS C w \u2018 y Cen altered in SOme way by the writer, so as to \nrush clues meant for himself. It might be deciphered by a little effort, but \n\nmust respect his desire to keep those parts of it, which are thus changed \n\nthWs rr tha t SOme matters are here jotted down relating to secret \n\nScp c T aS ,i\u2019 t0 . tHmgS that he desired should not be understood at a \n\n\u00a3n!'t h i WntC \u00b0 Ut What Sma11 P\u00b0 rtion of ^ might be easily told \nwithout breaking any confidences. \n\nIt is apparent that he had often been before to the holy city of Benares, and \n\nsight those r ^ ? 3 ? aCC \u00b0 f Pilgrimage f0r the religious. Then, in his \nsight, those famous temples were only temples. But now he found, under \n\nroll r f \u00b0A Kunila, that every really ancient building in the whole \n\nstone the svmbr C f \u00b0 nStrUCted with the view to Pitting into imperishable \nfh * \u2019 JJ\u00ae Sy \u2122 b \u00b0 ls of a very anc 'ent religion. Kundla, he says, told him \n\noeonlr of th 8 ? W6re made when no supposition of the ordinary \n\npeople of those eras leaned toward the idea that nations could ever arise who \n\n., 6 lgnorant . of the truths then universally known, or that darkness \n\nould envelop the intellect of men, there were many Adepts then well known \nto the rulers and to the people. They were not ye/driven by inex^abt Ze \nto places remote from civilization, but lived in the 'temples, and while not \nding temporal power they exercised a moral sway which was far greater \n\nwt T t\u00b0 Vere ' g T \u00b0 f earth -\u2018 And they knew that the time would come \nwhen the heavy influence of the dark age would make men to have long for\u00ac \ngotten even that such things had existed, or that any doctrines other than the \n\nIf thett \u00b0 n , m f enal nghtS \u00b0 f mine and tkine i had ever been held. \nLv \" 1KS T 6 , l6ft Slmply t0 either P a P er or P a PKus or parchment \n\nthey would be easily lost, because of that decay which is natural to vegetate \n\nZTTf r mbran % BUt St \u00b0 ne IaStS \u2019 in an easy c hmate, for ages. So \n\nRaihs 5 a \u2019 TTu \u00b0, th 7 hCre and th6re being reaI *y themselves Maha \nRajahs, 5 caused the temples to be built in forms, and with such symbolic \n\nornaments, that future races might decipher doctrines from them. In this, \n\nwllL^,\" w- very numerous. A, the head of the \n\ntheir previous conduct in a subordinatTstation TB l' ^ f \u00b0 r their ^^^tions, as shown by \n\nwho rarely acted without \u201c \u201c d inferi \u00b0 r * the \n\nEspafla. lib. 2; lib. j. cap. p-Tcra Mo\u201e I\u201e d w / l n PnVate <Saha \u00ab u \" \u00bb\u00ab'\u2022 * Nueva \n\nMex. p. 66 .)-[ Ed.1 ' 2 \u00b0\u2019 ^ * Cap ' cited b y Prescott in vol. ,. r 0 n ff . \n\n5 King or Ruler. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n350 \n\n\nTHE0S0PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ngreat wisdom, he says, is apparent, for to have carved them with sentences \nin the prevailing language would have defeated the object, since languages \nalso change, and as great a muddle would have resulted as in the case of the \nEgyptian hieroglyphics, unless a key stone had also been prepared; but that \nitself might be lost, or in its own turn be unintelligible. The ideas underneath \nsymbols do not alter, no matter what might be the language, and symbols are \nclear immortally, because they are founded in nature itself. In respect to \nthis*part of the matter, he writes down that Kunala informed him that the \nlanguage used then was not Sanscrit, but a far older one now altogether \nunknown in the world. \n\nFrom a detached sentence in the MS., it is shadowed forth that Kunala \nreferred to a curious building put up many years ago in another part of India \nand now visible, by which he illustrated the difference between an intelligent \nconstruction and an unintelligent one. This building was the product of the \nbrain of a Chandala, 6 who had been enriched through a curious freak. The \nRajah had been told by his astrologers, upon some event occurring, that he \nmust give an immense sum of money to the first person he saw next day, \nthey intending to present themselves at an early hour. Next day, most \nunusually early, the Rajah arose, looked out of the window, and beheld \nthis Chandala. Calling his astrologers and council together, and the poor \nsweeper into his presence, he presented him with lacs upon lacs of rupees, and \nwith the money the Chandala built a granite building having immense \nmonolithic chains hanging down from its four comers. Its only symbology \nwas in the change of the chains of fate; from poor low caste to rich low \ncaste. Without the story the building tells us nothing. \n\nBut the symbols of the temples, not only those carved on them, but \nalso their conjuncture, need no story, nor knowledge of historical events. \nSuch is the substance of what he writes down as told him by Kunala. He \nsays also that this symbology extends not only to doctrines and cosmology, \nbut also to laws of the human constitution,-spiritual and material. The \nexplanation of this portion is contained in the altered and cryptic parts of \nthe MS. He then goes on]: \n\n. \\ esterday, just after sunset, while Kun&la and X. were talking, \n\nKun&la suddenly seemed to go into an unusual condition, and about ten \nminutes afterwards a large quantity of malwa flowers fell upon us from the \nceiling. \n\n\u201cI must now go to-and do that piece of business which he ordered done. \n\nMy duty is clear enough, but how am I to know if I shall perform it properly. \n.... When I was there andafter I had finished my work and was preparing \nto return here, a wandering fakir met me and asked if he could find from me \nthe proper road to Karli. I directed him, and he then put to me some ques\u00ac \ntions that looked as if he knew what had been my business; he also had a very \n\n\n6 A low caste \n\n\nman. e.g., a sweeper. Such a building can now be seen at Bijapur, India.\u2014[E d.J \n\n\nA HINDU CHELA\u2019S DIARY \n\n\n35i \n\n\nsignificant look upon his face, and several of his questions were apparently \ndirected to getting me to tell him a few things Kun&la had told me just before \nleaving Benares with an injunction of secrecy. The questions did not on \nthe face show that, but were in the nature of inquiries regarding such matters, \nso that if I had not been careful, I would have violated the injunction. He \nthen left me saying: \u2018You do not know me but we may see each other.\u2019 \n.... I got back last night and saw only X., to whom I related the incident \nwith the fakir, and he said that, \u2018It was none other than Kunala himself \nusing that fakir\u2019s body who had said those things, and if you were to see that \nfakir again he would not remember you and would not be able to repeat his \nquestions, as he was for the time being taken possession of for the purpose, \nby Kun&la, who often performs such things.\u2019 I then asked him if in that \ncase Kunala had really entered the fakir\u2019s body, as I have a strange reluctance \ntoward asking Kunala such questions, and X. replied that if I meant to ask \nif he had really and in fact entered the fakir\u2019s person, the answer was no, \nbut that if I meant to ask if Kun&la had overcome that fakir\u2019s senses, sub\u00ac \nstituting his own, the answer was, yes; leaving me to make my own con\u00ac \nclusions. I was fortunate enough yesterday to be shown the process \n\npursued in either entering an empty body, or in using one which has its own \noccupant. I found that in both cases it was the same, and the information \nwas also conveyed that a Bhut 7 goes through just the same road in taking \ncommand of the body or senses of those unfortunate women of my country \nwho sometimes are possessed by them. And the Bhut also sometimes gets \ninto possession of a part only of the obsessed person\u2019s body, such as an arm \nor a hand, and this they do by influencing that part of the brain that has \nrelation with that arm or hand; in the same way with the tongue and other \norgans of speech. With any person but Kunala I would not have allowed \nmy own body to be made use of for the experiment. But I felt perfectly \nsafe, that he would not only let me in again, but also that he would not permit \n\nany stranger, man or gandharba, 8 to come in after him. We went to- \n\nand he.The feeling was that I had suddenly stepped out into freedom. \n\nHe was beside me and at first I thought he had but begun. But he directed \nme to look, and there on the mat I saw my body, apparently unconscious. \nAs I looked .... the body of myself, opened its eyes and arose. It was \nthen superior to me, for Kunala\u2019s informing power moved and directed it. \nIt seemed even to speak to me. Around it, attracted to it by those magnetic \ninfluences, wavered and moved astral shapes, that vainly tried to whisper in \nthe ear or to enter by the same road. In vain! They seemed to be pressed \naway by the air or surroundings of Kun&la. Turning to look at him, and \nexpecting to see him in a state of samadhi, he was smiling as if nothing, or at \nthe very most, but a part, of his power had been taken away .... another \ninstant and I was again myself, the mat felt cool to my touch, the Bhuts were \ngone, and Kun&la bade me rise. \n\n7 An obsessing astral shell. The Hindus consider them to be the reliquiae of deceased persons \u2014(Ed.) \n\n8 Nature spirit or elemental.\u2014 [Ed.] \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n352 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cHe has told me to go to the mountains of-where-and- \n\nusually live, and that even if I were not to see anybody the first time, the \nmagnetized air in which they live would do me much good. They do not \ngenerally stop in one place, but always shift from one place to another. They, \nhowever, all meet together on certain days of the year in a certain place near \nBhadrinath, in the northern part of India. He reminded me that as India\u2019s \nsons are becoming more and more wicked, those Adepts have gradually been \n\nretiring more and more toward the north, to the Himalaya mountains. \n\nOf what great consequence it is for me to be always with Kun&la. And now \nX. tells me this same thing that I have always felt. All along I have felt and \ndo still feel strongly that I have been once his most obedient and humble \ndisciple in a former existence. All my hopes and future plans are therefore \ncentred in him. My journey therefore to up country has done me one good, \nthat of strengthening my belief, which is the chief foundation on which the \n\ngrand structure is to be built. As I was walking past the end of \n\nRamalinga\u2019s compound holding a small lamp of European make, and while \nthere was no wind, the light three several times fell low. I could not account \nfor it. Both Kunala and X. were far away. But in another moment, the \nlight suddenly went out altogether, and as I stopped, the voice of revered \nKun&la, who I supposed was many miles away, spoke to me, and I found him \nstanding there. For one hour we talked; and he gave me good advice, \nalthough I had not asked it\u2014thus it is always that when I go fearlessly \nforward and ask for nothing I get help at an actual critical moment\u2014he then \nblessed me and went away. Nor could I dare to look in what direction. In \nthat conversation, I spoke of the light going down and wanted an explanation, \nbut he said I had nothing to do with it. I then said I wanted to know, as I \ncould explain it in two ways, viz: 1st, that he did it himself, or 2nd, that \nsome one else did it for him. He replied, that even if it were done by some\u00ac \nbody else, no Yogee will do a thing unless he sees the desire in another Yogee's \nmind . 9 The significance of this drove out of my mind all wish to know who \ndid it, whether himself, or an elemental or another person, for it is of more \nimportance for me to know even a part of the laws governing such a thing, \nthan it is to know who puts those laws into operation. Even some blind \nconcatenation of nature might put such natural forces in effect in accordance \nwith the same laws, so that a knowledge that nature did it would be no \nknowledge of any consequence. \n\n\u201cI have always felt and still feel strongly that I have already once studied \nthis sacred philosophy with Kunala, and that I must have been, in a previous \nlife, his most obedient and humble disciple. 10 This must have been a fact, or \n\n\na tiia auiitcnue IS Ol \n\n\n0 . \u00b0 me ucciaentai mina aelights much more n effects personalities \n\nwhen Trf'T' ir\u201e m SC ~' ng f \u00b0 r Causes \u2019 iust as many Theosophists have with persistency soug^ to kn^w \n\n\n-repugn no special or remarkable cYc, ~T wnen 1 hrst met him \n\nevent. All my hopes and plans are centred 5 inT\" COnnected with that \n\ncan shake my confidence in him especially wh ' n \u00b0 ,b ' nc in the \"'\u201crid \n\nacqnamtances tell me the same thinj\u201c S. sevOT1 \u00ab' Brahmin \nI went to the great festival nf n g thout Previous consultation, \nday looking in the vast crowd ofmef women^hTf ^ neariythe whole \nsome of Kuniila\u2019s friends, for he on^e told mT ^ Md me \"dicants for \n\nbUt 1 found none who seemed toT\" SUre that they were \nby the ghaut at the river side thinking thlt nerh ^ As 1 stood \n\nmy patience, an old and apparently ve\u2122 d hap ? 1 was Ieft al \u00b0ne to try \nsleeve and said; \u2018Never expect to see any oL ^f Bairagee Packed my \n\nif they speak to you; it i s not wise to neer o,\u2019 ?? be ready to answer \n\nfdWers of Vasudeva: look rather within \u2018 \u00b0 f y \u00b0 UrSelf for the great \n\ntion. ^ to ask me for informa- \n\ni{ To \" m \u00b0rrow I return to I_ \n\nespecially of test evening! \u2019 Md\\pof wjd\u2019 *\u201c ^ WOrk of last week, and \ncontinuing work far into the aSTl'&L^ 00 my mat Iast \"ight \u2019after \nsleepmg an hour or two when wfth a Srt r f u 1 had bee \" \n\nolitude, and only the horrid howling of the iLcS%b\u00b0 fi \" d mySe,f in perfect \nThe moon was brightly shining and I walked ^ JU \" g ' e t0 disturb me - \n\nEuropean-modelled house, threw it one! Tl, , T t0 the window of this \nad departed, I began again on those palm\"leav\u00b0 ed T \u00b0 Ut Findi ng that sleep \ntap arrested my attention and I opened the Z ^ 1 had begun - a \n\n. sl,ndi \u201d8 tticrc. Once more on.xpecw' \u2019 0yed Uh \u201c *\u00bb \n\n\u201c \" y \u00b0\u201d ^ Si. nnfi tun \u00ab d aw ., \n\n(To be continued) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWHY I JOINED \n\nTHE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\nI T is necessary to recall, from time to time, that the ways of Karma are \nmarvellous and its designs past finding out. A member of The Theo- \nsophicaJ Society, passing a man in the street, may well say to himself \nwith a sincerity as great as John Bunyan\u2019s: \u201cThere, but for the grace of God, \ngot. He cannot explain why a divine opportunity came to him and not to \nothers whose virtues shine so brightly by contrast with his own. \n\nI can imagine someone asking: \u201c If you cannot explain why you joined the \n\nt Why 7 lte an ar , ticle about it? \" I might reply: \u201c Because I have been \nasked to write an article about it but I think that there is a more satisfactory \nanswer. J \n\nWe are not automata. We were free to respond or not to respond to the \nopportunity of jommg the Society and of working for its objects One can \n\nfro^onrinTl e \u2019,i a ff trUthfUlIy ^ P \u00b0 SsibIe ' the sta 8 es thr \u00abugh which we passed \nonginal indifference to enthusiastic response. And since we are all \n\nX\u201c y ,K \u00b0' d of \u201d e s \u201c h >*\u00bb\u00bb\u00ab \n\nWhen I first heard of Theosophy my mood was not receptive, nor was anv \n\nTm^ofTeTs th Th Ugh %*\u2122\u00ab**\u00bb I bad Wends who were \nrp !?, ;* T /' T ThlS lndlffer ence, which was almost antipathy, can be \n\nreadily understood. In those days I lived almost entirely in a maze of \nmetaphysical speculation. I had some sort of notion that I was destined to \nbecome a Columbus among the philosophers, the discoverer of an unknown \n\nthST\u201dHtoTIT \u201e F \u201d *1>*\u2018 teason alone I tended to disapprove of ,he \ntheories and beliefs of other people. I was a college student at the time and \n\ninteresting,^itTnot y^SisfS'e. \u201c Pr \u00b0 bl \u201c\u201d\u2019 \u00ab\u201c* \n\nnegation While one half J+Z J , the bySS of consistent mental \nseason, the other h\u201ef\u201c * - \n\n\u2022\u25a0orthodoS\u201coT.he\u2018to\u00ab n K \"* h \u00ab\u2022\u00bb various \n\nthe Church Then I had \u201c \u25a0 ear ^ a \u00a3 e * reac ted violently against \n\nand ^ 1 ,\u00bb*M\u00abd in biLgy. \n\nand bigoted as the priests The nhil h f \"\u00b0 re m genera ^ as dogmatic \n\nthem iere also pM Sts tot ? f h, \u2018\u00b0\u201d phers P 1 ^ \u201d\u00bb better, for some of \ngreat poets, tot ,t was so easy to demolish their thought- \n\n354 \n\n\nWHY I JOINED THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY \n\n\n355 \n\n\nstructures merely by questioning the premisses upon which they reposed. It \nis fortunate that I could not feel better satisfied with any of my own theories \nconcerning the nature of the Universe. \n\nThis description of my mental condition at college is not exactly clear, but \nit is at least as clear as was the condition itself. If I had remained at the \nuniversity indefinitely, it is to be feared that the net result would have been \nnothing more inspiring than a disappointed and rather cynical professor. \n\nWhat may be called the science of Theosophy began to interest me after I \nhad left college and come into contact with the world of American business, \nwhere one is held strictly accountable for one\u2019s actions. I emerged from the \nshell of academic irresponsibility, and I did not like the atmosphere which I \nhad to breathe. My mind continued\u2014it still continues, for that matter\u2014 \nto agitate itself about the origin and being of the Cosmos; but it was forced to \nface other problems as well, problems suggested by personal suffering, by the \ncompulsion of duty, by friendly or hostile relations with others. I read little \ntheosophical literature, but I had a friend who bravely introduced Theosophy \ninto our conversations. Some of the ideas which he presented seemed to ex\u00ac \nplain the very things which troubled me. I said to myself that if Truth could \nbe discovered by the exercise of logic and common sense, Theosophy would, \nindeed, be a translation of the Truth. \n\nI began to read the Quarterly. Its articles and editorials upon the War \ninterested and impressed me. I had liked the theory of Theosophy, and now \nI began to like the way in which students of Theosophy practised what they \npreached. Still I held back. How could these people really believe what they \npreached? It is one thing to recognize the objective beauty of a theory; it is \nanother thing to have reasons for believing that a theory is true. \n\nSlowly I began to understand; understanding is still coming slowly. But \nthe first dawning of this understanding brightened enough for me to ask \npermission to join The Theosophical Society. \n\nMy faithful friend had always insisted that Theosophy was not a dogmatic \nsystem, and I had always smiled benevolently at him. Then it occurred to \nme that he might be right. \n\nI read and questioned more actively. There could be no doubt of it. The \ntheory or science of Theosophy was a collection of hypotheses which were not \nto be blindly accepted by the student, bitf were to serve as a guide to experi\u00ac \nment whereby he couldprove them for himself, as others had already proved \nthem. Here was the revelation of the true and universal experimental method, \nthe source of all sciences and the justification of the life which is religious in \nsubstance and not only in outward form. Here was a system of thought, \nexplaining as profoundly as it can be explained\u2014the nature of the Universe \nand of the human being which is born from the Universe, and I was invited to \nverify it through the development of my own nature. \n\nWhat could have prevented me from joining The Theosophical Society? \n\nR. S. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\nPART III, SECTIONS 12-19 \n\n\nMAN LINKED WITH THE LOGOS \n\nT HE great inspiration of these instructions for disciples is the Logos, \nthe Divine Mind, the Divine Voice, that sang a miraculous song, \nwhich brought the worlds into being: for the worlds are the song of \nthe Divine Voice. \n\nAs a song has many tones and many parts, so also has the mighty song of the \nDivine Voice. These tones are celestial powers, the great potencies that are \nrevealed in the manifold miracle of the manifested worlds. As melody and \nharmony run through the song, so also with the divine song that breathes \nforth the worlds: melody, harmony, beauty everywhere. \n\nIn the sections here translated, there is a further thought, of vital moment \nfor the disciple. It is this: the ordered divine powers of the mighty Logos, \neach with its creative potency, are present, each one of them completely \nrepresented, in the being of the disciple. The divine powers which build \nthe worlds, the divine powers which are the worlds, build him also, and are \nthe very essence of his being. \n\nThe disciple is taught to recognize these divine powers in himself, to know \nthem, to use them. He is taught a further lesson which, when fully learned, \nwill make him more than a disciple, will make him an immortal, potent and \ncreative as the Logos is creative. \n\nThe symbol with which the first of these Sections begins is the measure \nof the Vedic hymns called the Gayatri, a measure containing twenty-four \nsyllables. One stanza, attributed to the great Rajput sage and seer, Vish- \nvamitra, belongs to the Third Circle of the Rig Veda. It may be rendered thus : \n\n\u201cLet us meditate on the fair radiance of the divine Spiritual Sun, which \nmay lead forward our souls!\u201d \n\nTherefore, the Gayatri is here taken as the symbol of the Spiritual Sun, \nthe Logos as singing the divine song. That Logos sings the worlds into \nbeing, and, having brought them into being, saves and upholds them by the \nsustaining power of the divine song. \n\nThe Gayatri, as the song of the Logos, forms all the worlds, and among \nthem this world which we inhabit, and which is a living manifestation of the \npotencies of the Logos; divine powers constitute it, mould it, maintain it. \n\nThe same divine powers constitute and sustain the body of man; each of \nhis bodily powers is made of the essence of the Logos. In the body of man \nare established the life-breaths, the living powers through which the Logos \nbrings the latent Divine Thought into manifestation. \n\n356 \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n357 \n\n\nThe same powers of the Logos have in man another and higher, more \ndivine manifestation \u201cin this Heart which is in the man within; that is, in \nthe Spiritual Man, whom the disciple seeks to become, the man who wears \nthe vesture of the colour of the sun, the heir of immortality. The same \npowers reappear in this Spiritual Man, purified, spiritualized, glorified. \nBut the manifested world, of which the body of man is a portion, far from \nincluding all things, is said here to be but a fourth part of the whole. What \nthe four parts are, with their relation to the life of the disciple, has already \nbeen told in the Mandukya Upanishad. One part is manifested here; three \nparts are immortal in the heavens. \n\nThen follows the identification of Brahma, the Eternal, with the radiant \nEther. The word so translated is Akasha, literally \u201cShining-toward\u201d, and \nmeaning both the extension of\u2018Space and all that fills Space; both the con\u00ac \ntainer of universal Life and the Life which it contains. The radiant Ether \nis, therefore, identical with the manifested Logos: it is the primal stage or \ndegree of manifestation, within which, and through the powers of which, all \nsubsequent manifestation takes place. So far concerning \u201cthe radiant Ether \nwhich is outside the man.\u201d But there is also the \u201cdim star within\u201d, the first \nspark of the light of the Logos, and as the disciple watches, worshipping, the \nstar grows until it is one with \u201cthe infinite Light.\u201d The radiant Ether \nwithin the man is the same as the radiant Ether without, since both are the \nLogos. There are further stages: the radiant Ether in the man within, and \nthe radiant Ether in the inner Heart, the Spiritual Man. \n\nThen follows a more detailed identification of the powers of man as powers \nof the Logos. As symbols of the powers of the Logos, are taken the Sun, \nthe Moon, the Fire-lord, the Lord of fructifying rain, the Wind, which is the \nGreat Breath. With the Sun is correlated the power of seeing, since through \nthe Sun\u2019s light we see, but that Sun is again the illuminating Logos, and the \nseeing is divine vision. With the Moon is correlated hearing, for the Moon, \n\u201cthe measurer,\u201d measurer of the hours, the days, the weeks, the months, the \nlunar year, is here, as always, the symbol of Mind, since through mind we \nhear and through mind we measure. With the Fire-lord, magnetic fire, is \ncorrelated the voice, since through the voice the magnetic fire is manifested \nin the chanting of the hymns. With the Lord of fructifying rain is correlated \nmind, since by the right use of the mind, by fructifying thought, the hidden \nintuitions are made manifest and bear their fruit. With the Great Breath \nis correlated the upward-breath, the divine power of aspiration, which breathes \nupward and inward toward the inner Heart, that breath of aspiration which \nis the immediate presence of the Logos in the consciousness of the disciple. \n\nThese five Brahma-spirits are the doorkeepers of the heavenly world: \nthese same powers which appear in the outward life of the disciple, will, when \nthey have been purified and awakened in the inner Heart, open to him the \nheavenly world. In his family a hero is born, who knows thus: the son, here \nas elsewhere, is symbol of the Spiritual Man, who is the reborn life of the \ndisciple; that son is a hero, a strong son of the spiritual world. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n358 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nAnd so the light that shines at the back of the heavens is the same as this \nlight in the man within. Therefore, let the disciple steadily watch and wor\u00ac \nship, until the star within becomes the infinite light. What is said concerning \nthe inner enkindling, which is the seeing of that light, appears to refer to a \nmystical force which represents the creative power of the Logos. The hear\u00ac \ning of it is set forth at greater length in The Voice of the Silence , in the descrip\u00ac \ntion of seven mystical sounds; the last tone is there likened to the dull \nrumbling of a thunder-cloud\u201d, closely paralleling our text. \n\nWhen the disciple has \u201cattained to peace\u201d, he has reached a definite stage \non his journey homeward. The flower of the soul has opened; he knows that \nthe way has been found. Awakening to the presence of the Logos, let him \nreverence it as That from which all comes forth, That in which all shall finally \nbe dissolved, That in which all breathes; That in which he himself lives and \nbreathes, from which he has come forth, to which he seeks to return. \n\nThe eloquent passage which follows needs no commentary: it is one of the \ntruths which echo through all expressions of the greater Mysteries: its symbols, \nlike \u201cthe grain of mustard-seed\u201d, are universal. \n\nThe simile of \u201cthe treasure-house containing the mid-world\u201d, uses terms \nthat are more limited, more conventional. Shankaracharya translates them \nsomewhat as follows: the treasure-house is once more the inner Heart, the \nSpiritual Man, who is indeed the receptacle of many treasures, of many \npowers. This earth is the floor of the treasure-house, because the disciple \nenters the path while dwelling in this outer world, but the roof of the treasure- \nhouse is the heavens. The eastern quarter of the treasure-house is named \nthe sacrificial ladle; that is, the instrument with which the offering of oil is \nadded to the consecrated fire on the altar; the symbol is fitting, because the \ndisciple begins with the oblation of his separate life in the great Life, which is \nthe universal Fire. The southern quarter, named the overcoming, marks \nthe disciple\u2019s overcoming of the limitations and barriers of his former deeds, \nin many lives; it is a stage of purification. The western quarter stands, in \nuniversal symbolism, for the doorway to the world of the hidden sun; the \n\u201cqueen\u201d, says Shankara\u2019s commentary, is the light of the dawn in that hidden \nworld. The northern quarter is named well-endowed, because it possesses \nmany hidden treasures. Here again is universal symbolism: the kingdom of \nheaven is like buried treasure, like the pearl of great price. \n\nThe sentence concerning lamentation for a son seems to take us back again \nto the simile of the birth of a hero: may the hero grow strong and increase in \npower, so that there may be no cause for lamentation. \n\n\u201cIn this invincible treasure-house I take refuge, through that, through that, \nthrough that\u201d: this finds its interpretation in the later verses: \u201cIn the earth \nI take refuge, in the interspace I take refuge, in the sky I take refuge\u201d; and \nthis seems to be the equivalent of the sentence in Light on the Path: \u201cInquire \nof the earth, the air, and the water, of the secrets they hold for you. The \ndevelopment of your inner senses will enable you to do this.\u201d \n\nWhen we come to the later sentence, \u201cIn the Fire-lord I take refuge, in the \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n359 \n\n\nGreat Breath I take refuge, in the Sun I take refuge\u201d, we are once again in \npresence of symbols for powers of the Logos. The three Vedas are symbols \nof the records in which a knowledge of these powers is contained. \n\n\u201cMan, verily, is sacrifice\u201d: here again we have a picture of the path of the \ndisciple, with the graded stages through which he passes on his way to the \nfinal victory. The beginning of the way is the morning sacrifice. Through \nthis he must press forward, letting no obstacles hinder him, to the attainment \nsymbolized by the midday sacrifice. Again he presses forward to the third \nsacrifice, finally completing the last stage of his journey as a disciple, to the \nattainment which is to make him more than a disciple. At each stage he must \nbe indomitable, invincible, letting nothing afflict him or daunt him. \n\nFor the symbolism of the four parts of the Eternal we must go back again \nto Mandukya Upanishad , where the four parts of the Eternal are detailed. \n\nFinally, we come to the great cosmic symbol of the world-egg, the signifi\u00ac \ncance of which seems to be, that the birth of a universe, the birth of a solar \nsystem, the birth of a child, and the birth of the Spiritual Man, all follow the \nsame laws, and are manifestations, whether macrocosmic or microcosmic, of \nthe same powers, the powers inherent in the Logos. The golden half of the \ncovering of the world-egg is Spirit; the silver half is Matter. These are not \ntwo disjunct, adverse entities, but the two poles of the One. The new birth \nof the disciple obeys the same great laws. When he is reborn, there will come \nto him a great sound of rejoicing, filling him with joy, filling him with joy. \n\nTHE DISCIPLE AS CHILD OF THE LOGOS \n\nThe Gayatri, verily, is all that is here, whatever here has come into being. \nThe Voice, verily, is the Gayatri. For the Voice sings ( gdyali) and saves \n(trdyate) whatever here has come into being. \n\nWhat, verily, this Gayatri is, that, verily, this earth is; for in it is estab\u00ac \nlished whatever here has come into being, nor does aught transcend it. \n\nWhat, verily, this earth is, that, verily, is this body in the man; for in it \nare these life-breaths established, nor does any transcend it. \n\nWhat, verily, this body in man is, that, verily, is this Heart which is in the \nman within, for in it these life-breaths are established, nor does any transcend it. \n\nThat, verily, is this Gayatri with four parts, sixfold, concerning which it is \ndeclared by the Rig verse: \n\nSo great is the might of This, \n\nAnd Spirit is still mightier; \n\nOne part of That is all beings, \n\nThree parts of That are the Immortal in heaven. \n\nFor that which is named Brahma, the Eternal, is that radiant Ether which \nis outside the man. That radiant Ether which is outside the man is the same, \nverily, as the radiant Ether in the man within. That radiant Ether which \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n360 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nis in the man within, that, verily, is the same as the radiant Ether in the \ninner Heart. That is the Fulness which goes not forth. Full Grace, which \ngoes not forth, he gains who knows thus. \n\nOf it, verily, of this Heart there are five channels for the Bright Powers. \n\nThat which is the channel of the East is the forward-breath, that is the \npower of vision, that is the Sun. Therefore, let him reverence it as fervour, \nas food to be eaten. Possessed of fervour and an eater of food he becomes, \nwho knows thus. \n\nAnd so that which is the channel of the South is the distributive-breath, \nthat is the power of hearing, that is the Moon. Therefore, let him reverence \nit as grace and splendour. Gracious, splendid he becomes, who knows thus. \n\nAnd so that which is the channel of the West is the downward-breath, that \nis the voice, that is the Fire-lord. Therefore, let him reverence it as the \nholy fire, as food to be eaten. Possessor of the holy fire, an eater of food he \nbecomes, who knows thus. \n\nAnd so that which is the channel of the North, that is the uniting-breath, \nthat is mind, that is the Lord of fructifying rain. Therefore, let him reverence \nit as glory, and as the brightness of dawn. Possessed of glory, of the bright\u00ac \nness of dawn he becomes, who knows thus. \n\nAnd so that which is the channel of the Zenith is the upward-breath, that \nis the Great Breath, that is the radiant Ether. Therefore, let him reverence \nit as divine power and might. Possessed of divine power and might he be\u00ac \ncomes, who knows thus. \n\nThey, verily, these five Brahma-spirits are the doorkeepers of the heavenly \nworld. He who knows thus these five Brahma-spirits as doorkeepers of the \nheavenly world, in his family a hero is bom. He gains the heavenly world \nwho knows thus these five Brahma-spirits as doorkeepers of the heavenly \nworld. \n\nAnd so the light which shines beyond this heaven, at the back of the whole \nworld, at the back of all that is, in the supreme realms than which none is \nhigher, that, verily, is the same as this light in the man within. This is the \nseeing of it, when through contact in this body he discerns its enkindling. \nThis is the hearing of it, when, closing the two ears, he hears inwardly a rum\u00ac \nbling, a lowing, the sound of a blazing fire. Therefore, let him reverence \nthat as seen and heard. Worthy to be seen and heard he becomes, who \nknows thus,\u2014who knows thus. \n\nAll this, verily, is the Eternal. Having attained to peace, let him reverence \nit as That from which all comes forth, That in which all is dissolved, That in \nwhich all breathes. And so, of a truth, man is formed of Will. According \nas a man\u2019s will is in this world, such on going forth from this world he becomes. \nSo let him direct his will. \n\nMade of mind, with the life-breaths as body, radiant-formed, whose imagi\u00ac \nnation is true, whose self is radiant Ether, possessing all works, possessing \nall desires, possessing all fragrances, possessing all essences, encompassing \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n361 \n\nall this world, unspeaking, unconcerned,\u2014this is my divine Self in the inner \nHeart, smaller than a grain of rice, or a grain of barley, or a grain of mustard- \nseed, or a grain of millet, or the kernel of a grain of millet,\u2014this is my divine \nSelf in the inner Heart, older and mightier than the earth, older and mightier \nthan the mid-world, older and mightier than the heavens, older and mightier \nthan these worlds. \n\nPossessing all works, possessing all desires, possessing all fragrances, pos\u00ac \nsessing all essences, encompassing all this world, unspeaking, unconcerned,\u2014 \nthis is my divine Self in the inner Heart, this is the Eternal. In that divine \nSelf I shall completely come to birth on going forth from this world. Whose \nthis truly is, can doubt no more. Thus of old spoke Shandilya, thus spoke \nShandilya. \n\nThe treasure-house containing the mid-world, with the earth as its floor, \ngrows not old. Its corners are the four directions of space. The sky is its \nopening above. This treasure-house is the container of riches. In it rests \nall that is. \n\nIts eastern quarter is named the sacrificial ladle. Its southern quarter is \nnamed the overcoming. Its western quarter is named the queen. Its north\u00ac \nern quarter is named well-endowed. Of these quarters the Great Breath is \nthe offspring. He who knows thus the Great Breath as the offspring, laments \nnot with the lamentation for a son. \n\nSo I know thus the Great Breath as the offspring of the quarters. Let \nme not lament with the lamentation for a son. \n\n\u201cIn this invincible treasure-house I take refuge, through that, through \nthat, through that. \n\n\u201cIn the Life-breath I take refuge, through that, through that, through that. \n\n\u201cIn this world I take refuge, through that, through that, through that. \n\n\u201cIn the mid-world I take refuge, through that, through that, through that. \n\n\u201cIn the heavenly world I take refuge, through that, through that, through \nthat.\u201d \n\nWhen I said, \u201cIn the Life-breath I take refuge,\u201d the Life-breath, verily is \nall here that has come into being, whatsoever there is; in that, verily, I have \ntaken refuge. \n\nAnd so, when I said, \u201cIn this world I take refuge,\u201d this I said: \u201cIn the earth \nI take refuge, in the interspace I take refuge, in the sky I take refuge.\u201d \n\nAnd so, when I said, \u201cIn the mid-world I take refuge,\u201d this I said: \u201cIn the \nFire-lord I take refuge, in the Great Breath I take refuge, in the Sun I take \nrefuge.\u201d \n\nAnd so, when I said, \u201c In the heavenly world I take refuge,\u201d this I said: \u201c In \nthe Rig Veda I take refuge, in the Yajur Veda I take refuge, in the Sama \nVeda I take refuge.\u201d \n\nMan, verily, is sacrifice. Of him, four-and-twenty years are the morning \noblation. For the Gayatri measure has four-and-twenty syllables, and with \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n362 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nthe Gayatri is celebrated the morning oblation. With this oblation the Bright \nPowers called the Vasus are correlated. The life-breaths, verily, are the Vasus, \nfor they uphold all that is here. 4 \n\nShould anything afflict him in this division of life, let him say: \u201cYe life- \nbreaths, ye Vasus, let this morning oblation of mine be continued until the \nmidday oblation. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the midst of the \nlife-breaths, of the Vasus!\u201d He arises thence, he is freed from ill. \n\nThen of him four-and-forty years are the midday oblation. For the Trish- \ntubh measure has four-and-forty syllables, and with the Trishtubh the midday \noblation is offered. With this oblation the Bright Powers called the Rudras \nare correlated. The life-breaths, verily, are the Rudras, for they bring \nlamentation to all that is here. \n\nShould anything afflict him in this division of life, let him say: \u201cYe life- \nbreaths, ye Rudras, let this midday oblation of mine be continued until the \nthird libation. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the midst of the life- \nbreaths, of the Rudras!\u201d He arises thence, he is freed from ill. \n\nThen of him eight-and-forty years are the third oblation. For the Jagati \nmeasure has eight-and-forty syllables, and with the Jagati the third oblation \nis offered. With this oblation the Bright Powers called Sons of the Sun are \ncorrelated. The life-breaths, verily are the Sons of the Sun, for they take \nall that is here. \n\nShould anything afflict him in this division of life, let him say. Ye life- \nbreaths, Sons of the Sun, let this third oblation of mine be continued to the \nfull life-span. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the midst of the life- \nbreaths, Sons of the Sun!\u201d He arises thence, he is freed from ill. \n\nKnowing this in the olden times Mahidasa Aitareya said: \u201cSo why dost \nthou afflict me, since I shall not go forth because of this!\u201d \n\nHe lived a hundred and sixteen years. He lives a hundred and sixteen years, \nwho knows thus. \n\nMind, verily, as the Eternal let him reverence: thus with regard to the Self. \nAnd so with regard to the Divinities, radiant Ether is the Eternal. This is \nthe twofold instruction, with regard to the Self and to the Divinities. \n\nThat, the Eternal, has four parts: voice is a part, life-breath is a part, seeing \nis a part, hearing is a part; thus with regard to the Self. And so with regard \nto the Divinities: Fire-lord is a part, Great Breath is a part, Sun is a part, \nthe Spaces are a part. This, verily, is the twofold instruction, with regard to \nthe Self and to the Divinities. \n\nVoice, verily, is a fourth part of the Eternal; this through the Fire-lord as \nits light gleams and glows; he gleams and glows with glory, with splendour, \nwith holy fire, who knows thus. \n\nLife-breath, verily, is a fourth part of the Eternal; this through the Great \nBreath as its light gleams and glows; he gleams and glows with glory, with \nsplendour, with the holy fire, who knows thus. \n\nSeeing, verily, is a fourth part of the Eternal; this through the Sun as its \n\n\nCHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD \n\n\n363 \n\n\nlight: gleams and glows; he gleams and glows with glory, with splendour, with \nholy fire, who knows thus. \n\nHearing, verily, is *a fourth part of the Eternal; this through the Spaces \n\n\u00ae..^ S , h ^ ht / ear \" S a \" d glows: he gleams and glows with glory, with splendour, \nwith holy fire, who knows thus. \n\nis this S \u00b0 lar L \u00b0 rd \u2019 V6rily \u2019 \u2018 S the Etemal; this is the instruction. Its expansion \n\nNon-existence, verily, was this world in the beginning. It became existence \u2022 \nit came to birth; it took the form of the Egg; it lay quiescent for the measure \n\n:ie n r,r h : : oLTg s oE ed in twain; these two parts \u00b0 f the sheu \u2014 the - \n\nt J he ^ hich was silver \u2019 that is this Earth; the half which was golden, \nItV the Heavens; what was the Chorion, that became the mountains- \nwhat was the Amnion, that became cloud and mist; what were the veins \n\nhese became the rivers; what was the liquid contained within, that became \nme ocean. \n\nto h\"i S V hat r hiCh TT t0 birth is that Sun - Toward that, thus coming \nThere L aTtb! T tnum P hant song - all beings and all desires arose, \nsone Iff11 Sun s rising, at every return, a great sound of triumphant \nsong, alJ beings and all desires arise. \n\nhoneM^\u2019t th r kn \u00b0m ing this \u2019 reverences the Sun as the Eternal, there is the \nfillfng hto wi,h7\u201e y * i \u201d\u201c \u201d\u201c nd \u00b0' him W. \n\nC. J. \n\n\nA ever take too large a place in what yon do. \ngether forgotten in every one of our deeds. \u2014Plus. \n\n\nGod has the right not to be alto - \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\nStudent seemed worried. \u201cWhat has become of our unexpected \n\\ isitor of the last \u2018Screen\u2019?\u201d he asked. \u201cI was afraid she might \n\nhave read your description of her as an 'awful Accident\u2019, and have \nbeen offended.\u201d \n\n\u201cNot a chance in the world\u201d, the Recorder replied. \u201cShe never reads. \nShe said so, and that she prefers to \u2018pick up\u2019 information by asking questions, \nsuch as those she asked you. Probably, by now, she has floated into an \nenthusiasm for Dutch art or for Bahaism.\u201d \n\nNo , said the Historian, \u201cthe Student impressed her greatly. I heard of \nher a few days ago. She had been to a tea party, and had announced that \nobviously he was a reincarnation of St. John; that the Philosopher had been \nDante and the rest of us on the same scale. She knew all this because, as \nshe said, she had been Marie Antoinette! Poor little elemental!\u201d \n\nPoor httle nothing\u201d, the Philosopher exclaimed indignantly; \u201cwe are \nthe people to be commiserated, though it is the Work that really suffers. \nJust as hkelv as not, she will be saying in a week or two that we told her about \nour past incarnations, but, if she prefers to keep the credit of her absurd \ndiscoveries , those to whom she \u2018reveals\u2019 them will undoubtedly infer the \nsame t ing, and that we must be idiots and worse to have stuffed her thistle- \ndown head with such nonsense.\u201d \n\nCurious how every worth-while movement attracts that sort of pest\u201d \nthe Engineer commented. \u201cThey are not wicked,-just silly. There were \n\nATonl 1 B \u2019 S time| 3nd 1 HaVe knOWn Jud * e to hide them \nA strong light in darkness attracts moths, and I suppose Theosophy fascinates \n\nsuch people on the same principle. Then, following the bent of their own \n\nnatures they select the unimportant, the personal, the trifling, from the great \n\nbody of truth they encounter, and pass these around as a child holds up a \n\nnew toy for the admiration and envy of other children. Sometimes it\u2019s astrol \n\nogy, sometimes the Tarot cards; more often, the most ordinary kind of gosl \n\nabout the ways and doings of mutual acquaintances,-the sort of thing you \n\nmeet with wherever common people forgather. And the one sin for winch \n\neven the newest student of Theosophy cannot be pardoned, is to be common \n\n1 vTr theTorid 1 T ^ ^ Peasants, nSSj \n\n\u00b0 , the world \u2018 sa]lors before mast, whose outlook on life was noble \n\n\" \u201eld diE ? it y- th \u00ab <\u2122\u00ab of thought rather than of reading- \n\nZtt \"LvT , 1 \u2018 \u201c\u25a0 A -thy loves his w<Jk, \n\nnat is to say, who treats it as something sacred, instead of as an excuse for \n\n-a^d ff\u00b0 r T P nt haS paSSCd beyond the sta 8 e of having a common mind \ntalk \u2019 18 C \u00b0 UrSe 3 C \u00b0 mm0n mind that explains c h ea P interests and cheap \n\n\n364 \n\n\nreading T he Art i* 1 bee \" \n\nit has become a \u2018best seller\u2019 \u2014 strange both v ' Strange as u ma Y seem, \ntents, seeing that a \u2018best seller\u2019 usually is trarii Sn ^ ^ its COn ' \nto make people think, and can hardlv fail Dlmaet s book is intended \n\nthat he suggests several admTrabt fsts S t\u00a3 ?\u00b0 T f the point ls \n\nFor instance: \u2018If, at any moment! m \"\" '***\u201d* ^\" g \u2018 \n\nis, or has recently been having an inflt name a great man who \n\npassing the verdict, ordinary, on the qualit^of 0 \" y \u00b0 Ur C \u00b0 ndUCt \u2019 Y \u00b0 U wiU be \n\n\u00ab? \u00ab*\u00bb of ciiru%i yo ;ir fe rr \u201c d \u201c isi - \n\nthenes and you will see and positively touch as vvilh ! ' bo \u00b0 k \u00b0 n Demos - \nof a constant preference for great nab-int! \u00ab a h y \u00b0. r 0Wn hand the effect \nwhich journalism, politics, duelling and all tv thlnkers In an existence \nForum might otherwise have made shallow \u2019 H ^ 7 effervescenc e of the \nuses the word \u2018shallow\u2019 as practically svno ' H \u2019. y \u00b0 u Wl11 notlce . Dimnet \nway of expressing ,he otdi \"\u201d>\". A \"\u00abl\u00bb \n\nand women, mentally and conversational! de s out P u t of many men \n\nthe spiritual plane, from on \n\ntat-ta, to be carried on just the same after daatt Tat ' tat - ta - Tat-tat-ta, Tat- \nsave time by dropping the ta after the Tat ctST \u2019 P6rhaPS \u2019 that they \u2019 d \nto challenge himself under this head to d'isJ ? ly u every one . of us ought \nraise the level of our \u2018bet ween-whiles\u2019 n \u2022 u- VGr m what dlrecti \u00b0ns we can \nhabits of thought and talk which are to nuf> g \u2019 ?? ^ ^ f \u00b0 r eVer of some \n\u201cI believe\u201d, said the Andentat tV P mildly - Very ordinary\u201d, \nophy, when applying Dimnet\u2019s test to the\" 4 \u2019 Students of Theos- \n\nconstantly influenced by the thought of W \u00b0 U ' d feel that the y are \n\nthough perhaps t they' \n\nhowever, are like the sun in the heavens -a hi! /,\u00b0 n f antly \u2019 Masters, \nprovided us with moon and stars also that n \u00b0u ,ght \u2019 and nature has \nour vision, we may still look up and Idore TtT^V^ disa PP ears from \nman, to think exclusively of Masters Po ,, . n0t bealt hy. f\u00b0 r the average \nthat there are only two Snds oTneoot ^ \u201c ay begin to \u2122 a gine \n\nthe fact being that history and literature are i^Tof 1 h and Mas ters,\u2014- \n\nto ourselves it should be one of our greatest dehghlT Wh \u00b0 Sesu P eri \u00b0rity \nin a general off-hand sort of way as one admits th f \u2122 cognize \u2019 not simply \nthan America, but in detail and by name All of * A T h ff m \u00b0 re inhabit ants \ngallery of heroes,\u2014men and women who tho 1 T Sb \u00b0 U d have our Private \nreflected something of the sun\u2019s glory and by so dof SUnS \u2019 haVe \n\nnearly within the range of our comprehension * m0re \n\nness tends to arouse the elements of greatness whiol atlon of great ' \n\nLove is creative, and to love nobilitv a* . h ch 16 atent within us. \n\npurpose of others, dead or living i, to crearl no \u2019* \u2122 V \u201c ied in \u00ab\u00ab life and \n\n11 is \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n366 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthan a man like Faraday. The son of a blacksmith and apprentice to a \nbookbinder, Professor Tyndall said of him that he had an excitable and fiery \nnature, but, through high self-discipline, had converted the fire into a central \nglow and motive power of life, instead of permitting it to waste itself in useless \npassion . and Faraday had no incentive, such as we have, for his achievement, \nno understanding of Kama as a reflection of Buddhi, no knowledge of \nspiritual transmutation, no desire for discipleship. Do any of us accept ill- \nhealth as a handicap? It were surely wise, in that case, if we cannot hope \nto emulate the heroism of H. P. B., to remember what Darwin wrote to a \nfriend: If I had not been so great an invalid, I should not have done nearly \nso much work as I have been able to accomplish.\u2019 Plutarch\u2019s Lives and \nParallel Lives were once the companions of all educated men, not because the \ncharacters he portrays are always worthy of emulation, but because Plutarch\u2019s \nown standards are invariably above the ordinary, while his criticism is shrewd, \nand his narrative, intensely interesting. Every student of Theosophy should \nkeep the Lives fresh in his mind as part of his moral background. \n\nPartly, perhaps, because I am so painfully conscious of failure to use my \nopportunities as I might and should have done, I confess an intense ambition \nfor members of The Theosophical Society. I want them to be distinguished \neverywhere by charm of manner, kindliness, evenness of temper, poise, good \njudgment; I want them to be recognized for their unconscious distinction, \nthe result of lofty and detached thinking, with the purposes of Masters their \ncentre of interest, not themselves; I want them to be able to handle affairs \no the world with skill but with unconcern, as angels might swiftly and thor\u00ac \noughly clean a room,\u2014and disappear. I do not want them to \"be cranks \nor fanatics, or sentimentalists, or to drag Theosophy into their conversation \nwhen it is not wanted, or for the purpose of dragging themselves into the \nlime-light; I do not want them to adopt an attitude of superiority to their \nneighbours, or to the ideas of their neighbours. Yet they should remember \nthat the only way to impress the world is to be above the world (can a seal \nimpress wax otherwise?), while never forgetting that the world, in these \nmatters, is not easily deceived, and that the attempt to appear superior \n\u201e at once be recognized for what it is: proof of inferiority. Slow to take \noffence gentle in speech, restrained in laughter, incapable of mere chatter \nthey will be worthy of respect and will win it. \n\n, !. mU T S f t Seei f t0 be P rea ching, but heaven knows I am trying to take it to \n\n. If one thing is certain, it is that words unsupported by honest effort \nnot only count for nothing, but are harmful. \n\nrernlT \u00b0 f that he based his plans on the consideration of \n\nemote as well as immediate consequences; that he always looked beyond \n\nhis own life-time for results; and that this habit accounted in part for the \nimpression he gave of aloofness, and for the inability of most men who came \ninto personal contact with him, to understand his'mental processes CoT \nsciously, or not, he was inclined to test all things by the perpetual ques^on \nof the boy-saint: How does this look in the light of eternity?\u2019 Would not \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n367 \n\n\nthe same attitude toward our own thoughts\u2014and of course our words and \nacts\u2014go far toward saving us from being wrapt up in personal and ephemeral \nconcerns, and thus, from \u2018the greater condemnation\u2019 of being common?\u201d \n\n\"Your reference to H. P. B. reminds me\u201d, remarked the Student, \u2018\u2018that \none of our editors handed me a copy of The Real H. P. Blavatsky , by William \nKingsland, published by John M. Watkins in London, asking me to review \nit for the next issue of the Quarterly. I have not been able to do so, or \neven to read it through consecutively; but I think that our readers should \nbe informed of its publication without further delay, as it is certainly the \nbest and most complete book written about her so far. It is not perfect of \ncourse, but the author has honestly done his best to present the facts as he \nsees them. In an appendix he gives a critical analysis of the 1885 Report of \nthe Society for Psychical Research,\u2014the famous, or, rather, infamous Hodgson \nreport. All the available sources are drawn upon in the account of H. P. B.\u2019s \nlife, the author deserving the highest praise for what was undoubtedly a \nlabour of love. I regret that he did not confine himself to his subject, for \nhis references to the Theosophical Movement and to Theosophy, show great \nlack of understanding. He speaks of \u2018the stupendous disaster of the Great \nWar\u2019, and adds: \u2018If the Theosophical Society had succeeded in its original \nintention, if it had become a living example of Universal Brotherhood [it has], \nthe teachings of Theosophy in their scientific, philosophical, and spiritual \naspects would doubtless have obtained a world-wide recognition and accept\u00ac \nance [this is nonsense: Theosophy is for the few] such as would have made \nthe Great War an impossibility.\u2019 Nonsense piled on nonsense! It sounds as \nif he were a Pacifist, and it also sounds as if he believed, as the leaders of the \nso-called \u2018 Back-to-Blavatsky \u2019 movement believe, that the Masters failed \nin their work through H. P. B., and that the Society which they founded, \nno longer represents them. He should read the Quarterly, and our Con\u00ac \nvention reports!\u201d \n\n\u201cPossibly\u201d, the Philosopher interjected, \u201cif he were to read the Conven\u00ac \ntion reports, he would be more convinced than ever that he is right, because \nit is obvious, from the extract you have read, that our attitude toward the \nGreat War is the antithesis of his. My own belief is that it was the force \nliberated at our Conventions which led this country into the war. In any \ncase, how anyone with the least understanding of H. P. B. can doubt what \nher attitude would have been, passes all comprehension. She, who was \nwounded nearly to death at the battle of Mentana in 1867; who was a warrior \nif ever there was one, would have been like a lion let loose on behalf of the \nAllies.\u201d \n\n\u201cOf course\u201d, the Ancient agreed. \u201cFurther, if the teachings of Theosophy \nhad gained universal acceptance in this country, we should have been in the \nwar as soon as Germany invaded Belgium, instead of trying to play both \nways until 1917. \n\n\u201cApart, however, from Mr. Kingsland\u2019s obvious misunderstanding of basic \nTheosophical principles, his criticism of the Society is vitiated by the fact \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n368 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n*?\u2022 m \u00b0 St ^ nghsh pe \u00b0P Ie - he thinks of Mrs. Besant\u2019s Adyar society as \nX:r, mg ; c east OUtwardly - the work of H - p - forgetting that The \nW O T P r| Ca Was founded in New York - was maintained there by \n\nlies to tS T k le \" repeated approval, and has been conducted on the same \ntoiler d >t y 7 \u00b0 Se \u00b0 Were \u2018 brou S ht U P\u2019> theosophically, by Judge, \n\n, - \u201c the P ur POses of the Founders. In other words, Mr. Kingsland \n\nclapTrap o/tLf \"* **\u00bb\u25a0 He ^ been \u2122 Ied by \u00ab\u00bb noise and \na tonish their f\u00b0 , ' T f \u00b0 r many years seems to ba ve been to \n\nth s thev hal r rS .' 3 t0 P th6ir \u00b0 Wn nam6S bef0re the Public ' In \nT , \" b y have \u201crtamly succeeded,-at the cost of prostituting the name \n\nmeetTnTs L *\u00b0 that * has \u201d ot even advertised its puS \n\nmeetings, the original Society has steadily pursued its way, true to its Founders \n\nforming year by year, by a long process of Karmic section, that Nucleus \n\nnLrrcStlt^^ WhiCh the MaStefS ' f-mlhe S- \n\nTo i true test either of progress or of servirp \n\n\"it ^ \n\ninsincerity. C,\u201e S/X s \u201d\u201d ly f h \u2018* r '^ ni \u2122 \u00bb \n\nThis is an open challenge. 2 f theoso P hl cal, say as much? \n\nthropic, benevolent ^patriotiTlctiSies 1 ^unlTy 6 / 130 \" 1 ! eligious \u2019 philan \u2018 \nthe effect is worse, if that were noZ hit t, X demorak ^ng, and that \nTheosophy is involved. One reason for thk ^ t\u00b0 & CaUSe as that of \ncases, all such work begins as a self inrl 1 \u2019 \u00b0 U ^ \u00b0 f many \u2019 ls tbat > in most \n\nterms when a young man Z\\ot T ^ U 18 easier to see * * those \n\u00ab\u00ab. His father\u2019s KX ^ his \u201c\u00ab *\u00b0 \n\nhe prefers to go to Paris to Hp\u2122 * ^ ^ oes no ^ a ^ r act him. No; \nuplift the standards of the world\u2122 PerhaT^ \u00b0 f ^ alues \u2019 : an artist who will \nand save for his benefit - perhaps he find ? h f & \u00b0 WS hlS P arents to skimp \nh.m. In any case he ^ ^ t0 \n\nthat seems most pleasant rather than th L - rJ resistance.\u2014the path \nWha, wonder that, 5 ? \u00b0' h * r<1 lab \u201c' \u201c d <* duty. \n\n\u2022isinP his ar, dnrrn, spar, moments and SSHS SL W \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n369 \n\n\nlearned whether his \u2018vocation\u2019 were real or fictitious. No power on earth \ncan stifle a real vocation. Byron would have written poetry, perhaps better \nthan he actually wrote, if, like Spinoza, he had earned his living making lenses- \nFra Angelico would have painted, if, instead of being a Dominican Friar, he \nhad been, like Byron, heir to an English title, or, like Bohme, had followed \nthe trade of a shoemaker. Nothing in the universe can keep us from serving \nthe cause of Theosophy, or The Theosophical Society, if we have a genuine \ndesire to serve them,\u2014neither poverty nor wealth, neither sickness nor sorrow \nEvery act we perform, every pain we endure, every thought we think, can \nbe turned into service of that cause; and not only into service, but into an \nability to serve more perfectly,-into Adeptship of service. There are \nopportunities at every moment.\u201d \n\nles .said the Student; \u2018\u2018there are opportunities at every moment, \nin every direction. Yet I have heard members say, occasionally, \u2018There \nis nothing I can do to help\u2019, or, \u2018I have tried, and it\u2019s no use; I am always \ncriticized: nothing I do is ever right.\u2019 Well,-some people have a genius for \nlying down half way; others, an inability to see that their past performance \nmight be improved upon, while all of us, without exception, in a certain \npart of our nature, harbour a resentment against being called upon to do \n\nanything at all. Is not tamas, as well as rajas, a common inheritance of the \nrace t \n\nThen he quoted: \n\n\n\u201c \u2018I wish I was a little rock, \n\nA sittin\u2019 on a hill, \n\nA doin\u2019 nuthin\u2019 all day long \nBut jist a sittin\u2019 still. \n\nI wouldn t walk, I wouldn\u2019t move, \nI wouldn\u2019t even wash. \n\nI d jist sit down a thousand years, \nAnd rest myself, by Gosh.\u2019 \n\n\n. \" \u201e \u2014 w \u201cwuucu, uuu tnat is one ol the secret \n\nLTf nf\u00b0 \u00a3 m0St \u00b0J U + u a c d aCCOUnts for a g\u00b0 od deal of the supposed inability \nto be of service to the Society. \n\n\u2018\u2018Niiturally, not all of us can serve in the same way. Not every one is \nable to speak or to write. Yet there are those who could write, who are too \nazy to learn: they simply will not take the necessary pains. Do they suppose \nthat those who now contribute to the Quarterly, were bom with some \npeculiar gift? In my opinion, one must learn how to think before one can \nlearn how to write; consequently, no one ever learns to write at school or \nlf ! ge .j art _ thinking is not a \u2018 required \u2019 course. It must be acquired, \n\nbut nrifiMT 1 !: fe \u2019\u201c and0nly as the result of prolonged effort, of repeated \nbut profitable failure, of keen desire to learn, of real self-sacrifice. After \n\nthirty or more years of practice, we begin to realize how poor our performance \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n370 THE 0 S 0 PHICAL QUARTERLY \n\nis, even though it may be \u2018acceptable\u2019. Still, to write acceptably, makes it \npossible to serve. \n\n\u201cEven so, one is met with the rejoinder, \u2018I have nothing to write about.\u2019 \nAnd at that point I begin to lose patience. If you think Theosophy, all you \nneed do, to find a burning topic, is to walk down the main street of your \ntown, or, if you cannot walk, read the morning paper. The world is alive \nwith topics. Every magazine you pick up, is a challenge to your Theosophy, \nsometimes by way of contrast, sometimes by direct contribution. For in\u00ac \nstance, a friend gave me a copy of The Yale Review (Winter, 1929). Glancing \nat it, I found an article, \u2018The Real Scholar Gipsy\u2019, dealing with the life, \ncharacter, and doings of the younger Van Helmont. The writer of the \narticle, Marjorie Nicolson, says of him: \u2018There was not in Europe a more \nromantic figure, nor one about whom more traditions clustered. The essence \nof his attraction lay in his mystery. He had dabbled in chemistry, and was \nlearned in esoteric knowledge; he had fought in battles, and beaten his way \nthrough outraged mobs that clamoured for his life; it was whispered that the \nmantle of his magical father had fallen upon his shoulders.\u2019 Impossible to \nread it without a desire to learn more about him. Was he, or was he not, \nan Occultist? He was a friend of Henry Alore, the Cambridge Platonist; \nhe was closely associated with the early Quakers\u2014George Fox, William Penn, \nLady Conway and others; he knew half the Princes of Europe. Even from \nthis brief article, it is evident that he knew a great deal about the power of \nthe imagination, the preliminary key to all occult forces. He applied it in \nhis practice of medicine. His theory of pain gave him an experience which \nChristian saints and Bhakti yogis would understand, but which he produced \ndeliberately and scientifically. He was suffering agonies from a broken \nshoulder, which doctors had tried to set and had made worse. He used his \npain to demonstrate the truth of his belief that man\u2019s imagination and will \nare supreme over his material trials. When he determined, he says, that the \nexcruciating pain in his shoulder was \u2018nothing less but my owne life, excited or \ninflamed for my good ... I began to love my pain\u2019; upon which the writer \nof the article comments with unusual insight: \u2018 Love , be it noticed; not merely \ndisregard , or tolerate; he was no trimmer, this mighty hunter before the \nLord!\u2019 \n\nHowever, all that I am suggesting is,\u2014an article for the Quarterly; a \nready-made and \u2018new\u2019 subject; an intensely interesting field for further \ninvestigation. \u2018Nothing to write about\u2019! There are so many things to \nwrite about that ten lifetimes would not cover them. \n\nHere is another instance: a book catalogue with some cheap \u2018remnants\u2019; \namong them, one entitled Fra Paolo Sarpi: The Greatest of the Venetians\\ \nby the Rev. Alexander Robertson, published years ago by Sampson Low* \nMortified to realize that if I had ever so much as heard of this \u2018greatest of the \nVenetians\u2019, I had forgotten all about him, the next step was to buy the book, \nquite prepared to find that it would be waste of time to read it. Instead, it \nproved to be fascinating,\u2014and yet another field for Theosophical investiga- \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n37i \n\n\ntion, yet another opportunity for a Quarterly article. Fra Paolo was born \nin 1552 and died in 1623; he was recognized universally as by far the greatest \nscholar of his century,\u2014the greatest of its mathematicians, anatomists (he \ndiscovered the valves of the veins), theologians. With Galileo he invented the \nthermometer; he made profound studies of sound and colour, of pneumatics, \nhydrostatics, metallurgy, chemistry; he was the leader of his period in all \nthese and in many other directions. Above all, he practically governed \nVenice, and, while a member of a religious Order, fought the Pope to a stand\u00ac \nstill, carrying his country successfully through a period of national excommuni\u00ac \ncation, and forcing the Pope, finally, to bless officially what he had cursed \nofficially. Paul V, the Pope in question, did his utmost, time after time, to \nhave Paolo murdered, and once nearly succeeded; but the Friar politely, \nresolutely defied him, and won his battle by sheer weight of intellect, integrity, \nand saintliness. \n\n\u201cHe was a reformer within the Church,\u2014a reformer of such extraordinary \ngifts that they appear to have been superhuman. Now it seems to me to be \ncommon sense that the Master in whose name the Christian Church exists \n(he did not found it, any more than Gautama founded the Buddhist Churches \nwhich have grown up in his name), must have tried often to bring it more \nnearly into line with his spirit and purposes, and that he must have wished to \nreform it from within, rather than divide it into sects. The Pontificate of \nPaul V (Camillo Borghese) was as bad as that of Paul III (Famese). This \nmeant, not only need, but opportunity. Further, the Society of Jesus, \nalthough of recent origin, had already become political rather than religious, \nand had adopted such evil ways that Father Bobadilla, one of its founders, \nconfessed to Fra Paolo that, \u2018It never entered the mind of Father Ignatius \nLoyola that the Company should become what it now was\u2019, and that \u2018if he \nreturned again to the earth he would not recognize it as his own\u2019. In brief, \nthe Church of Rome could hardly have been in a worse condition. Question: \nwas Fra Paolo a ch\u00a3la of the Christian Master, specially incarnated to lead, \nas he did, the movement tending to limit the power of the Popes, and to \nprevent their interference in the civil affairs of nations, while doing what \nlittle he could to revive a belief in primitive and \u2018 unclericalized\u2019 Christianity ? \nSurely worth investigating,\u2014and writing about!\u2019\u2019 \n\nDo you suggest that Fra Paolo may have been a ch\u00a3la consciously?\u2019\u2019 the \nHistorian asked. \n\n\u201cNo\u201d, the Student answered. \u201cMy understanding is that, in such a case, \nthe ch\u00a3la would have to leave behind him, as part of the sacrifice involved, \nwhat I have heard described as \u2018his occultism\u2019. The Karma of the Church, \nand, in this case, the Karma of Italy, would not have permitted the incarna\u00ac \ntion of a conscious occultist to do public work. It is clear to me, also, that \nif a chela were given the mission which I am attributing, tentatively, to \nFra Paolo, too much knowledge would have been as great a hindrance as too \nlittle. He was called by the most learned of his contemporaries, \u2018 the oracle \nof his age\u2019; but this in itself proves that he was within the reach of their \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n372 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nappreciation,\u2014not beyond it, as a chela, aware of his ch\u00a3laship, would have \nbeen.\u201d \n\nThe Ancient had been listening with evident interest, and yet seemed \nglad when a pause gave him an opportunity to speak. \u201cI am in complete \nsympathy with your position\u201d, he said, addressing the Student. \u201cThe \nopportunities for service, both inner and outer, are endless. For any member \nof the Society to pretend otherwise, shows an entire failure to understand \nthe elements of Theosophy. Yet, human nature being what it is, there is \nalmost always a tendency, as I am sure you will agree, to think of outer work \nas an excuse for some slackening of inner effort; and the supreme need, now \nand always, necessarily must be self-understanding, self-conquest, Self- \nrealization. For one thing, no article for the Quarterly is worth the paper \nit is written on unless based upon that foundation. Tremendous efforts are \nbeing made by the Lodge to counteract the stupefying effects of scientific \nprogress,\u2014stupefying, because all that science is doing is to dig deeper and \ndeeper into matter, burying its own head in the sand like an ostrich, and \ndragging the attention of the world with it. The mere sublimation, or rare\u00ac \nfaction, of the \u2018matter\u2019 with which science now deals, in comparison with the \n\u2018matter\u2019 of 1875, does not affect the situation in the least. The man who \nthinks all day long of pate de foie gras or of lobster k la Newburg, is no better \noff, spiritually, than a man who thinks all day long of corned beef and cabbage. \n\n\u2018\u2018All of us must realize that the Great War was an outer manifestation of \na crisis in the still greater war that is perpetually being fought for the souls \nof men,\u2014the White Lodge against the Black. The outer war ended, super\u00ac \nficially, in a victory for the Allies; but every intelligent person now realizes \nthat the Allies, by their failure to stand on principle, and by their policy of \nexpediency, gave away the fruits of victory from the day of the Armistice, \nand have done so increasingly ever since. They won the War but lost the \nPeace. Looking, however, still further beneath the surface of events, it \nbecomes evident, as the Quarterly has persistently maintained, that the \nreal outcome is still undetermined; for the White Lodge executed a vast \nflanking movement against the Black, by turning one of the achievements \nof the Black into a weapon against them. The flower of England, France, \nBelgium, gone, it was said, and said truly; many thousands of promising young \nAmericans too. I have forgotten the exact numbers, but more than two \nmillion dead, including many of the best and bravest. Individually, they \nhad died at the crest of their wave, so to speak; they had died in a fervour of \nservice, of self-abandonment. Yet most of them had died young, with their \nnormal life-span unfulfilled. Think! In one sense they would be \u2018earth- \nbound \u2019, though, for their sacrifice, entitled to \u2018 heaven What kind of heaven \nwould satisfy them, except one compact of the spirit in which they died,\u2014a \nheaven of service; and, at first, for most of them, earthly service. \u2018Deprive \nthe world of its best\u2019, one can imagine to have been part of the aim of the \nBlack Lodge. The White Lodge, turning defeat into victory, meets this evil \nby using the world\u2019s best for the world\u2019s salvation,\u2014aiding and guiding and \n\n\nON THE SCREEN OF TIME \n\n\n373 \n\n\norganizing this great army of the dead, for the tit e\u00bbves ^ \u201e\u201est have \n\n, thonaand ways it 'break, trough\u2022*\u00a3 \u201c Eternity _ \n\n\"t^rr^\u00ab i object^ify\u2122\u201c\u00ab,\u201che' > a'rtwe; \n\nnf St Teresa of Avila, would leave them unimpressed and cold. \n\nworld m w , hlC \u00a3 \u2122 learned by abnormal means that which every student of \n\n\u2022\"-\u2018\"it; sris \n\nto exaggerate the importance of that particular artic \u2022 \u00bb \n\ntoexaggerac f ^ subconscio us hunger after what the Bible \n\ntypical o - c . . ,,_,, , \u2022 oUp sincere desire to penetrate \n\nf'.^ hih Ind altruistic order, who aided me in making a 1hyperd,m\u00abns\u00bbnal \n\u2022 \u2022+ tinn T believe such hunger will always attract such forces. \n\nHr We find what \" e seek\" as Emerson said. If we seek psychic expen- \n\nence. we shall find that, and the spirit',', a# \n\naccording to fhtd^s of the spiritual wo\u201eW \n\nIlls-sssse \n\n,. , 1 1 .Li- \u201e iT-i UTic crlrvrv. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n374 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\nthink it sufficient to pray that the house might just \u2018happen\u2019. Time enough \nto pray when he has made a clear-cut picture in his mind of the kind of house \nhe wants to build. Even then, he must put his plans on paper; must remove \nthe rubbish from his site; must dig foundations; must pile brick on brick and \nstone on stone,\u2014praying constantly meanwhile for strength and perseverance, \nbut working, working , and of course obtaining all the advice and help he can \nfrom those who have built houses for themselves before him. Perhaps a \nbetter analogy would be the building of a Church or Temple, because that \nwould, or should, eliminate the possibility of selfish motive, and suggest, \nfurthermore, that divine guidance should be sought at every step of the way. \nWhether house or Temple, however, it is evident that he will never succeed \nunless he create a picture of a finished product which appeals to him as attrac\u00ac \ntive. He must see something in his mind\u2019s eye which he personally and \ngenuinely desires to make real. Otherwise he will lack enthusiasm, will lack \nlove: and\u2014must fail. But the old saying that appetite comes from eating, \nis as true of the spiritual world as it is of the physical. We can cultivate \nlove just as we can cultivate an appetite or a taste,\u2014a taste, let us say, for \ngood instead of for trashy reading. In that case, we use our wills to make \nourselves read the better sort of books, at first against the grain of our inclina\u00ac \ntion, but very soon in line with it. In exactly the same way, we can cultivate \na hunger for discipleship, for ch\u00a3laship, for the service of Masters, for knowl\u00ac \nedge of the real. \u2018 Do the deed and you shall have the power.\u2019 Be a disciple \nfor five minutes, and you will want to be a better disciple for ten; and if \nanyone says, \u2018But I\u2019m not a disciple; I\u2019m full of faults and weaknesses and \nsins; how can I pretend to be that which I know I am not?\u2019 my answer is: \npretend often enough, and you will turn yourself into the thing you were not. \nNaturally I am not speaking of pretence in the eyes of others, or for their \nbenefit: that sort of pretence is an abomination. I am saying that if a man \nknows he is selfish, he can make himself unselfish by forcing himself repeatedly \nto do unselfish things, for he will develop before long a preference for that \nsort of behaviour, and finally\u2014unless he perpetually pats himself on the back \nfor his \u2018sacrifices\u2019\u2014finally, he will achieve a change of heart which will make \nunselfishness spontaneous and unconscious y for very clearly, no man who is \nconscious of his qualities, as yet possesses them,\u2014until he reaches the further \nstage of looking down upon them, rather as we look upon the rind of an orange. \n\n\u201cKnowledge is obtainable. Certainty can be gained. It is our own fault \nif we remain in darkness. It is worse than a fault, it is a sin, if we remain \ncontent with mental beliefs and shibboleths. Everyone of us ought to ask \nhimself honestly, What do I know ?\u2014remembering always that the test of \nknowledge is instinctive action; remembering also that it is the everlasting \ndesire of Masters to share with us the certainties of their experience and \nBeing.\u201d \n\nT. \n\n\n\n\n\nThe Roman Catholic Church in the Modern State, by Charles C. Marshall; Dodd, Mead \nand Company, 1928; price $3.00. \n\nStudents of Madame Blavatsky\u2019s efforts to break down the dogmatism, spiritual pride and \nself-sufficiency of Ecclesiasticism, will find this book exceedingly useful. So much Theosophic \nleaven has entered Western Christianity since her labours in that direction began with the \nsecond volume of Isis, that in Protestantism, where freedom of thought was, at least in prin\u00ac \nciple, a possibility, there has been genuine and encouraging progress towards tolerance, with \nthe acceptance of far wider views of Christianity, and of other religions as well. It is \ntrue, too often, unfortunately, that what Protestantism has gained in breadth it has lost \nin depth and in fervour, the result being a shallowness both of thought and of devotion that \nin many cases is pitiable. The Church of Rome, on the other hand, while it still produces \nsaints, has maintained officially and steadfastly the traditional attitude, resisting for the \nmost part that which is good in the intellectual spirit of the times, and actually entrenching \nitself still further in the prescriptive moulds by reason of this very resistance. Because in\u00ac \ndividual members of that Church often adopt a liberal and friendly attitude, the ordinary \nman has been led to believe that this probably reflected an increasing official liberality; but \nsuch is not the case. It will come as a surprise, doubtless, to many readers of this book\u2014as \nit did to the reviewer\u2014to discover how far the Church of Rome has actually gone in arrogating \nto itself, and to the Pope, all authority, wisdom and power. No Lodge of Masters training \ndisciples in the ascending degrees of ch\u00a3laship; no generalissimo of an army in a beleaguered \ncity, has claimed, and, where possible, enforced, such a right to blind obedience or such a \nmonopoly of the truth. These claims are set forth in the more recent official Constitution, \nSyllabi, and Encyclical Letters of the Roman Curia, made accessible in translation; and they \nscarcely need either comment or analysis. Read however dispassionately, they form a remark\u00ac \nable indictment of any Priesthood claiming infallible Divine guidance and inspiration. \n\nThe author is primarily concerned with the superiority of Democracy, and the will of the \npeople, as an off-set to Roman Hierarchical Authority; but the student of Theosophy may \nreflect upon both attitudes\u2014set forth temperately, justly, and with dignity in this book\u2014 \nand derive therefrom a truer appreciation of the ideals given us by the Maha-Chohan himself:\u2014\u2022 \n44 . . .an open mind, ... an eager intellect, an unveiled spiritual perception, a readiness to \ngive and to receive advice and instruction, ... a loyal obedience to the behests of Truth\u201d. \nBecause of the recent political campaign in the United States, the suppression in Fr \nLe Sillon and L'Action Franqaise, the Encyclical Letter issued January sixth, 1928, 1 \nreconciliation of Church and State in Italy,\u2014the attention of thinking people is \ntowards the 44 Roman Question\u201d; and members of the Society may wish to become better \nequipped to discuss the subjects involved by a first-hand acquaintance with the facts and \ndocuments, studied anew in the light of their knowledge of Theosophy. \n\nA. G. \n\nThe Delphic Maxims in Literature, by Eliza Gregory Wilkins; The University of Chicago \nPress, 1929; price, $3.00. \n\nOn the temple of Apollo at Delphi there were inscribed three maxims: 44 Know thyself\u201d, \n\n375 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n376 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\n\u201cNothing too much\u201d, \u201cGive a pledge, or give security, and trouble is at hand.\u201d The author \nhas brought together in this one book all of consequence that has been written about these \nDelphic Maxims from their first appearance in literature until the present time. The book \nshows the probable original meaning of each maxim in the light of Greek literature itself, and \nman\u2019s perennial interest in them which is still unabated. The sayings began to appear in \nextant Greek literature sometime during the latter half of the sixth century b . c ., and the \nfirst two recur frequently in the extant literature of the Greeks and Romans. There are \nfewer discussions of them between a.d. 500 and a.d. 1500; but with the coming of the Renais\u00ac \nsance Miss Wilkins finds them returning with a force that has continued down to our own day. \nHer history of these maxims through the ages leads not only into literature of almost every type, \nbut into some touch with the thought movements which have characterized each period in \nthe development of mankind. \n\nThe book contains reproductions of some rare old prints. It is admirably printed on unusu\u00ac \nally good paper. Readers of the Quarterly will find it of real value. It is surprising, how\u00ac \never, that the author, so widely read, should not have taken advantage of the light thrown \nby H. P. Blavatsky upon the significance of the first of the Delphic maxims, and that she \ndoes not appear to be acquainted, even, with the Cambridge Platonists, or with the innum\u00ac \nerable studies of the Hermetic philosophy which the writings of Madame Blavatsky called \nforth, and which have been published during the past fifty years. \n\nB. \n\n\nA Life of Cardinal Merrier, by Monsignor A. Laveille; translated by Arthur Livingstone; \nThe Century Co., New York, 1928; price $2.50. \n\nMonsignor Laveille, who is Vicar-General of Meaux, and a compatriot of Cardinal Mercier, \nhas given us in his book a warm and intimate picture of the man whom Marshal Foch called \nthe \u201coutstanding figure of our time;\u201d and he has succeeded in doing two special things with \nadmirable skill. He has shown us first, that the dominant militant note which, in later life, \nwon for the great Churchman the title of \"The fighting Cardinal\u201d, was already evident in \nthe character of the boy, and that this instinct for a bold attack of every difficulty is traceable \nfrom the time when, as a young student at the Academy of St. Rombaut in Malines, he had \nhis own way to make, up through the years of fierce struggle for the revival of Thomist thought \nand the foundation of the Institute of Philosophy at Louvain; again in meeting the prejudices \nwhich were rife, and the failures which tested his mettle in connection with the Seminary of \nLeo XIII. \u201cTo head frontwards\u201d was one of Cardinal Mercier\u2019s favourite expressions, and \nhe never failed to be true to its spirit. As a second point, Monsignor Laveille throws into \nhigh relief the true secret of Cardinal Mercier\u2019s wide-spread personal influence. It was his \nunaffected and \u201cfundamental good will to all men\u201d, which gave him an instant and profound \nunderstanding of everyone he met; it gave him also the power, by his instinctive and great \nhearted sympathy, to call out what was best in a man's nature. This power to awaken what\u00ac \never of the best was latent in others, arose also from his own strikingly unconscious humility, \nwhich drew all hearts to him. It is said that when elected Archbishop of Malines, he was \nthe only one then living who was genuinely surprised. \n\nMost of us already know of Cardinal Mercier\u2019s fearless and resolute defence of the people \nof Belgium through the long and terrible years of the German occupation. Anyone, however, \nwishing to have a deeper insight into the great soul from which sprang the many intrepid acts \nwith which those years were filled, will receive a flood of light by reading Monsignor Laveille\u2019s \nmost interesting book. \n\nT. D. \n\n\nWhat is Man?, by John Henry Clarke, M.D., and Leopold Salzer, M.D.; published by \nJohn M. Watkins, London; price 35. 6 d. \n\nThe publications of John M. Watkins are always welcome. Long experience has proved \nthat, with rare exceptions, they are valuable contributions to Theosophical literature; and \nalthough What is Man? cannot rank with such \u201cspiritual delights\u201d as The Path of the Eternal \n\n\nreviews 37; \n\n\u201c *7\u00bby \n\nJohn Bland-Sutton, whose standi as CL \u2122tenahsm of Sir Arthur Keith and Sir \nin matters which are no more withfn their oroviCC th !r, an entlre| y fictitious reputation \ncem or responsibility of b\u201c\"For Jr bng are the con- \n\nwhose experience taught him years aeo that h ,1 * P yS1Cla \" of mtcrn ational reputation, \n\n\u00ab\u00ab\u25a0 \u2022> SST X;\u00a3\u00a3\u00a3\u201c*\u00a3\u00ab' 1 T' \u201c \u201c \n\nParacelsus with approval as declarine that \u201ceverftb- \u25a0 lhght of God ' and he quotes \nand may come to his consctusness and ^ * the UmVerSe reflects itse,f in Man. \n\nhimself, to know the Universe.\u201d Dr. Clarke . C, T! C ' 0, ! snes \u00ae enab,es man ; when he knows \nhis convictions; an avowed believer in the fi ' f \u201d* \u2019 '< * Tbeoso P blst Wlt h the courage of \nWho looks for the caus Jof thiTs L the \u00b0 f nature ^P\u00abtual, astral, etheric- \n\nacts upon the conviction \"that everythin? If 6 rather than ln the visible world, and who \nhfe. is the materialized thought of ml ' \" US m nationa, \u2018 <** aad Personal \n\nallowance for their prejudices This for inst\u2122 \u2022 a- f any , \u2019 lt would be wiser to make \nbody itself is the gLt^ofmyS\u00ab \u2022! d \u201c ly . for \" the f \u2122\u201d; \u201cThe physical \n\nand corporeal state the very essences which * , are co \u201c tamed m a condensed, solidified \n\nand this is the secret of \u2018The Philosopher\u2019s Stone\u2122\u201d SUbS * ance of the s P iritual man, \n\nment as the following (though without in the least undeTstandfnTitL-rr^ 1 * State ' \n\n1 vw! y a 1 d n<>t \" SingUneSS that we must Iook find esfenfial UmVv\u201d h rT^ ^ \nthe Philosopher\u2019s Stone is to invite their ridirnlp k* 7 ty \u2019 but to mentl \u00b0n \n\nmeans. ClF ndlcule ^because they think they know what it \n\nT. \n\nCreative Prayer by E. Herman; James Clark & Co., London, 1928- price $2 so \n\n^ ats rcr rr ^ \u2022\u00bb \n\nview of the writer is refreshing in that she talL hi f P bll \u00b0s\u00b0phy of prayer. The point of \ninstead of \u201cwatering down\" her thesis to make if \u00b0f the htgbest P Iane possible; and \n\nshe insists upon raising her readers to the highest thatch ^ ^ T\u00b0 \u00b0J the man in the street - \nmore common, but the rarer forms of praver \u2018CTL* tHem ^ \" U is n \u00b0t the \n\n~r.g., the spasmodic, instinctive cj Cneed-are iXcL Y \u201cT!* a ^ \n\nIt is as unfair to measure prayer by them as to huW I f f arr f ted development, and \nobserving an invalid. Not the frenzied crv of suddeL ^ of the human b \u00b0 d y from \n\nof faith, is the normal attitude of the praying soul Not'the Ut ^ ff\u2122\u2019 trustful committal . \nwhose child is spared, but the apparentlv unansuw * ai J s wered prayer of the mother \n\nthe classic instance\u201d (pp. 34 - 5 ) Ce pravLtZ ^ \u00b0 f \u00b0 Ur ^ in the Gard cn, is \nmay add, Masters. The pettiness of mind and heart of those\u2122 \u00b0 f \u00a3\u2019 Bts \u2019 mystics ' and w e \nsatisfied with a self-constructed counterfeit has^eldom bee * , ^ Pray6r \u2019 \u00b0 r Who are \n\nand experienced treatment. Nowhere have we found ah f ad f , c ' earer than in this lucid \n\nprayer in terms which meet Madame Blavatskv's defin V b \u00b0\u00b0 k LL m \u00b0 re nearIy P resents \nPRAVFR q n ji: f : . Udme blavatsky s definition in the Key: \u201cWe rail if- wrr t \n\nPKA YE R , and ,t is rather an internal command than a petition \u00bb (rst ed n L L \n\nThere are chapters on \u201cPrayer as Creative Enerev\u201d \u201cTb\u00bb V? /' P ' Jl \nDiscipline of Meditation\u201d, \u201cFrom Self to God\u201d Jf \u2019.-L Mm ' Stry of Silence\u201d, \"The \nclearing away the misconceptions of the mni ' \u2022 \\ 1 c . are conceive fl with a view to \n\nshould be\u2014as a complete expression of the whole mm \u2019 Li 6 P |acmg of Prayer where it \nships. The discipline of prayeTis \u201cc^ extenrive w,>b r^-f '.L bighestand ^-st relation- \n\nworth exactly as much\u2014or as little_as the man I .1 \u2022' ^ '\u2022 S \u00b0 rc Prayer * s ' ln tbe la st resort, \n\nobstinate, prejudiced, undisciplined mind his prayed will\u2019suffer L Lb Wh \u00b0 PraVS h3S a \" \n\n- \u201c - - - \u2018 a \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n37 8 theosophical quarterly \n\nsoul that is capable of acquiring wisdom. We are responsible, not only for our PjW \nfor providing the background against which prayers can energize (PP- 3 - The \n\nadmirable statement of the modem churchman\u2019s self-imposed limitation p' y \u2022 \n\naverage \"good\u201d Christian leads a life which is \"reformed, but on the whole impotent (p. i 5 ^ \n\"We are slow to realize that the so called religious world is still\u2014the world (p. )\u2022 \n\nspiritual realm is not only the last refuge, but also the most .mpregnalMefotressoself- ll \n(P iS 7 ). \u201cWe must at all costs recover the splendid spiritual courage that casts life behind \n\nits' back, that puts self beneath its feet. There is no spiritual stwpowj ^thout \n\nlife-long, unrelenting discipline\u201d (pp. 144 - 5 )- \u201cMore spiritual failure-especally \nin prayer\u2014than we like to think, can be traced to bodily slackness (p. 12). \n\nBefore he is finished with this volume, the man in the street will be made to fee flat there \n\nis little use in his pretending to himself that conventional prayer m <*wch or at home ^ \n\naccomplish anything, and that if he really wish to join the Choir Invisible he must faceTacts \nand completely re-organize his scale of values. This book should therefore, be of spec al \nhelp to those who have been brought face to face with the fact that their own prayer ' U \nhas been inadequate, and has failed to be the support they imagined that it should be \ntimes of stress. ^ q \n\nLe Retour Eternel et la Philosophic de la Physique , by Abel Rey, Professor at the Sorbonne; \n\nErnest Flammarion, Paris, 1927. . . \n\nM. Rey defends \u201cthe idea that phenomena revolve in a cyclic fashion . His argument is \nrather technical, resting almost entirely upon the application of the \u201ccalculus of probabilities \nto the data of molecular motion and the kinetic theory of gases. However, his conclusions \n\nare clearly stated and are sufficiently general to interest the lay reader. \n\nHe conceives of physical Nature as necessarily and eternally repeating itself. This concep\u00ac \ntion accords with the scientific comparison of the material universe to a machine. A machine \nis preeminently a cyclic phenomenon, a repeating instrument. But the man-made machine \nis not eternal, nor is it in any sense self-perpetuating. Its parts are worn away by rust and \nfriction Above all, it cannot regenerate the power which it converts into mechanical energy. \nIt is subject to Carnot\u2019s law, to the \u201cprinciple\u201d of the degradation of energy. Certain hasty \nthinkers of the Nineteenth Century, taking the mechanistic symbolism too literally, assumed \nthat the universe as a whole is equally subject to final and permanent degradation; that its \naverage temperature is destined to fall ultimately to \u201cabsolute zero\u201d; that it will ultimately \nbe as dead and useless as an old steam engine. M. Rey contradicts this view by offering \nlaboratory evidence of rebuilding processes visibly going forward in Nature. The so-called \nBrownian movement of molecular masses is a visible illustration of the conservation of energies \nwithin a system in a constant state of cyclic transformation. The universe has discovered \nthe secret of perpetual motion. \n\nIt is interesting that M. Rey tries to relate the idea of cycles in Nature with consciousness. \nConsciousness in itself, he believes, is not cyclic. It is more perfect than objective Nature, \n\u201cbecause its end is present in itself, because it is not a closed cycle but a tendency, a progres\u00ac \nsion, which does not have to repeat itself\u201d (p. 312). Manifested consciousness contemplates \nthe cycles of matter. M. Rey does not consider the hypothesis that this contemplative activity \nmay be a force causing matter in its successive cycles to assume forms which correspond to \nthose which came before but which are not identical with them. Is it not an observable fact \nthat the cycles of Nature are not always closed but are often drawn out and upwards into \nspirals? \n\nHowever, M. Rey concludes his work with a statement which illustrates both his own \nappreciation of values and the general change of heart in so many men of science since 1875. \n\u201cThe law of the eternal return in the objective universe is the externalization of the inward \nintuition of our eternity: \u2018Sentimus et experimur nos aetemos esse\u2019 \u201d (p. 316). One recalls \nthe saying of Plato that \u201ctime is a moving image of eternity\u201d. \n\n\nS. L. \n\n\nfd92*\\ \n\n\nQUESTIONS \n\n\nrsw \n\n\nANSWERS \n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuestion No. 343-\u2014 Is it necessary to accept all Masters in the sense that the Master Christ \nsaid, \u201cI am the Way, the Truth and the Life\"? \n\nAnswer.\u2014 We are not sure just what the questioner means by, \u201cIs it necessary?\u201d Neces\u00ac \nsary for what purpose? It is not necessary, for instance, even to believe in the existence of \nMasters, to become, and to remain, a member of The Theosophical Society in good standing. \nFamiliarity with the ideas expressed in theosophical writings will, however, very soon make \nbelief in Masters a logical necessity to any open-minded man. Many students of Theosophy \nbelieve in the fundamental unity of the universe; that there is one Self common to all men, \nand that the Masters are the complete and perfect embodiment of this one Self. (\u201c I and my \nFather are one.\u201d) True growth is growth toward union with this Self, the Supreme Spirit \nThis can only be accomplished by the aid of that Spirit itself, which reaches us, not directly, \nbut through the Master on whose ray we may be. This Divine Spirit is the Way, the Truth \nand the Life. The Masters are the incarnation of it, represent it, and transmit it to those \non their ray, each one of them thus becoming to those on his ray, the Way, the Truth and \nthe Life. As stated above, however, it is not \u201cnecessary\u201d to believe any of this to be a \nmember of The Theosophical Society in good standing. J F B M \n\nAnswer. As I understand it, each individual, becoming an accepted chfila, would realize \nthat his own Master was the Way, the Truth, and the Life in the fullest sense; otherwise he \nnever could have arrived at chflaship. I should think that in a more limited sense, this might \nalso be true for the same individual in his relation to \u201call Masters\u201d in so far as they are all \nintegral parts of the Lodge, and must therefore share the common Lodge consciousness with \nthe particular Master in question, but in this sense only. The chela\u2019s Path is his own Master \nm the most literal interpretation, and could not, save indirectly, be found in or through an- \nother Master. ^ ^ \n\nAnswer.\u2014 The Lodge of Masters is a Brotherhood working in harmony for the salvation \nof the human race as a whole, to whom, as our \u201cElder Brothers\u201d, we owe reverence, loyalty, \ndevotion, and, above all, gratitude for their unceasing efforts to aid mankind; but the \u201cWay\u201d \nto the Lodge for each individual lies through the particular Master upon\u2019 whose ray that \nindividual happens to be. Most of us in the West are probably upon the ray of the Christian \nMaster; many in the East are upon the ray of some Eastern Master, as, for instance, Krishna, \nwho, speaking as the Logos, said to Arjuna: \"Set thy heart on Me, thy love on Me, sacrifice \nto Me, bow down to Me, thus joining thyself to Me in union, and bent on Me, thou shalt \ncome to Me.\u201d \n\nAnswer.\u2014 It would seem that for every individual human soul one Master is \u201cthe Way \nthe Truth, and the Life\u201d. This may be the Master Christ or another. Every man must \ndiscover for himself the ray which transmits to his consciousness the Light of the Eternal. \nAt the head of that ray is a Master, \u201cthe translator, so to speak, of the invisible world into \nthe visible and the objective.\u201d It is a reasonable supposition that all Masters act thus as \ntranslators, and that they help one another. It is inconceivable that any Master would ever \n\n379 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n380 \n\n\nTHEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY \n\n\ntry to draw to his own ray the children of another Master. They are united by a common \npurpose, to lead men, along their several paths, to the consciousness of immortal being. \n\u201cThe Master-Soul is One.\" V. S. \n\nAnswer. \u2014For those who follow the Master Christ, for all those on his ray, it is clear that \nhe is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But not all are on the ray of the Master Christ; \nthere are other Masters, other rays. Each Master is, for those on his ray, the Way. In that \nsense we must accept Christ\u2019s saying as universally true of all Masters, although for many \nthe way may be through him alone. C. R. A. \n\nAnswer. What does the querent mean by \u201cnecessary\u201d? Many members regard it as \nlogical to believe that each Master is \u201cthe Way, the Truth and the Life,\u201d to those \u201con his \nray , but whether such a conclusion is necessary or not, each must decide for himself. \n\nC. M. S. \n\nQuestion No. 344. We read a good deal in Theosophical writings , especially those treating \nof the devotional aspects , of hidden desires\u2014those which really guide actions which we may honestly \nthink arise from very different motives; how can we uncover those secret and often unworthy desires? \n\nAnswer. Only a man far along in spiritual development knows with certainty his own \nmotives. It is one of the most difficult of tasks. A first step is to realize that our motives \nare always tainted with self to a greater or less degree, and are frequently contemptible. \nWhen we really believe that, we can begin to study the tricks and subterfuges by which lower \nnature deceives us. Many of these tricks are described by spiritual writers, whose books \nshould be read with the constant effort to apply to ourselves what is said, searching in our \nexperience for instances of each type of deceit described. It is often easy to see where others \nare deceiving themselves, and here again we should apply what we learn to ourselves. We \nmay be quite sure that we are doing the same thing, perhaps in a different form. Lower \nnature is the same in all of us. Much may be learned by carefully watching our conversation. \nWhy did we say what we did? How much can be traced to vanity, to the desire for appro\u00ac \nbation, for attention, for holding the centre of the stage? What was the reason for our criti\u00ac \ncism of others? Could it have been so low a thing as envy, to pull down another that by \ncontrast, we might seem higher, in our own or others\u2019 eyes? What impression were we trying \nto convey, and why? And so on. Mr. Griscom\u2019s article on Self-Examination in the Quar\u00ac \nterly for July, 1918, will be found very helpful in this connection. J. F. B. M. \n\nAnswer.\u2014 One of the most important exercises in the spiritual life is self-examination. \nIts value is incalculable, if honestly, courageously, patiently carried out. Self-examination \nis vague and too general unless confined to specific things. For this a Rule of Life is necessary \nto give a standard by which to measure. Short of Adeptship, there is no such thing as an \nabsolutely pure motive; we should, therefore, strive constantly to purify our motives. As \nwe live faithfully according to the light that we have, further light will be given for the next \nstep; it is a matter of growth. The questioner might read, or re-read, with profit Mr Gris- \n\nZ. \u00b0 n \u00ab\u00ab Rule \u00b0 f Life \" in the Januar >' \u2019 9 \u00ab 5 . Quarterly, the con- \n\nuding sentence of which is; If we have some hidden fault, some rotten spot in the nature \na Rule is sure to bring it to the surface, and this is as it should be, for we cannot hope to con- \nquer and get rid of an unknown fault or weakness.\u201d \n\ntoW N w!T'~ A beg r! ng C3n be made by selectin \u00ab one desire motive which we have been \ntold we have or which it seems likely that we have, and then scrutinizing our actions for \n\nevidences of that motive. We should remember, however, that self-knowledge is a spiritual \nscience, and that progress in it is in direct ratio to our progress in self-conquest, with all that \n*n th!rf S h 7 and , meditation make clear the next step or two upward; but only \n\n.t\u201c \u201d \u2018* in ,h *j \n\nC. M. S. \n\n\nQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS \n\n\n381 \n\n\nTJ:l h ir far is-*,*? in * , 5 , 5 ; \n\n1 can see that hefar *- ** ** 4 *. L \n\na may . do u b t whether, judged by ordinary standards, St. Francis did lead \n\nin his eves an/ 7 T\u00ae' r \u00b0 attain nearness t0 \u2018heir Master, see their past lives \n\nThe mode/ hin E 7 S '\" \u00b0 f aCti \u00b0 nS Which 0thers regard as entirely harmless. \n\noftenTaik 7 f f a\u2019.r a 566 nothing moag in vani \u2018y. self-indulgence or self-will \nthat hk e UnderSta \" d the deep contrition of the saint for any form of self-love, and assumes \nthat h,s expressions of sorrow for past \"wickedness\u201d must refer to the gross sins thatThe \nbiographer himself would call wicked. \n\nIt ofte U n m !akU h t WeV T' ^ \u00b0 f ^ Frands to have been wiId ' * * not to be wondered at. \nIt often takes time for the soul to awake after the shock of incarnation. Such a soul as St \n\nfives A ston^c * a' 8 !! ''T* \u00b0 f devel \u00b0P ment - and hence of power, in previous \n\nncreasetthe dlc b T \" 7 ^ 3 pOWerful Personality, which correspondingly \n\nincreases the difficulty of mastering it. It follows that, up to a certain point greater develon- \n\nment may mean a harder and not an easier task for the soul. St. Francis incarnated to per \n\n!*\u201c \u00b0 f T k \u2019 ^ needCd a POW6rful -trument\" R o ? \nf \"\"\u201e t , . nhorseman about to start on an important mission requiring long \nfast riding. He selects a high-mettled thorough-bred who may run away with him at firft \n\n2 J2? ^1 s a \" d t e t n h dUranCe i Can h 6 ,\" 40 \u00bb*\u00ab the end, where a \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3 \n\nwould fail. It s not the avoidance of outer sm that makes spiritual development but the \npassionate, single-hearted love of one's Master, and the unremitting SgTto ^ out \n\nJ. F. B. M. \n\nrr \n\n* ssirsst \n\nwe are told that, as the inner nature grows strong a Dart of itc ctrpntrfL i \u2019 \n\nand 50 CaUSin\u00a3 j \u2019 USt SUCh an ebu \" itioa - \u00ab\u2022 >recordedTn'the \n\nJ. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nINDEX TO VOLUME XXVI \n\n\nE. A . \n\nAll That We Have Is Not Ours; R. B. A \nR.B.A . \n\n\nBackground for Ch61aship, A; Henry Bedinger Mitchell \n\nCave . \n\nCave of the Nymphs, The; Stanley V. LaDow . \n\nChhandogya Upanishad; C. J . \n\nContemplation and Morality; Stanley V. LaDow . \n\nS.C . \n\nDante Sketches; Marion Hale . \n\nEleusis; S. C . \n\nFragments; Cave . \n\nGris com, C. A . \n\nHako, The: An Indian Rite, I, II , E. A . \n\nHale, Marion . \n\nHindu Chela\u2019s Diary, A. (Reprint). \n\nJohnston, Charles . \n\nLaDow, Stanley V . \n\nLetters to Students; C. A. Griscom . \n\nLodge Dialogues: M . \n\n\nNOTICE OF CONVENTION \n\n\nThe Theosophical Society \n\n\nTo the Branches of The Theosophical Society: \n\n1. The Annual Convention of The Theosophical Society will be held at 64 Washington \nMews, New York, on Saturday, April 27th, 1929, beginning at 10:30 a.m. \n\n2. Branches unable to send delegates to the Convention are earnestly requested to send \nproxies. These may be made out to the Secretary T. S., or to any officer or member of the \nSociety who is resident in New York or is to attend the Convention. These proxies should \nstate the number of members in good standing in the Branch. \n\n3. Branch Secretaries are asked to send their annual reports to the Secretary T. S. These \nreports should cover the significant features of the year\u2019s work and should be accompanied \nby a complete list of officers and members, with the full name and address of each; also a \nstatement of the number of members gained or lost during the year; also a record of the \nplace and time of Branch meetings. These reports should reach the Secretary T. S. by \nApril 1st. \n\n4. Members-at-large are invited to attend the Convention sessions; and all Branch mem\u00ac \nbers, whether delegates or not, will be welcome. \n\n5. Following the custom of former years, the sessions of the Convention will begin at 10:30 \na.m. and 2:30 p.m. At 8:30 p.m. there will be a meeting of the New York Branch of the T. S., \nto which delegates and visitors are invited. \n\n6. On Sunday, April 28th, at 3:30 p.m., there will be a public lecture. Tickets are not \nrequired for admission. Invitation cards will be supplied to all members, on request so \n\n\nMitchell, Henry Bedinger . 18 , \n\nNotes and Comments. 1 \n\nOf Cabbages\u2014and Kings; H. B. M . \n\nOn the Screen of Time; T .34- \n\nQuestions and Answers.95. \n\nReligio Militis; Henry Bedinger Mitchell . \n\nReversed Triangle, A; 5. L . \n\nReviews: \n\nAu Soir de la Pensde; Georges Clemenceau . \n\nCreative Prayer; E. Herman . \n\nDelphic Maxims in Literature, The; Eliza Gregory Wilkins. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nINDEX TO VOLUME XXVI \n\n\nHis Decease at Jerusalem; Abraham Kuyper, D.D., LL.D . \n\nHow the Reformation Happened; Hilaire Belloc . \n\nLife in the Stars; Sir Francis Younghusband .. \n\nLife of Cardinal Mercier, A; Mon signor A. Laveille . \n\nLiving India; Savel Zimand ... \n\nMigration of Symbols, The; Donald A. Mackenzie . \n\nNile and Egyptian Civilization, The; Alexandre Moret . \n\nRe tour Eternel et la Philosophic de la Physique, Le; Abel Rey.... \nRoman Catholic Church in the Modem State, The; Charles C. \n\nMarshall . \n\nTo Be Near Unto God; Abraham Kuyper, D.D., L.L.D . \n\nWhat is Man?; John Henry Clark, M.D., and Leopold Salzer, M.D. \n\n\nR. S . ; . \n\nSymbionticism and the Origin of Species; R. E. T. \n\n\nTheory of Relativity, The; Henry Bedinger Mitchell \n\nTheosophy; Charles Johnston .*. \n\nR.E.T . \n\nT. S. Activities. \n\nVolunteer . \n\nWar Memories, I, II, III; Volunteer . \n\nWhy I Joined The Theosophical Society. \n\nWhy I Rejoined The Theosophical Society; X. R .. \nWork; Younger Member . \n\n\n\n\nSTANDARD BOOKS \n\nBlavatsky, H. P. Isis Unveiled, Vols. I and II.doth 810 .oo \n\nKey to Theosophy . cIot t 3>50 \n\nSecret Doctrine, The, Vols. I and II and Index .doth,' 20.00 \n\nComplete in one book, without subject-index volume, 7,50 \nTheosophical Glossary. . 8>50 \n\nTransactions of the Blavatsky Lodge .. dotE 2*50 \n\nVoice of the Silence. .doth, .85, leather, i!so \n\nCav\u00a3. Fragments,.V olume I. ^anla x 00 \n\nVolume II . ..board,, 1.00 \n\nVolume III.hoards 1 00 \n\nG?rard, John. Letters to Friends .board* 1.75 \n\niHard, Katherine. Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine, .doth s.oo \nJohnston, Charles. Bhagavad Gita .Translated, annotated; cloth, 1*25 \n\nCrest Jewel of Wisdom, The .lim p le ^er. 1.75 \n\nFrom the Upanishads. ... !.;\" ..n a S m \n\nGreat Upanishads, The, Volume I..'doth \u2019 1*50 \n\nParables of the Kingdom, The.' * B0 \n\nS SuTRAS .Trandated, annotated; doth,\u2019 1.25 \n\nJud\u00a3c, William Q. Bhagavad Gita ..Edited;' doth,' i.^ 'leather,' lioo \n\n''Echoes from the Orient. >60 \n\nLetters That Have Helped Me, Volume I and II, each, .doth, i!oo \n\nOcean of Theosophy . d \u00b07 :XT \n\nKe.VbflI ANJ i U \u2019t-K ^ OMSMS .;. doth . -76,' leather,' 1.50 \n\nKeightley, Archibald. Theosophy as an Influence in Life oaoer 20 \nLaDow, Stanley V. Plotinus. B \u201c \n\nMitchell, Henry Bedinger. Meditation, Special edition, . 20 , paper\u2019 iso \n\nTalks on Religion ....| p d p \n\nTheosophical Society and Theosophy, The . paper' \u201920 \n\nSinnett, A. P. Esoteric Buddhism. J Kn \n\nOccult World, The . \"dott 2 \u2122 \n\nWalker, E. D. Reincarnation . * doth\u2019 i re \n\nIdyll of the White Lotus.'.'.'X I'll \n\nHu }\u00a3 e o 3 . 1 * 1- \u2019 V W i j.doth, ,75| leather, 1.50) lambskin, 1.T5 \n\nThrough the Gates of Gold. 1<20 \n\nTHE QUARTERLY BOOK DEPARTMENT, \n\nP* O. Box 64 , Station 0 # New York. \n\n\nDevotional; Bhagavad Gita; Crest Jewel of Wisdom; Fragments; The Great Upani\u00ac \nshads; Letters That Have Helped Me; Letters to Friends; Light on the Path* The Par\u00ac \nables of the Kingdom; The Song of Life; Through the Gates of Gold; Voice of the Silence. \n\nPhilosophical: Abridgment of the Secret Doctrine; Isis Unveiled; Key to Theosophy* \nPlotinus; Reincarnation; The Secret Doctrine; Talkson Religion; Theosophical Glossanr \nTransactions; Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras. \n\nIntroductory: Culture of Concentration; Echoes from the Orient; Esoteric Buddhism* \nIdyll of the White Lotus; Meditation; The Occult World; The Ocean of Theosonhv* \nThe Theosophical Society and Theosophy. ** \n\n\nTHE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS. NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWi)t \u00a9jeosiopfjtcal Society \n\nFounded by b. P* Blavatsky at Hew Vork in 1675 \n\n\nHE Society does not pretend to be able to establish \nat once a universal brotherhood among men, but \nonly strives to create the nucleus of such a body* \nMany of its members believe that an acquaintance \nwith the world's religions and philosophies will \nreveal, as the common and fundamental principle \nunderlying these, that \u201cspiritual identity of all Souls with the \nOversoul \u201d which is the basis of true brotherhood) and many \nof them also believe that an appreciation of the finer forces \nof nature and man will still further emphasize the same idea* \nThe organization is wholly unsectarian, with no creed# \ndogma, nor personal authority to enforce or impose) neither \nis it to be held responsible for the opinions of its members# \nwho are expected to accord to the beliefs of others that \ntolerance which they desire for their own. \n\nThe following proclamation was adopted at the Conven\u00ac \ntion of the Society, held at Boston, April, 1895: \n\n\u201cThe Theosophical Society in America by its delegatesand \nmembers in Convention assembled, does hereby proclaim \nfraternal good will and kindly feeling toward all students of \nTheosophy and members of Theosophical Societies wherever \nand however situated. It further proclaims and avers its \nhearty sympathy and association with such persons and \norganizations in all theosophical matters except those of \ngovernment and administration, and invites their cor- \nrespondence and co-operation. \n\n\u201cTo all men and women of whatever caste,creed,race,or \nreligious belief, who aim at the fosteringof peace, gentleness# \nand unselfish regard one for another, and the acquisition of \nsuch knowledge of men and nature as shall tend to the eleva\u00ac \ntion and advancement of the human race, it sends most friendly \ngreeting and freely proffers its services. \n\n\u201cIt joins hands with all religionsand religious bodies whoia \nefforts are directed to the purification of men's thoughts and \nthe bettering of their ways, and it avows its harmony there\u00ac \nwith. To all scientific societies and individual searchers after \nwisdom upon whatever plane, and by whatever righteous \nmeans pursued, it is and will be grateful for such discovery \nand unfoldment of Truth as shall serve to announce and con-, \nfirm a scientific basis for ethics . j * \n\n\u201cAnd lastly, it invites to its membership those who, seek*\u2019 \ntng a higher life hereafter# would learn to know the path to \ntread in this,\" \n\n\nApplications for membership should be addressed to the \n\nSecretary T. S., P. O. Box 64, Station O, New York.","title":"The theosophical quarterly. Vol. 26","tradition":"Theosophy","translated_text":null,"word_count":199674}