The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-12-27
WONDERFUL BLAVATSKY.
~ Hing Cut 40 Return to- Iudia-Ths Lad y
Smokes "a GixHreGte and SuyA size ~ clad
1tas Over-lA Mysterious society A.uAfnE



New York Herald.
! A red flag waving yesterday in the
rain, at the door of No. 800 West Forty
seventh street, was the visible token
of the breaking up of one of tbs best
known and one of the most remarkable
places of social resort in New York. The
household goods OF Nine. II. P. Blavat-
sky were sold at auction, aud the Lama
seryof the Theological Society to-day is
no more. To a Herald reporter ore Of the
mem beIs Of this remarkable society re-
lated the sto-y of its organization in this
city about as follows:
Nine. Blagatsky, the author of Isis
Unveiled" is a lady of Russian birth,
who has been a resident Of New York for
over FIVE years. Her life has been passed
mostly in Eastern countries, and she Is
one OF the few Europeans of liberal edu-
cation who have become thoroughly
Odenta not only in tastes and manners,
but in religion. At the TINA Of her COM
ing to America she was appointed by the
Imperial University OF ~. Petersburg a
Commissioner to investigate Spiritual
ism, which subject had at that time at
tracted greAt.notice in Russia Accepting
the appointment, she was at once thrown
in contact with nearly all the more
prominent Spiritualists IN the country as
well as the believers in what ordinary
people term The supernatural From
/ this circumstance it happened that her
house for two years past has been the
centre OF a movement in modern
thought which has attracted attention all
over the world. The scores of tricksters
who, under the name OF Spiritualism
were imposing on the creduious and
making pseudo-iame by clumsy charla
tanry found in her one who had studied
Eastern psychology together with East
| erh religion, and who could by no means
be imposed upon. To the investigators
of Spirituslsm she became known as one
WHO, accepting many OF the phenomena
as genuine, explained them by still
more surprising philosophy than that Of
Ethe Spiritualists" themselves.
Asstime went by and the lady became
known to many people of the first cul-
tuTe, It was evident that she was in
America for purpose Gne and another
who met her became convinced, through
talking with her, that there was truth
in what she maintained. Then the sur
pIising feature Of her sojourn in this
country was made manifest. Practically
under her leadership q society was formed
embracing people who actually believed
in magic, and some otwhom protested to
have learned its principles. The story
of the Rosicrucians was told over in New
York. The society was of course a Sc
cret one, but enough OF its objects and
beliefs was made public to excite the OPP
position of many different glasses, and the
ridicule, bitter or good-natured, of many
others. While, perhaps, the most Of
those who read of the Theosophical So
ciety laughed at it as q convention of
lunatics, there were many others, men of
science as well as men of letters, who did
not disdain controversy with TheosO-
phists, and who found that, whether
lunatics or not, they certainly were not
fools. The inner circle of the society was
always yelled in mystery. The TheOso-
phists themselves did not know which of
their number were among the initiated
After the first few months of its existence
the society had no stated meetings
Many of the original members dropped
away, and those who joined afterwards
ha' Away the privilege of keeping to
themselves the fact of their membership,
not even their brother members know
ing it.
So curious an association would neces
sarily have an object. 1t was, AS the
name of the society itself implies, a
religious motive, or an irreligious one, as
the reader chooses to interpret it. Bit
terly in opposition to Christianity, the
cred of Theosophy-or, rather, the plan,
for it acknowledged no creed-is more
nearly in accordance with the Bud lhist
belief than with any other known re-
ligien of the present age. The society
was kept together by correspondence and
by the social influences of Madame
Blavatzky's saloon.
Taking French fat at Eighth avenue
and Forty seventh street, she furnished
it in the most curious manner and
crowded every room with strange tro-
piles OF travel. Oddities of all kinds, from
Sismese idols to Partisan toys, filled her
psrlor, while stuffed beasts and tropical
leaves and grasses adorned the corners
The house was always open to her friends
and their friends, and it was liberty hall /
a freedom that never became license
marked the talk, and religious and phi
controversy was always in |
order. To this parlor came strangers
from all parts of the world, and some OF
the best known citizens of New York
were frequent visitors.
''Isis Unvailed," the book published
year ago, which BECAME we'll known as
an attack on dogmatic religion and
modern science, was the means of at
.racting great numbers of scholars to
he place which was named the Lamasery
~ one of the society. after the Thibetan
and colleges. Not only the
peculiar people who pass their lives
apparently in studying oddness, but
scholars were to be found
.mong her guests DR.. John A. Weisse,
he philologist, and Professor Alexander
Wider are among her warmest friends,
nd the Princess Rackovitz (now the
wife of New York journalist) and the
COUNTESS Paschkoff have been among