Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-11


vanced on behalf of the Brotherhood Of DC.
cultism, for q certainty of the existence Of
the soul. It will be seen that the question
of Immortality is far less conclusively demon.
strated, but what these adopts assert is
their ability to project what they call the
Astral Body, and which is an intangible
shadow of the physical body, to any dis
lance, together with the Astral Spirit, which
Informs that tenuous envelope. The mys.
terry OF the process by which this power is
attained cannot be so much as glanced st
here, though the Indian Yogis, and especially
That higher class called the Raj Yegis, have
pFacticed the methods referred to for
thousands OF years. But the Theosophical
Society, if we rightly understand it, eims
far less at the exploitation OF Occult Science
than at the dissemination of those exoterie
doctrines which the adopts Of that science
perceive TO be best adapted to secure the ele.
walton and happiness of mankind. Theo.
sophism may indeed be described as a protest
against AgnSsticism. Thelatter seems to be the
last word of Physical Science on the modern
basis. The former is an effort to bring Science
back to that point on its journey at which
it began to take the materialistic turn which
has now landed it in blank Negation. The
conclusion Of Agnosticism is that
The world rolls round for ever like mill;
1t grinds out death and life and good and i'll
1t has no purpose, heart or mind or will.
While air of Space and Times full river flow
The mill most blindly whirl unresting SO
1t may be wearing out, but who can know?
Man might know one thing were his sight less dim
That it whirs not TO meet his petty whim,
That it is quite Indifferent to him.
Nay, does it treat him harshly, as he saith
1t grinds him some slow years Of bitter breath,
Then grinds him back INTO eternal death.
This is dark and depressing conclusion to
come to, and all the more so when it is be.
lieyed 70 be the unavoidable conclusion Of the
most dispassionate and searching inquiry.
But if it is possible nationally to hold that
the last word has not been spoken by modern
Science; that fer those who reverence Truth
above all else, and who have been prepared to
abandon their brightest hopes rather than
take Lie to their bosoms, there may be not
only reprieve from despair, but renewal of
hope if this is so, and if the labors of the
Theosophical Society result in such revival
of what may truly be called the higher learn
ing, then assuredly even the scant and
cautious revelations made by the Occult
Brotherhood will have produced the most
benefcent results. and the new movement
will take rank as veritable Nineteenth
Century Renaissance
Aud even the most inveterats skeptics, pro-
vided they ars intelligent skeplics, must ad-
nit that there are Of record, in regard to
Oriental countries, SO many thoroughly au-
theBtieated accounts of the kind mentioned
by Mr., Sinnett, that it requires more cre-
dulity to deny than to accept them. As
among the most striking instances Of this
we may cite the story of the Brahmin in
Forbes Oriental Memoirs, and the account
of the re-incarnation of the Teshoo Lama in
Turner's Embassy to Thibet" These two
cases are alone iuexplicable on any modern
philosophical basis. yet they are SO attested
that their truth cannot be questioned. And
since these are but single illustrations
Of class of phenomena, the evidence
in support of which is really voluminoue, we
think it viii have to be conceded that there is
here a subject which the truth-seeker, no
matter how scientific his prepossessions, may
approach without derogating from his self
respect OF insulting his reason and which
the earnest inquirer into the great problem of
Life cannot venture to ignore without de.
iberately thrusting away that which may
contain the long-solght clue to the central
mystery.