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

all uses, the absolutely unselfish elevation of
the condition of Humanity. The conditions
of instruction in Occultism therefore are
hard, and such as necessarily to exclude from
the pursuit all but the few who can tolerate
the probationary discipline, and who are will.
ing to relinquish all thoughts of pleasure.
selfindulgence, riches, the love of women,
fame, dignities, the applause of their fellows.
All this must the self-contaiued spirits
abandon who devote themselves to this life.
The desire of inquirers for some completely
conclusive demonstration of the occult pow
ers of the Brotherhood has thus far not
been satisfied. and for reasons which Koot
Hoomi impaired to MIR. Sinnett. He
says: As for human nature in general
sit is the same now as it was a million years
"ago. Prejudice, based upon selfshness,
general unwillingness TO give up an essab-
lshed order of things for new modes of life
land thought-snd occult study requires all
that and much more-prids and stubborn
'resistance to truth. if it but upsets their
previous notions of things-such are the
characteristics of your age. What,
then, would be the results Of the most as.
founding phenomena, supposing we
consented to have them produced? However
successful, danger would be growing proper
tionately with success. No choice would
soon remain but to go on, ever crescenCjo
"or to fall in this endless struggle with pre-.
"judice and ignorance, killed by your own
weapons. Test after test would be re-
"quired, and would have to be furnished
"every succeeding phenomenon expected to
"be more marvellous than the preceding one.
81 In common with many, you blame
Gus for cur great secresy. Yet we know
something of human nature, for the ex-
perience Of long centuries-ay, ages, has
taught US. And we know that SO long as
"science has anything to learn, and shadow
"of religious dogmatism fingers in the hearts
"of the multitudes, the worlds prejudices
shave to DO conquered step by step,
mot ct rush" This is at least
Ineligible, and it must be admitted
that Koot Hoomi Is certainly right when be
predicts the failure of even the most stu
pendous phenomena to effect a complete
conversion of mankind to the new philos-
ophy, or rather to the Oldest of all philoso.
phies reintroduced to a world which has
grown perhaps somewhat too wise in its own
conceit
But it must not be supposed that though
the mysterious Brotherhood refuse to give
"signs" TO 6 peryerss and skeptical gem
GRAFTON, they have altogether with
held evidence of their power. On the
contrary, Mr.. Sinnett in his book re-
lates a number OF very remarkable
manifestations which came under his own
eyes, and which unquestionably raise in
quiriss which neither modern science nor
modern mental physisl or psychology are
these cases Madame Blavatsky was the oper-
ating agent, but she always distinctly asserted
that she vas helped by the Brotherhood One
OF the most wonderful of the phenomena
described we will briefly outline A party of
six, including Mr.. Sinnett and Madame
Blavatsky, set cut on a picnic excursion.
After leaving the house they were joined by
a seventh person. They did not decide
upon their destination until they had pro-
ceeded some distance, and then went to . spot
in forest. Having unpacked their lunch
the servants were preparing coffee when
some one observed jsstingly that there were
seven persons present, and only six cups and
saucers. and that it would be a good oppor.
tunity for Madam Blavatsky to show her
power by creating seventh cup and saucer
The proposal, made in mere joke, was taken
seriously. Madame Blavatsky said that it
would be difficult, but she would Try. Then
''she held mental conversation with one of
g the Brothers, walked about little, marked
81 spot on the ground, and called to one of
" the gentlemen to bring knife to dig with.
The place chosen was the edge of lit.le
slope covered with thick weeds and grass
and stubby underground. The gentleman
with the knife tore up these in the first
"place with some difficulty, as the roots were
tough and closely interlaced. Cutting then
Unto the matted roots and earth with the
knife, and pulling away the debris with his
"hauds, he came at lsst, on the edge of
something white, which turned out, as it
"was completely excavated, to be the re-
"quired cup. A corresponding saucer was
:" also found after little more digging. Both
"ohjects were in among the roots which
"spread everywhere Though the ground. so
"that it seemed as though the roots were
''growing nearest them. The cup and sau-
seer both correspondent exactly, as regards
60 their pattern, with those that had been
" brought to the picnic. and constituted a
"ssventh cup and saucer when brought back
:" to where we were to have breakfast"
1t is scarcely necessary to say that no ade-
quate explanation of this incident from a
skeptical standpoint has ever been given.
Mr.. Sinnett witnessed several almost equally
remarkable phenomena, one of the most con-
vincing being the dispatch of telegram from
Jhalum in answer to a letter sent to Amritsur
on the same day. In this case the preserva-
ton of the original dispatch filed at Jhalum,
and the postmark on the letter showing when
it was delivered at Amritsur, constitute
case" which is literally invulnerable.
Ao CfiuShSc oia1 PoWcio asCsiDSU W ehS
Brotherhood are claimed in other countries
than India we are tempted to translate
page from Lanes "Modern Egyptians"
relating an occurrence closely resembling
some of Mr.. Sinnett's experiences. "There
sis, or was, says Lane. ga native of Egypt
very highly celebrated for his per-
"formances in the higher kind of
that branch of magic called er-roo-
chance the sheykh Isma'eel Aboo.ru-cos
' of the town Of Dasook. One of
Is the most sensible of my Muslin
friends in this place Cairo informs me
"that he once visited Aboo-ru-oos of Ds-
sock, in company with the sheykh Ell
"Emeer, son of the sheykh ElEmeer ell
Kebeer, sheykh of the sect of the Malikees.
I" My friends companions asked their host
to show them some proof of his
skill in magic; and the latter COM
"plied with their request. Let
&C. coffee be served to us, said the sheykh
Gel Emeer, in my fathers set of fngans
SO and zarfs. which are in Masr.' They
waited few minutes; and then the coffee
"was brought and the sheykh El-Emeer
"looked az the fngans ard zarfs, and said
"that they were certainly his fathers. He
"was next treated with sherbet in what he