Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-23
raEosopHY AND occuLrrsm

We will publish next Saturday the
first of series of papers entitled "The-
osophy and 0ccultism in India" writ
ten by Mr.. George Frederic Parsons,
late editor of the RECORD UNION. The
subjects to be discussed in these
papers are the most important which the
human mind can deal with. The question
whether death ends all whether, if there
be an after life, it is progressive or other
wise; whether conduct determines destiny
both here and hereafter whether men must
reap as they have sown whether the mate
rial civilization of the age is moving in the
right direction; whether the Western
world has monopoly of science whether
the Orient may not have been, in some
things, more faithful to true Philosophy !;
are all involved in the review of the new
and strange movement described by Mr..
Parsons. The challenge which Theosophy
filings down to Spiritualism, moreover, is
deeply significant. A time has almost
been reached when the genuineness of the
phenomena of Spiritualism has to be con.
ceded, and when the bigots of materialistic
Science are driven, like Huxley, to shuttle
ont the plain duty of serious investi.
cation, by pretending that the phenomena,
even if genuine, do not interest them.
But too many millions of intelligent people
are now familiar with the phenomena for
the dogmatic denials of their reality put
forward by the aforesaid scientific bigots to
have any visible effect. The Inquiry in
fact has been shifted. It is no longer
" Are the phenomena genuine p but " Are
they the effects of the causes postulated by
the Spiritualists ?" This is the gist of the
contest between Theosophy and Spiritualism
The former claims to have direct evidence
for its positions. 1t rests its assumptions
upon the alleged experience of living men,
who are said to have acquired a command
over natural laws which enables them to
penetrate the secrets of nature. It is man.
ifest that if such claims can be established
they must afford q better basis for
philosophical system than the indirect,
vague and too often contradictory and coz.
fused doctrines of Spiritualism. From
Aristotle to Herbert Spencer, the suprem.
acy of phenomena over reason has been
asserted. phenomena, said the former,
are more to be trusted than the conclu-
sions OF reason. The latter observes, in
treating of the assumptions of metaphy-
sicians: "Deliverapces of consciousness
are of two kinds-the one given through
process comparatively direct, the other
given through process comparatively indi.
rect. The masses Of men take for granted
that when the two processes are at vari.
aRce, those reached by the direct process
must be accepted, and men of science, who
use both processes to most purposes,
agree with the masses of men in unhesitat.
ingly assuming the supremacy of the d.
rect process" Thus the phenomena of
Spiritualism, decried and denied in vain,
have established themselves in defiance of
the idle reasoning which undertook to ex-
plain them out of existence. Thus also
the demonstration OF the truth of the Theo-
sophical position would dissolve the most
firmly.held theories Of Spiritualism, and
compel reorganization Of all its principal
doctrines. It will be seen from these hints
that the subject is both broad and deep,
and that il appeals TO every intel
ligent mind. no matter what its pre-
conceptions. And we may add that
the treatment Of this very inter