The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-05-01

all declared they had seen nm, ana tneTe u
no need TO doubt their good faith IN so oe-
claring: but, when cross-eXamined, their
experiences appeared too. largely SUBJ
iectiye 10 be OF value 10 others but them
selves. Some Of them had seen kothume
only I'm his astral" body, and ole familiar
with the phenomena OF visions and dreams
can attach only pathological or psychoio-
gical significance TO such testimony. 1hree
! affirmed that they bad seen Kotbilme III
his material body, but the only such Wiz
ness whom | was able TO question cioseV
or satisfactorily (lr. Brown, OF GlasgoW')
gave narrative Of his meetings WIN the
mysterious mabatma which raised grave
doubts. There were two or three such
meetings. at one Of which Mr.. Brown was
90 overwhelmed with religious awe ana
emotion that he "could not look upon
him.: at another the master was nj some
little distance. his head and lower face
being covered after the manner OF
Raiput rajahs; the third occasion was
ot night. Mr.. Brown being in bed.
and he knew that the master had
visited him only by finding in his hand
a letter and a handkerchief with IN. H."
CKhot. Hume) on il. OF may be that the
second of these meetings was that "f an
other person presently Mr.. Brown evil
IDENTITY told me exactly what he believed
true. and think must have felt that no
sich testimony could prove khothume'
existence in a court Of law, for he had
made much more Of certain letters he had
received signed *. H." The force OF
the letters could not, OF course, be feit by
one TO whom the nature OF their revelation
was unknown.
Two of the youngmen natWes) proStrated
themselves on the floor before the cabinet
with their heads toward the portrait OF
Kothume. Itstruck me then that whatever
ITS origin. theosophy is becoming purely
Oriental thing. 1t can hardly be eXpec ed
that western people should take seriously
the notion OF Il thaumaturgic sage, greater
than any other man OF our time. who yet
carries a praying-machine, permits phys
zeal abasement before himself, and, unlike
Buddha, or any other recognized "mas-
ter" Of ancient or modern times, turks
and hides and keeps himself apart from
the people. II is probable that the
goddess MAYA, whom we call "GlamOr,'
is weaving her spells around these
Gentle Hindu pilgrims from crumb!ing
to an ideal temple. For a time. at any
rate, they have found refuge in spiritual
air castle, whose Soliditythey do not doubt.
one of them ascribed the skcpticsm OF
English people concerning "Occultism
10 their consumption Of beef. However
that NAV be, | had to remind the Countess
Elavatsky that the footprint OF the disciple
tbat doubted the existence OF his mahatma
is on the neighboring hill. where ! had
last seen it. IL could accept KothumC
and his miracles. there would be no dill
Guilty in taking Rome in OF my way home
and submitting myself TO the Pope. She
promised TO visit me in London in her
"aStral" form. and tLen, no doubt, the
misgiyingS OF this letter will appear TO ne
as ridiculous aS To those who believe 80 de-
NoUtiy IN the woodworking mahaimaS.
was considerably surprised on the NOR
row OF nv visit TO Adyar 10 hear from .
ibeO>ophist that the young men had heard
il mysterious bell-ringlDg when | went
into the room where the cabinet is. This
ringing of a bell, where no bell IS, had
heard of rs one OF the more frequent signs
and wonders accompanying the Countess,
but / certainly heard nothing OF the kind.
II ID occurred il seems unaccOuntable that
some one OF the persons present ana not
mention it at time when 1t could be inyc>-
ti.ated. was day out at sea before heard
Of il. But probably the Countess knew that
a bell ringing in strange house would be
a rather absurd apology for an evidence OF
occuliiSm. | saw and heard nothing favor
able to tbeOsOpDy or Occultlsm at Adyar,
but carried away from my interview with
these Young men IN impression that thcO-
SOphV Is taking deeper hold on the mind
of Young India than is generally supposed.
There seems 10 be little doubt that Colonel
OicOtt has Great deal OF personal force
among these Orientals. The pathology OF
Imagination is sufficiently well understood
to prevent many OF his cures" from
being absolutely denied. but his fame
among adherents goes beyond such cases,
n may be nationally explained.
At the recent theOsOphist anniversary
in Madras Colonel OlcOtt stated that he had
cured over five thousand people, nut bad
been directed by his qlira (his occult mas
ter in Cccliltism) 10 cease, because OF the
drain upon his strength and health. A
more remarkable statement in his addrcS,
was that he saw before him gentleman,
Mir. Chose, to whose eye, which had been
blind from childhood, he had given sight.
Mr.. Chose was in the audience, and did
not contradict the statement. GamOr
must have operated pretty largely on
MIR. Chooses eye. Nobody has challenged
or investigated the matter apparently,
although the missionaries are denoun-
cling the theosophiStS. Certain sympa-
thizers with the theosophy in both Cel-
lon and India have expressed TO me grave
doubts Of occultism' and their regret
that the movement should be committed TO
ANYTHING beyond an ethical and religious
nd
has shown the vast possibilities OF q new
mont Christian agitation that should strike
the Indian heart and imagination. These
Hindu scholars have always been aware
that they have great history and religious
literature. After all the generations in
which missionaries sent here have ignored
that literature, despiSed their philosophy.
counted their religion mere idolatTy, and
them a. idOlatOrs on their way 10 hell
after all that there has risen new race OF
scholars like Max Muller, who have shown
the high value and profound religious
dealism OF their systems.
While this revival OF Orientallsm has
gone on in the universities OF Europe, the
missionaries have not been Influenced by
it, but have gone on with the same old de-
nuncialions OF Hindu and Buddhist ideas
and beliefs. But now there have appeared
a few people OF position "a countess"
and a colonel y from the centres OF Chris
tendon who formally give in their adhc.
sion to an Oriental religion. They So
lemnly repudiate every form OF Christian
lty and fix their abode in India, TO lead in the
work OF resisting the missionaries and re-
viving the faith Of Buddha and KriShna. In
two or three years they have moved and
OF af an al
the missionaries have done in many cen
turtles. They have now seyenty-seven
nourishing theosophical societies They
are daily reaping from the unsettled Hin
du mind "a harvest where the missionaries
LODI Io L..