Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-31
SOME QUEER BELIEFS.
STARTLING THOUGHT SEETHING BE-
 MEATH A PRACTICAL SURFACE.

MEATH A PRACTICAL SURFACE. the Re-embodiment Theory
 in the Metropolis-christian Scientists.
 The Will Power People.
 Curious beliefs abound in this city just now. The big, busy, commercial part of New York would be completely taken of its feet did 1t know of the startling thought that is seething underneath an apparently practi cal surface. One must be little touched with some of the extraordinary isms ones self to be able to learn about all the others, for the people who are up to the neck in mysteries and mysticisms do not go around talking about their works or their faith to That phase of conduct belongs to vulgar wonder mongers, who tinker at what, in the vernacular of the investigators, are called "physical manifestations" On the contrary, secrecy is not only necessary to ad- vancement in occult science, but it is impreS- sive as we'll. The man who is just entering the doors of occult learning is deeply inn pressed by the air of mystery and secrecy which is assumed by the other fellow who has trodden the innermost recesses of the temple.
 The men and women who fairly reek with knowledge of the unknown are not found among the common people, They are not of the clammy and long haired variety so rife in New York years ago, and who became known over the whole country as having to do with tables and spirits No, indeed. They tread Administer carpets; some of them are clad in fine raiment, others in plain attire, but all train in what are considered the intellectual rank Some of them are perched on judicial benches; some are officers of library or educational associations; some are writers; some are even scientists, al- though science and the supernatural are sup posed to be mortal enemies.
 At the mention of theosophy everybody quite naturally thinks of Mime. Blavatsky, author and founder of this phase of belief, and presumably "one of the greatest and most successful impostors of all times" Thirteen years ago she founded the Theo- sophical society here. Its headquarters were afterward transferred to India, and even from that remote point this remarkable woman spread her new religion all over this country and Europe, and by this means de- rived a handsome income, since each new member must send 6 handsome initiation fee before he could receive his certificate of membership from Madras, and if he did not
 
 ss they celI it, and could rot receive the ministrations Of ''the brotherhood" other wise Mahatmas, fabled beings who had mas tered the secrets of life and time and could live 500 years as easily as they could iva a day.
 These weird and wonderful brothers are be- ieved in by various theosophists of this city even unto this day. There are pictures of two of them in the possession of mighty be- lievers. They are regarded as more sacred than life itself, and are kept secure from pro fane and skeptical eyes under formidable locks. The favored ones who have seen them report them as representing dark skinned, long haired Hindoos, thin and emaciated to consumption's extreme point. An unde- vout or untaught spectator ventured to re- mark that he saw no good in wisdom which did not enable them to keep more flesh on their bones He was reproved, and told that to Mahatmas ''the flesh profiteth nothing; ;'' that in fact they preferred, for the most part, to go about in astral bodies, leaving their old, earthly flesh and bones lying around mani mate in caves and mountains for months at a time.
 There are two or three persons here who claim to have helped the late Bulwer do some wonder working, saoh is described in "Zanoni," the Strange Story" and ''The Coming Race" These wiseacres assert that Bulwer believed the things he described and tempered with demons. As he is dead and cannot defend himself their story goes uncon- tradicted. All grosser forms of communi- eating with supernatural beings have given place to higher orders of the work.
 The reincarnationists, or believers in nu- merous re-embodiments of the soul, are per haps the most amusing and least dangerous of these mystic cranks. In all seriousness they trace themselves back to great eras and powerful figures of history, and actually be- ieve the curious stuff they talk. The re-em- bodiment theory fosters the natural egotism of the soul. For aught it knows, it may have been king as we'll as beggar. Any way, it pleases it to think of itself as some thing extraordinary in the past And as that sort of recreation does no harm to society be- yond occasionally adding an inmate to a madhouse, nobody contests the reincarna- tionists' claims.
 go about all puffsd up with what they firmly believe is the secret of eternal youth.
 One man who has been quite prominent in his day, and is now tottering into his eighties, says that he possessed it, but lost it because he told it. Whatever you know that is truly occult don't tell it. This is the new rule. One woman calmly declares that she will never die More than that, she will eradicate every trace of the years she has lived from her body and be young forever.
 The mental or Christian scientists have opinions similar to hers on that question. They believe that the day is near at hand when the last enemy to be destroyed is death. The business of denying what we have here tofore claimed as reality is going on briskly. Many already have almost reached the point so much desired by the Hindoo ascetic, when he sits under his palm tree and denies away every visible thing, and so blends himself
 back to his infinite source.
 The will power people are not so strong as formerly. The new schools of thought are tearing down their structures of belief, and intimating very strongly that it is evil, con.
 sequently not lasting.
 Plain spiritualists who stick to table tip ping and other forms of physical manifes tations'' are left far in the rear, if not
 thrown quite into the disgrace by the new
 system of metaphysics, the higher spiritual
 ity. "Psychics" are much talked of. They
 are people who have peculiar gifts-can fore
 tell things, and see what others cannot see
 Of course, there are always fair sprinkline of palmists and clairvoyants, and nobody
 gets so high in mystic lore that he will mol
 give eager ear to what they say. Ispeak mol | of the professional fortune tellers, but O.
 thos,, who are only known as gifted in occult
 matters to their particular circle.