Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-22


this.
BLAVATSKY'S ALLEGED TRICKS.
DIR. Coues Talks About the High PRIEST
ess OF TheOsophy.
HE SAYS SHE rs GREAT WOMAN. BUT GIVEN TO
TRIcKERY-THE STORY ABOUT THE MAHArMAs
The RECENT MOVEMENT AGAINST DIR. coUEs,
AND HIS EXPLANATION OF IT.
There Is q great deal behind this Madame
Blavatsky business that does not appear on the
surface. Prof Coues says the trouble just now
is that she has been caught and turned down"
on q new trick. He Processes to retain his
friendship and regard for her better SELF His
explanation of the variance between her and
himself that leads some Of her adherents to at
tack him is interesting. IL makes clearer some
OF the contradictory things in the reputation Of
the madame, and perhaps may give the public
little better idea of the present situation as
to the science of theosophy. 1t must
always be remembered that Prof.
Coues treats the subject a matter Of psychic
science, and is not carried away bv enthusiasm
There is more cold-blooded intellectually in
his researches. He always refuses to talk of
the machinery or politics Of the gnostic or any
other theosophical society, or to discuss the
..Mshatmas." A STAR reporter called on him
the other evening and had an interesting chat
for two hours. The conversation turned upon
Madame Blavatsky, the present state of
psychical research, and incidently the action of
Judge and others in making their attack upon
the professor.
wHA- DIR. couLs SAYS.
GAS to these people," he said, referring to
his critics, "we have cranks enough al
ready, without importing set of bowling
dervishes who will not be tolerated in the COM
munity. can blow them out of town between
two puffs of cigarette" AS he spoke he held
his cigarette between his fingers and watched
little puff of fragrant smoke circle upward
over his head. "Bahl They have found they
can do nothing" He dismissed them with a
shrug Of the left shoulder. Then he dropped
into a general discussion Of the theosophical
situation.
The fact is" he said, 'that the spread of
much that is miscalled theosophy is getting
too rapid. IL is the purpose of those who see
IN the true science the orderly advancement Of
the human race-the betterment of man by
gradual spiritual evolution-to keep dangerous
instruments out of the hands OF the evil, selfish
and INSCRIPTIONS, and TO restrain turbulent
cranks. 1t is inevitable misfortune that all
things that are new and appear wonderful have
a fascination for fanatics. 1t is equally or more
unfortunate that all persons of ability and
power cannot be relied upon to use their en-
dowments honestly, temporarily and for good
purposes. Ii is the desire and intention of the
leading theosophists in this country to keep
down these cranks and unscrupulous fakirs
People who must howl when the psychic force
Is working in them had much better 90 to a
good. old-fashioned camp-meeting and lose their
heads there. where the thing is taken for granted
/ think 1 told you in perhaps our first talk
on the subject several years ago that great
danger lay in the indiscriminate spread of
this knowledge by fanatical agitation. 1t is a
distinct menace to church and state. and tells
against public good order and necessary social
conventions. You might as well throw down
IN the streets the dogma of the Trinity or of
the immaculate Conception. and let the rabble
try their teeth on what all churches are rightly
agreed to regard as sacred if not divine .mys-
teries.' You might as well hand secrets of the
state over TO a street mob for discussion, or
bring 10 the surface all the real facts of our
social condition, which well bred people simply
decline to discuss in public except when some
special tagrancy forces itself upon attention
You will never find real theosophist expound-
ing the divine wisdom to mixed audiences,
for that would turn it into very human fool
ishness.
SPIRITUAL ANARCHIsTs.
Il remember to have said that children must
not be trusted with matches nor devils with
dynamite. The little mutterings you hear now
are an indication Of that danger These frauds
and fakirs are now actually weak but if they
were more numerous they would soon be badly
felt.. 1t does not follow. because they are
lldt4us anu tndt none OF them possess
the psychic force of spiritual wickedness Some
OF the worst have high powers Of what is pop
uiariy called black magic of what in its low
est manifestations becomes voudouism. That
Is where the danger would lie if they were
more numerous, or if there no power ex-
ereised to restrain them. 1t is this restraint
that they are now fighting against SO vainly
With the assistance of my friends of the Gnos-
tic. have hitherto kept them in check and pre-
vented any explosion. They are to the
eDlrttual world what fba Lab Na Vor I'll.
and rioters are to the financial world. and what
the Chicago anarchists are to the political
world of constitutional government, law and
order. They are the spiritual anarchists and
strikers II they were numerous enough
they would create disorder and confusion and
play sad pranks in society. When anarchists
or rioters form a mob and rush madly on to
the destruction Of lives and property they are
not free agents, acting each in his individual
capacity. They simply lose their heads, and
run amuek at everything. Each one is 30
. under the influence of the psychic force evoked
by the assembling together Of great numbers
OF disturbed spirits that he has no power over
his own action.
THE SPIRIT OF Discomfort
and evil they call up in their united strength
gets beyond their own control. and drives them
ON to agitate every wicked passion Each indi-
vidual is but an atom blown before the gale.
They are subject TO force they cannot con-
troll; they have evoked a demon who masters
them! In the same way spiritraiists, mediums.
theosophists, or what you like, that are ILL
balanced or eyil-disposed, might disturb the
spiritual peace of mankind il they were
acting concerted in sufficient numbers
The professional, or commercial medium,
the person who uses spiritual DOW
ers for profit and other selfish purposes is
almost sure to work evil in the end He also
destroys himself. knowledge of ones spiritual
self can be rightly used only to ennoble the
spirit and elevate il to the first place in the
I1ystic trinity of mind, soul, and body. Psy-
chical power, used merely to do the bidding Of
bodily passion, both degrades the body and in
3ures or destroys the soul. The moral and
physical condition of medium, no matter how
great his or her gifts, the greater the gifts the
worse If used for evil. Who is ready to be the
agent or slave Of every spirit that chooses to
take possession, is low and debased almost be-
yond ones powers OF conception. Such me-
drums are sPonges, like the sponges through
which the electricity passes on certain electric
instruments. Without will of their own they
are ready to take up with<any spirit and mo
questions asked
THEIR MENTAL POWERS DECAY
and they sink to a state of degradation that is
horrible to think of. Every evil spirit that is
in the air finds ready abiding place in their
bodies and yielding instrument for its deviltry.
Ii IL Q very common thing for mediuma IN tb,s