Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-30
THE WORLD HEEDS HUMBUGs.


Madam BIavntsISy Quoted as Saying Hall
the Theosophists of America Are Busy
FeoItnE the Other Half and Vice Versa
The Hindu Psychologists His Au.
dieuce.
First-Aside from some very particular
and private sources of information, of which
I beg to be excused from speaking openly,
nv knowledge is little more than any one
might inquire from intelligent study of
Indian occultism, coupled with some per-
sonal experiences in the effects OF Yogism
as laid down in the works of Patanjali, for
example. The Hindus, as a race, seem
temperamentslly better fitted than most
other persons for the operation of natural
magic, and many of their subjective hallu-
cinations as we'll as the objective phenom-
ena they exhibit by psychologizing crowds,
and thus inducing collective hallucinations,
are certainly as wonderful as anything in
the Arabian Nights" The true adepts
not only believe, but know themselves to
possess so-called supernatural powers. and
the professional conjurers simply understand
their own business.
SecOnd-I have thoughts a good deal of Mme
picturesque parsonage 1 ever knew. Virgil
describes her best in the words, "Varium ct
semper mutabile." She is dauntless, incor-
rigible, tempestuous, resourceiul, impera-
tive, unique. God moved in a mysterious
way His wonders to perform" when he in
vented Blavatsky. Whether He has re-
pented or not do not know. Everything
about her is gigantesque. But people make
8 great mistake when they take her too
seriously. BIavatsky should be taken in
Pickwickian sense; she should be humored
in her amusing eccentricities, but be neither
too much believed in, nor denounced, nor
held up TO ridIcule. She is full of fun and
mischief, with that keen sense of humor
which is the best touchstone of genius. She
knows people are "mostlv FOOLS" as CARLYLE
says; she knows that this is world of lies,
OF delusions of Maya; she is sure she can
humbug it great deal more efectually and
dramatically than it can humbug itself,
and her scorn for those who believe in her
miracles is boundless.
IT TICKLED BLAvATsKY's FANCY.
1t Iickled her fancy to set upon the stage
of the world the most colossal hoax of
modern times; and it must have surprised
even Blayatsky to see with what ayidity
Asia, Europe and America, to saw nothing
of Australia and the rest of the globe, sought
admittance to the drama. How we'll the
play drew may be judged from this sentence
in the last letter l have seen from her pen:
Half the theosopnists of America are busy
tooling the other half and the other half are
busy ,ooling themselves"
Blavatsky needs no defender, being abun-
dantly able to take care of herself; and to
accuse her of anything wrong, except before
q mock tribunal, would be sheerly fatuous.
Sometimes l think she half believes in her
Mahatmas; let us kindly agree to think SO.
She certainly believes in herself, which is
more to the point. When the "cosmic DUST
she has raised has subsided, and people have
rubbed out of their eyes the cayenne pepper
she has thrown into them, the world will be
wiser. ii not also sadder and better, for
Nellie Blavatsky.
Third-Yes, 1 have heard of that Hindu
individual. The other exploits you ask
about are familiar. The gist of such things
lies in the power of the performer to psych-
ologize his audience, aided by few simple
accessories to the illusions he produces 1t
is mainly matter of mesmerism on large
scale. Any good mesmerizer in New York
can make his sensitive subject think and
say and act and perceive as he pleases. 1
have seen Carpenter operate on dozen at
once, victims of identical hallueinations
produced at his will and pleasure. 1t is
or J, 600 persons. The resources of the oper-
stive occultist are boundless 1 draw
broad line between. the sleight-of-hand
tricks Of the prestidigitator, which depend
for their success upon dexter;ty in deceiv-
ing the natural sense of sight, and those far
more subtle procedures of the real magician
which cause the mind of the persons opera
ted upon to take any desired form.
WON'T GIVE UP THE SECRET
A person may be deprived temporarily of
the use OF his natural senses; his Judgment,
Volition and memory NAV be e1faced: his
mind becomes a blank, and while be is in
that Psychological" state his individuality
is merged in that of the mesmerist, who
may do with him as he pleases. The secret |
is one which consider inexpedient to make |
public, because not all persons are fitted to |
receive it understandingly. Social chaos |
would be upon us if the resources of opera |
tive occultism were at the disposition of |
every knave, fool and coward.
Fourth-That depends on what you mean |
by magician" Ii you mean professional |
conjurers on the stage their names are as ia |
milisr to you and to the public as to myself |
II you mean real psychists, suppose the |
Indian adopts in occultism now take the |
palm. Next after these / should be dis |
posed to place some of our genuine Ameri- |
can mediums through whose organisms GER |
tain very real and very startling phenomena |
are continually manifested. Ii you will let |
my thoughts take another turn, 1 may say |
that Helen P. Blavatsky and Pope Leo |
Kill are two of the most remarkable ma
gicians now before the public. The chief |
difference between them is that one is the |
Pope and the other would like to be.
HELEN HAS THE BEST OF 1T.
Considering their respective resources, 1
think the woman in the case the greater
magician. She has nothing but the weapons
characteristic Of her sex, backed with an in
vincible pen Tor the benefit of those who
are beyond the reach of her tongue, while he
has the ponderous and almost irresistible
of a church militant at his back,
with a tremendous traditional authority.
Helen is modest. She only claims to be the
infallible mouthpiece of certain majestic
Hindu personages whose will she wishes to
be done on earth as it is in the heights OF the
q imalayas. Leo sees her game and goes his
whole pile better. He claims to be the in
fallible spokesman. And I think the smiles
with which the old Roman augurs are said
10 have always greeted one another would
Weld TO broad grin if Her Russian High
ness and His Roman Holiness should come
10 tete-a-tete in the Palace OF Truth. Does
The world like to be humbugged2 Like It'll