Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-06
WHAT IS THEOSOPHY?
Colonel 0lcott Says 1t is Not a New,
but an Old Truth.
HE POINTS OUT MISCONCEPTIONS,
And Says Nine. Blavatsky's Psychical Gifti
Are Possessed BY Others.
THEOSOPHY NOT A MODERN MYSTERY

1ueOSOp0lCAl SOCl6llf IeCcuLlH uCAlfSiCu
lecture on the subject, ''Theosophy" in New
castle, England. He said that theosophy
had to contend with many misconceptions.
The first was that it was something new,
something that had been invented by the
founders of the Theosophicai Society
whereas the fact of the matter was that il
was the Oldest body of truth within the
scope of human knowledge. The grea
merit which their society had in the eyes o.
Asiatics was that they were teaching then
exactly what was contained in their oldes
Scriptures.
Among the misconceptions which pre-
vailed was that they had some selfish motive
in introducing it, and that they derived
some pecuniary profits from the entrance
fees of members. So far from this being
true, the managers had given up good po'
siions, and had isolated themselves from
the world surrounding, and had even given
their own means to the society. With re.
gard to the claim that they had knowledge
of the inner forces of nature, and that they
were able to per orm remarkable phenomena
by the employment of these forces OF nature,
learned societies had undertaken the task ot
investigation, and they had, upon what
were insufficient data, come to an unfavor-
able conclusion in regard to his learned col
league, Madam Blavatsky, that she was, &C.
cording to the London Psychical Research
Society, one of the most ingenious impostors
In history.
ONLY ONE OF MANY.
The bitterness with which this research
had been carried on, and the hastiness and
violence of the conclusions, had been largely
20 ha that fbaOsonhv
was a system resting upon the merits or de-
merits of individuals who were connected
with its propagation. II the gentlemen
who had been so industrious in making cal
umnies against his colleague had taken the
trouble to consult the ancient writings of
Asia, and even the writings OF the medieval
philosophers OF Europe, and then had taken
the trouble TO compare them with the group
of phenomena which were known under the
name of mediumistic phenomena of our day,
and those OF mesmerism, including clairvoy-
ance, they would have seen that in any case
Madam Blavatsky was nothing more
than another of a very large body OF
people, of both sexes, who at different times
had possessed remarkable psychical devel-
opment. That was all she ever claimed for
herself The phenomena that she had made
was shown in the beginning to himself, be-
cause he had been Tor 20 years Spiritualist,
and, as she was introducing him to the East
ern philosophy. and laying down the propo-
sition that there were powers in man such as
were described in that philosophy, she set to
work to make great variety of phenomena
covering a large body of natural law, to
show him that these things that were sup
posed to be only possible to a medium could
be done by persons in violation OF medium
istic conditions. Then one after another
who had become interested in the move
ment was shown some OF these phenomena,
though not to the extent he was himself.
FORMATION OF THE SOCIETY.
In 1875 the Theosophieal Society was
formed by Madam Rlavatsky and himself
and few friends, and in the year 1873 she
and he, accompanied by two English friends,
q lady and gentleman, went to India, and
transferred the headquarters OF the society
to Bombay, and in India they had since re-
sided. The headquarters of the society were
now at Madras. At the time they went there
there were only two branches OF the society,
one in London and one in Greece. But by
leaps and bounds the society had spread over
the whole earth, so that AT the present time
they had about 200 branches, including per-
sons of all natIonalities and OF all the
worlds great religions.
Another miscOnception was that the So
ciety was formed in the interest of some one
religion, to the detrimeut of others, for the
purpose, particularly, of Buddhism. They
must remember that Buddhism was but
reformation of the more ancient Brahmn re-
Ggion, as Professionalism was a reformation of
Catholicism. The difference between theo-
sophy and theology was this: Theosophy
was philosophical concert OF the universe
and its laws, which did not require to be
trammeled or compressed within the limits
Of any particular dogma. Wherever a
sacred book had been written and accepted
by mankind, by any religion, they would
find that, beside the dead letter, there was
an underlying truth or meaning. That was
theosophy. 1t was in the Christian Church
rs it was in all others; and the true Chris
tiRn was not the one who was most attentive
at the church service, or most liberal in the
giving OF titnes or in making confessions,
but the one who tried to put into his
daily life the highest ethical principles
which were taught in his religion.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY AHEAD.
This doctrine was thought out in ancient
times by men who were said by some of our
ssvants of to-day to have been children of
nature-barbarians. But what did we find
when we came to compare their ideas with
modern schools Of philosophy? This, that
every modern school OF philosophy was con-
tained in that ancient philosophy; and,
moreover, that the last speculation of the
chemists in regard to the development of the
atom was to be found in that old philosophy;
the last discovery of the professors OF the
Salpetriere and other French hospitals in
regard to the nature OF the lie principle
and the latent personality OF the intelligence,
was contained in that ancient philosophy.
And SO in regard to the phenomena of the
Spirituaiists. In fact, they might range
over all the speculations of modern times in
regard to the natureot thought, of conscious
ness, of life, of evolution, and they would
find them all contained in this ancient
philosophy. Was it not worth while for us
TO get at this body of literature? 1t was
only a comparatively few years since we
knew there was such a language as the
Sanskirit language. When it was opened
it was like person going into a long
closed treasure house; there was found the
most wonderful collection OF philosophical
and other thought. 1t was found that their
people preceded us in the philosophical
line, and also that they had knowledge of
nature which was far beyond what we had
attained to yet. Their society, SO far as it was
able to get at these stores, did so by the
help of the custodians, that was TO say the
learned men of these races; and, so far, they
served the public, and were doing good in
enlarging the boundaries knowledge.
NO MYSTERY IN THEosoPHY.
The society was formed for specific pur-
pose; there was no mystery about it what
ever. In the first place, it was to form a
nucleus of a universal brotherhood OF hu-