Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-30
PROPOSITIONS OF THEOSOPHY.

| The Spiritual Nature is Susceptible ol
Culture ms the Body or IntelIect-Madam
BInvarsISy Accomplished What Seems
Wholly Incredible.
know little of the "Hindoo" or .'esoteric
marvel workers." But a man who is wise
enough to be "marvel worker" would not
only be too wise, but also would have to do
work of more important nature than the
performing OF cheap tricks for anybody IS
amusement or mystiGcation.
think that Nine Blavatsky has been a
very effective blister or irritant upon the
pate of many sleepy divine, and that the
ideas which she has launched into the world
have quickened liberal thought to degree
not generally realized. The fundamental
propositions OF Theosophy are:
First-That the spirit in man is the only
real and permanent part of his being; the
rest of his nature being variouslv COM
pounded, and decay being incident to all
composite things, everything in man but his
spirit is impermanent. Further, that the
universe being one thing and not diverse,
and everything within being connected with
the whole and with every other, of which
upon the upper plane above referred to
there is perfect knowledge, no act or
thought occurs without each portion of the
great whole perceiving ana noting it. Hence
all are inseparably bound together by the tie
of brotherhood.
Second-That below the spirit and above
the intellect is plane of consciousness in
which experiences are noted, commonly
called mans spiritual nature" this is as
susceptible of culture as is his body or his
intellect.
Third-That this spiritual culture is only
attainable as the grosser interests, passions
and demands of the flesh are subordinated
to the interests, aspirations and needs of the
higher nature; and that this is a matter of
both system and established law.
Fourth-That men thus systematically
trained attain to clear insight into the i'm
material, spiritual world, their inferior
faculties apprehending truth as Immediately
and readily as physical faculties grasp the
things of sense, or mental faculties those of
reason; and hence that their testimony to
such truth is as trustworthy as is that of
scientists or philosophers to truth in their
respective fields.
Fifth-That in the course of this spirit
ual training such men acquire PERCEPTION of
and control over various forces in nature
unknown to others, and thus are able to per-
form works usually called miraculous"
though really but the result of larger know
ledge of natural law.
Sixth-That their testimony as to super
sensuous truth, verified by their possession
of such powers, challenge candid examIna-
tion from every religious mind.
The first object of the Theosophical So
ciety is, so far as possible, to induce men to
study and understand these laws and the
real meaning of the interdependence OF
man upon man.
So far as Nine. Blavatsky is concerned it
seems incredible that woman who is
foreigner, speaking English indiferently,
should have been able, without money,
recognized position or apparent influence, to
found a new school of ethics in New York
City, which, in 13 years. should have repre-
sented branches in most of the States, in
Great Britain, on the Continent. nearly 200
in India, others in Australia, in Japan, in
Ceylon, and an Independent membership-at-
large representing nearly every civilized
section of the globe.
JOHN RANSOM BRIDGE,
President of the Boston The osophical Society.