The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-06
OLC0TT is HERE.
The Head of the TheOSOphical So.
ciety Arrives.
On His Way to Call Council Of Japanese
High Priests-Proposed Platform
of Theosophical Unity.

of TheOsophical Unity
"Don't imagine I'm going to tell you too
much. l am here to lecture and l wont eX-
haust myself of subjects" said Colonel
Henry Steel Olcott yesterday, when ac-
costed by a CALL reporter for some of his
experiences. " But what do you want 10
know ?" he question ed, molfedIy.
Colonel Olcott is tile President of the
Theosophical Society, and as such has his
official residence at Madras. India, the head
| quarters of the society; but be is too erratic
to stay in one place long, and is known to
people in every country through his con-
slant gobe-trotting. lie arrived in this city
yesterday from New York, and Will leave
on the Belgic Thursday morning for japan,
or rather for India by way Of Japan, as the
former is his objective point
He bears with him what is calculated to
be received with reverence and honor by
the Indian ThensophistS. that is third
part of the ashes of the late Mime. Helena
7. BIaVatsky. As has already been stated
in these co umn>, the Madame's ashes were
divided into three equal parts upOn the vote
of The society, and these parts, when finally
disposed of as decided, Will be thousands OF
miles apart One part. that which Colonel
| OIcOtt has with him, VIII TepoSe IN some
! temple IN India; another Will be in En-
| gland aud a third in America. The Amer-
| can portion will not be brought hither until
a la rye and appropriate building be erected
in New York City for the society head
quarters.
COUNCIL OF HIGH PRIESTS.
Have you any particular purpose in
going to India by japan
Yes. My sole purpose in going to
Madras by Japan is to call council OF high
priests of all the SectS to nave them con-
slider and adopt, as they VIII, no doubt, a
platform of theological unity with their
brethren OF the South, that Is OF India,
Ceylon, Burmah and Siam.
when Madame Blavat ky and myself ar
! rived IN India we stayed four years IN u al
| bay aud established our first journal, known
! as tie TheOs0phlst. Immediately We began
to come before the public, which was con-
trary 10 our expectation. 1t seemed rs
| Trough things bad come to such a pass
| there that only cur touch was needed to set
| the powder train of thought and action
a-going. This was IN 1879.
| REVIVAL OF THE PERFECT TONGUE.
THE Sanskrlt literature. known to all
! scholars to be the most perfect language
| the world has any account OF, had fallen
| into neglect This was due mostly to the
/ withdrawal of princeiy patrons. The old
books were superseded by the English
! college textbooks, from which the young
men took a very strong materlalIStie bias.
! Our SOcety's work, the writings OF Helena
! Bavatsky and of myself, and our lectures,
| caused a complete reSuscltation OF Sanskrit
literature-a fact acknowledged by Pro-
| fess0r Max Muller and other eminent ORR
| entalists,
"While that has been the effect on the
| Orient, the OccIdent has received an intro
| duction into the Indian philosophy and has
| grown nearer to understanding tae depth of
| thought in that faT-Utf land than II had ever
] hpfO branches
! of the parent society throughout Europe
! and America are so many nuclei Tor carry
| ing on this literary, philosophic and scen-
tifc work. We have able scholars in the
| society in both the Orient and the Oecident.
BOOKS SEVENTY CENTURIES OLD
''At Madras We have erected and stocked
a fine library with very ancient books and
| manuscripts. Some of the palnI-ieaf manu-
scripts ar" firm sixty to seventy centuries
| old The writing On the palm leaf was eX-
ecuted with steel points, then oil was poured
| over the leaf and in the scraped surfaces 1t
| became darker in s0nIe, lighter IN others.
| The oil is fragrant to this Gay, and the
| library is congress OF pleasing odors.
| Their books are not limited 10 any one Ian
! guage to any one religion or to any one
| tribe Just so long as the book is the regis
| ter of human thought on any subject II Is
| welcomed and carefully slowed away, esDe-
/ cially if it shows some phase OF the strife
! after spiritual knowledge.
/
japanese Buddhists, who sent COMMITTEES
| to escort me to Japan, | went there and
! under the auspices Of all the BuddhiStlc
sects-eght 10 number-made tour OF the
empire | lectured on Buddhism in seventy
| six places to audiences averaging $500 each,
according TO the accounts Of the Managing
| Committee. That shows Japan mas
awakened. The Occident is awakening, too.
KING OSCAR AND TuEosoPHY.
ION the 4th of last month l was sum-
! moned by telegraph from London to Stock
| holm by the vigorous branch of the IheO-
sOphical Society in that city. In nine days
had crossed the North sea, thence through
! Sweden by rail. | spent three days In
Stockholm and was received III special and
proracted audience by King Oscar ii to dis
cuss Theosophy. l also leciured in the
| Academy of Sciences and was given two
| great supperS aud a dinner that took hours.
But / am telling you too much and said |
wouldn't"
Wont you tell something about your
self ?'
II don't like to talk of myself. strive
to do my duty, aud duty seems always com-
| monplaee.'
Notwithstanding the Coloners hesitancy
| in speaking Of personal affairs the reporter
| was enabled to CLEAN cursory review OF
| his life from a friend. He is the survivor
| of four battles and one siege, the capture
| Of Fort Macon. he participated in the
opening event of the great tragedy as re-
porter at the hanging OF john Brown, even
| after the SOutheTnerS had said that they
would kill any representative of the paper
Colonel Oleott worked for. He also par
ticipated in the closing event as member
of the commission appointed to inquire into
the assassination of President Lincoln.
CHIEFLY AS AGRICULTURIST.
He left the field Of actual strife on ac-
count Of dysenteTy and WAS put by the Gov
| ernmeht INFO the War Department. He was
named the special Commissioner for I'M
earthiug the frauds of contractors who fur
nished the cOmmissary department, and for
two years held his life in his hand IL was
| afterward learned a purse OF 100000 had
been raised to stop him., but no one was
found brave enough to breach the subject
to him.
He has at different times in his life served
as Chief Commissioner of Agriculture for
this Government, as Professor Of Agrieul-
ture in the University of Athens for the
| Greek Government, as agricultural editor Of
Horace Greeley's paper, the New York
| Tribune; as American correspondent of the
! Mark Lane Express of England. "a Honor
airy Secretary of the American National
Commission for the Paris Exposition Uni
| verselle OF 1878. He also was sent on
| botanical mission to Caffraria.
! In 1874 he went for the New York Graphic
| to investigate the spiritualiStic tests Of tie
Eddy family on Chiltenden Farm, in Yer
mont where lie stayed three months. 1t
was while there he met another investga-
tor, Nine. Blavatsky, which led to their be-
ing associated in a common effort. The
! IheOsOphical Society Is the result
! Personally Colonel OicOtt is a large f1eshy
| man. with pure white, long, full beard
! and flowing locks that barely reach his col
height and soldierly in bearing. He will
| deliver a lecture tomorrow night in Metro
| polllau Temple.