The Critic and record., 1891-05-12

Liz lNGGil dInlOullCtllNll Vi blt hEdll
in London of Nine. Blavatsky seems an
opportune occasion for an outline sketch
of some of the teachings of that wisdom
religion, to the exposition of which all the
energies of her life were so unselfishly de-
voted, writes Alex. w. Goodrich, =. 7. S..
in the Philadelphia Times.
The fundamental, principal aud one
broad platform of this system lies in the
acknowledgement Of the brotherhood of
humanity. From this it follows that all
humanity and all nature, in their essence
one homogeneous spiritual substance, are
slowly progressing on the path of evolu-
tion, whose tendency is always upward,
from the mineral kingdom through the
vegetable and animal Kingdoms into the
human kingdom (for humanity is SAID to
constitute so important an advance that it
may be classed by itself, and that the
end has not been attained even here,
but That evolution continues in the same
direction, and there comes a time when
man may attain through a pure life and
spiritual growth to an existence entirely
above anything we can form concep-
tim of now but which may be called the
godhood of humanity, and that above
this condition are higher and still higher
ranks of spiritual beings, constituting the
hierarchy of heaven, the angels and arch
angels and all the powers thereof.
Further, that this progression is under
the guidance of one universal and un-
varying law. That all men who will
may alike attain to this superior condition
and in the course of this growth find
themselves endowed with vast powers
over nature and the forces Of nature if
they succeed in proving themselves alb
solutely pure and absolutely free from all
taint of seliishness.
The divine principle overshadowing all
men is said to manifest itself only in the
nature of law, law that knows no varia-
bleness--neither shadow of turning--a
law governed by an intelligence which
finite reason can never comprehend and
which affects all creatures alike from the
least even unto the greatest; a law which
is not subject to caprice or vengeance or
any other human passion, but whose in
fraction surely leads to a discipline which
will neither be postponed nor nulliiied by
any special pleading In its application
to science it is known as the law of cause
and effect. The same law rules upon
both planes the material and the spirit
ual.
In the Indian religions it is called the
law of Harms "a Sanscrit word of various
applications). The same truth is vari-
ously formulated III Christian ethics, as
for instance, with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again,
| and He who sows dragons teeth, must
reap the whirlwind." And, secondly, if
| all humanity and all nature proceed
| from one source, it must follow that all
forms of religion, however antagonstic
on the surface, spring from the same root
| and lead to the same result. Hence
| follows the desirability of a study of the
Aryan Scriptures as formulated in the
statement of the objects of the Theo-
| sophical Society. To arrive at results
having any real value, this study must be
| pursued with pure motives-that is, with
a mind unbiased by prejudices or pre-
| conceptions.
European Sanscrit scholars are few; and
little aid can be expected from the Indian
Pundits to those who have no sympathy
with their forms of thought and who may
both use and abuse them. But that this
aid will be graciously given to those seek.
ing only the truth and the advancement
of humanity is abundantly proved by the
Ceylon. No well'informed man who !;
familiar with the history of civilization
can fail to see in this revival of interest il
these ancient religious writings a force
destined to have powerful effect upor
future generations, revival for which tht
world stands largely indebted to Nine
Blavatsky.
This remarkable woman has neve
claimed to formulate a doctrine of he
own and thrust 1t down mems throats
II has rather been her object to call at
tention to some basic principles whicl
appear in primitive Christianity as wei
as in Buddhism; were taught in tn
ancient mysteries of Egypt, Greece an,
Rome, in the schools OF Pythagoras AM
Plato, by the Gnostics, the Neo Platonist