Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-25
THEOSOPHY BY A THEOSOPH|ST.
An Enthusiasts View of the
Latter Day Cult.
What the System Is and What
1t Is Not.
The Origin of the Word - Theosophy
the Religion of Science and the
Science of ReligiOn-Claims
to Consideration.


ply is that nothing, either in theosophy
or elsewhere, is to be taken on authority
or accepted unless it appeals to reason
and intelligence or until it is proven to
be true. In that light let the following
stand or fall:
The first trace which we have OF the
word theosophy is in the twelfth CEN
tury before Christ. 1t was then used by
Pot Amun, a great Egyptian priest.
Fifteen hundred years later it came into
prominence as one of the three names OF
the Neo-Platonic school of philosophy
founded at Alexandria, Egypt, by Amoni-
us Saccas. And, though the name has
been heard nearly every century since,
it is quite significant that after another
1900 years the spirit of the came move
ment is again incarnated in the last
quarter of the nineteenth century.
Theosophy was supposed to be "the
sublimest knowledge attainable by hu-
man intelligence" BY presenting the
fundamental, moral and spiritual truths
underlying the worlds great religions
theosophy attempts to reconcile all
sects, religions, nations and races under
COLI DIuOu SYSTEM Vi ctulCo DdbCu Ou
eternal principles.
"Theosophy is the religion of science
and the science of religion" 1t COM
bines all the natural logic and common
sense of science. without any OF its blind
materialism; with all the moral force
and spiritual power of religion, without
any of its superstition. 1t is religion
without creeds or superstition. 1t is
science without negations or material
ism.
In the religion of today the emotional
nature and the spiritual aspirations are
cultivated or excited at the expense Of
the intellectual nature and common
sense. In the science of today the intel
lect and analyzing faculties are culti-
waited to an enormous degree, at the ex-
pense of the nobler moral and spiritual
nature Science Is divorced from relig-
ion, and intellect from spirituality.
Theoaophv is the union of science and
religion, the combination of sense and
aspiration, the marriage of intellect and
intuition.
The need has long been felt of re-
formatory institution broad enough to
sympathize with ali reforms, and to be
itself reformatory in everything, fanat-
ical in nothing. Such an institution is
offered by the Theosophical society. Its
object is to seek the truth underlying
all religions, sciences and PHILOSOPHERS,
and to unite mankind in a common
bond of brotherhood. 1t requires the
acceptance of no doctrine or belief ex-
cept that of universal brotherhood, and
neither asks nor interferes with any
mans private opinion or belief, but
enjoins the practice of universal toler
ance and fraternity without distinction
of race, creed. caste or color.
Theosophy is not materialism or spir-
itualiam, Christisnity, Brahmanism nor
Buddhism. It is the essence of all OF
them. One of the principles of theoso.
process of evolution. and the belief OF
any man, either in science or religion, is
only the view which each takes Of truth
from his own particular standpoint.
Like men climbing mountain from
different sides, they are all different as
poets of truth. The truth and harmony
of the whole can only be viewed from
the top, Rhich is Theo-Sophia-Divine
Wisdom.
Theosophy does not give one an un-
natural idea of God, nor an ungodly
idea of nature; neither does it deny God,
any more than it would deny the sun,
but it DOES deny all unnatural ideas of
God promulgated by men who project
their own image into space and call it
the Creator, and then endow their God
with all the mortal vices. And it also
denies the completely spiritless and un-
godly conception Of nature taken by
modern materialistic science. Theoso-
ply does not give one an unnatural idea
of God nor an ungod!y idea of nature.
Every one has heard of "the wise m an
of the east" called in Sanscrit Mahat-
ma. The Mahatma. like other men of
intelligence, is the outgrowth OF evolu-
ton; but in bis case an evolution pro-
ceeding along the lines of mental and
spiritual development. an evolution not
confined to mechanics and physical
science alone, but which develops some
of the latent powers of mind, body and
soul as we'll.
The adept or Mahatma is natural
outcome of the idea of evolution, not at
all supernatural, but simply the highest
product of human evolution. A
man. not Immaculate or to be
worshiped, but whose sayings are
to be studied and whose example is to
be protited by. 1t is evident by study
of the theosophical books which have
proceeded directly or indirectly from
them, that they possess a profound,
and perhaps a complete knowlege OF the
human mind and it's latent faculties,
some few OF which have become familiar
to the public through the discoveries of
Charcot, and others of which are
rapidly being discovered as science ad.
vances. When men of science lay aside
their prejudices, as several are now do
ing. and study theosophy, they will
find these perplexing problems already
solved, much better than materialistic
science can ever do it. The essays OF
several OF the fellows of the Royal So
ciety OF England OF Prof. Geo. T. Ladd,
professor of philosophy of Yale,
and the remarks of several others,
among them Mr.. Edison, sound |
as if made after study OF Isis I'm
veiled or the Secret Doctrine; works
penned by Mime. Blavatsky under the
direction of the Mahatmas, and which |
are commanding respect wherever |
thoughtful people have given them at
tention.
As to man, the thinker" theosophy
teaches that he is ray of the divine |
thought shot down into matter and |
gaining experience by means of suces-
sivs reincarnations.
Reincarnation is the process of the
soups evolution on this planet. 1t means
that the soul is immortal in the past as
we'll as the future. To say that the