The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-06-06

HELEN PATRooNA BIAvATsKY.
death and Is observed with as many
trites as are performed before the
mystic shrine In the temple of the
Arabs on holy days.
There are at least five thousand the
losophists now In Chicago and before the
grand convention is held there will be
three times that number. The regu-
lar reports say that seventy branch
societies from seventy cities scattered
and India viii be represented, and
each society win have report to read
or an astral body to introduce.
An astral body, you must know, IL a
body which comes back to the earth
after the passing away of the spirit.
When an astral body comes back it
may do very peculiar things. But
these do not show that the spirit is
unhappy, or, indeed, that the spirit rs
at all concerned in the doings of the
astral body. The spirit has gone
''smarching on" like John Browns
SIOUX But the body may return II It
wantssto.
And this is where the spiritualists
differ from the theosophists. The
osophists say that spirits never rap or
move tables. According to Annie Be-
SAINT, 'they have something better to
do" But spiritualists say they~fap.
The most celebrated woman spirit
ualist now here Is Mrs. Isabella Beech
er Hooker. She Is staying to unveil
the Stowe bust. but, incidentally, she
will talk on spiritualism and will up
hold her own religion if the theos-
ophists cncroach too much upon the
domain of departed spirits-
Annie Besant also comes to the fair
to take part I'm the worlds congress.
OF course her public lectures will be
upon theosophy, as she is the leader of
Ats cohorts But IL is rumored she will
Join hands with Lady Aberdeen in pro-
moting the welfare of industrial arts,
such as lace-making, crocheting and
lbutter-making, for girls of the lower
classes.
But theosophists are not going to
spare Mrs. Besant long. She is the
most magneticspealer that the theos-
ophizts have had since the days of Bla-
vatslzyy end she can draw as many con-
verts at her meetings as can even the
beautiful Maud Ballington Booth
among Che salvationists. So she is
booked to speak daily.
Annie Besant is tho originator of
White Lotus day. In explaining the
day she says that its origin is three
told
First, It is to hoid sacred one day in
The year to the memory of the dead
high priestess-
Second, a flower Is selected because
the theosophists consider flowers more
worthy to be used as emblems than
crosses, ,crowns or wreaths of wood or
stone.
Third, the lotus Is selected because
Ut has itsroots in the earth and grows
Through tho water and blossoms into
the air above, thus typifying the birth
of man, his growth and spiritual life.
These things constitute the days
pymbolA"
So on one day in each year-a day
An Maybecausc Blavatslsy died in the
month of blossoms-there must be q
rally smong tho ranks of the theoso-
phists.
Tho same. programme Is observed all
over the world. This year the biggest
meeting I'm America was held at Chica-
go. The programme consisted of read
ing from Sir Edwin Arnold's Light of
Asia" and from the "voice of the ST.
1ence," the textbook of the theoso-
phists.
This was followed by a very inter
esting life Of Blavatsky and then the
meeting was thrown open for general
discussion Upon table in the center
OF the room stood n lifesize picture of
Sie dead priestess, and at the foot OF
the picture rested big jardiniere full
of white lilies. More of the lilies were
grouped around the top of the picture
and over one end of il was draped an
India scarf said 10 have been wsrn by
Blavatsly while lecturing in Calcutta,
Lotus flowers were impossible To OBJ
tain, SO lilies were used.
The wny the theosophists go TO work
Is curious. They are intensely practi-
cal, though their religion sounds very
wordy, romantic and unreal. Yet there
Is no doubt that they have a way of
taking hold of things which Is both
fascinating 20 behold and comfortable
% believe.
For example they begin with Karma.
II you drop In at any one Of their meet
ings, or visit the Chicago headquarters
In the daytime, you are given a leafict
headed: "karna as cure for Trouble"
4 When you read about Karraa you find