Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-01
A NOTED WOMAN.
MRS. ANNIE BEsANT, THE ENG
LIsH REFORMER.
A Sketch of the Leader OF the Theoso-
phists-An Err attic Career Full
of Work for the Bene-
eft of Others.

Mr.. E. L. Tucker, an enthusiastic
theosophist, has written for the HERALD
a sketch of Mrs. Besant which is here
with given in condensed form:
Mrs. Annie Besant is woman whose
utter independence of the worlds opin-
ion, whose broad sympathy with suffer
ing OF all sorts, whose keen perceptions
as to ways and means OF averting the
same, and whose absolute fearlessness in
carrying out her projects, perfectly I'm
daunted by opposition, criticism, and
even by vile calumny itself, have made
her quite worthy of the dictum of a
famous English editor who asservated
that Mrs. Bessnt il one of the most re-
markable women apostolic type OF
the present generation.
Her connection with Charles Brad
laugh, England's greatest freethinker,
who forced bis way to parliament, did
not endear her to those good people who
placed dogma above deed, and creed
above charity.
Mrs. Besant comes of a good family,
her maiden name being Wood, and a
cousin, Lord Hatherly, being at one
time lord chancellor. Other relatives
have occupied positions of more or less
prominence in English political life.
On her mothers side she was Irish,
from which Milesian ancestry doubtless
comes many of the qualities which have
made her a good friend and good
fighter. Her early education was un-
dertaken by Miss Marryat, a gentle
woman OF means, whose idea was to
crafty personal inclinations to teach as
we'll as to render assistance to the gen.
tie born of limited resources.
After leaving Miss Marryat's tutel-
age, Miss Besant came upon The Lii
brary OF the Fathers. Of the effect of
this reading she writes: "The contrast
found between my early evangelical
training and the doctrines of the Christ
ian church would have driven me over
to Rome had it not been for the proofs
afforded by Pusey and his co-workers,
that the English church might be Gath
olic though nonRoman. But for them
communion Tor If the church of the
early centuries be compared with that
OF Rome and Geneva there is no doubt
that Rome shows marks of primitive
Christianity of which Geneva is entirely
devoid"
Her marriage to the Rev. Frank
Besant, brother of the famous novelist,
was thoroughly in keeping with her
general temperament.
The position of clergyman's wife,
she remarked. seemed second only to
that of nun. and its attractiveness de-
pended very little upon the personality
of the particular priest whom she &C.
lected.
Mrs. Besant's married life was almost
predestined to end tumultuously.
Doubts as to her creed, sympathy with
the needy, led her into atheism and So
cialism. The former caused her expul-
sion from her home and led to her chill
dren being taken away from her because
OF her avowedly declared views and
course of action in publishing the Fruits
OF Philosophy. Her meeting with Mr..
Bradlaugh led to assuming position on
the staff of the National Reformer, and
thus began journalistic career not yet
ended under the nom de plume OF Ajax.
The Trafalgar square incident and the
famous strike of the Bryant and May
match girls. the success OF which was
due to her skill as an organizer and to
the practical leadership and financial
support she gave the girls. These and
the effects of them on industrial life had
the effect of so establishing her in the
esteem and affections of the East End,
that che was returned as member of the
school board in the largest school dis
trict in East London. Mrs. Besant's
conversion to theosophy is but fresh in
the public mind, as the recent death
of Nine. Blsvatsky has brought Mrs.
Besant into a glaring light OF pub
licity as her successor as the
head of the theosophical move
ment. Mrs. Besant brought to the
Theosophists zeal and an enthusiasm
equal to that of FL. P. Blavatsky and
placed at their service reputation for alb
solute sincerity, and an eloquence supe-
rior to that of any living platform orator.
She became the friend and when defense
was needed the defender of the great
leader of the Theosophists. In return,
Nine. Blavatsky had accomplished for
her what many friends had tried in vain
to do, that of bringing from the realms
of Materialism into belief in the reality
of the spiritual world. Mrs. Besant has
been once in America lecturing on the
osophy this last autumn, and she is now
announced for more extended tour.
The coast tour will EN- brace Los Angeles,
and she will appear here on the 9th and
10th OF January.
Arrasted for Indecant Exuoaura