The record-union., 1893-02-13
FHEOSOPHY.
Abbott Clark of San Francisco
breaches of the Doctrine.
What 1t Is-What 1t Involves-Its Cen.
trail Thought and How Its Bene-
fits Are Attained.

very interested audience assembled
at Pythian Castle last night to listen to
lecture by Abbott Clark, F. T. S., of San
Francisco, on 'What Is Theosophy?"
The lecturer, who is graceful and easy
speaker, said that theosophy was the
science of religion and the religion of
science; that it combined all the natural
logic and common sense of science, with
out any of its materialism; with all the
moral force and spiritual power of re-
ligion, without any of its creeds and su-
perstitions.
Theosophy he claimed to be the broad
est and most comprehensive of all sys-
TENS of thought; it is the synthesis of
science, religion and philosophy. Under
that name man will combine all his
ideas of nature, the universe or of God.
de will not have an unnatural idea of
God nor an ungodly idea of nature.
among the basic principles of theo-
sophy, ne stated, was that of universal
causation-that the universe was not
caused by mere chance or blind matter as
the materialists claim; that it was not
governed, one portion by God, one por-
ton by nature, and one portion by some
thing else, but that all things, physical
ana spiritual, were caused and governed
by one universal and divine law. One
! aspect of that law is well known to us as
The law of cause and effect, called in
Sanskrit'" karma." 1t is the first law of
force formulated by Sir Isaac Newton.
VIZ; Action and reaction are equal and
IN opposite directions" Karma, he said.
means action" Action causes reaction;
las ye sow so shall ye reap" Jesus
said: AS ye mete it shall be measured
unto you again." and so there is no es-
cape from the natural consequences of
any thought, word or decd. Pure
thoughts, gentle speech and deeds of duty
naturally produce harmony, peace and
| progress.
Selfish thoughts, harsh speech and evil
deeds produced the misery which man
Kind endures, and there is no escape from
the suffering, except, as Sam Jones would
! say, to quit your meanness.n Man can
attain peace only when he has ceased
creating bad Karma long enough for the
effects to have worked themselves ont
and to have been replaced by nothing
but grace and good" This is the scien-
titic basis for all religious injunctions of
patience A Hindu verse says: "There
is no cleft in the rocks, there is no depth
in the seas, there is no spot on the earth
or in the heavens where man can hide
from the consequences of his acts" be
they good or evil.
iOiICdl udIlOA Is Iu6 process OF GVOlu-
ton; 1t offers rational answer to the
anxious question: ''Ifa man die shall he
live againY' The one message, he con-
tended, that theosophy brings to the
Western world is the message of brother
hood-a brotherhood which is BIAS
phemed every day in this city, and which
Is merely word and an empty phrase in
the mouths OF most. But we who believe
in this universal brotherhood recognize
and understand that no progress in the
spirit can be made unless there be self
devotion to the general good of human
kind. Any idea of progress by the in
tellect alone, any hope of attainment by
means of the mind only, are but as
dreams beside the progress that can be
won by self-devotion to humanity. and
the service that is done tot our brothers
when we sacrifice our own happiness to
their good.
None can rise alone; the degradation of
one is the degradation of all. While
some are miserable, none can be truly
happy. While there are poor to be sue
cored, there ought to be no rich to waste
While there is starvation on one side.
there ought to be no idle luxury on the
other.
The central word is this word of ''Broth-
erhood." To be rid of selfishness; to win.
but to serve; to use your education to help
the ignorant: to use your training to help
the unframed; to use your voices to make
articulate the suherings of the voiceless:
| that is the command that theosophy gives
to us ofthe western world and if you would
learn its philosophy. you must bear its
! moral yoke; if you would learn its sci
ence, you must accept it's ethical teach
ing, for ethics comes before science, and
duty comes before attainment. Accept
ing the one, the other likewise shall be
yours, said the speaker, and then all
together. Not apart and individually,
all as one vast family bound in bonds Of
love, we shall climb together that ladder
of humanity whose foot is set in the
slime of animal life, but whose summit
is lost in the eternal light-the ladder on
whose rungs our feet are set to-day, but
up which we cannot climb save as we
bear our brethren with US and use our
strength to help their weakness and our
powers to make their helplessness strong.