The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-22
DEATH AND THEosoPHY.
Religious Views That Take Away the
Dread of a Hereafter.

New York Press.
In the midst of life we are in death. Out
upon the shoreless sea, whence no voyager
returns, the human heart may be rudely
blown without warning. The homicidal
wave which has rolled over this city within
the past fortnight has swept out into the
dark mystery OF mysteries nine unprepared
souls. How much more do men know Of the
present state OF the souls of those nine
than was known OF the experience of the
spiritual spark of the first slaughtered man
back in the dim dawn of human history?
The basal foundation OF all abiding re-
gionS and OF all moral philosophy that sur
wives the scrutiny OF the centuries is mans
belief In the immortality of mis- soul The
mystery OF death and Immortality, judged
by the rigid requirements of the material
lists, may, perhaps. be said to be as ereat
as IL was at the death OF Abel. But the
application OF human thought for five thou
OF systems of religious philosophy that to-
day satisfy the spiritual longings OF 200. 0OO,-
coo OF people, each system explaining in a
the death Of the body.
From Asia, the birthplace OF the race and
tianized child OF Brahamism. Theosophy.
scarcely understood as yet, by even a min
ute fraction OF that number which would
pry into the screts of death A fortnight
since there took place in this city the
funeral OF young woman. Miss Olsen who
was placed TO rest in accordance with the
views OF Theosophists concerning death.
According TO Theosophists every human
oelng Is living soul, which always was
and always will be- and which at times
functions through a human body which II
itself has built up to enable ii TO act in a
material plane By many this necessity of
action 10 In a physical plane is dreaded. II is
as II the soul We're thrown into dungeon
an idea held by Plato as well as other
mystics of ancient times, and present
among the Buddhists and Brahmins Of to-
day, the Nirvana Of the Buddhists being
not humiliation. but a cessation of exist.
ence on material planes. Death removes
the soul from its material confinement
hoo 1fof- l..@1l
Ward Beecher, that they should restrain
their first inclination TO mourn for friend
who dies. and should. instead, rejoice that
his best portion gains by the physical death
Admissible grief is only that sorrow in
separable from parting, even If that parting
be but for a short time.
Theosophsts hold that souls which func-
ton in bodies arr free when the body is
laid TO rest at night. just as the musician
In one meaning is free when he lays down
his instrument. More than this: During the
waking hours the soul has a considera bic
measure CT consciousness that is not en-
ployed In the details Of physical existence.
stantial realms, and is. in q way in har-
mony with complete disembOded souls
Therefore, the separation between living
and dead is less than Is ordinarily sup
posed. Such conceptions largely diminish
the horrors of death.
For disposing OF the dead body most The
osophists favor cremation The ordinary OBJ
jections to interment that are advanced on
sanitary grounds have weight with Theoso-
after death. still a tie between the corpse
and that which quit it, for that which quit
it is not only. the pure soul. but a covering
of the soul less material than the gross
body, though not unsubstantial. This cover
ing has to disintegrate at equal rate with
the corpse. The quick. destruction of the
body by fire expedites both of these disin-
tegrations. Nine. Blavatsky, the high
priestess of theosophy. directed that her
body should be cremated. Her ashes were
divided into three portions. one each for
the Asiatic. European and American sec
tions Of the Theosophical Society. The
American portion is in a marble urn at No.
IA Madison avenue, in the charge of Will
liam @. Judge.
The body of Baron De Palm was Gre
mated. The funeral was conducted at the
Masonic Temple in this city by Colonel OIL
colt, president of the society since Its
foundation, in the presence of an assem-
bly, SO large as TO seem at one time 10
imperil its own safety. The ashes of
Sattya, Hndoo, who was cremated near
this city, were scattered in midocean, on
q stormy night when heavy banks of
clouds obscured the moon and the deck
was deserted. A weird Hndoo chant, 10
the accompaniment of the pounding waves,
consigned them to an unmarked grave.