The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-26
PORTLAND'S THEOsOPHISTS.
A Disciple of the Society is Here to
Address Them.

| MIR. Buchanan Harding FomerIy Associ
ated With Madame Blavatsky, in Lon
don, Speaks of the Ideas and Purposes
of the Theosophists.
Few of the people of Portland ar,
aware that there is small band of The
osophists in this city. Indeed, to many
the very word will seem strange, ant
will convey little idea of the interesting
religious system which is back of it.
The Portland band has been organized
not more than year, and has not, sc
far, been very active. But last week
Mr.. Buchanan Harding arrived in Maine.
and is to do some missionary work in
this state. Mr.. Harding, who is enter
tanned IN Portland by Mr.. Haskell, OF
Messrs. Haskell & Jones, makes the pro-
pagation of the Theosophical ideas his
lifework. He was for time associated
with the celebrated Madame Blavatsky
in London, and is one of the best known
and most active of the school. He has
arranged to speak twice here, on tomor-
row and Wednesday, at No. II Brown
block
The Theosophical Society was formed
in New York in 1875. There are now
said to be $50 branches in the world. 76
of which are in the United States. The
society is essentially international. The
president, Colonel II. S. Olcott, formerly
ofi Naxx, VorI- N Tnnia
where, at Adyar, a suburb of Madras,
the society has a property of q acres,
an oriental library, buildings, and the
great hall, where, the general convention
meets annually in convention.
The objects of the society are
First, TO form the nucleus of a uni
versal brotherhood of humanity, with
out distinction of race, creed, sex, caste
OF color.
Second-To promote the study of AIRY
an and other Eastern literatures, relig-
ions and sciences, and demonstrate the
importancessof that study.
g Third-1o investigate unexplained
laws of nature and the psychical powers
latent in man.
v MIR. Harding explained to the PRESS
Saturday little more concretely, the
nature of Theosophy. The Theosophists
believe that all suffering comes from
human selfishness, and that by personal
culture one may eradicate selfishness,
Danish the worries and unhappiness OF
this world, and finally may become not
only. g cd like but also divine. The The
osophists do not believe in the actual
Immaculate conception of Jesus Christ,
but believe that He, born of clay like
mortals, became by right living divin-
ity. They believe that mortals in these
days may by right living become divine
also. AS Christ became divine, SO also
did Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Plato,
Pythagoras, and st. Paul, each in a diff
ferent way and degree.
The Theosophists look to antiquity
and the East for pure religious copcep-
tions. Their idea is that the ancient,
pure religions have become in these
times overloaded with sacerdotalism and
the shells of creed. To get at the true
religion they look particularly to the
ancient Hebrew writings and to the even
more ancient Sanskrit works of H1ndo-
stan. They affiliate with the pundits of
India, and have esta blished the "Amerl-
can-Asiatic and Sanskrit Revival Socie-
ty" which has for its object the collec-
ton and translation of ancient Sanskrit
writing. Already twenty-nine papers
and palm-leat manuscripts have been
obtained
The last of the three objects of the
Theosophists, the investigation Of what
we call the supernatural, co-relates with
the Theosophical idea that man may OBJ
tain" psychical powers" This indefinite
term apparently refers to certain powers
which..are represented as coming to NOR
tails as a consequence of true living, and
which vanish before tie desire to possess
th ose powers for selfish ends.
Mrs. Annie Besant, one Of the most
prominent !. Theosophists, has been in
America within few years. Madame
Blavatsky, who died not long ago, and
whose death was represented to have
been accompanied, or succeeded, by
strange psychical phenomena, has been
bitterly attacked as an imposter, and
was vigorously defended. Mr.. Harding
says that now these attacks have
ceased, and that the most bitter denoun-
GERS have become convinced of their en-
ror and apologized.
Mr.. Harding will visit other cities in
Maine.
Savonarola.