The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-20


that we have invited expositions of diff
ferent religions, sends us an epitome OF
theosophy, prepared by WILLIAM Q.
JUDGE, general secretary of the Ameri-
can Section of the Theosophical Society,
which he hopes we will publish.
We certainly will, although we shall
be compelled to publish the epitome on
the instalment plan. IL is a very long
epitome.
Theosophsts call their faith the Wis
dom Religion, and date its inception
back to ''immemorial time" 1t is
claimed that theosophy offers us theory
of natu re- and of life which is founded
upon knowledge acquired by the
sages of the past, moro especially
those Of the East; and its higher stu
dents claim that this knowledge is not
something imagined or inferred, but
that IL is seen and known by those who
are willing to comply with the condi-
tions. Some of its fundamental propo-
sitions are:
/. That the spirit IN man is the only real
and permanent part of Lis being, the rest of
his nature being varlously compounded; and
decay being incident 10 all composite things,
everything in man but his spirit is irnperman-
ent. Farther, that the Universe being one
and not diverse, and everything within 1t
being connected with the whole and with
every other, of which upon the upper plane
nh rafarrad 10 Il N rfu M ylelo ora
no act or thought occurs without each portion
of the great whole perceivIng and noting It.
Hence all are inseparably bound together by
the tie OF Brotherhood.
2. That below the spirit and above the in
tellect is plane OF consciousness in which
experiences are noted, commonly called mans
spiritual nature; this is as susceptible OF
culture as his body or his intellect.
3. That this splstual culture is only at
tainable as the grosser interests, passions, and
demands OF the flesh are subordinated 20 the
interests, aspirations, and needs of the higher
nature; and that this matter of both system
and established law.
4. That men thus systematically trained
attain 10 clear insight into the immaterial
spiritual world. their interior faculties appre-
hepdias Truth as Immediately and readily AS
physical faculties graSp the things o9 sense
or msntal faculties those OF reason; hence
tina: their testimony TO such Truth is as
Trustworthy rs is thai of scientists or phlloso-
pliers iD tr'.tl in thcir respective delds.
8. gha. In the course or this spiritual train
ing sue. men acquire perception of that con-
trol over various forces in nature unknown to
Others, aud thus are able TO perform works
usually called ''miraculous," though really
bgL the result OF larger knowledge Of natura!
law.
o. That their testimony ~ 70 supsr- sensu.
ous truth, verified by their possession of such
po@err, challenges candid exsmlnGtion from
every religious mind.
TIE first three propositions are in gen
ersi terms Identical with tho basis Of all
religions. The last three open up the
controversy between Theosophy and the
balance of religion, Christian religion.
The Sages, thus possible of development
by systematic training, are the prophets
and interpreters of Theoscphy, as we un-
dersIand il, aud the miracle workers, so
to express in free language the
extraordinary powers OF insight
claimed for them. What the Sages say
goes with the Theosophist, with an au-
thority somewhat greater than that of
the ordinary Christian minist ter and
guide, above, even, we should suppose,
that Of the priest of the Roman Catholic
faith, or Of the Pope himself. Thus the
extent OF this authority is indicated by
the system OF Tbesophy expounjed by
these fully developed Siges, the main
points of which are:
/. An account Of cos.aogony, tho past and
future OF tbis earth AID other planets, the
evolution Of lie through mineral. vegetable,
animal aud human forms.
g That the atssirs Of this world and lis peo
pie are subject 10 cyclic Laws. aud that during
any one cycle tho ratio or quality of progress
appertsiains TO u diiisreat cycle Is not pos
sible.
g. Tho existence OF a universally difFusca
aud highly ethereal medium. called the
ASTRAL Light" or "Akass", which
Is the repository Of all past, pres
ent and future events, aud which
of ali acts aud thoughts from the direction Of
tAAlAtl hpii ~ w luRAtci. ~ may bc SaAAcu tuc
EoJk Of the Recording Angel.
4. TIE origin. history, development and
destiny OF mankind.
This affords us n glimpse of the gen.
eral scheme OF Theosophy. How this
scheme is applied to man, to the process
of spiritual development, aud in gen.
eral to the solution of the problems Of
life aud death, ia set forth in the balance
of Mr.. JUICES epitome furnished us
by Mr.. HOPKINS. In this application
some features are common to all faiths,
and some are not. We shall be
glad TO reproduce them later
for tie enlightenment of our
readers that comparison may be
made with the tenets of Congregations
alism, of Unitarianism, of the Latter
Day Saints, already set forth in these
columns, and of such other faiths as
those of our readers versed in their re-
spective propositions may be pleased to