The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-14
mn IRON ".
A Hlndoo Fskir ssys OccidentaIs Cannot
Know Magic


Sayed Jamai Is one of the three high
caste Hindoo fakirs whom Henry Ballen-
tine formerly consul to Bombay. has i'll
duced TO- leave their country against their
religious preJudices. and. under the guild
ance OF his nephew. Edwin Rood. come TO
this country. He was asked the other
day In New York, to tell something about
HindOO magic.
"Our magic" he said. ayes. they try to
learn about 1t. Persons can't come from
England and France and America to learn
about 1t. one American told me he was
going 10 make a business OF II. You make
a business of everything. He said he was
sgoing 10 get at the bottom of II If he
stayed in India year Think of year.
] have been In India thirty times that
long, and IL l stay a thousand years !
can't do what that man was going to do
In a year. Ages wouldn't be enough for
him TO learn the mysteries hat he was
going TO give his life and the lives OF gem
erations after him. and then perhaps
some distant descendant might know
something Of what he wanted to know.
You can't make a business of Il. You
must make "a religion OF IL. And YOU cant
be converted 10 the religion: you must be
born In IL. and your forefathers for gen
erations before YOU"
Sayed Jamal was asked about some Of
caste.
"you have heard Of things that I have
never seen or heard Of" he answered.
You people have big eyes and a large
Imagination. and YOU like to tell what
you have seen and make II bigger each
time. You Ike 10 write great books on
immense things and have them grow for
you readers. have seen Americans ana
EnEliShmen In India. who have thought
they knew all about our magic. when
they had seen hardly any of IT, and then
they have told what perhaps they ina
gined.
"A man throwing rope into the air
ana then climbing il and disappearing
was never done IN India. There IS no
such thing. / think | know all that is
done and this thing is not among them
Yet every white man who speaks 10 me
OF magic asks about II. II is foolish. /
know why II Is not true. but you couldn't
understand me II told you.
Then the tall mayo trees Another
story for books There vas never one
grown more than four feet high. and your
travellers write about them growing iutD
mighty trees II is silly. i know all about
the mango. ] never heard Of a white
mans imasina,lon making one less than
ten feet high.
Il have been asked about ,heosophv
many times. That rs another western in
veniion that We know nothing about II
must be some more business. A great
many persons who think they arc very
wire. and are able 10 look beyond the sky.
come TO India u learn about heosophy.
ana they are we'll received, because we
are ALWAYS polite 10 strangers.
Many OF these persons are women
Your women are very strange. They
come and tell as that theoSophy original
81 win us ana We listen. and perhaps
nod our heads. and they say We knew
" Then they talk great lell about
what We have never heard OF before and
don't believe, and we listen and don't
contradict. We don't understand them
and so keep silent. They talk a great deal
about the occult. and how much we
know about things that we have never
before heard Of and don't want 10 hear
Then 81, H..
wonderful Information they got from us
Yes, your people are clever AT learn
Ing about things. and your magicians are
cunning; but YOU know nothing about
real magic. about the powers that lie
within the religion that Is a part OF a
man after beine sought for through gen
crations, and 10 which every organ and
faculty is a servant. And YOU never can
know. for Il is knowledge for which you
are I'm every way untitled morally men
tally and physically Exchange.