The San Francisco call., 1896-03-22
SEVEN MEN IN ONE.

~ AN rhANC1SOO mas produced q
~ philosophical writer whose books
y deal with the highest of human
- aspirations and the most profound
OF human thoughts. DR.. Je-
rome A. Anderson's works 60 beyond
what are commonly known as the
material sciences and mere speculative
thought. 1t will avail us nothing to
pass them by siightingly in favor OF
the lighter literature that tasks the
gray matter less to appreciate for
these thoughts and aspirations are
fastening themselves even upon this lighter
literature and are coming into our daily
lives, whether we will or no. Men may
cry for intellectual peace, but there will be
none. There VIII be less as the years go on,
and the tide will not turn toward mental
peace until human science has classified
and named the last phenomena of which
nature is capable. Last week we read
that photographs could be taken through
solid substances. Yesterday Edison told
us he could see through a two
inch plank. What will tomorrow
bring forth2 In spite of ourselves
We must think, and we will think
about these verities and subtleties of ma
ture, and those who begin to think before
circumstances compel them to will be the
better equipped for the entire struggle
which, perhaps. does not cease with the
shuttfing off of the body. This, at least,
is the view taken by the author of the
book, 'Septenary Man." and it is no
more novel or modern view than is the
theory that the human being is COM
posed OF seven separable parts; func
tons upon seven separable planes. The
latter theory, though almost sensa-
tionally new to the Western world,
Is in reality as old as the theory of I'M
mortality. which indeed it seems to eluci-
date and make rational to the understand
ing not satisfied with dogniatic faith. DR..
Anderson makes no claim to originality
IN dividing man into seven parts, but in
sists rather that 1.-The Vedantic schools
OF Brahm anism held and still hold that
man has at least four or FIVE principles or
vehicles OF consciousness entering into
his composition; Buddhism recognizes
seven; Contucianism FIVE; Gnosticism sew
en-; the Kabala seven, and Christianity
three The same teaching can be very
clearly verified in the old Egyptian SYM
bolism and in the earlier, as well as the
later, Greek philosophy, particularly in
Neo- Platonism."
DR.. Anderson presents the following
septenary formula:
Sthula Sharira the body.
Linga Sharira, astral body.
PTana, vitality.
Kama the animal soul (desire).
Manas, the human soul (thought).
Budhi, spiritual soul (intuition).
Atma or Jfva, spirit
Starting upon this hypothesis, explain
ing the nature of each OF these seven parts,
and citing evidence of their reality the
author treats at length and in clear, we'll
chosen language this subject that to the
Western world is still occult and mysti-
cal. though surely no more so than
the ability to see through a two |
inch plank was month ago. |
What makes the book of value for the
non-scientific reader is the fact that it's
author affects rather a simple style and
employs homely English words and
phrases wherever possible.
The first four of these seven principles
are known as the Lower Quaternary
and the last three as the Higher Triad.
Without the triad man would be nothing
more than perfected animal. Robbed of
the quaternary, man functions on a plane
imperce ptible to merely human faculties
The triad is divisible only in metaphysI-
cal sense. They are but manifestations of
the ego-that essence of the soul, spirit life,
God, or whatever name one may know 1t
by-which persists. Though the concep-
tions of the higher triad, as set forth in
DIR. Anderson's book, are very beautiful
and some of them present very clearly
drawn pictures to the intellect, yet those
who eschew metaphysical subjects-or
think they do-will find greater interest
in the authors explanation of the quater-
nary, or lower manas. Here the division
of the principles is real and in measure
susceptible of proof to the dullest. Hyp-
notism, the phenomena of the so-called
spiritualistic medium, the well-a ttested
fact of clairvoyance, sleep, dreams and
many other and more strictly physical
phenomena, explanations OF whicE are
impossible to all but the students of
theosophy, are by this theory of the lower
Quaternary made clear and reasonable to
the mind; are proven by the rules of logic,
at least, if not by ocular demonstration.
There is something fascinating about
this book of DR.. Anderson's, and one
whose curiosity is sufficiently aroused to
lead him to take it up seriously, or at least
with mind open for the reception of new !
truths, no matter where they may Lead !
will not lay it down before finished, and
will have his appetite well whetted for
further peeps behind the curtain of the /
purely material world.
What is occult to US to-day may be
scientific to US tomorrow. Yet 1t always
was scientific, and it was our own angle of
vision that changed. DR.. Anderson's
book is occult only to those who have /
not turned its leaves slowly and thought I
FULLY. and those who do this will find it in
tenseIy interesting at least. There is |
always much human interest IN the con-
temptation of man from a standpoint other /
than that of bones and flesh. Has man a
finer, partly invisible, less corporal body
a Iinga sharira2 Is this linga sharira, or |
astral body. separable from the physical |
body? Has man a still finer, still more |
Invisible astral counterpart capable of a
worlds de separation from the corporeal |
bodyP What becomes OF these finer astral |
shells when the phenomenon called death |
intervenes? And what is this phenomenon
of death? Questions like these are
answered in ''Septenary Man. not by
dogma, not by empirical platitudes or
generalities, but by a searching examina-
ton of the premises, followed by the
logical presentation of a science that is
much older than any western science.
And this science is not dogmatic. Beyond
the primary postulate of a supreme intel /
ligence behind and in the universe, nothing
Is presented on faith, and the reasoning
faculties alone are appealed to.
''Septenary Man is published by the
Lotus Publishing Company, ITO Market
street, San Francisco, and is sold by all
book-dealers.