The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-04-18
VISIT OF A COUNTESS.
A LEADING THEOsoI T WHO WILL
BE HERE TWO WEEKS.
Is of Blue Blood Active In the Faith
Was AN Associate of Helen
=. Biavatsky.


The Countess Wachtmeister,
whose arrival is announced for the
end OF this month, OH the Monowai,
and whose stay i'll this city, for a
couple Of weeks, is anticipated
with the greatest pleasure and in
terest by local Theosophists in par
ticular and by all the lovers of lit
erary talent in general, is a most
attractive parsonage. 1t is fact
that the countess belongs to the blu
est blood of three nations. the
French, through her father, who
was Marquis de Bourbel, the Eng
lish, through her mother, Constance
Buckley, of Linden Hill, Berkshire,
and the Swedish, through her hus-
band, Count Wachtmeister, en-
bassador and once Minister of For
eign Affairs in Stockholm. Few
persons have thus stood higher
at the same time in three differ
ent royal courts, and yet the Count
ess Wachtmeister is represented
as most modest, unassuming and
kind person, gracious to the most
lowly, as the true theosophist that
she is, and her speeches are
marked by the simplest language
possible; but her manners, which
bear the ededet of true nobility,
please every one and inspire con-
fidence as well as respect. Many
residents here still remember the
visit of her son, the Count Axel
Wachtmeister, in 1890, who inn
pressed very highly and kindly all
who knew him; like his mother,
he is staunch supporter OF the
Theosophical Society, and he made
many friends in California. The
Countess is coming from the Aus
tralian Colonies, where she has
been laboring most zealously and
disinterestedly for nearly a year,
achieving great success wherever
she went, and from here she is go
ing to make prolonged tour Of
the States, where she is
already well known and has
done splendid work III
1894, when she was sent to the
Theosophical Convention held in
San Francisco, as delegate of the
Indian Section. All her time and
talent is devoted to Theosophy,
and her work for the Society,
though continuous and very large,
is done i'll the most liberal way,
since she does not care for any Off
cial position, and prefers to work
in the ranks as an individual, with
full freedom to do and say what
she thinks best for the cause. She
contributed many papers and essays
for Lodge work, blu. the literary
production by which she il best
known, is the "Reminiscences OF
H. P, B. and Of the Secret Doc
trine," in which she gave her own
experience and knowledge of how
that wonderful book, the greatest
OF the century,-wasw written. The
Countess joined the Theosophical
Society in 1881, after extensive but
unsatisfactory researches into
spiritism; and in 1855, at time
when the great founder OF that
Society was passing through time
OF great distress and anxiety, both
moral and physical, at time when
her enemies were trying to profit of
her broken health for crushing her
under scandal and calumny, the
Countess, as one noble woman
helping another nobler still, deli
berately took up her abode with
Madame Blavatsky and helped her
in her literary labors. Such devo-
ton, coming from person of the
rank and intelligence of Constance
Wachtmeister, together with the
friendship of other distinguished
persons, like the Duchess
d. Adhemar, the Duchess
de Pomar, Lady Caithness,
the Count Leiningen, the Baron
Leonhardi, the Count Bubna, and
others, is the best answer that can
be made to the attacks of the little
minds who tried to smother The
osophy by eliminating its expon-
ents. The state of health of the
countess, through overwork, has
been very poor of late; but the Ho-
nolulu Theosophists hope that it
will be possible to prevail on her
klndheartedness, so as to obtain
from her few lectures on subjects
with which she is so familiar, and
on which she can give information
as few can do. The public will be
duly notified in the matter.