The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-06
TREOSOPHY IN ANECDOTE'
RecollectiOns Of the Two Leading
Apostles Of That Cult.
THE BLAvATSKY AND Mr.. JUDGE
Several Feats Of Alleged Mysticism
Which We're Found Out TO Ne Quite
Materiaiistic and Practical
When Once Understood.


Materiaiistic and Practical
When Once Understood.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
Students Of the occult, theosophists.
or whatever may be the prese!.t 6esig-
nation of the society founded by B,a-
Eatsky. are suidea in Anne. lea f ON
dark ,ati. ct. w. .. Judgs. h ad of he
cult In this country. is dead. present.
iy his ashes. divided into three equal
parts, will be mingled with those of tne
princess. Judge specified tae manner
or the post-mortem proceedings in his
own case. After cremation he wish d
one-third of the remails sent to Lon
don, another third part taken to India
and :hc remainder retai- ed In America.
The different fractions he desir, d
buried with the ashes % Blavats.y,
whose will provided that her rem al >
should be equally divided in the three
parts OF the world.
Al other section of judges VIII nam d
hi3 successor The executive co nit
tee Is en1oined to conceal the id mt ty
Ct this person for one year. Mr.. Judge
described the present head of the So
ciety as "a great adept" This Is too
general to enable the ordinary iheo o.
!
thousands OF disciples in the United
States claim greatness. The best that
can be done Is to surmise. Many b.
lieve Elliott B. Page to be the new head.
lie has been close student and pro-
fuse writer on the theosophical sub
jects. and may be pyope ly classified as
an adept. He is the ideal type. too:
spare of frame and self-poiscd. He is
ascetic In every sense Of the word and
\ L. ltlyA H.,
sent better qualifications for leader
ship?
Whoever the chief may be he has al
ready assumed control, His fir ofiicill
act was the changing OF the place Of
this years convention. 1t was to have
been held in Chicago, Under the new
dispensation New York will have t. en-
tertain Kut Hun If he comes as deie-
gate. The gathering is dated for April
26 and q.
The Princess Blavatsky taught many
years In the open, and has been dead
| dead to all physical purposes and uses
ut all events for several years. 1t has
not yet been thoroughly established
that she was not a charlatan. Neither
has 1t been legally proved that she was.
She came to America in the early '7os
and became one of the staff Of the Eddy
brothers, who called themse YES sp rit
mediums, In 1874 Colonel Henry s..
Olcott, a lawyer and newspaper man,
and person thirsty for absolute knew
ledge on supernatural affairs. met the
Russian woman. Blavatsky had the
soul of a ru' 'er and could not sati fly her.
self In subordinate part in the Eddy
| combination. She associated herself
with Olcott and founded the Thecsoph-
| ical Society in America. Judge. a young
lawyer in the Office of Olcott's brother,
and glutton for the mysterious. was
| .aken into the enterprise. and when
Olcott and Blavatsky left this country
succeeded to the control Of affai s. C-l-
Onel OlcOtt has been in America but
Once since he left with the princess for
far-away India. Certain court orders
and DEGREES of record in New York
make 1t to the colonel's interest not to
pass quarantine. When his wife OBJ
tained a divorce from him, subsequent
to his association with Blavatsky, she
was awarded alimony. Olcott has
never observed the legal formality of
| complying with the order of payment.
1t Is difficult for one W thout the circle
to get definite information concerning
theosophy and It's characteristic pne-
nonena. One comes up against dead
walls of argument, so as to say, AS, for
instance, truth seeker once asked Oh
colt:
Are there in existence such persons
as mahatmas?'
Certainly there are" replied Colonel
Olcott: certainly they exist"
Gould you establish the fact Of their
existence by absolute proof; evidence
that you as lawyer would term legal
evidence"
Nothing easier," responded Blavat-
sky's lieutenant. taking a soft cambric
handkerchief from his pocket. Moth
ing easier. This very handkerchief
was given me by mahatma." This Is
the sort of argument that must satisfy
honest inquiry.
Backsliders from the faith have been
known to question the integrity of the
leaders, and theosophists we'll advanced
In the cult have not hesitated to inn
pugn one anothers motives. Witness
the mutual rending Of Mrs. Besant and
the late Mr.. Judge. 1t Is to be said for
Blavatsky that she would not talk of
the miracles she worked. but 1t may
also be said that she did not attach
fetters or padlocks to the vocal organs
of her adherents. They were at liber-
tytotell what wonders they chose Of the
princess performing. She never con-
tradicted report. On the other hand
'hS Vi kiiV piVuSCS cAdClcu ny COHNeIts
to the esotoric session Is that they will
controvert every statement that may
discredit Blavatsky or her cult. They
deny without regard to Its truth the
matter in issue.
Blavatsky was not u mahatma: she
was an adept. In disposition the prin.
cess was too erratic to attain the high
est development of soul. She was hot
of temper and Of coarse fiber. At times
her conversation was such that there
were well-grounded suspicious that In
Blavatsky's ample frame the soul OF
the celebrated Catherine Of Russia had
found its abiding place Vulgarity is
a soft and a smooth deception of Blavat-
sky's conversational style. AS Is
known, she was an incessant smoker OF
cigarettes. She made her own, and
had become so expert that history ac.
counts fon but one parsonage who was
her peer in the art Blavatsky would
place two cigarette papers on the table
or desk at which she might be sitting
and placing upon each the proper quan-
tity of tobacco would roll both stimuli.
taneously, one with her left and one
with her right hand. Both would be
perfectly constructed. Having finished
them she would hand one to the person
to whom she might be talking and in.
sert the other In her own mouth. Prince
Louis Napoleon 1t was perhaps-somt
French potentate in any case-the only
other ambidextrous cigarette-makel
to come into public notice.
AS to the miracles worked by Blavat.
sky there are many opinions. The
music which sometimes was heard ir
her vicinity is explicable on the theory
of small music boxes sewed in the opul
ent raiment of the mahatma's friend
There Is another theory to account fol-
the bell ringing in harmony. The yam.
kee at King Arthurs court whose ad