Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-11
HIGH PRIESTESS WAS SILENT
SORE THROAT PREVENTED MRS.
TINGLEY FROM TALKING.
Great Gathering of the Initiated and
the initiated in the Mysteries
of TheOsophy - Interesting
Talks on the Cult.

The theosophical crusaders last evening
entertained an audience limited only by the
capacity of the Academy of Music. An oc-
casional outburst of applause evidenced an
sympathetic feeling on the part of a large
portion of those present. Especially was
this shown when President e. T. Hargrove.
of the Theosophical Societies of America,
Europe and Australasia, made a few happy
hits in answering the questions of doubters.
The stage was decorated with the flags of
nearly all nations which. it was explained.
were those in which branch theoSophical
societies had been established. The Amer
icar colors draped the speakers table. The
purple banner of the society, bearing the
inscription, Truth, Light, Liberation for
Discouraged Humanity occupied a place
among the flags.
1t was just sos o'clock when DR.. ]. P.
Knoche, president of the Kansas City The
osophical Society, raped for order. He
welcomed the visiting crusaders and eX-
planned to the audience that these repre-
sentatives of theosophy are not to be con-
founded with the society of which Colonel
Olcott is president and Mrs. Annie Besant
the high priestess. DR.. knoche spoke of
the objects of the society and of the school
for education in ancient and modern his
tory and sciences and the investigation of
hidden forces. of which Mrs. Catherine A.
Tingley Is the head. He said that at the
present there were no schools which pupils
might attend, but that the lessons were
given from the central office of the society
in New York. pending the opening of the
school founded by Madame Blavatsky at
Point Iona. near San Diego. Cal. The les
sons which had been given so far from the
New York school. he said, are merely pre-
liminary to the entering upon the real stud
les to be taught.
a musical selection was furnished by Mr..
A. Buch and Mrs. Bartha A. Clether. cru
saders, after which DR.. knoche introduced,
as chairman of the meeting. H. T. Patter-
son. another of the crusaders.
Chairman Patterson is stockily built
man, with naturally black hair and closely
cropped beard tinged with gray. He has a
reddish face and dark eyes. inclined to
SQuint He wore full dress suit, as did
most S Of M the male ale crusaders a,d with 18th a. q white
tlemen in the party wore button shoes. He
spoke but briefly and introduced President
Hargrove.
President Hargrove is a good speaker.
His voice is affected with English, you
know" but is strong and resonant. His
logic is good and his points well made. He
is tall, rather spare. and is said to be less
than 26 years of age. He wears no mus
tache or beard, and was dressed in the reg
ulation button shoes and full dress suit a
solid. substantial looking auadruple strand
watch chain and ring with a set the size
of a half dollar made up his jewelry. But
President Hargrove is an interesting lect-
urer.
He said there were more misconceptions
concerning theosophy than anything else
in the world. II is supposed to be nearly
posed to be many of the things that 1t is,''
he said. The word means divine wisdom"
and Mr.. Hargrove thinks the very essence
of divine wisdom is brotherhood. Brother
hood is the greatest of the words in the vo-
cabulary of Il theosophist
THE average state of mind of the aver
age person who attends a lecture" said
the speaker, lis such that he looks chiefly
to see if he cannot pick out something that
the speaker says that is wrong, and as
only find out the things that are wrong
The two cardinal doctrines of theosophy
are .-reincarnation" and compensation
and of these Mr.. Hargrove has much to
say. Some of his points were finely drawn.
Early in his lecture he said that most peo-
pie had an innate love for justice but If
a superficial view is taken of the world it
is difficult to discover justice. He drew a
picture of two babes, one born in poverty
and the other amid luxurious surroundings.
and asked if this is justice. He referred
to the Biblical statement that the sins of
the father shall be visited on the son, and
asked if this is justice. Proceeding in his
discourse, he left his hearers to believe
these instances until nearing the close of
his lecture their suspense was relieved by
his explanation that it was justice. pure
and simple. The child born in luxury. he
said. owed that fact absolutely to his own
efforts in his previous existence. Just as
we mold cur future on earth. he claimed
just 50 will it be, in the present and in
all succeeding lives. The child that re-
entered this life in poverty paid the PEN
atty of misspent pre-existence, and the
child born to luxury reaped the reward of
his own work in another life.
1T Will not do said the speaker, Ito
divide nature into two watertight COM
partments, labelling one the natural world