The San Francisco call., 1897-03-07
DR.. AMBER SONS NEW BOOK.

kARMA. STUDY OF THE LAW OF CAUSE
AND EFFECF-By Jerome A. Anderson, NJ D.,
F.I.S Published by The Lotus Publishing
Price 81.
From the blossoming of a daisy to the up
heaTal OF continent everything is law-gov-
erned." If one were forced to condense to q
single simple sentence the entire purport OF
Dir. Anderson's new book, "Karma," he could
scarcely do better than quote the foregoing
words, taken from page 30 And then, if a
very brief and comprehensive exclamation of
this law were demanded, one could, with ad-
vantage, quote again from the same page:
"And the effects seen are either harmonic
are but the effort of nature to restore disturbed
harmonic conditions" One might go further.
were it necessary, and say that "Karma" seeks
TO show that "All is governed by law"
Cause and effect is one definition of karma,
world knows the law of cause and effect merely
a physical law. Science itself will not dis
pute that "the blossoming OF a daisy" or 1.-THE
upheaval of a continent" is under the law of
cause and effect But here science and the
Western world halt, while the author of
"karma" and good many other thoughtful
men and women go several steps farther and
declare that the law of cause and effect is con-
scious, though insensible and impersonal; that
inanimate, physical, mental, psychic and spi--
itual; that it deals exact justice to every being,
though there be thousands of years betwee n
the sowing of the cause and the reaping OF the
effect that it is greater than love, because love
can only be known by contrast with hate; that
it is more compassionate than mercy because
exact justice is the greatestcompassion; that
tits infinite, unfaling and extends beyond time
and eternity, being the law of an uncognizable
nd 4
darkness TO mortal ken.
Karma is good English word now and has
come into all the new dictionaries. 1t came
in about the time that the word "altruis N"
began TO be recognized by the photographers.
And though the two words have none or but
scant pathological relationship they go hand
in hand and are used much by the same class
of writers. The author of "karma" uses "al-
truism' often, and seeks to show that only by
thorough understanding of the nature of the
former can the ideals OF the latter be eSsn ap-
proximately attained. In its truest sense al
truism means brotherhood, and brotherhood
is but q sentiment, says the author, TO those
who do not reauzs that men are brothers in
fact because they are but differentiated rays OF
the divine and conscious whole.
The author of "Karma,' it need scarcely be
said, is theosophist of high standing and
also director in the School for the Revival OF
Iona. Being theosophist his explanation
CT the manifested universe is: The result OF
an external differentiation forever taking place
within Absolute Unity, that which differen-
tales being Its two great aspects, conscious
ness and substance.
Under the law of karma (known on the
physical plane as the law of cause and effect
this differentiation takes place. And there is
nothing outside of Absolute Unity nor moth
ing beyond the range OF karma. Hence there
is nothing outside of nature, nothing can be
supernatural or beyond nature and nothing
cen happen that is not the effect of an ade-
quate cause.
To those familiar with only Western thought,
logic, philosophy and religions, it is difficult
to perceive the justice or the adequate cause
underlying the hard luck and seemingly unde-
served misfortune that follows John Smith
through life, or the good luck and smiling for
tune that ever waits upon the career OF such
hard hearted, unscrupulous man as Thomas
Smith.
But the author does not find the same diff
fculty in the treatment of his subject, for he
declares that man lives many lives on this
earth and that the condition which John
Smith finds himself in now is but the result OF
the acts and thoughts of his previous life. II
does not follow, of course, that John Smith
was necessarily an evil man in his last life; ii
may only be that he neglected to round out
certain portions OF his character which are
now being filed in by his present expert
ences This is reincarnation, and-it may De
stated as well first as lest-that unless one can
accept the rationale OF reincarnatioD, one can
scarcely see the eternal fitness OF things in
Karma. For on the face of things the world is
unjust, and only to those who are willing to
take more than a cursory view of life will the
law that whatsoever man soweth that shall
he also reap become a practicable and guild
ing truth.
"Karma," from literary standpoint, is the
best of DR.. Anderson's works, and that is say
ing a good deal for the artistic merit OF it.
Though philosophical it is not abstruse, and
there is much good taste and earnest elo-
quence in the composition. 1t will doubtless
be read and valued by many more than those
who may agree with all it premises.
J. H. G..