The Saint Paul globe., 1897-12-05

of the interviewer, but Of what 1 have
nothing to complain. When you are
on a mission for spreading the light,
the interviewer is very valuable aux
iliary At the same time it would be
better If he restrained a little of the
eXuberance of his imagination. One
question they often asked me was, If
I remembered any of my previous in
carnations When l said yes, they all
clamored. to know something about
them. L naturally refused, saying that
as 1t was a. matter upon which l could
produce no evidence it was idle to
make statements that. could not be
proved. Notwithstanding this invari-
able reply, one reportsrgdid not hesitate
to make the assertion that [ claimed
that L was the reincarnation of Lord
Byron, and that it was on this account
that L was SO enthusiastically devoted
to. the cause of the Greeks. AS a mat
ter of fact, my enthusiasm about the
Greeks has never been conspicuous for
it's fervor, and need not tell you that
l never claimed in anyway to be the
reincarnation of Lord Byron Never
theless, the interviewef's bold false
hood made the tour of the continent,
and l dare say it is running yet"
Then. you are not much impressed
by the spirituality of the modern jour-
nalistic apparatus?"
The American newspaper" she re-
Flied, lis vibrating with intense vital
ity. It's staff live in the vortex of
Whirl1ng Kamic activities, which are
utterly fatal to any of the repose or
reflection indispensable for spiritual
leadership. They seem to me to be
dancing mad Carmagnoie, in which
the pace goes ever faster and faster,
and which sweeps every one into it's
maddening whirl. They live for the
day, in the things of the day, and no
bedy ever forgets so completely the
newspaper Spirituality implies calm,
balance and dignity, and these are only
conspicuous by their absence
How was your mission treated by
the press?"
''At first with but scant courtesy,
but gradually, as week after week went
by, the newspapers began to treat us
more and more seriously, until at last
there was nothing In the world to COM
plain of as to the tone which they ad
opted in dealing with the Theosophical
society. Il.
How does the Theosophical society
stand now?
VERY well,' said Mrs Besant
when the great sessions in America
took place, the Seceders carried over
eighty-f1ve Of the 100 American branch
Oiily IllCCH lctlIdlllSQ lOy dl " lIlG
society. OF these, three have since
died so practically we had to rebound
the society all over again. Countess
Wachtmeister had been busily and
usefully employed opening branches,
SO that before l reached New York we
could count on twenty two branch
es in the union. AS result of our six
months tour we have now fifty-one
lodges, organized under six central
committees, with a corresponding sec
retary in each state, SO as to secure
their harmonious working and organ
lied cooperation. / left New York
feeling that the society has once more
been established upon a solid footing,
and that it's growth will be steady and
sure.
The iconoclast negative mission Of
the Theosophical society has been dis
continued. We no longer go about with
a club. What we have now to do is to
embark upon constructive period in
which the Theosophicei society will
endeavor to make itself the center of
the world religion, of which Hinduism,
Buddhism, Christianity, Mohammedism
and all the other sects- and religions
are integral parts. 20.
THE whole drift of my lecturing in
the United States, and the essence Of