The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-24
IL nooKs.
nstsr nsytevs ~ Erapsrtaat ana Hntsrestins
Few Puhiicntiona.

In the June number Of TAsosophv. in an arti-
ole by Il. I. II. on "The Screen Of Time" we find
the interesting and gratifying information that
this reasonable magazine IL twice an large as IL
was, that the price OF It remains tho Same, that
1T win now take its place In the front rank Of
popular magazines" and that "the dream Of is
great founder. w. Q. Judge, will have been real.
lied at last" The second article In Theosophv
IL from the pen of its great founder. 1t il re-
printed from Lucter, and IL concerned with
that obviously important but somewhat subtle
and elusive subject, "Tho sheaths of the Soul"
The sheaths Of the soul were zealously invcsti.
gated by the early Titans Of this sort Of philoso-
ply, and Mr.. Judge seems to have been satisfied
to accept their well-considere and wise ron.
illusions, finding, so far a. we have discovered.
no new sheath, and reaf1rming merely the
lonENaccopted forty.nine. While any sheath Of
the soul 10 bound to no Of interest, 1t IL still true
that the forty-nine sheaths, like the stars, differ
from one another. and very naturally and very
properly. In Mr.. Judges article. more space
10 given TO the astral sheath than to
any Of the sheaths that are made up
Of the mere physical tissues. To suppose that
that sheath Of tho soul which 10 composed of the
mucous membrane could compare with tho
sheath which II endowed with tho astral quail
H~cations, would DO ridiculous indeed. We recall
q book published In Chicago which dealt with
the subject Of astral influences. We re-
member that IL was there explained that
Mrs. Eddy and the others who have in
terpreted tho great souls that have passed
away spoke ungrammatically, for tho reason
that they were possessed by "the astral
influences, mostly dogs.' When Shakespeare
conversed innocently and foolishly in tho Lam
guage that Pocahontas may DO supposed to have
used TO Capt. John Smith; when Thaokeray for
- Il $780,. - - $1,000 - III
persons when DR.. johnson was made to express
sentiments that are peculiar to Vermont in Ian.
guage that il employed in Vermont exclusively
then the Chicago book. which undertook to
connect Oriental philosophy with modern
spiritualistio manifestations, said that the
noticeable illiteracy was duo to the pos
session Of the mediums by astral In
fiuences, mostly dogs. There Is nothing in Mr..
Judges article upon this particular point. Ii is
doubtful II Mr.. Judge would have ever consented
to explain particular phenomena with the In
genuous particularly that distinguished the
Theosophist who lived in Chicago. II there are
forty-nine sheaths Of the soul, II one Of them Is
mucous membrane and another astral, AMI II
! torty-seven OF them have been left undeter-
mined through the efforts of modern inter
probation, what, in view Of the multitude
nous gross and material questions that are
pressing themselves upon the attention
of tho world, are we to think Of the influences
that have been impaired in this epoch by Mrs.
Biavatsky, Col. Olcott, and Mohun Mohini Chat
terjii 1t seems to us as though all that re-
manned to US were faith. Mr.. Judge says Of one
of his in regard to the shcaths Of
the soul: ut IL vague, I admit, yet nevertheless
true" The statement in question involves
the idea that Tho human being funo-
tionizes and perceives in q way quito pe-
culiar to itself, and 10 compelled to trans.
late every outward impression, as we'll as
those coming from within, from ono language
into another; that is to say. from pictures into
words, signs, acts, or vice versa" We are not
prepared to say whether or not we believe that
this is necessarily true. The alleged inevita-
bility Of 1t reminds us somehow Of the oratory
that is in Kansas and the spirit Of protest that
has its homo in Texas We do not know that
human beings from other parts of the world
tunctionize and perceive and are compelled
In exactly the same way. At the same
time we are far from tho inclination
to limit in any particular the light that
10 disposed to shed itself upon the subject
Of the sheaths Of the soul. and we trust
that the soul may be eventually perceived and
understood through all its sheaths. f. T. H.. in
Tho Screen Of Time recalls with enthusi-
asm the circumstance that at the recent con-
vention OF the Theosophists in this city. when
hatncrlne A.. llnRicy was proposed us INC
leader of the Theosophical movement through.
out the world. " the entire audience rose as ono
man and cheered her to the echo" That
is the spirit. That 10 the evidence nec.
essary for the encouragement OF Theoso.
ply. II Mahatmas from Thibet arrive import
antly with messages that have already been do.
livered in the Boston Banner Of Light. 1t is OF
no consequence in the face of a spirit that looks
below the surface and that penetrates those
sheaths of the soul that would hide rather than
protect its fair and perfectly righteous lumi.
Mostly. 1t is reassuring to SEQ that Theosonhv
advertises for sale a photograph Of Mrs. Bla.
vatsky taken in Eiberfeld in 1886. "It
is a charming picture. and represents
the subject in one of her peculiarly gentle
and sympathetic mOods," the advertisement
says; "those who have seen only pictures OF
the great author and adept should secure this
one. which SO beautifully shows the human. Low.
ing heart in the kindly face and attitude" II
shows her, probably, as she looked when she
miraoulously supplied Col. Olcott, in q moment
of o~verpowering thirst, with u largo bunch OF
Malaga grapes, at an hour when the saloons
were closed under an arbitrary provision Of the
Excise Law.
From London we have received, with the 70
quest OF a notice. the first number of a publica.
tion which bears tho title, The Philis.
tine "(John and Horace Cowley). and which pur
ports to DO . Monthly Magazine and Review OF
Belles-Lettres and a Periodical of Protest. The
editor OF this curious sheet appears to have made
the astounding discovery. not only that Queen
Anne Ia dead, but that a good deal OF the 30
called literature eagerly devoured by tho grea,
public is pretty poor stun. Miss Marie Corelli
Mr.. Clement Scott OF the Daily Telegraph. Mr.
g. r. Crockett, and all his companions Of the
Kailyard move him to q state of frenzy Dor
dering on h~ysteria. and. having primed him
self with a few Of tho more familiar
Latin phrases from his handbook OF classl
cal quotations, he sets forth to slay the
Philistines with that same lethal weapon Sam
son found 30 useful. Now the literary Philistin,
is without doubt fair game for the cynic ant
the satirist. but when we find him taken with
deadly seriousness and attacked with mere
abuse unrelieved by any trace of humor We ar,
moro than ever convinced that there are nj
Philistines so hopeless as those blatant gentle
men who are ever freest In their application o