The herald., 1898-08-28
Something About Reincarnation


To the Editor of the Los Angeles Herald:
The theory of reincarnation may fairly be
said to be as old as religion, philosophy,
science, the world itself. A Fundamental
doctrine in most Oriental religions from
time immemorial. the PHILOSOPHERS OF In
dia, Egypt, Persia and other once great
eastern nations TEEN with the idea that
the human soul passes from one terres-
trial life to another. 1t is claimed by stu
dents of this doctrine that the teaching OF
the gentle Nazarene does not refer speciIi-
cally to this subject, simply because being
so common a belief he had no need to
do so. r.+-
Be that as it may, there certainly are
many passages in the Christian scriptures
embodying rencarnation. Certain also
that the doctrine is clearly set forth in the
writings of the early church fathers, and
the first martyrs in Spain died for their
adherence to this faith. But persecution
and execution of scientific, philosophic
and religious opponents of this doctrine,
while it hid and distorted this grand phil
osophy, could not kill it. and in every CEN
fury literary traces are to be found of Its
lingering life; and today it is gradually
coming to the front once more.
But to the western mind this Is an I'M
familiar subject, and many are the absurd,
ridiculous and unscentific ideas afloat
about this misty idea There are numer-
Gus independent teachers who embody this
notion, openly or covertly, in their enun-
Citations; but / believe the Theosophica1
society Is the only organized body that
holds this as one of its foundation stones
and has a published literature on the sub
ject. In view of this fact wish to present
statement of an acknowledged leader and
teacher of theosophy, Mrs. Annie Besant,
In contradistinction to a statement from
a teacher, not a theosophist, which APP
peared in an article in the Times o0August
7th:
In her work entitled, "Reincarnation,"
Mrs. Besant says:
The question:, what determines
sex?" is difficult one to answer, even
by a suggestion; and definite informa-
ton on this point has not been given
out. The Ego itself is sexless, and each
Ego, in the course of its myriad REIN
carnations, dwells in male and female
bodies. AS the building up of the per-
feet humanity Is the object of rencar-
nation, and in this perfect humanity
positive and negative elements must
find complete equilibrium, it is easy
to see that the Ego must by experience
develop these characteristics to the
fullest in their appropriate physical
subjects, and therefor that an alterna-
ton of sexes is necessary. 1t is also
noticeable, as matter of observation,
that at this stage of human progress
advance is being made in the synthesiz-
ing process, and we meet noble types of
each physical sex showing some Of the
characteristics historically developed
in the other, so that the strength, the
firmness, the courage, evolved along
the male line are welded to the tender
ness, the purity, the endurance, evolved
along the female; and we catch some
glimpse Of what humanity shall be
when the pairs of opposites,' divorced
for evolution, are once more united for
fruition.
Surely this is much more satisfactory
to those who are not disposed to attribute
all that is weak, silly and ignoble to wo-
man, and all that is grand, strong and ad-
mirable to man. A THEOSOPIIIST.
Los Angeles, Aug. 26, 1898.