Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-11
WHAT is THsosoPHY7
How Old Is lt7-What Had Madame Bayatsky
10 Do with Il?


i4s6. What is Theosophy? How old is
It? What had Madam Blavatsky to do
with it? And who was she?
A. Theosophy, as a system of thought,
is thousands of years old. and has nrls@
en- In different ages and parts OF the
world. The speculations Of the oid
Egyptians and the Gnostics, the Nco-
or new--Platonism which arose in ths
third century. a mixture of Jewish ana
Greek ideas with some philosophy ana
Oriental mysticism, was really Theoso-
ply. Much that Is In Brahmanism Il
of the same nature. The term means
a form of thought which claims a par
ticular penetration into the nature OF
the Deity. Some confound II with
. mysticism. but others distinguish II
from that in this respect thatmysticlsm
contents itself with the practical rela-
lions of the soul of God, while Theoso-
ply speculates on the constitution ana
course of nature. rheosophy is at the
opposite extreme from philosophy n
philosopher tries to get an idea Of GOD
by generaliZing from the universe and
all its phenomena to the Being or
first cause. and to His attributes, bur
Theosophy claims to have divine In
sight.
Madame Helene Petrovna Blavatsky
was born in the south of Russia IN
1881. She was the daughter OF Cotonel
Peter Hahn of noble family of Meek
lenberg. Germany, settled in fnssih'
on her mothers side she was the
granddaughter of Prlvy Councillor
Tadeef and OF the Princess Helene
Dolgoruky. When she was II. In a ut
of girlish petulance, she married a
councillor of state, Nicephore BiaNat-
sky, who was 60 years old. He liNed IN
Tinis where he filed II high Office. IN
three months they agreed To separate.
Madame BlaVatsky stayed awhile Win
her father afterward began to travel.
and continued To do so for ten years
before she again saw her fanny, het
daughter supplying her with All me
funds she needed. She penetrat. tne
most remote regions of the world III
1881. having Cooper's novelsshc came
over to Quebec to find the Indians, but
she was disgusted with them. ana wen,
off on "A tangent to New orleans TO ma
the Voodoos. a negro sect that ptactioyu
magic From there she went 10 Next
co. through Texas. She picked up IN
Mexico two companions much ike her-
self, and went around the Cape to
Ceylon, and thence to Bombay. anu
tried to enter the closed country ihinet
nv Nepaul Like so many others sne
did not succeed. and then Went tnroubn
southern India to Java aud slngapo,e,
and came to Europe. From there shS
came to the United states. ahu fnSio
two years. In 1855 she went 70 inuiu.
nv japan and the Straits. with four
Pusainns and made second attempt
10 enter Thibet Two of her COM
panions were sent back to the frontier
the third became sick Of FEVER m.
According to the madam she uis-
puIsed herself and having made frienus
with a Tartar. got into the interior OF
the country. where she was lost III the
pathless wilds, afterward reconhuVteu
nv a party of horsemen to the trontler'
according to her account most eNtra-
ordinary The madam had capacits
for asserting the thing that Is not tn l,s
has never been surpassed. 70 nucti
Tint she said about her travels there is
other testimony, but in those mysterl-
Gus regions there was no one 10 testliy'
After travelling for some time longer
she went home in 1858, ON her way 10
Tihis on horseback she was thrown,
and fractured her spine. After that
she claimed to live double life ana
puzzled most OF the physicians who at
tended her. This psychological state
lasted eighteen months. After she re
covered. in 1863 she left there and went
to Italy. staying in Europe four years
From 1867 to 1870 she was In the east
while returning the vessel she sailed
on carried a cargo of gunpowder. II
blew up and she was one of the few
passengers saved. By this time she
had heard considerable about spiritual
ism, and went to Cairo, Egypt ana es-
tablished society to investigate 1t, but
was speedily disguised, In 1872 she was
back with her family at Odessa. The
next year she left there for Paris, came
over to this country, and made her
Headquarters in New York for siS
years. While here she was natural
lied.
Here she continued to investigate
spiritualism, and made the acquNint-
ance of Colonel Olcott, and with him
n M nd
II, 1875, she founded the Theosophica
society. which was designed to study
theosophy, which. as she defined II
claims to be n universal religion, hold
ing the truth underlying all systems OF
religion, philosophy and science. After
that she began to write books. In 1888
she went over to London and started 9
Theosophical magazine called "Lucifer
the Light Bringer," and also wrot,
much for three Theosophical reviews II
France, and published half a doser
books.
We have never seen more vulgai
woman outside of show than tn,
madam. She smoked, and she at,
without restraint. Like Madam Di'
De Bar, she was brazen. vulgar, smart
and, unlike her she had acquired al
immense amount OF knowledge and ha,
great intellectual power. She wal
making a good many converts whei
search detected her in the most con
summate frauds. Madam Besant. VIII
had been a famous atheist, wa
brought over by her to Theosophy
After her death W. Q. Judge ant
Madam Besant went into a terrible
struggle over the succession to tn
madam whose votaries speak Of her Il
II. p. Blavatsky. They charged eacl
other with impostures OF the wors
kind, with lying and all sorts of decep
ton. and split the little society.
A few really learned and refined mel
and women have accepted Thcosoph,
as religion. and the madam as tn
high priestess Of IT. quite a numbe
affiliated with them, but simply pur
sued the matter for amusement.
Theosophy Is as old ms speculatior
the Philosophical society dates iron
1875. Madam Blavatsky had a pas
sionate love for humbugGing irtelli
gent minds She knew the power O
phrases, and Is to he clnssed anon
the women described by St Pau
Ever learning, and never able To com
to the knowledge OF the truth" de
ceiving and being deceived"