The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-08-30
THEOSOPHY OF UNIVER-
SAL BROTHERHOOD
A CONCISE STATEMENT OF THE TEACHINGS OF
THEOSOPHY BY JULIA LOWERING.
Vol. XIV.-No. 6.
anzHulssssusssns
Written for The Prison Mirror.

Written for The Prison M,rror.
Il have been asked to give succinct
explanation of Theosophy for those
who have no time for study and yet
desire to understand and learn. l can
only give my side of it, my explana-
tion, and you may not always agree
with me, but you must remember that
Truth is many sided and adaptable to
every condition and circumstance.
The great lesson taught by Theoso-
ply is brotherhood in it's fullest sense.
''Bear ye one another's burdens" Re-
gard the rights of others. Despise
none, however lowly, howsoever de-
graded. They have simply lacked your
better opportunity for advancement.
Thoughts govern actions. Guard your
thoughts lest they prompt you to ac-
tions which will hinder another's
progress. Desire the happiness of
others. Thus you will find your own.
Guard your tongue, lest it wound and
so retard fellow-creatures advance.
In teaching the fatherhood of God,
Jesus taught the brotherhood of man.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
self" GAIL things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them" "Love your enemies" !"
ado good to them that despitefully use
you" 1t is no new doctrine or dogma,
this Theosophy, but old as the ages.
It is the law of love. "Let us not love
in word, neither in tongue but in deed
and in truth" It is told of a good
man of the olden time who had lived
to much more than a hundred years,
and yet would come to the gatherings
of his bretheren, that when too feeble
to talk much, would raise his arms as
to enfold them and say simply this:
"Little children love one another" 1t
was the compendium, the consensus of
his life's teachings. Verify, "Love is
the fulfilling of the law" The fullest
range of kindness and forbearance.
The highest reach to which humanity
can attain. Think of the resulting
forces of this Brotherhood Universal.
Oppression would cease, crime would
die out, vice would sicken and crawl
out of the world, prisons would be
converted into hospitals, there would
be no contention between labor and
capital, the poor would no longer envy
the rich nor the rich despise the poor,
but each in his or her own sphere
would cheerfully do the duty ap-
pointed.
Fine as sound the words "Universal
Brotherhood" it is no flowery task to
which Theosophy calls you, for it
means self-abnegation, the greatest of
all virtues, the hardest of attainment.
TO die for those we love is easy COM
pared with the daily, hourly, momen-
tary self-sacrifce of all our personal
pleasures, desires, qualifications. TO
forget self in the thought of others, to
cruelty ones self daily for others
good. 1t is no new teaching. You do
mot resign your belief in any creed or
dogma. This philosophy was before
and underlies all religion, not their
creeds and dogmas which were built
on various foundations and which have
caused blood to flow, martyrs to bleed
and burn, brother to hate brother
child to hate parent. 1t has torn asun
der the tenderest ties and set nation
against nation. Theosophy is no dog
ma, has no creed but is philosophy
of ideas which, if you will search, you
will find at the base of your religion
whatever form it may take or by what
ever name it may be called, and the
fundamental idea of this grand philos
ophy is, Universal Brotherhood, anG