Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-16
WHITE LOTUS. DAY
ALL THEos0PHIsTS WILL Oh
SERVE 1T TOMORROW.
ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH.
Of the Founder and Leader Of Theoso-
ply, Madame ~Blavatsky-
Story Of Her Life.

anniversary of the death Of the founder
and leader of Theosophy. Helena Petrov-
ma Blavatsky. who passed away in
May. 1891. when the lotus flowers were
in bloom. Blavatsky probably died in the
early part of May, but 1t was not until
two weeks later that her death was
authoritatively announced to the world.
She breathed her last in her handsome
residence in London, surrounded by
friends, who We're too devoted to her and
to the cause of Theosophy to irnperil the
fame of either by a premature announce
ment. IT
When Blavatsky's papers were read 1t
was found that she a appointed H. Q.
Judge her successor, and the students or
Theosophy readily accepted her choice.
Mr.. Judge ruled happily until his death.
Anna Besant is at the head of Theosophi-
cal movement in America n Colonel Oh
cvott throughout the world. White Lo-
tus Day is still the most sacred day of the
ear n on May II there are large Theo-
sophical gatherings all over the world in
honor Of the revered leader, whose life
history reads like a fable.
Helena Petrovna Hah was born at
Lkaterinslow. in South Russia, in 1881.
In 1S4S she was married. at the G of
to Gen. Blavatsky. whose age
was placed by the brides people at vari-
Gus stages of senility, ranging from fifty
to seventy years She lived but three
months with the general, and those three
months were full of the most exciting
domestic storms. all caused by Helena.
who had married Blavatsky purely and
simply to crafty a personal desire to tri-
umph over her governess, who had said
that, owing to her quick temper, she
would never find any man willing to mar
ry her The day after the wedding, which
took place at Djellalogly, near Tiflis. the
general took his bride to Daretchicag, and
while making this journey Helena made
an effort to escape toward the Persian
frontier, but was betrayed by the Cossack
guard, whom she had taken into her con-
fidence After three months wranglfng
she one day took a horse on her w &C
count and rode to Tifiis. Family councils
followed and it was finally arranged that
the ~unmanagable bride should go to her
father. a colonel in the army. She started
to meet him in Odessa, but got rid of her
man-servant and maid en- route and went
to Constantinople.
At this point her Wanderings began.
The tender. fragile bride of seventeen be-
came the e~lephantine Nine. Blavatsky, of
Theosophical notoriety.
Nine. Blavatsky came to America in
1873, taking out her naturalization papers
here a short time after landing. In 1874
she began a series of manifestations that
made her world-famous In that year.
too, the Theosophical society was found
ed. of which Cal. Olcott, whom Nine. Bla-
vatsky had met with the Eddys and
others at a Vermont farmhouse, was
made the president.
Nine. BlavatSky was enormous in size.
and weighed more han three hundred
pounds. She rarely went out Of her house,
as it taxed her strength too greatly. She
never was addicted to the use Of alcoholic
liquors. but was an incessant smoker, and
at times experienced great difficulty In
refraining from the practice long enough
to deliver a lecture.
Her hands We're her chief charm, and
she used them to great advantage in roll
ing dainty cigarettes, which afforded her
much amusement. Her hands We're small
n delicately formed, smooth as satin.
and to add to their beauty she would
spend hours in manicuring ner nails.
Another popularity was her profanity.
She could swear in all languages, but
there was a certain novelty n pomp
about her swearing that destroyed much
of the unpleasant impression il made at
first on persons who made her acquaint-
ance.
She wore the conventional attire of her
sex usually, but ner fancy Was O%rienta
in the matter of materials, and she pos
sessed a wardrobe worthy of any .liEdoo
WOIfldl. Sdilltl S-HIl was oIlc u lCi d
vorite dress materials, and it was her
habit to attire herself in rich costumes
made from it.
Many wonderful stories have been told
of her occult power In a crowded
drawing-room at Pskoff, Russia, one of
her earliest feats was accomplished. Her
fed her TO substantiate a statement she
brother. Leonide, who was a s%coffer, de-
made in regard to arresting the laws of
gravity A checS-tahla was chosen.
D you mean to say that o will not
touch the table at all?" some one asked.
why should I touch it?" answered
Mime. Blavatsky, with a quiet smile.
One of the young men lifted the table;
it was as light as a Gather.
IAN right" she said: now kindly leave
it alone and stand back"
All a%nxiously watched for what Nine
Blavatsky would 40; but she did nothing
She merely fixed her large blue eyes upon
the chess-table and kept looking at ii
with an intense gaze. Then, without re-
moving her gaze, she silently beckoned
the same young man to remove it. He
took the table by the legs but ceuld not
! stir it. He used both hands, but it stood
as if screwed to the floor. 'Leonide
laughed. He thought it a good joke. He
! took hold of the table and applied all his
strength. The wood cracked, but the holC
| it had upon the floor could not be broken
Not until Nine. Blavatsky released il,
could anybody move it, and LeOnide, tht
s%coffer, became a convert to occultism.
From America she went to India tx
plant the Theosophical society in tina
| soil, and during the long years spent there
and elsewhere, gave many manifestation.
| of the power of the mysterious occul
masters, of whom she was the visible
agent. She made many converts in Lon
Ion Paris and Germany.
A popularity of Nine. Blavatsky was
her dislike to meat as a food. She re
volted at the English taste for rare beef
though it was impossible to resist the i'm
preston that she did so largely on &C
count of her violent Anglophobia. Any
| thing English was abhorrent to her. ex
cepting table auces. Rare beef, how