The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-08-30

the power of rejecting all rays that
fall upon it's surface and focuses them
to single point. The rays pass
through this point diverging as much
as they previously converged and so
expand the picture. Follow me closely
now: Given perfectly smooth sur
face on which to cast the picture and
perfect lenses, bring the lantern so
near the surface that the fucus falls on
it, and what do you see? A single
clear, bright spot of light. Yet, that
little point contains every detail of the
picture, its perfect form and various
colors, and by withdrawing the lantern
backward it becomes gradually visible.
The picture was all in the point but
our vision was too imperfect to see it.
So, now we are waiting for the proper
forces to expand our being into greater
and broader lines with senses less
faulty commensurate with our ad-
vancement. "Know thyself" was said
by one of old. Another sage of still
older date has put this on record, "The
present is the child of the past. The
future the begotten of the present.
And yet, 0 present, thou hast no
parent, canst have no child and art
ever begetting thyself. Before thou
hast even begun to say, Il am the
progeny of the departed moment, the
child of the past thou hast become
that past. Before thou Interest the
last syllable, behold! thou art no more
the present but verify that future
Thus are the past, the present and the
future the ever living trinity in one"
The prophet of Chelsea writes, "The
fraction of life can be increased in
value not so much by increasing your
numerator as by decreasing your de-
nominator. Nay, unless my algebra
deceive me, unity itself divided by zero
will give infinity, then thou hast the
world under thy feet"
A third lesson is taught by Theoso-
ply and that again Jesus taught
"What man sOweth that shall he also
reap" "With what measure ye mete,
it shall be meted to you again, with
what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged" "By their fruits ye shall
know them," and this was no new
doctrine. He says plainly 81 come not
to destroy the law but to fulfill it."
Theosophy calls it by an eastern word,
Karma. In simple American it means
that not only our character, but our
experiences, our surroundings, our en-
vironments, are what we have made
them, are the result to the minutest
fraction of detail of our individual
acts in this and former existences.
Human ill and human good are the
consequences of human deed You
cannot escape the acceptance of this
idea if you will but think Of it calmly.
Recall what you remember of your
own past and the indubitable convic-
ton is of the truth of Karma. Each
good deed in one life blooms flower
of Joy in the next, whose perfume and
beauty will diffuse refreshing to many,
while each evil deed carries its malig-
nant results along to poison many
waters.
Oh, my brothers, be not deceived by
illusions. Seek the trrth and pray
earnestly the prayer f the Theoso-
phist, "Light, more, light" Walk not
the path of pleasure, it retards your
progress onward. Your ego is spark
of divinity, your personality is its
dwelling Will you not keep that
dwelling swept from evil thoughts and
garnished with kindly deeds? Your
future is in your own power. Will you
retard your progress? or mount on
eagle wings of strength. There is but
one path. Narrow indeed. 1t begins
and ends in fOrgetfulness of self. It
rounds the circle of these words bring
ing you back to the foundation of all
right living, of Theosophy, of Christ's
teaching and of'that of all the masters
of old; back to where we begin Univer-
sal Brotherhood, which means self
abnegation.
"There is no gain except by loss;
| There is no life except by death,
| No glory but by bearing shame
No justice but by taking blame"