Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1907-08-31
MRS. ANNIE BESANT IS
COMING TO AMERICA
TO PRESIDE AT THE ANNUAL
CONVENTION OF AMERICAN
SESSION OF THE THEo-
soPHIcAL SOCIETY.
Very Interesting Woman
Public Career As a Reformer Among
the Poor of England Is Given In
Oetail-Married Life Was
Unhappy - Gave Her
Food to the Poor.

Special to the Herald.
London, Aug. 3f.-Mrs. Annie Bes-
ant, recently elected world president
Of the TheOsOphical Society in success
sion to the late Henry Steele Olcott,
has arranged to leave here next week
for the United States. The purpose Of
her trip is to preside at the annual
convention of the American section of
the Theosophical Society, which is to
be held soon in Chicago. While in
America Mrs. Besant expects to de-
liver lectures on theOsOphy in New
York. Philadelphia. Cincinnati, Pitts
burg and other cities.
Even those who do not share her
belief often speak of Mrs. Besant as
one Of the most wonderful women Of
the age. Her career. at any rate, has
been a most extraordinary one. Early
in life she married a minister. the
brother OF Walter Besant, the novelist,
who disliked her, and who accented
the last syllable of his name because
she accented the first of hers.
Mrs. Besants married life was I'M
happy. In 1874 she was legally sepa-
rated from her husband. at her own
suit, on the ground of cruelty, and
was denied the custody of her chill
dren on the ground that she was
an atheist. The real cause of the sep
aration was her complete detection
from the christian faith and her re
fusal to take the communion in COM
pliance with her husbands require.
ment Her children, however, did not
share her husbands views, and as
soon as they reached their majority
returned to her roof and continued to
live with her.
Mrs. Besant's public career as a re
former. iconoclast, agitatOr and phil
anthropist began with her separation
from her husband. She was a born
altruist, and was no sooner thrown on
her own resources than she plunged
into the work of relieving the wants
and sorrows of the poor in the East
End of London. The accounts given
of her self-denying labOTs for the poor
women and match girls of that local |
ity almost pass belief She was
known among them simply as An |
ME" and addressed Familiarity by that
name on all occasions. She was their
organizer. their sympathizer and coun-
selor. and Il is sOlemnly asserted that
at one time she denied herself necesS
- food to feed them. It is said
that so great vas the attachment of
the poor for her that she could visit |
localities in London with safety into |
which the armed police would not ven |
ture. and that she could dispel a mob |
with her presence and voice that had |
defied the whole municipal force
When she abandoned christianity |
she became a materialist. But while |
writing a review of Nine Blavatsky's |
Secret Doctrine" for William Stead /
she was unexpectly converted to the
system herself, and became from that
time Blavatsky's apt and humble dis
ciple. TO whom the great teacher when
dying bequeatheT the mysterious fin
ger ring which she had received from
her own great teachers in the East.
Mrs. Besant's history may be sum-
med up as member Of the Church of
England. atheist, pantheist. socialist,
editor. essayist, educator. labor organ
izer, humanitarian and theosophist.
Her character is aptly described as
gifted. cratic and much-abused.