Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-02
HIGH PRIESTESS
WILL VISIT CITY
MRS. ANNIE BESANT EXPECTED
TO ARRIVE TOMORROW
is PRESIDENT OF THEosoPHlsTs
OF THE WORLD
Expounds Doctrine She Calls Only One
of Common Sense and Teaches
knowledge Accumulated
Through Ages

Tn tbe arrival tomorrow of Mrs. An
nia Resant Of India. Los Angeles will
have as guest ore of the most distin-
guished characters of the world.
AS chosen president of the Theoso-
phists of the World she says she mas
no special religion or philosophy OF
her own to offer, but is merely tne
leader of the students who nave iopn or
mulated themselves into a society lor
the study of Theo-sophia or God
wisdom.
Pre-eminently and alone, when COM
nbred with other schools of thought
Mrs. Besant declares theosophy IS
doctrine of common sense and eX-
r1oits the knowledge which, she says,
has accumulated through the ages OF
the relationship existing between Goa
and man.
The idea of the theosophist, as ex-
pressed by Mrs. >Besant, is that man
ever keeps before him the Idea of unity
bacause she saws, one is forced to
identify his meditations and his work
with all that tends to union. for unity
is fact in nature. and man must
live actively, sympathizingly, with all
that is best in every department OF
life.
Theosophy and Masonry Akin
Theosophy and Masonry, says MRS
Besant. are closely akin, the sym
holism of Masonry from time imme-
mortal serving to prove the relation
shin of man to his Maker. Thus the
osophy teaches that the ritualsm OF
Masonry is of the greatest value anu
that man rises by almost imperceptl-
hIe gradations of evolutions from the
savage to t1at of the master.
she also AYERS that we may find and
make our own, by coherent KNOWLEDGE
the accumulated wisdom of the ages
that a divine law of absolute justice
rules the world so that each man Is
in truth his own judge, the dispenser
Of glory or gloom to himself, the de-
creer of his own life, his reward, his
punishment.
Mrs. Besant's new organization, the
Sons of India, is said to be shaping IT.
self into a splendid body The Viceroy
of india is taking the greatest inter-
est in the organization and in the uni
fving of the forces in shaping the
mdtherland to radical Improvement.
She is a friend of Bernard ShaW
and of William Stead, of whom she
saws in her autobiography ne is the
most brilliant of writer's and the most
1rovolIing OF men. A man with per-
feet genius for aggravating the en-
enthusiastically earnest, and with pas
sion for representing himself as q
scoundrel."
ANGER Declared l1urtful
one of the teachings of theosophy Is
non-combativeness Understandings as
theosophical students claim TO oo'
that the great souls of the world have
ever been un1ustly attacked, and their
teachings misuuoted, they maintain
wrong can only be overcome by right,
hate can only be killed by love. TO
indulge in anger is claimed to be dis
estrously hurtfu1 to those who ignor-
antlv attach themselves to self-d1sln-
teoratine forces and the claims or
science that under such conditions
blood poisoning is set up is advanced
in an endeavor to oorroborate thls
statement
Mrs. Besant's theosophy teaches that
philosophy. science and rellglon are
one and that no religion has monop-
DIV Of the entire truth. 1t teaches now
the "I' is related to the universal
Creator-how one may have direct
knowledge of God and truth. In es-
sence. the goal is reached by recognlz-
ing the unsatisfying character of the
Objects of personal desire, laying these
aside and living only for the hlghest
which is the "at-oneness with God.
Theosophy is said to teach that by
the mower of analysis we may emanci-
pate our minds from multiplicity of
erroneous relations that appear to
enthrall us in the relative routine of
our daily life, and that drops an inky
nail at the end of each life, leaving
the future enshrouded in an unreason-
able faith. Theosophy AYERS that this
Veil can be raised, that man, by rails
ing his consciousness, can transcend
earthly conditions and break down the
gates of death.