The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-06


with an occult Interpretation"
Mr.. Pratt then gives an amusing
account of some of Mrs. Besant's clap
trap philosophy AN incradicab!e
%hsnkering after the occult has been
the passion and the bane OF. theosophy
ever since its birth. and though one
might think that Hodgson's exposure
Of Nine. Blavatsky's tricks would have
been enough to sicken the theoso-
phis;s. apparently it has had very
little effect"
Mrs. Besant is not the same sort OF
trickster that Nine. Blavatsky was,
but she Is very ambitious OF deve.-
oping telepathic powers and not over
patient. so that she now In fact claims
to have become an adept In reading
the thoughts Of the people on Mars.
She wisely confines her attention to
Mars and spec!alizes In long distance
telepathy. Mr.. Pratt says ne heard
her declare in Benares at a meeting
OF her society that the Cpanishads
were brought into india by the Toll
tees. the ancient inhabitants Of the
sunken continent Of Atlantis. at the
time when India was raised from tn.
'Ne " 80 c'Notts W. ttfu W NtiN
this because occult research" had
recovered a large part Of the ancient
Toltec literature. Nothing could he
funnier than the extracts which Mr..
Pratt gives from a recent book issued
BY Mrs. Besant and Mr.. Leadbeater.
entitled. Man. Whence. Why and
Whittier. a Record Of Clairvoyant In
vestigat.on." This book contains the
history OF the universe from the year
10000 II. e. up to 1913. this part Of
the book being apparently contribute ,
by Mrs. Bcsant. Al this point her
~clairvoyant powers seem to have beer
exhausted, as well they might be, bu;
Mr.. L~eadoeater has just got his sec
ond wind. The future offers no diff
Realities for him. He takes his pro-
p,et.c course while nst.ons fall and
continents subs!de. Mrs. Besan: says:
The research work was done q, Adyar in
he summer OF 1910. In the hes, of the sum-
mer many OF the students vere-avsy and
We shu; ourselves up IN as 20 be unin.
'crruptcd fo- Ave evenings every week:
10 observed and said exactly VIVA; We
sac, ana 'wo members we're good enough
to wife down all We said exactly as we
sad It. In orde- TO ih,ow ourselves back
INTO the earliest stages ue sought for
our own Consciousness. presen; there. and
easier to s;a-t from than anything else.
since no others were recognizable They
gave "a as 81. were. a footing IN the hrst
as second chains. work Of this kind might
be done al !ibltum I: there were people
to DO e..
II is not surprising that the Theo-
soph!cal Society is losing hold on its
more intelligent members. The las;
split was in 1909. when some seven
hundred british theosophis,s broke off
In protest against the resdm!ss!on OF
Mr.. Leadbeater. who four years pre-
v!ousiy had been expelled because Of
various immoral practices Of which he
had been found guilty. Mrs. Besant's
recent attempt 10 present Hinduism
with q new Messiah in the form Of d
commonplace native boy whom Mr..
Leadbeater had educated has caused
a good deal Of discomfort and criticism
III the indian section. Her amazing
revelation tina, this young gentleman
was the latest representation OF the
Deity carried occultism a little too IA.
even for the pat!en, Indian. Mr.. Pratt.
feels that just as India was awaken
'"S " "iotNs Jun III was u
need Of careful guidance theosophy
came to encourage most OF the old
superstitions. and has taught &, to
iden'if! science with obscurantfsm and
occult.sn. 4 Benga!ee Brahm!n
WHOSE opinion ~ theosophy Mr.. Prat;
asked. answered, 1t has done some
thing for the less intelligent Hindu:
but really t%heosophy Is chi!d's play
So many people OF small education
are deluded BY such methods as Mrs
Besant's and Mr.. L~eadbeater's. SC
many partially spiritual natures car
attain em.nence only by such quick
and easy c.aptrap methods as q ose OF
the T~heosoph!cal Society that any ex.
posture OF these methods. any forth.
r!Sht explanation OF them Is particu.
larry valuable.
Mr.. Pratt gives as his excuse for
adding 10 the long list OF books dealing
with the subject OF Indian beliefs the
fact that he went 10 India as a trav.
oiler and observer with no axe 10 grind
He went, he said. not as a Sanskritist
nor a missionary, nor a conver &c
any cult. HIS interest was entirely
centred on existing conditions. presen,
N"s oSo' NV hsbCs sI8 IlltCdIlCS HnC
the methods used by the difYeren,
communities. His preparation for oh.
~servat!on had been chiefly psychology
and the philosophy OF religion. but h
went without bias or craftsmanship. I,
may truthfully be said that he re.
manned without bias and without par.
t!sanship to tho end. Practically tn,
only irreverent comment Throughout,
this big book ia his exposure Of Tho
claptrap methods OF the Theosoph!ca
Society.
The author travelled in India from
the autumn OF 1918 to the spring o,
1914 and was treated. he writes. will
unfailing courtesy By not only scholar.
and men OF distinction but by score.
of other Indians. whether pundits o,
coolies. ut is hard for me TO con
ce!ve," he writes, how any n car
stay any time among them withou'
finding them n truly lovable peopl,
and without imbibing genuine respec'
and admiration for the simple dignit,
Of their lives, the quiet courtesy o.
their manners, their uncomplain!ns
endurance Of hardships. their un
bounded hospitality. and the feelins
for spiritual values which, in spite O
gross superst!tions, is unmistakable il
the Indian atmosphere"
Although the book treats OF rattle
serious, not TO say heavy. subjects til,
author has very cleverly interlardet
his main thesis with interesting anec