A WORD TO BROTHER THEOSOPHISTS

BY ARTHUR GEBHARD

   We hear recently a great deal about a crisis through which our society is passing.  Where is this crisis?  Is it actually in the society, or is it in the hearts of individual members?  Let us also ask:  have those who have worked faithfully and disinterestedly had to pass through a crisis?  Is a cloud hanging over them?  Does the attack made on Madame Blavatsky have any other effect on them than profound sorrow and sympathy for her?  I believe I can speak for all those who have investigated theosophy disinterestedly and studied ardently, that they all are convinced that the fundamental teachings of theosophy are truth.  How then can any slander affect truth?  Surely truth does not depend upon any member nor any amount of members, and whatever a person believes ought to be the result of ardent study, comparison of what is thus learned with other teachings bearing on the same subject and contemplation on the whole, if possible, personal investigation to find out whether the teachings verified in the above manner and found logically correct will bear testimony in an experimental manner.  The latter will not be possi(ble) in many cases; but then, after all, our conscience is the highest court of appeal, and by developing this conscience through a pure life we may turn this belief into conviction.  If this belief is based on sounds reason it is corroborated by our conscience.  Our conscience is capable of far greater development than the mere voice for right or wrong on a moral question.

   “In him who knows that all spiritual beings are the same in kind with the Supreme Sprit, what room can there be for delusion of mind, or what room for sorrow when he reflects on the identity of Spirit?”

   What then is this crisis or cloud?  Some persons have joined the society in the hope of getting practical instructions in occultism, or acquirement of powers to get control over certain forces in nature.  They were referred to the teachings of Indiah Hathi Yoga, but the rules laid down there seemed much too hard, besides such teaching they might have had outside the society just as well.  Others with higher aims thought they would be put into correspondence with some high adepts, and would have their doubts removed and their knowledge of hidden laws in nature increased.  Those all were sorely disappointed.  Others again, who had removed their ambitions from the lower plane, had them reappear through a subtle transformation with a changed aspect.  They fancied they had removed interest from self, but in reality had only enlarged the limits of experience and desire and transferred their interest to the things which concern their larger span of life.  They generally were expecting teaching for their branches, for their own individual surroundings and thinking somebody ought to come and teach them.  Has it not been stated over and over again, that the true teaching has to come from within?  That it is useless to read or learn by heart a statement, even if the letter is ever so well explained or logically proven.

   They also were sorely disappointed and in their disappointment did not hesitate to blame our head-quarters in India, as if the head-quarters ever intended to be anything but the executive center for all the branches – Indian, European or American.  It is from such disappointed members that other societies for occultism draw their adherents.  But let him who thinks that India ought to take care of itself, who thinks that no money ought to go to India to help defray the general expenses of head-quarters, the expenses for the Sanscrit publication fund., etc., etc., let him just stop and ask himself where shall the teachings come from if not through such publication?  But besides, even if the money so expended had not such visible results; suppose for a moment, that it would be used for the spreading of theosophy among our Hindoo brothers, what, I may quote, “would become of our fine expressions of universal brotherhood,” if we would oppose it on the ground that India ought to take care of itself “Are those expressions a mockery?  And if a mockery, can ours be truth?”

   Let us now turn to Madame Blavatsky.  It is no more than fair that a few words of comfort should be given those who, having been firm adherents of the doctrine so far, find suddenly the ground shaky under their feet; they are assailed by their friends and surroundings with the assurances that the whole society, its doctrines and teachings, have been proven by a body of honorable men to be the product of a band of frauds and liars, Madame H. P. Blavatsky being the head champion impostor and the others her accomplices.  What, then, has this body done which has investigated the phenomena of Madame Blavatsky “fairly and impartially” – this society for psychical research which sent one of its members out to India?  They acted upon the report of a woman who said she had been the accomplice of liars and frauds for years, but suddenly resolved to speak the truth and nothing but the truth.  All they have done is to show how some phenomena might have been done with ordinary means, but, with all their so-called fairness and impartiality, they have not given a single person who had been particularly interested in these phenomena or had been present, a chance to explain.  Nor were these letters purported to have been written by Madame Blavatsky ever shown to her or to Mr. Sinnett, while Mr. Hodgson carried them in his pocket for weeks, receiving at the same time the hospitality of the Society at Madras.  This so-called impartial investigation is branded on its face.  It will be interesting to know that Mr. G. Gebhard of Elberfeld, Germany, sent a letter written by one of the Masters in his own house under almost test conditions, and also a letter written by Madame Blavatsky, to the first government expert at Berlin, who gave his written testimony that it was impossible that the two letters could have been written in the same hand, an exactly opposite conclusion to that of the English expert.

   If this report should have the effect of shaking the belief of the general public in phenomena or in the Mahatmas, and making those seeking membership, join the society for its philosophy and objects’ sake, then I am sure Madame Blavatsky will be glad to have suffered the calumny.  For after all the phenomena had no other purpose than thoroughly to arouse the public, which was fast growing to regard the teaching of their materialistic scientists as the only reality on earth.  Theosophic teaching is not founded on authority.  If it were proven to-morrow that the Mahatmas did not exist, it would not matter.  Much better a person should enter the society because he has an unselfish desire to promote the spread of kindly and tolerant feelings between man and man, and a decided interest in the study of ancient literature and Aryan intellectual achievements, than that he should enter believing the phenomena to be true and judging that if he could learn from those Mahatmas to do the same he would reach the summum bonum of bliss.

   This whole investigation has warmed up all the old stories against Madame Blavatsky.  So we hear not alone of her being a fraud, but also vulgar, nay even a black magician.  It will be readily conceded by her friends that she is far from satisfying Mrs. Grundy; that frequently she slaps the laws of conventionality in the face.  But that does not oppose the fact that she is kind of heart.

   From a theosophic standpoint our orthodox society ways would be impossible, while we are well able to find a good kernel under a rough cover.  Again, we must not lose sight of one fact.  It is far from the desire of Madame Blavatsky to excite personal admiration.  On the contrary, she constantly has to combat this feeling, as her object is to incite to an admiration and pursuit of Theosophy, i. E., Truth, regardless of her personality.  And I know of cases, where this lesson evidently could not be learnt, without a terrible shock to one’s feelings.  If Madame Blavatsky were the perfection of ladyhood, and a person would for that reason follow theosophy, he would surely come one day to a terrible disappointment.  He would see that the way had not been chosen for the sake of the way itself, but for personality’s sake; a grave error, which would have to be eradicated with much pain.

   To crown all slander, she is accused of “black magic.”  It seems that some of the phenomena were made under conditions which would not admit of being explained away by the society for psychical research, so there was nothing left but to say she has “the aid of the devil.”  If this charge of black magic were not so serious, one might dismiss it for its absurdity, but I find quite serious people deluded with this idea.  A great deal can be done by each of us to dispel such nonsense.  Here is a woman, who devotes her life to the dissemination of the highest Truth.  She knows beforehand that this act must arouse the opposition, with all possible venom and hatred, of long established error, both in religion and science.  Nevertheless she fearlessly preaches, so imbued is she with love for mankind and the conviction that Truth will bring life and joy, where now death, superstition and sadness reign.  She finds people so enveloped in time-honored error, that she does not hesitate to weaken her life principle – for phenomena require an enormous physical strength and sap the foundation of human vitality – in order to give tangible proof of the truth of her teaching.  But man, true to his lower self – man the same as 1800 years ago – accuses such an one of being “of the devil.”  Can a more preposterous idea be put in the world than that a powerful black magician sacrifices all enjoyments of life to fight black magic?  Can a more ridiculous idea be brought up than that a magician, who is powerful enough to materialize letters, to ring astral bells, duplicate jewels, etc.; starts a society for the brotherhood of humanity in order to gain money; while the same person could hire a hall and make sufficient money in a month to live as he pleases during the rest of his life and satisfy all ambition as to honor or sensuous pleasures?

   In the December Theosophist was a beautiful article, called “Lonely Musings,” I want to bring back to your memory the description of the road a chela has to travel:  “Think not that thy road will be a pleasant one.  After some few gleams of brightness to refresh thee, it will lead through the torture-chamber, and when thou art led there thou needest not stir a finger, for all shall be done for thee, and thy soul shall endure searching torture, and of thy loftiest thoughts and most impassioned dreams shall be formed the rack on which thou shalt be stretched.”

   And verily it is not difficult to apply the above to our lady.  What else can be her “loftiest thoughts and most impassioned dreams” than that she should think that man will, that he must, leave his error, must leave the road to destruction, when he hears the Truth, the doctrine so self-evident, taught with such arguments and proofs as she is ready to give.  And when even her enemy, all superstition, ignorance and selfishness combined, will oppose her to a heavy degree, she is at least sure that thousands will rally round her banner and will live a life of unselfishness and truth.  And what is the result?  A handful of men gather feebly around her, half understand her, instead of intuitively feeling that this is a very serious question – in fact, the most serious; that the welfare of humanity is at stake, that thousands and thousands rush blindly into long periods of annihilation and degradation, if not brought to the right path.  They lukewarmly wait for the gratification of their own interests, and in the hour of trial forsake her.  Can their (sic)  be a more fearful rack on which her soul should be stretched?

   But I find myself defending one who needs no defence.  A brother Theosophist said to me the other day:  “As to Blavatsky’s person, I would never condescend to argue the question.  I would not lower her before the people by defending her.  She stand much too high to be judged by the same standard as we use with ordinary people.”  We do not place her by this on any super-human platform as an idol for admiration or veneration but well can we admire and venerate her, poor, despised, hated by mankind for whom she gave all; working and toiling for her daily existence, while one single use of her occult powers for her personal benefit would place her in comfort, in honouring and admiring surroundings; toiling all day in her labor for truth in spite of fatigue, sickness and pain; in her body raging a fearful disease.  Two years ago, her limbs on examination were found to be distorted by pain, but gaping curiosity-seekers were not idle to demand pleasant smiles in answer to their gabble, were not idle to demand her very life blood in order to be gratified by a phenomenon.  This is Madame Blavatsky, my friends, now at Wurzburg, just recovered, so to speak, from death, and working uninterruptedly at her new book twelve hours every day.  For myself, I am happy to say, while not in the least confounding her person with the work of our society, that I am able from the bottom of my heart to love and revere Madame Blavatsky.

  But all this is of really slight consequence.  In the eyes of herself and those whom she calls her “Masters,” it is of no consequence, as they, as well as she have frequently so declared.

   The object of the society, and ours, is not either to traduce or vindicate any person, but to search after truth and to develop real moral worth.  If in the literature of either India, Germany or China there is to be found a pearl of wisdom, then our search is for that, and not for proofs that any particular man or woman has occult powers or has used them improperly.  Dogmatic Christianity may claim to rest on the miracles of Jesus if it pleases, and Spiritism may assert that its work lies in showing forth the doings of mediums.  The votaries of those will then of course be engaged in proving miracles and sustaining mediums; but if our motto is that “There is no religion higher than Truth,” we gain nothing in our great task by inquiring into the personality of an individual.  
 

– The Occult Word, Rochester, U.S.A.