Theosophy.

[To the Editor of the Thames Stab.]

Sib,—l wish to address, through your; columns, a few of those who read what The Admiral wrote las.t Saturday about Theosophy. I say a "few* because to the many i£signifiesnothing what The Admiral, or anybody }else, may say either for; of against it. The majority' are far tod immersed in-.mundane' matters, or too satisfied with their own preconceptions to care either for the blusterings of those ill-qualified to speak, or to listen to the- testimony of those who know whereof they affirm. But there are. a few who ar« awakening to the fact that life is more than mere bodily existence and its concerns, that current teaching is powerless to supply their need; they" are awakening 1 to the fact also that Theosophy or Divine wisdom holds in store for them the fuller light they seek, the spiritualfoodfor which their souls hunger, for they. hare beheld the first rays of the dawn, and these are to them the promise of a brighter , day, albeit as yet its full unveiled splendour they could not bear. Itis tothesel speak in the Master's name, and I say to them: brethren, let no man. turn you aside from your Quest; stand firm; be yet more zealous to arrive at the Truth which alone can make you free; rest not content till you possess that light and joy and peace which will include you in the number of those whom none arid naught can make afraid. If all those, who to-day heedlessly despise Theosophy and its great messenger, had lived in the early part of the first century, they would have stood foremost among those who scorned and condemned the great Master of Nazareth and His'teaching, for the two messages are one in essence, and' have come from the same source. And all those to-day who have spiritual discernment enough to discriminate between the religion of Jesus and its falsification or orthodoxy, and who accept and strive to embody r in their lives the, former, are Theosophists, .whether they know Hot not. The ancient Wisdom Religion—that which is called Theosophy today—was well known to Jesus, and all He taught was from that same'source;/but He said: "Ihave many tilings to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." And, indeed, neither yet' can the world in general bear what he did give—else why has it been, and is still, so persistently misunderstood and travestied. However, since the perversion in very early times of the truths which Jesus came to teach, tremendous efforts have been made from century to century by great sages and teachers to give out the truth afresh in its purity; always with more or less of failure, due not\to the great ones who gave it, but to man's unreadiness and the spite and antagonism of the forces of evil. But never since the time of Christ has it been possible to make so mighty an effort as now duritfg the last quarter of this century, and never before with so much success, for the astounding rapidity with which the wisdom of religion has spread and its literature increased has been quite phenomenal, and so also has been the antagonism raised against it; but that.is in accordance with the universal law that the greater the energy put forth for good the more increased and enraged do_ the forces for evil become. Of this much might be said, and of the mighty messenger around whose head their fiery darts fell thick and fast, rendering her life a long martyrdom; but in brief she has conquered, or the Great Power who sent her, and Theosophy has come to stay! To oppose it is something like opposing Niagara. All who know what Theosophy is desire that others should share the priceless treasure too; but they seek not to convince by force of argument—useless that is always. Yes, absolutely certain that herein is to be found enough, and more than enough to satisfy the keenest intellect, and the heart all afire with the enthusiasm of humanity, they invite all who desire "more light, more light, and fuller" to seek it in the Wisdom Religion, and they, if in earnest, shall not seek in vain. In the time of Jesus the deep mysteries of the kingdom were only for His disciples—to the multitude He spoke in parables—and so to-day to become disciples we need the spirit of a little child who has no preconceived notions, and we become as such by outgrowing these. Arrived at that stage one soon perceives that before him lies fulness of light—there will be then no " challengings," no derisive demands to be furnished with, this, that, or the other, for the disciple will recognise that before him lie no barriers to the attainment of knowledge and of wisdom and fulness of growth, except those which he finds within himself, and these he will strive, with what zeal he can, successfully to overcome. One thing which "The Admiral" says is quite true. TheoHophy is not hew, and he says this several times over, and, as it seems, quite disparagingly too. Surely he cannot think that if it were only a fraud—new Theosophy—it might be worth enquiring into, does he ? If so, I don't. No! it is not new"! It is .very ancient, so,ancient, indeed, that it underdates sacred scriptures which are older than ours by thousands of years. Time was not known that the Wisdom Religion was not known and taught. It is as old as humanity itself. It lies at the very heart of every great religion the world has ever had. Each of them had and has its exeterie or public side, and also its esoteric or inner, hidden, deeper meaning—which was in no case ever taught, except to the few. Why? For the same reasou that led Jesus to speak in parables in public, and that from no selfish reason, but because it is everlastingly true that "when the disciple is ready the Master is ready also."—l am, &c. 3 F.T.S.