THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15785, 29 December 1916, Page 2

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

ANNUAL CONVENTION. (special to "toe press.") DUNEDIN, December 28. The annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in New Zealand opened this morning. The Rev. J. J. Wedgwood presided, and spoke of the war and of the opportunities which ithad opened up. The Theosophical Society, said the speaker, had done a great deal. They had sent a large number of members to the front, for instance, but ho was not sure that they liai risen to the full height of the situation as they might have done. As an illustration of the possibilities, Mr Wedgwood spoke of the great work done by the Y.M.C.A., who in the opinion of many, he said, were engaged before<thc war in turning out young men -of a type that was not wanted—men of the "namby pamby" class and schooled only in the weaker aspects of Christianity. Yet the Association had risen to the occasion, and were now engaged in noble work. The Theosophical Society years ago stood as the representative body of occultism, but tnc speaker was afraid • they had lost that position, but great opportunities still existed, and one of the duties of the present conference would be to make places for helping in the building up of civilisation after the war i J