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Re: Theos-World TS natal chart and its implications

Feb 20, 2006 09:27 AM
by Anton Rozman


Maybe this extracts from J. Ransom's Short History of the T. S. will 
complete Dallas' information.

Warmest regards,
Anton


AT the time of the formation of The Theosophical Society, H. P. B. 
was living at 46, Irving Place, New York. Here she was eagerly 
sought out by those interested in the occult and attracted by her 
remarkable personality, in the courageous challenge she flung at 
scientific materialism, and in the stand she made for the "science 
of ancient and proved Magic." (H.P.B. used the word Magic as a 
substitute for both Occultism and Theosophy, neither of which meant 
anything to the public at that time.) On 7 Sept., 1875, Mr. George 
H. Felt, an engineer and architect, gave a highly instructive 
lecture on "The Lost Canon of Proportion of the Egyptians," to about 
seventeen people gathered in H.P.B.'s rooms. …

An animated discussion followed, during which the idea occurred to 
Col. Olcott "that it would be a good thing to form a Society to 
pursue and promote such occult research." He passed a note to H.P., 
who agreed. (Mrs. Besant remarks in Lucifer, April 1895, p. 
105: "She [H.P.B.] has told me herself how her Master bade her found 
it, and how at His bidding she wrote the suggestion of starting it 
on a slip of paper and gave it to W. Q. Judge to pass to Col. 
Olcott, and then the Society had its first beginning …") He then 
spoke of the philosophic character of ancient Theosophies and their 
sufficiency to reconcile all existing antagonism, and of Mr. Felt's 
achievement in extracting the Key to the architecture of Nature from 
the scanty fragments of ancient lore. He proposed to form a society 
for the investigation of science and religion; the society to be 
entirely eclectic, the friend of true religion and the enemy of 
scientific materialism. It would be a nucleus around which might 
gather those willing to work together to organise a society of 
occultists, begin to collect a library, and to diffuse information 
concerning those secret laws of nature which were so familiar to the 
Chaldeans and Egyptians, but were unknown to the modern world of 
science. Mr. Felt was to teach the right kind of person how to evoke 
and control the elementals. It was unanimously agreed that a society 
be formed for the study and elucidation of Occultism, the Kabala, 
etc. It should be free from the least sectarian character and be 
unquestionably anti-materialistic. Mr. W. Q. Judge proposed Col. 
Olcott as chairman, and the Colonel proposed Mr. Judge as Secretary.
On 8 Sept., at the adjourned meeting, Col. Olcott was elected as 
Chairman and Mr. Judge as Secretary. From among those present the 
following sixteen handed in their names as willing to form and 
belong to such a Society: Mde. H. P. Blavatsky, Col. H. S. Olcott, 
Charles Sotheran, Dr. Charles E. Simmons, H. D. Monachesi, C. C. 
Massey (Loud.), W. L. Alden, G. H. Felt, D. E. de Lara, Dr. W. 
Britten, Henry J. Newton, John Storer Cobb, J. Hyslop, W. Q. Judge, 
Mrs. E. H. Britten H. M. Stevens. …

Newton, Stevens and Sotheran, with the Chairman, were appointed to 
draft a Constitution and Bye-laws, and to report on them on 13 Sept. 
At this meeting Felt further described his discoveries. Then 
business was taken up, with Col. Olcott in the Chair and Sotheran as 
Secretary. The Committee on Preamble and Bye-laws made its report. 
It was resolved that the name of the proposed Society be THE 
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. It was agreed that this title "both expressed 
the esoteric truth they wished to reach and covered the ground of 
Felt's methods of occult research." The Rev. Mr. Wiggin and Mr. 
Sotheran were appointed to select suitable meeting rooms, several 
new members were nominated and their names added as founders. …

The first meeting under the name "The Theosophical Society" was 
called by Henry S. Olcott, President pro tem., for 16 Oct. in the 
spacious drawing-rooms of Mrs. Emma Hardinge Britten, the widely 
known Spiritualist. It was announced that the Bye-laws were ready, 
and that Mr. Felt, if in town, would continue his Egyptological 
lectures, also that the officers would be elected. Col. Olcott was 
in the Chair and J. S. Cobb acted as Secretary. After discussion and 
various alterations, the Bye-laws were adopted.

After this meeting H. P. B. left for Ithaca to stay with her friends 
Prof. and Mrs. Corson. …

During H. P. B.'s absence at Ithaca, Col. Olcott was delivering 
lectures in New York, launching out against Spiritualism and 
upholding the new Theosophical doctrine. H. P. B. returned to New 
York in time for the next meeting of The Theosophical Society, which 
was held at the same place on 30 Oct. At this meeting the Mott 
Memorial Hall, 64, Madison Avenue, was selected as The Society's 
meeting place. It was near to the recently purchased New York 
Headquarters in 47th Street, into which H. P. B. and the Colonel 
presently moved, and remained there until they left for India. The 
Bye-laws were finally adopted, and the Preamble was to be further 
revised by H. S. Olcott, C. Sotheran and J. S. Cobb. In this 
finished Preamble it is said:
"The Title of the Theosophical Society explains the objects and 
desires of its founders: they `seek to obtain knowledge of the 
nature and attributes of the Supreme Power, and of the higher 
spirits by the aid of physical processes.' In other words, they 
hope, that by going deeper than modern science has hitherto done, 
into the esoteric philosophies of ancient times, they may be enabled 
to obtain, for themselves and other investigators, proof of the 
existence of an `Unseen Universe,' the nature of its inhabitants if 
such there be, and the laws which govern them and their relations 
with mankind. Whatever may be the private opinions of its members, 
the society has no dogmas to enforce, no creed to disseminate. It is 
formed neither as a Spiritualistic schism, nor to serve as the foe 
or friend of any sectarian or philosophic body. Its only axiom is 
the omnipotence of truth, its only creed a profession of unqualified 
devotion to its discovery and propaganda. In considering the 
qualifications of applicants for membership, it knows neither race, 
sex, colour, country nor creed …"
The Preamble ended with these words:
"The Theosophical Society, disclaiming all pretension to the 
possession of unusual advantages, all selfish motives, all 
disposition to foster deception of any sort, all intention to 
wilfully and causelessly injure any established organization, 
invites fraternal co-operation of such as can realize the importance 
of its field of labour; and are in sympathy with the objects for 
which it has been organized."
The "Objects" of The Society were very simply stated as being "to 
collect and diffuse a knowledge of the laws which govern the 
universe."
To these ideals of freedom of thought and opinion The Society clung 
tenaciously, as will be seen. Col. Olcott was ever mindful of this 
promise to the world, guarded it jealously and made it his guiding 
principle in his organisation of The Society, and each President has 
in turn guarded it with equal care from all tendencies to limitation 
or dogmatism. Also, the principle of Brotherhood, implicitly 
expressed at the end of the first paragraph, soon became the 
strongest and most vitalising power and remains the dominating 
Object of The Society's work.
The election for Office resulted as follows:
President, HENRY S. OLCOTT; Vice-Presidents, Dr. S. PANCOAST and G. 
H. FELT; Corresponding Secretary, MME. H. P. BLAVATSKY; Recording 
Secretary, JOHN STORER COBB; Treasurer, HENRY J. NEWTON, Librarian, 
CHARLES SOTHERAN; Councillors, REV. J. H. WIGGIN, (Judge) R. B. 
WESTBROOK, L.L.D., Mrs. EMMA HARDINGE BRITTEN, C. E. SIMMONS, M. D., 
and HERBERT D. MONACHESI; Counsel to the Society, WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. 

On 17 November The Society met at Mott Memorial Hall, and the 
President delivered his Inaugural Address. This completed the 
organisation of The Society and Col. Olcott chose this date as its 
birthday.
The Preamble, Rules, (under date of 30 Oct. 1875) and Inaugural 
Address were published. In this Address the Colonel said 
prophetically: "in the coming time it is inevitable that the birth 
of this society of ours must be considered a factor in the problem 
which the historian will be required to solve." Since the days when 
the Neo-Platonists and theurgists of Alexandria were scattered by 
Christianity this was the first revival of a study of Theosophy. He 
then promised that through his discoveries Mr. Felt would, by simple 
chemical appliances, exhibit "the races of beings which, invisible 
to our eyes, people the elements," and the name of The Theosophical 
Society would hold its place in history as the first to exhibit 
these "Elementary Spirits" - and thus astound the churches, the 
unimaginative academies of science, the materialists and the "shade" 
ridden spiritualists. Written in the SCRAPBOOK is one of H.P.B.'s 
shrewd comments to the effect that these were rash statements - it 
was "counting the price of the bear's skin before the beast is 
slain." The Colonel admitted afterwards that though there was much 
in his Address that came true, "yet it reads a bit foolish after 
seventeen years of hard experience."


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "W.Dallas TenBroeck" 
<dalval14@...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> T S STARTED .DOC
> =================
> 
> 
> 		
> 	
> 
>                 CHRONOLOGY  1875 -78
> 
> 
> 
>               NOTES ON THE ORIGINAL MINUTES OF THE THEOSOPHICAL 
SOCIETY.
> 
>                                              SOURCES:
>                         PATH, Vol. 10, p. 55,  May 1894.
>                         THEOSOPHICAL FORUM, Vol. 1, p. 95-6--
(Olcott on)
>                         OLD DIARY LEAVES, Vol. 1,p.114-18,121-
2,126-133;137,
>                         OLD DIARY LEAVES, Vol. 7, p. 326.          
> 
> 
> 
>           [  Start with Mr. Judge's THE T S AND ITS BASIS,   J Art 
II 156 ]
> From AUSTRAL THEOSOPHIST, June 1894 ]
> 
>           "As one of those who helped to form the T S, I may claim 
to speak
> with personal knowledge of the facts, ...
> 
> 
> 
> 	SEPT 7th 1875
> 
> "1.   At a meeting held in the rooms of H.P.Blavatsky, 46 Irving 
Place, New
> York City, Sept. 7, 1875, it was agreed to form a Society for the 
purpose of
> Occult Study.  Upon motion of William Q. Judge, Henry S. Olcott 
was elected
> Chairman of this meeting, and upon motion of H.S.Olcott, William 
Q. Judge
> was elected Secretary of the same.  Adjourned to September 8, 
1875...this is
> ascertained as the facts by those who were present. 	
	(CWB, Vol.
> 1, 122)
> 
>               NOTE:
> 
>               Col. Olcott, in OLD DIARY LEAVES, Vol. 1, p. 118, 
remarks on
> this event from memory as follows: (he) "wrote on a scrap of 
paper:   "Would
> it not be a good thing to form a Society for this kind of study ?"-
-and gave
> it to Judge.  H.P.B. read the note and nodded assent." 
>      
> [He also makes mention of this on p.114 of his book. OLD DIARY 
LEAVES
> (Olcott) Vol. I
>               (CWB, Vol. 1, p. 473, 122-123)
> 
>               Since Col. Olcott wrote OLD DIARY LEAVES, largely 
from memory,
> some discrepancies have been observed by historians, these will be 
found
> chronicled in 	CWB Vol. I, pp. 72-3, 94, 121, 123-4.  
> 
>      H.P.B. later narrated this event to Mrs. A. Besant, who then 
reported
> it in the opposite sequence:  she [HPB] having originated the 
idea, and
> then, having a note suggesting the formation of a society passed 
through
> Judge to Olcott.
>   (see LUCIFER, Vol. 12, p. 105, April 1893).  
> 
> There is no question but Mr. Judge was one of the three founders 
of the
> Theosophical Society who remained with it.
> 
>  
> 
> 	SEPT 8th 1875
> 
> 2.   Pursuant to adjournment, a meeting was held at the same place 
Sept. 8,
> 1875.  It is with this meeting that the minute book begins.  Upon 
motion of
> William Q. Judge it was voted that H.S.Olcott take the Chair, and 
upon
> motion it was voted that William Q. Judge act as Secretary.  Upon 
request of
> the Chair, sixteen persons handed their  names to the Secretary, 
as agreeing
> to found and belong to such a society.  A committee of four, 
including the
> Chairman, was appointed "to draft a constitution and by-laws and 
to report
> the same at the next meeting."  Adjourned to Monday, Sept. 13, 
1875, at the
> same place.   
> (PATH Vol. 9, p. 1 - facsimile;  CWB, Vol. 1, p. 123-5) 
> 
> 
> 	SEPT 13TH 1875
> 
>          3.   Pursuant to adjournment, a meeting was held Sept. 
13, 1875.
> H.S.Olcott acted as Chairman and C. Southern as Secretary.  The 
Committee on
> "Preamble and By-laws" reported progress.  It was resolved that 
the name of
> the society be "THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY".  The Chair appointed a 
committee
> to select meeting rooms.  "Several new members were nominated and 
upon
> motion those persons were added to the list of Founders."  The 
meeting
> adjourned subject to the call of the Chair.
> 
> 
> 	OCTOBER 16 1875
> 
>          4.   Pursuant to a Notice dated at New York, Oct. 13, 
1875, signed
> Henry S. Olcott, President pro tem., a meeting was held at 206 W 
38th
> St., Oct. 16, l875, "to organize and elect officers."  Eighteen 
persons
> were present.  The report of the Committee on "Preamble and By-
laws" was
> laid on the table and ordered printed.  The meeting was adjourned  
to
> October 30th l875, at the same place.  H.S.Olcott was Chairman, 
and  J. S.
> Cobb, Secretary,
> 
> 
> 
> 	OCTOBER 30 1875
> 
>          5.   October 30, 1875, the Society met pursuant to 
adjournment.
> Mott Memorial Hall, 64 Madison Ave., New York City was selected as 
the
> Society's meeting place.  By-laws were adopted, but with the 
proviso  that
> the "Preamble" should be revised by a committee and then published 
as the
> "Preamble of the Society."  Officers were elected as follows:   
President,
> Henry S. Olcott;  Vice-Presidents, Dr. S. Pancoast and  G .H .Felt;
> Corresponding Secretary, Mme. H.P.Blavatsky;  Recording  
Secretary, John
> Storer Cobb;  Treasurer, Henry J. Newton;  Librarian,  Charles 
Southeran;
> Councilors, Rev. J .H. Wiggin,  R. B. Westbrook,  LL.D.,  Mrs. 
Emma Hardinge
> Britten;  C E. Simmons, M.D. and Herbert D. Montachesi;  Counsel 
to the
> Society, William Q. Judge.  Adjourned to      November 17, 
1875. ....
>                  PATH, VOL. 10, P. 55-60;
>                  CWB, Vol. I, p. 122 - 125; 150; 193; 245-6; 375-
8; 379-84;
> 
> 
> 
>         NOTE
> 
>               Mme. Blavatsky was by this time (1875) engaged in 
the writing
> of ISIS UNVEILED.  Mr. Judge's brother, John, was of help in 
preparing the
> manuscript for the printers.  Mr. Judge's participation is not 
specified in
> existent records I have read.  DTB.  
> 
>               HPB invited Mr. Judge to help her in 1884 at 
Enghien, (WQJ
> ART. ULT I 468) :  "...while I at her request carefully read over, 
sitting
> in the same room, Isis Unveiled, making indices at the foot of the 
page, as
> she intended to use it in preparing the Secret Doctrine."
> 
> 
>             	In THE COLLECTED WORKS OF H.P.BLAVATSKY, VOL. I p. 
406 we
> are told by the editor that the diaries of HPB for the years 1875-
77
> "mysteriously disappeared" in Adyar.  
> 
> The diary for 1878 find Mr. Judge mentioned several times as a 
visitor to
> HPB in the latter part of the year: [  August 5th and 6th (p. 
409);  Oct 18
> (p.413);  Oct. 30 (p.416);  Nov. 12  (p.420);  Dec. 3-4(p.425);  
Dec. 5
> (p.426);  Dec. 7 (p.427);  Dec. 11 (p.429);  Dec. 13-15.
> COLL. WKS. B, Vol I, p. 430.]
> 
>  	On December 17th. 1878 Mme. Blavatsky and Col. Olcott 
boarded a
> steamer to sail via. England, for India;  Mr. Judge remained in 
New York. 
> 
> 	On Dec. 19th. 1879 (p.433, C W B)  Mr. Judge visited them on 
board
> the steamer prior to its actual departure, while it was still 
anchored
> inside the bar of the harbor waiting for the tide.
> 
> 
> 
> 	DECEMBER 17 1878 to FEBRUARY 16 1879
> 
> 
>          9.   In the year 1878 H.P.Blavatsky and H.S.Olcott were 
appointed
> under a formal Resolution of the Theosophical Society dated------- 
a
> "Committee of the Theosophical Society" to visit foreign countries 
and
> report."  The Theosophist for Oct. 1879, Vol. 1, #1, p. 1, 1st 
item, says:
> "For the convenience of future reference, it may as well be stated 
here that
> the Committee, sent to India by the Theosophical Society, sailed 
from New
> York Dec. 17th l878, and landed in Bombay, Feb. 16, 1879, having 
passed two
> weeks in London on the way."  	(The THEOSOPHIST,  Jan. 
1880, Vol. 1, p.95).
> 
> 
> =================================================================
> 
> 
> 
> 				T  S  STARTED 
> 
> 
> From: Jerry Hejka-Ekins
> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 3:53 PM
> To
> Subject: Re: 		TS natal chart and its implications
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I recall HPB writing that the September chart is the real birth 
chart.  
> The November inaugural address chart would be the chart for when 
the TS 
> became a public organization.  
> 
> Best
> 
> Jerry
> 
> ==============================================
> 
> adelasie wrote:
> 
> Dear Vladimir,
> 
> The chart drawn for 8 pm, September 8, 1875, is certainly more 
> encouraging than the one for the same time, November 17 of the 
same 
> year. One might wonder how an entity of the latter date would 
survive 
> at all. Does anyone have any more specific data for the founding 
of 
> the TS? It seems likely that there would be an official chart for 
the 
> founding, considering what the organization is. 
> 
> Adelasie
> 
> ==================================================
> 
> On 18 Feb 2006 at 13:19, Vladimir wrote:
> 
>   
> 
> Saturday, February 18, 2006, 5:46:41 AM, adelasie wrote:
> 
>     
> 
> Does Cranston give a time for the September date?
>       
> 
> No. Actually the date might be considered even Sep.7, because then
> 
> 
> ...Madame  Blavatsky's  sprightly  evening  chatter  and  her 
reported
> magical  feats  continued  to draw groups of intelligent people to 
her
> rooms. Among those thus attracted was Mr. George H. Felt, who had 
made
> some  careful studies in phases of Egyptology. He was asked to 
lecture
> on these subjects and on the 7th of September, 1875, a score of 
people
> had  gathered  in  H.P.B.'s  parlors  to hear his address on "The 
Lost
> Canon  of  Proportion  of  the  Egyptians."  
> 
> Dr. Seth Pancoast, a most
> erudite  Kabbalist  was  present,  and  after  the  lecture he led 
the
> discussion  to  the  subject  of  the  occult  powers  of  the 
ancient
> magicians.  Mr. Felt said he had proven those powers and had with 
them
> evoked  elemental  creatures  and  "hundreds of shadowy forms." As 
the
> tense  debate  proceeded, acting on an impulse, 
> 
> Col. Olcott wrote on a
> scrap  of  paper, which he passed over to Madame Blavatsky through 
the
> hands of Mr. W. Q. Judge, the following: "Would it not be a good 
thing
> to  form  a Society for this kind of study?" She read it and 
indicated
> assent.
> 
> http://www.blavatskycardiff.care4free.net/The%20Theosophical%
20Society
> %20gets%20off%20the%20Ground.htm
> 
> 
> But the Meeting Minutes containing the proposal is dated 
> 
> 		Sep.8,1975 –
> 
> a hand-written page is reproduced in the book.
> 
> 
>  Vladimir
> 
> =====================================
> 
> 	see	Blavatsky:  COLLECTED WORKS   Vol.  1
> 
> ==================================
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com [mailto:theos-
talk@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of adelasie
> Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 6:47 PM
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: Theos-World TS natal chart and its implications
> 
> Hi Vladimir,
> 
> Does Cranston give a time for the September date?
> 
> Adelasie
> 
> On 17 Feb 2006 at 21:35, Vladimir wrote:
> 
> > Friday, February 17, 2006, 5:16:17 PM, kpauljohnson wrote:
> > 
> > > Here are a couple of post from a dozen years ago, discussing 
the
> > > November 17th chart for the TS:
> > 
> > Sorry,  didn't  look  at  the  chart, just want to make a side 
remark:
> > according  to  Cranston's  book  on  HPB's  life,  the TS was 
actually
> > organized  Sep.8,1875,  whereas  on Nov.17th Olcott gave his 
inaugural
> > speech.
> > 
> > Would  you  please  remake  the  chart  for  this date and 
produce new
> > implications? :)
> > 
> > 
> > Best regards,
> >  Vladimir
> > 
> =================================================
> 
> 
> 
> LEGAL STATUS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 
> 
> 	Key.  p. 309-10
> 
> 
> 
> THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
> The following Official Report, on which was granted a Decree of In 
to the
> St. Louis Theosophical Society, is art important document, as 
putting on
> record the view taken of the Theosophical Society—after a careful
> examination of witnesses on oath—by an American Court of Law.
>  
> First—The petitioner is not a religious body, I report this 
negative finding
> for the reason that the word "Theosophical" contained in 
petitioners' name
> conveys a possible religious implication. 
> 
> The statutory phrase "society formed for religious purposes" 
applies, I
> suppose, only to an organization formed in part for worship, 
worship being
> an individual act involving adoration and perhaps emotional power, 
both
> being of necessity individual acts, or else to an organization 
formed for a
> propagation of a religious faith. 
> 
> Merely to teach a religion as one may teach algebra, is not, I 
think, a
> religions work, as the word "religious" is used in the Statute and 
the
> Constitution. A man may occupy a collegiate chair of Professor of 
Religions
> and as such teach the tenets of many religions. These different 
religions
> being variant and antagonistic, the Professor could not by any 
possibility
> worship under all. Nay, he might even be irreligious. Hence, 
merely teaching
> religions is not a religions work in the statutory sense. 
> 
> It will be noted that in art. 2 of this society's constitution, 
the word
> religion is used in the plural. To teach religions is educational, 
not
> religious. "To promote the study of religions" is in part to 
promote the
> study of the history of man. I add the subordinate finding that 
the society
> has no religious creed and practices no worship. 
> 
> Second—The petitioner proposes to promote the study of literature 
and
> sciences. These objects are expressly within the terms of the 
Statute. 
> 
> Third—Cognate with the last object is that of  
investigating "unexplained
> laws of nature and psychical powers latent in man." These two 
phrases, taken
> in their apparent meaning, are unobjectionable. But there is 
reason to
> believe that they form a meaning other than the apparent one. 
> 
> The court will take notice of the commonly accepted meaning of the 
word
> "Theosophy." Though I am ignorant of Theosophy, I think it is 
supposed to
> include among other things manifestations and phenomena, physical 
and
> psychical, that are violative of the laws now known by physicists 
and
> metaphysicians, and perhaps not explained or claimed to be 
explained or
> understood even by Theosophists themselves. 
> 
> In this group may be included Spiritualism, mesmerism, 
clairvoyance,
> mind-healing, mind-reading, and the like. I took testimony on this 
question,
> and found that while a belief in any one of these sorts of 
manifestations
> and phenomena is not required, while each member of the society is 
at
> liberty to hold his own opinion, yet such questions form topics of 
inquiry
> and discussion, and the members as a mass are probably believers
> individually in phenomena that are abnormal and in powers that are
> superhuman as far as science now knows. 
> 
> It is undoubtedly the right of any citizen to hold whatever 
opinions he
> pleases on these subjects, and to endeavour at his pleasure to 
investigate
> the unexplained and to display the latent. 
> 
> But the question here is: Shall the Court grant a franchise in aid 
of such
> endeavour? 
> 
> Voodooism is a word applied to the practices of guileful men among 
the
> ignorant and superstitious who inflict impostures upon guileless 
men among
> the ignorant and superstitious. No Court would grant a franchise in
> furtherance of such practices. 
> 
> The Court then will stop to inquire into the practices and perhaps 
the
> reputableness of the enterprise which seeks judicial aid. I am not 
meaning
> to make a comparison between voodooism and this group of phenomena 
which for
> convenience (though I know not whether accurately) I will call 
occultism. I
> only take voodooism as a strong case to show the Court ought to 
inquire. 
> 
> If we now inquire into occultism we shall find that it has been 
occasionally
> used, as is reported, for the purposes of imposture. But this goes 
for
> nothing against its essential character. Always and everywhere bad 
men will
> make a bad use of anything for selfish ends. 
> 
> The object of this society, whether attainable or not, is 
undeniably
> laudable, assuming that there are physical and psychical phenomena
> unexplained, and that Theosophy seeks to explain them. Assuming 
that there
> are human powers yet latent, it seeks to discover them. It may be 
that
> absurdities and impostures are in fact incident to the nascent 
stage of its
> development. 
> 
> As to an understanding like that of occultism, which asserts 
powers commonly
> thought superhuman, and phenomena commonly thought supernatural, 
it seemed
> to me that the Court, though not assuming to determine judicially 
the
> question of their verity, would, before granting to occultism a 
franchise,
> inquire whether at least it had gained the position of being 
reputable or
> whether its adherents were merely men of narrow intelligence, mean
> intellect, and omnivorous credulity. 
> 
> I accordingly took testimony on that point, and find that a number 
of
> gentlemen in different countries of Europe, and also in this 
country,
> eminent in science, are believers in occultism. Sir Edward Bulwer 
Lytton, a
> writer of large and varied learning, and of solid intellect, is 
asserted to
> have been an occultist, an assertion countenanced by at least two 
of his
> books. 
> 
> The late President Wayland, of Brown University, writing of 
abnormal mental
> operations as shown in clairvoyance, says: "The subject seems to 
me well
> worthy of the most searching and candid examination. It is by no 
means
> deserving of ridicule, but demands the attention of the most 
philosophical
> inquiry." 
> 
> Sir William Hamilton, probably the most acute and, undeniably, the 
most
> learned of English metaphysicians that ever lived, said at least 
thirty
> years ago: "However astonishing, it is now proved beyond all 
rational doubt
> that in certain abnormal states of the nervous organism 
perceptions are
> possible through other than the ordinary channels of the senses." 
> 
> By such testimony Theosophy is at least placed on the footing of
> respectability. Whether by further labour it can make partial 
truths
> complete truths, whether it can eliminate extravagances and purge 
itself of
> impurities, if there are any, are probably questions upon which 
the Court
> will not feel called upon to pass. 
> 
> I perceive no other feature of the petitioners' constitution that 
is
> obnoxious to legal objection, and accordingly I have the honour to 
report
> that I show no cause why the prayer of the petitioners should not 
be
> granted.
> 					AUGUST  W. ALEXANDER,
> 					Amicus Curæ.
> 
> 
> 
> ===============================================================
>






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