and development of the Theosophical Society, the objects of which, as stated in the published rules, are as follows:

"First.-To form the nucleus of a Univrsal Brotherhood of Humanity. 'Second. To study Aryan literature, religion, and science. "Third. To vindicate the importance of this inquiry.

"Fourth.-To explore the hidden mysteries of Nature and the latent powers of man.

"Now, these objects may be considered Utopian or visionary, but they seem to me innocent enough, and hardly the kind of objects that would satisfy unscrupulous adventurers.

"There are many other misconceptions involved in the article under reference, to which objection might reasonably be taken; but these are perhaps of less importance. All I desire now to make clear is, that so far from being 'unscrupulous adventurers,' Colonel Olcott and Madame Blavatsky are very unworldly, unselfish, pure-minded people, who are devoting their time, their property, and their lives to a cause which even, if Utopian, is unobjectionable, and may incidentally be productive (indeed, it already has been so) of much good.

"I remain, yours obediently,

"A. O. HUME, "Late Sec. to the Govt. of India."

Gentle and temperate as this letter was, and unfair as had been the imputations which evoked it, the Saturday Review, to the shame of that journal as it seems to me, never inserted it. It is true that before the letter reached home, communications had apparently been made to the Saturday Review, by some friends of Colonel Olcott, and the following graceless and grudging admission had been published in the paper of Sept. 17:

"We have received a letter from a friend of Colonel Olcott, objecting to some strictures which we lately made upon that gentleman and Madame Blavatsky as founders of the so-called Theosophical Society of India. Our remarks were based upon the published accounts of their doings, which struck us as bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of the ‘spirit mediums' in Europe and America. We are quite willing to accept our correspondent's statement that Colonel Olcott occupied an honourable position in his own country, and to believe that both he and Madame Blavatsky are credulous enthusiasts and not unscrupulous adventurers. When, however, people promulgate pernicious theories

and adopt practices which, under another name, have been authoritatively pronounced illegal and mischievous, they must not be surprised if, in the absence of private information as to their biography, they lay themselves open to adverse criticism."

This paragraph, the previous publication of which justified the Saturday Review (in its own sight) in taking no notice of Mr. Hume's letter, is itself full of fresh insinuations which are groundless and untrue, as any reader of the present volume will perceive; but in India, at all events, considerable publicity has been given to the documents quoted above, as also to others of the same series, which it seems unnecessary to republish here in full, and whatever opinion may be formed by careless observers who will not take the trouble to investigate them, concerning the tenets of occultism, there is no longer any room there for two opinions about the blameless lives and pure devotion of the leading representatives of the Theosophical Society.

THERE is a school of Philosophy still in existence of which modern culture has lost sight. Glimpses of it are discernible in the ancient philosophies with which all educated men are familiar, but these are hardly more intelligible than fragments of forgotten sculpture,-less so, for we comprehend the human form, and can give imaginary limbs to a torso; but we can give no imaginary meaning to the hints coming down to us from Plato or Pythagoras, pointing, for those who hold the clue to their significance, to the secret knowledge of the ancient world. Side lights, nevertheless, may enable us to decipher such language, and a very rich intellectual reward offers itself to persons who are willing to attempt the investigation.

For, strange as the statement will appear at first sight, modern metaphysics, and to a large extent modern physical science, have been groping for centuries blindly after knowledge which occult philosophy has enjoyed in full measure all the while. Owing to a train of fortunate circumstances, I have come to know that this is the case; I have come into some contact with persons who are heirs of a greater knowledge concerning the mysteries of Nature and humanity than modern culture has yet evolved; and my present wish is to sketch the outlines of this knowledge, to record with exactitude the experimental proofs I have obtained that occult science invests its adepts with a control of natural forces superior to that enjoyed by physicists of the ordinary type, and the grounds there are for bestowing the most respectful

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