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 HERMAPHRO DEITY 
 
 The Mystery of Divine Genius. 
 
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•• And she shall bring forth a Son. and thou shah call His nan 
 Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." 
 
 — Mattheu. ii. 21 
 
C<27<9 
 5?8 
 
 HERMAPHRO-DEITY: 
 
 €l?e 2ttusteru. of Dioine (genius. 
 
 ELIZA BARTON LYMAN, 
 
 .AUTHOR OF 
 
 "The Coming Woman," "Familiar Talks on 
 Unfamiliar Topics," etc. 
 
 " This is the Mystery that to this day is hidden and kept secret." 
 
 Diuine Pymander. 
 
 " Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from 
 generations, but now is made manifest to his saints; to whom God 
 would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery 
 among the Gentiles ; Which is Christ in You." Col. i. 26-27. 
 
 Sacjmatp, ITCtcbigan : 
 
 SAGINAW PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 1900 
 
84259 
 
 Library of Cun&?*** 
 
 Two Co*cs Received 
 DEC 5 1900 
 
 Copyngttt «trj 
 
 SECOND COPY 
 
 0R0£fi DMSKW 
 
 DEC 101900 
 
 7f* 
 
 <\<\ 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1900, by 
 
 ELIZA BARTON LYMAN, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, 
 
 at Washington, D. C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Hermaphro- Deity is not the result of a desire to pre- 
 sent something strange and startling to attract the atten- 
 tion of a public always on the alert for something new 
 and outre, but the outgrowth of a constantly deepening 
 conviction of an approaching crisis in the spiritual experi- 
 ence of the race. No claim is made for the discovery of 
 anything new in either religion, philosophy, or science, 
 but to have simply come into recognition of certain di- 
 vinely established laws as old as the planet and the race. 
 
 The object of this short treatise is to simplify those 
 truths heretofore clothed in deepest mystery. There are 
 a few works upon the subject, but the majority of them 
 are so obscure as to be of little or no service to the general 
 reader; whereas, the truths contained in them should be 
 the property of every individual capable of understanding 
 them. 
 
 Whatever view the reader may take of the various 
 philosophies herein laid down, however he may differ with 
 regard to the practical application of the truths advanced; 
 he certainly will be compelled to admit that there is some- 
 thing radically wrong in the arrangement of human af- 
 fairs, that appears to baffle the best effort toward adjust- 
 ment and reformation. 
 
iv. Preface. 
 
 We feel assured that in this simple work there will be 
 found the law of healing promised the race from remote 
 ages. It was the occult teaching of Jesus, and of all 
 adepts in past ages. 
 
 If asked for proofs of many of the statements made, 
 we must needs remain silent — as was Christ before Pilate. 
 We can no more explain how or where we obtained the 
 knowledge of the truths advanced than could Galileo 
 demonstrate to his religious persecutors how or where he 
 obtained the knowledge that the earth was a globe and 
 revolved around its center, the sun. What seemed at that 
 period to be the vagaries of a diseased brain, are today 
 the demonstrated facts of science, accepted by all the 
 world. May it not be possible that in a few generations 
 the new and strange teachings advanced in this brief work 
 will become a demonstrated science, applicable to the 
 deepest needs of human life? 
 
 E. B. L. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 
 
 "THE TRUTH IS, A GREAT MIND MUST BE 
 ANDROGYNOUS." 
 
 —COLERIDGE. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 The quotations from the New Testament are all taken 
 from the Emphatic Diaglott, a version from the original 
 Greek text, by Wilson, giving in some portions quite a 
 different rendition from the old, and more satisfactory. 
 
HERM APHRO - DEITY 
 
 The Mystery of Divine Genius. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "Girls, come here, please. Sit down; I wish 
 to talk with you on an important matter." 
 
 This call came from my brother John's room 
 as we were passing his door on our way out to 
 the porch. We girls, Annie, Angela and my- 
 self, walked in submissively, and seated our- 
 selves, as commanded. 
 
 John wheeled his chair around facing us, and 
 said, "Girls, I am tired of this sort of life. I 
 believe there is something beyond the mere rais- 
 ing of cabbage and potatoes. Not but what 
 they are good in their proper place; but I have 
 an idea that there are just now subjects and 
 speculations attracting the attention of the think- 
 ing world worth investigating, and on quite a 
 different plane of thought. The fact is we get 
 
8 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 just as hungry for ideas as we do for our daily 
 bread. I have received a letter this morning from 
 an old friend of mine living in Southern Cali- 
 fornia, in a place called Benares, up in the moun- 
 tains, where a peculiar Order of mystics have 
 established a colony and a school where, he 
 says, if he remembers rightly, are taught those 
 philosophies toward which I have always had a 
 leaning. What he tells me of the fraternity, 
 and some of the tenets held by them, makes me 
 anxious to investigate the matter. This friend 
 of mine," continued John, "has united with the 
 brotherhood. He has been with them some 
 four years, and he thinks I would find in their 
 teachings and practices in life just what I have 
 been looking for all these years. It is not a 
 community of men alone; there are as many 
 women as men. August and Elsie can take 
 care of this place for two or three months with- 
 out trouble, so what do you girls say to our 
 going and visiting those people." 
 
 "Do you really mean that you wish us all to 
 go?" asked Annie in astonishment. 
 
 "Certainly. It will take all three of you girls 
 to make one good, all-round woman." answered 
 John, soberly looking down his nose. 
 
 We looked at each other in amazement, more 
 than in anger, at the audacity of the speech; 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 9 
 
 it was our policy never to take notice of any 
 of John's sly slurs on our incapacity and weak- 
 ness, but to bide our opportunity for retaliation, 
 which never failed to come. 
 
 Now there was one peculiarity about John; 
 whenever he made a statement or laid a plan we 
 never thought of disputing or opposing him. 
 So, saying that "we would consider the matter," 
 we retired, and upon due consultation with An- 
 gela, who was our oracle, we accept the invita- 
 tion, for the prospects of a trip to California with 
 such an escort as John caused us to swallow our 
 offence for the time and consent to his arrange- 
 ments. 
 
 So the matter was settled with this under- 
 standing, that we should take only hand bag- 
 gage. "For," said John, "after we leave the 
 Northern Pacific Railroad we have quite a little 
 journey before we reach Benares. After we 
 get up there you girls will have little oppor- 
 tunity to display fine clothing, even if you felt 
 so inclined." 
 
 I must give the reader a slight sketch of the 
 leading characteristics of the members of this 
 proposed party, myself excepted; because we 
 are not only to be thrown together in the most 
 intimate relations, but to pass through experi- 
 ences designed in some cases to change the 
 
10 Bermaphro- Deity : 
 
 tenor of the whole life of the individual, and I 
 expect my readers to be as deeply interested in 
 this experience as I have been. 
 
 We are orphans, John and myself. He has 
 been my sole guardian for some years, and I had 
 grown to think there was not another 
 human being so perfect as he. At the close 
 of my school life he had left a large city and 
 lucrative position, settling on a farm just out- 
 side the corporations of a small town, where, 
 under the management of an efficient German 
 and his wife, with myself installed as housekeep- 
 er, there had been established not only a delight- 
 ful home, but a thoroughly successful and pay- 
 ing institution. We were in the habit of tak- 
 ing a few boarders each summer. I heard John 
 say to a neighbor, "These outsiders coming in 
 will keep Elizabeth" — that is myself — "from 
 being lonely." I had become very proud of 
 my position as mistress of the establishment and 
 fond of the country life. 
 
 Annie had been a schoolmate of mine, a close 
 companion. , We had closed our school term 
 together, I to go to my brother's home, and she 
 to enter upon an active literary life. She had 
 occupied many responsible positions on the lead- 
 ing periodicals of the day, and was now art cor- 
 respondent of the finest monthly in the country. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 11 
 
 She had spent two years abroad, had written 
 one very successful drama, but what made her 
 of the greatest attraction to me was the fact that 
 she could tell in the most graphic manner any- 
 thing she knew, and describe what she had seen 
 in a way to make you see it too. She was a 
 source of unspeakable delight to me, who had 
 seen so little of the world. She had become as 
 one of our family, coming each season as soon 
 as the warm weather commenced, staying until 
 autumn. 
 
 Angela had spent three seasons with us, and 
 I had grown very fond of her also. She was a 
 quiet, studious woman of thirty years, or there- 
 about. She was, as a rule, rather silent, but 
 when she did speak she always said something. 
 She was one whom you felt rather than saw. 
 There was about her a power that seemed to 
 penetrate your whole being, your mental, physi- 
 cal and spiritual natures — that is, if one had any 
 such. You somehow felt that she knew every- 
 thing concerning you. You always wanted to 
 call her mother, and if you had any vexations or 
 troubles you wanted to go to her and tell her 
 all about them, and lay your head on her should- 
 er and have a good cry. You were always 
 reaching out, if near her, to get hold of her 
 hand. She spent the greater share of her time 
 
12 Hermaphro' Deity : 
 
 in the study of curious books with the most un- 
 pronounceable names, the contents of which ap- 
 peared to me, from a casual glance, to be more 
 vague and unattainable than the names even; 
 but that was because I did not comprehend 
 them, Angela had told me. She had traveled 
 much in foreign lands and lived some years in 
 India, which had a tendency to give her a de- 
 sire for such style of literature. 
 
 So much for the two women. It will not be 
 so easy a matter for me to delineate John's char- 
 acter. In the first place it is impossible for a 
 woman to analyze the character of a man cor- 
 rectly, not being of that genus — but the prin- 
 ciple reason why I cannot describe John is that 
 I do not understand him. He is a puzzle to 
 me. I love him better than any other being on 
 earth, without being able to understand him. 
 But all women, both old and young, trust him 
 — yes, and love him, too. They tell him all 
 their secrets and troubles and go away from 
 their interviews with him strengthened and com- 
 forted apparently. And the men — why. there 
 is a stream of them going to and fro from his 
 "Den," as he calls his office, constantly, much 
 to my disapproval. I have declared all the time 
 that John was working himself to death for Tom. 
 Dick and Harry, and I could see no good in it; 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 13 
 
 such a loss of time, and I had discovered that it 
 all brought him no money. But, to tell the 
 truth, the man actually did not fail, from the 
 life he led, but instead, to my astonishment, he 
 grew handsomer and more grand looking every 
 year; especially since his hair had commenced 
 falling away, exposing that dome of his head 
 where the phrenologists locate what they claim 
 as intuition, veneration and benevolence. To 
 us girls he is the dearest, most gentle and 
 patient companion, when we need him in that 
 capacity; and when we need the stronger side of 
 his nature he is always ready and willing to use 
 his strong hands, arms and head to help us out 
 of any dilemmas in which we may find ourselves. 
 One thing that annoys me greatly with him 
 is, that he never has a word of censure or blame 
 for anyone. He always has an excuse for 
 everybody's shortcomings. Always has some 
 good reason why things were thus and so. That 
 always exasperates me. I believe that the people 
 should be brought up standing for their delin- 
 quencies; most wrongdoers need a good over- 
 hauling to make them straighten up and behave 
 themselves, and that is the reason why, I sup- 
 pose, that the riff-raff never come to me any 
 more for consolation and assistance, but, instead, 
 all pile on John and Angela for council and aid. 
 
14 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 I have often wondered why John has never 
 married, for all the girls dote on him, but he is 
 equally lovely to them all and seems just as fond 
 of the old as he is of the young women. In 
 short, John is a curious being; he is altogether 
 lovely, but queer. 
 
 'These are the last days in March and I would 
 like to be in Benares by the first day of April, 
 that will be on Wednesday of next week. In 
 fact, I have written to my friend that I shall be 
 there," John said at the breakfast table the next 
 morning. ''There is to be an especially 
 fine course of lessons given at the school, com- 
 mencing on the second of April," John con- 
 tinued, "and Bessie," turning to me, "I wish you 
 would put me up a few traps, just as few as pos- 
 sible, and let us be off." 
 
 "That rascal is just taking us along to mend 
 his socks and put his studs into his clean shirts," 
 said Annie, maliciously, that night as we were 
 preparing for bed. "But after all," she added, 
 half to herself, "he is so very clever, and good 
 to everybody, that one is more than willing to 
 do just what he wants them to, the dear old 
 darling!" 
 
 As Angela had traveled throughout India 
 with only hand baggage, Annie and I took les- 
 sons from her and we soon were equipped for 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 15 
 
 our journey, but minus "fixin's," as John 
 calls them, and in due time were on our 
 way, speeding toward the setting sun — toward 
 that quarter of the globe that always had such 
 an attraction for me. 
 
 THE HOME OF THE MAHATMAS. 
 
 Benares, Cal., April ist. 
 
 John's friend, Frederick, met us at the junc- 
 tion of the Northern Pacific Railroad and a 
 branch road leading to the Home of the broth- 
 erhood. Although the distance is only a few 
 miles, the ascent is so great that it requires, 
 usually, nearly an hour to reach the "city," as 
 brother Frederick laughingly called the settle- 
 ment, so that it was ten o'clock before we were 
 inside the Home. 
 
 It was too dark for us to form much of an 
 idea of the place. I observed a grove of lofty 
 trees to the right of the town, and behind it 
 there loomed up a great mountain — at least it 
 appeared like one in the darkness. Absolute 
 silence reigned over all — there wasn't even a 
 puff from the old engine that had labored so 
 
16 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 hard to get us up the hill. At the entrance 
 of the Home building there was an electric light, 
 which gave a very impressive appearance to the 
 structure. As we entered the great hall one of 
 the Sisters, who had awaited our arrival, came 
 forward smilingly, extending her hands, and 
 bade us welcome to Benares. 
 
 Brother Frederick took charge of John, con- 
 ducting him to his apartments, while the Sister 
 leading the way up the stairs ushered us into a 
 large, airy chamber, with all the appointments 
 for three occupants. 
 
 I was not so tired but that I began a critical 
 survey of things in general. In the arrange- 
 ment of the room, everywhere, there was an evi- 
 dence of woman's artistic eye and hand. The 
 furnishings were of excellent quality, select- 
 ed with a view to use as well as beauty, and all 
 was immaculately clean. The floor attracted 
 my attention most. It was hardwood, highly 
 polished, of a rich color. The room was lighted 
 with electricity. The air of the whole apart- 
 ment was soothing in the extreme. 
 
 Just here the Sister who had escorted us to 
 our room came in with a tray of refreshments, 
 and informed us that our breakfast would be 
 served in our room in the morning, as we would 
 no doubt feel too much fatigued to rise and 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 17 
 
 breakfast with the family as early as they were 
 in the habit of doing. "We are early risers up 
 here," she said smilingly, "and after a time you 
 will enjoy the morning breezes from the moun- 
 tains as much as we do.' 1 Bidding us good-night 
 she left us to ourselves. 
 
 We soon dispatched our lunch and made our- 
 selves ready for bed, as the delightful coolness 
 and fragrance of the air made one inclined to 
 sleep, even had we not been so fatigued from our 
 journey. 
 
 "There is something awfully shivery about 
 this whole place," said Annie, "I can almost 
 imagine that I have been suddenly transported 
 to Jupiter or Mars — or some outlandish world 
 — things feel strange and unreal somehow." 
 
 "That is all in yourself, my dear, to me it is 
 heavenly," said Angela, taking in a deep breath. 
 
 I was too tired to make any comments and 
 in a short time we were all safely stowed away 
 in our delightful beds, and, owing to the fatigue 
 and excitement of the past week, were soon 
 sleeping soundly. A sleep from which I did 
 not awaken until a rap at the door aroused me, 
 and opening my eyes I beheld a perfect flood of 
 sunshine filling the room, and Angela sitting at 
 the open window all dressed and evidently study- 
 ing the situation outside. Upon opening the 
 
18 Her map hro- Deity : 
 
 door we found our attendant of the previous 
 evening, who informed us that our breakfast 
 would be ready in a few minutes. 
 
 "I feel as though I had just been exhumed 
 from the Pyramids of Egypt," yawned Annie, 
 shaking herself and stretching. "I had curious 
 dreams about this place last night," she contin- 
 ued, as she completed her toilet. "I think it is 
 owned and run by a set of fairies, as we see 
 neither men, women or children about the prem- 
 ises." 
 
 "I have an evidence of a very different char- 
 acter," said Angela, smiling. "I have been up 
 at the window for more than two hours and have 
 seen at least fifty stalwart men, coming in from 
 the hay fields I concluded, as they all had rakes 
 over their shoulders, broad brimmed hats on 
 their heads and shoes on their feet. True they 
 did not make any noise, but they wore trousers 
 and had no wings." 
 
 Our breakfast came at this point and present- 
 ed a very decidedly human and familiar appear- 
 ance. It consisted of a plentiful supply of de- 
 liriously browned toast, butter, eggs, cream, 
 milk, and a heaping dish of the finest, most 
 luscious strawberries I had ever seen. 
 
 Our sweet-voiced attendant informed us. as 
 she was leaving the room after arranging our 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 19 
 
 table, that she would be up about fifteen minutes 
 before nine o'clock to conduct us to the chapel. 
 This being the opening lesson, we would all be 
 expected to be in our places on time. As Father 
 Hyacinth is the teacher for this month no one 
 can afford to lose one word. With that she 
 closed the door and we were ! ft to ourselves 
 to enjoy our most delicious meal. 
 
 "How is this breakfast, Annie, has it the 
 taste of the Pyramids and odor of Cheops?" 
 Angela ventured, after watching for a time the 
 greedy manner in which Annie stowed away the 
 food. 
 
 "Oh, this is all right! and earthly enough. 
 But I do wonder what they have done with John. 
 If ever a man would be of any use or comfort, it 
 would be in a place like this, where one expects 
 every instant to see a ghost glide in from some 
 hole or corner and to be caught up and spirited 
 away — the Lord only knows where." 
 
 After this speech she replenished her dish with 
 strawberries and fell to eating with a gusto most 
 astonishing in one so overcome with fear. 
 
 Angela smilingly said, "Do not allow your- 
 self to be terrified, my dear, because whatever 
 the power might be that spirited you away, it 
 would return you as soon as it had had one en- 
 counter with you." 
 
20 Hennaphro- Deity : 
 
 Here the door opened and John stalked in 
 looking like a Greek god. 
 
 "This is interesting! Do you expect to con- 
 tinue this line of business up here?" he said, af- 
 fecting great disgust. "It is almost nine o'clock. 
 I have been up for three hours looking over the 
 place; I have been up the mountain a mile, at 
 least, and back, while you girls have been snooz- 
 ing in bed. This must be the last of these city 
 airs. The men of this community have stacked 
 over fifty tons of hay this morning, while the 
 women have worked over and packed two hun- 
 dred pounds of butter, taken care of the milk of 
 one hundred and fifty cows, and baked a hun- 
 dred loaves of bread, besides many delicacies 
 that I cannot mention. They have also made 
 twenty-five large cheeses. And such men and 
 women! but you will see them presently." 
 
 The Sister who had brought us our breakfast 
 came in now to conduct us down to the chapel. 
 We all followed our guide down the broad stair- 
 wav, through the lono\ wide hall and into the 
 chapel at the rear. 
 
 YVe were seated so that we had a view of the 
 entire room and the audience assembled: there 
 were about three hundred and fifty persons in 
 all, men, women and children, about equally di- 
 vided as to sex, and seated separately. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 21 
 
 At the end of the chapel was a pipe organ, in 
 tront of which was a platform, speaker's desk 
 and chair. At our right hung a life-sized paint- 
 ing of Christ and the three Marys; at the left 
 was a fine copy of Murillo's Immaculate Con- 
 ception. On the easel at the side of the plat- 
 form was an ideal head of a most beautiful 
 woman, over which, in large letters, were the 
 words, "The Mother/' A Sister was seated at 
 the organ, and as she passed her fingers slowly 
 over the keys, the rich, tremulous tones of the 
 instrument quivered through the silent air, pro- 
 ducing a feeling of devotion. 
 
 I observed that the members of the household 
 all sat motionless with bowed heads. I 
 held my breath and listened. Presently the 
 tones of the organ changed and all broke forth 
 in low subdued tones singing the forty-eighth 
 Psalm: "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be 
 praised in the city of our God, in the mountain 
 of His holiness." The voices taking the dif- 
 ferent parts all blended in one harmonious wave 
 of melody. I had never cared for hymn sing- 
 ing, but the chanting of the psalm here was in- 
 expressibly solemn and sweet to me. 
 
 I had not been much of a church-goer or had 
 any especial religious bias — I was in no sense 
 religiously inclined — but there was something 
 
22 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 in the air of this room, the music, the people 
 about me, that stirred deep in my nature a feel- 
 ing that I had never experienced before. Had 
 I been alone with Angela I should have laid 
 my head on her breast and cried a little, but as 
 it was I crept close to John and slipped my hand 
 into his strong, warm one and felt reassured. 
 
 As the music and singing ceased, I began 
 studying the people about me. 
 
 The first thing that attracted my attention 
 was their dress. The men wore over their or- 
 dinary suits a white linen garment made after 
 the fashion of the surplices worn by the Catholic 
 clergy. 
 
 Their faces were clean shaven and the hair of 
 the head shingled closely. The back of the 
 head was covered with a black silk cap like 
 those worn by Cardinals. 
 
 There was a singular fascination about the 
 group, not only on account of their strange 
 costume, but because of a peculiar expression 
 about the mouth and eyes. This unusual ap- 
 pearance I understood later, as I came to know 
 more of their habit of thought and life. 
 
 I turned from the men and began studying 
 the women. Here, as in the case of the men. 
 their costume attracted my notice. It was uni- 
 form in color, fabric and style of making. The 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 23 
 
 material was of some soft, light-gray fabric, of 
 wool I should say, that fell in graceful folds 
 from top to bottom, after the fashion of the an- 
 cient Greek female costume. There was the 
 long open sleeve ornamented with the Greek 
 pattern in braiding. The costume of the child- 
 ren corresponding. Taking it all together, I 
 had never imagined anything so perfectly ar- 
 tistic and beautiful. 
 
 The hair also was uniformly dressed. It was 
 combed back from the forehead and twisted up 
 in a loose knot on the top of the head. 'In some 
 cases it was as white as snow, in others golden, 
 brown, or black, according to age or tempera- 
 ment. 
 
 There was also an unusual expression on the 
 faces of these women, and a kind of peachy tint 
 to the skin that would indicate health and an 
 acquaintance with outdoor life. 
 
 At this moment my attention w T as arrested by 
 the opening of a door at the end of the chapel 
 and the entrance of a man — Father Hyacinth, 
 John informed me — who walked across the room, 
 stepped upon the platform and seated himself, 
 without raising his eyes. I could not take my 
 eyes from him, so remarkable was he in appear- 
 ance and bearing. 
 
 I had never seen but one man whom -he re- 
 
24 
 
 Her maphro- Deity , 
 
 sembled, that was Phillips Brooks, dur- 
 ing the last years of his ministry, when he had 
 grown so ripe and rich in spiritual grace. This 
 man possessed the same massiveness and silent 
 power and was about the age of Brooks at the 
 time of his death. 
 
 He was habited the same as the other male 
 members, and there appeared to be a sort of 
 glory enveloping him that gave one the feeling 
 that to merely touch the hem of his garments 
 would give them new life. When he spoke the 
 charm was complete. His voice was low-keyed, 
 mellow and sympathetic as he unfolded his sub- 
 ject. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 25 
 
 'Thought in the Mind hath made us. What we are 
 
 By thought was wrought and built. If a man's mind 
 Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes 
 The wheel the ox behind. 
 
 "All that we are is what we thought and willed; 
 
 Our thoughts shape us and frame. If one endure 
 In purity of thought, joy follows him 
 As his own shadow — sure.''" 
 
 — Edwin Arnold. 
 
 "Each individual attracts to himself from others that 
 which he metes out to others. This law of individual 
 compensation is regulated by individual thought, and in 
 such a manner that absolute justice is the portion of each." 
 
 — Fragments of the Philosophy. 
 
 "He who has succeeded in bringing his individual 
 Mind in exact harmony with the Universal Mind, has 
 succeeded in reuniting the inner sphere with the outer 
 one, from which he has only become separated by mis- 
 taking illusions for truths." 
 
 — Paracelsus. 
 
26 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 FIRST LESSON. 
 
 THE DIVINE MIND IN MAN. 
 
 I have to make this morning some very im- 
 portant statements as a foundation upon which 
 to base the theories advanced in the forthcoming 
 lessons. Not only should they form the 
 foundation, but they should be a guide with 
 which to square all religions, philosophies, 
 sciences or theories that may present themselves 
 to the student during life. I shall endeavor to 
 employ only such terms as we are most familiar 
 with. It requires but few words to clothe these 
 stupendous truths, which should stand out 
 naked, in their colossal proportions, before the 
 mind of the student, a study full of veneration, 
 as the Alps to the Swiss peasant is a source of 
 worship and strength. 
 
 This then is our chief corner-stone: 
 
 GOD IS THE ONLY LIFE; 
 SPIRIT IS THE ONLY SUBSTANCE: 
 MIND IS THE ONLY CREATOR: and 
 LOVE THE ONLY LAW. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 27 
 
 Mind manifests itself through Thought, 
 which externalizes and individualizes the cre- 
 ations of Mind, whatever they may be. They 
 may not be visible to us, but they are real. 
 
 Thoughts become absolute things, and hav- 
 ing once been formed and sent out, live on and 
 on indefinitely. They fill certain belts of the 
 unseen, they pass and re-pass, jostling together, 
 and a certain class on the lower animal plane 
 war upon each other, giving rise to much mental 
 suffering in the cases of persons of extremely 
 nervous and psychic temperaments. Some- 
 where, somebody sang, 
 
 "Thoughts are things, 
 Having being, breath and wings." 
 
 Father Ryan has expressed it better than I 
 can. 
 
 "They wear holy veils on their faces; 
 Their footsteps can scarcely be heard; 
 They pass through the valley, like virgins, 
 Too pure for the touch of a word." 
 
 In the spiritual darkness of the present, there 
 has developed in the mind of the race a belief in- 
 a power outside of God, and more potent, which 
 man has named Evil ; also a belief in a sub- 
 stance, other than Spirit, which he calls Mat- 
 ter. Both formulas are erroneous and the out- 
 
28 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 growth of misunderstanding, and can be dissi- 
 pated, with all their evil effects, as he becomes 
 familiar with and lives up to the foundation prin- 
 ciples herein laid down. 
 
 Man, as man, cannot continue to exist with- 
 out a religion; it must form the basis of his 
 character. He must recognize a Supreme 
 Power. He must worship — or GO OUT! 
 
 When I say religion, I do not refer to forms 
 or ceremonies or external rites, but religion in 
 its truest sense, in the perfect form which our 
 Master laid down in His Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 We are endeavoring in this brotherhood to de- 
 monstrate the fact that the religion of Christ can 
 be made the guiding principle in every-day life. 
 Not religion consisting alone of a worship of 
 the Supreme Being, but one embracing also the 
 highest grades of ethics — that commands us to 
 love our enemies, to do good to those who hate 
 us, to give, expecting nothing in return, to deal 
 justly, to judge not, to condemn not, and to for- 
 give as we would be forgiven. The experience 
 of half a century in this colony has proven that 
 Christ's religion is a safe guide to go by. 
 
 According to sacred historians the commence- 
 ment of all the disasters that have befallen the 
 race and planet was the evolution in Man of an 
 independent mind and will; outside of, and in 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 29 
 
 opposition to, the Creative Mind. He went 
 into business on his own responsibility and with- 
 out capital. His self-constituted outside mind 
 was not composed of the true Substance — the 
 divine mental atoms. It is a counterfeit, and 
 all that it sees, feels or imagines is false. 
 
 This mind belongs exclusively to the animal 
 man. It has no knowledge of or attraction to- 
 ward the divine; the thoughts generated and 
 sent out by it never rise higher than the fleshly 
 demands. These form a dense and murky men- 
 tal atmosphere near the earth, powerful enough 
 to hypnotize the entire race, producing what we 
 know as race belief, so that on many points all 
 men are of one mind and thought. 
 
 The average individual thinks and believes 
 along certain lines just as the world does, and 
 feels uncomfortable at the suggestion of any 
 new thought; feels oppressed at any mental agi- 
 tation above the average strata. To talk to 
 one thus fettered of a higher and more healthy 
 region of thought, of unexplored kingdoms in 
 the invisible, is to speak to him in an unknown 
 tongue; he does not concern himself about the 
 invisible, in fact does not believe in anything 
 that cannot be recognized through his five 
 senses. Such, in fact, never think, they simply 
 believe what the strongest party believes. 
 
30 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 This fleshly mind is that disobedient, faithless, 
 selfish, Godless mind now controlling the world. 
 It governs all business transactions, marriages, 
 family relations and general society. It loves 
 after its own fashion what belongs to it. and 
 often deals generously with its own, because it 
 is giving to itself, gratifying its "myness." 
 'These are my children, tliis is my home, this is 
 my wife." rarely taking thought of the thous- 
 ands who are homeless, breadless, dying in want. 
 It gives in charity where it brings the applause 
 of the world, which is the only god it can com- 
 prehend. In this mind exists all passions, 
 prejudices, crimes, cruelty, greed, hatred, licen- 
 tiousness and murder. Here also exists the 
 sense life, the belief in pain, disease and death. 
 
 St. Paul says of this mind, "For to be carnally 
 minded is death. Because the carnal mind is 
 enmity against God; for it is not subject to the 
 law of God, neither indeed can be." "To be 
 carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually 
 minded is life and peace." Paul's spiritual 
 mind is the divine Mind, and if it be permitted 
 the ascend ncy it will control all things. It is 
 that power in man that makes him a son of God. 
 It was this Mind in Christ that performed all 
 miracles and works of magic; turned water into 
 wine, multiplied the loaves and fishes, stilled 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 31 
 
 the tempest, healed the sick, cleansed the leper, 
 and raised the dead. That was the "higher 
 magic." 
 
 Man to fulfill his destiny must become master 
 of that magic, must control his thoughts, must 
 not only be capable of protecting himself from 
 the baleful effects of the evil thoughts of those 
 on the animal plane, but must possess a com- 
 manding influence over the baser elements in 
 the mental atmosphere about him. That is, he 
 must control the masses and mould their 
 thoughts for good. He can do it, in a degree, 
 if he is governed by his divine Mind, for that is 
 the Power which commands all things. It said, 
 "Let there be light." 
 
 Some years since, I was present at an anti- 
 slavery meeting in a large eastern city where 
 the most powerful man of his time was to speak. 
 An immense crowd had assembled, composed 
 of every conceivable order of mind; a large 
 portion of which held the most antagonistic 
 views regarding the anti-slavery cause, as well as 
 a bitter hatred toward the speaker. It was a 
 mental atmosphere largely on the animal plane. 
 It was like a huge powder magazine requiring 
 but a spark to bring an explosion. 
 
 The speaker arose, stepped forward, and laid 
 his hand upon the desk, stood silent and motion- 
 
32 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 less for a moment expressing a majesty that he 
 alone of all the men of the day possessed. He 
 commenced speaking, rather slowly at first, as 
 was his custom, making not the slightest ges- 
 ture. Presently he began to pour forth elo- 
 quent words, once heard never forgotten, kind- 
 ling in the breasts of the devoted lovers of justice 
 and freedom a fire that never smouldered or died 
 out. 
 
 The low brutal thought element began to 
 vibrate and seethe with suppressed rage and ex- 
 citement; then to lash; then the storm burst! 
 Hisses, howls and execrations were poured out 
 against the cause and the speaker. The tumult 
 was for the time deafening. 
 
 To one unaccustomed to gatherings of that 
 nature a riot appeared imminent. I looked 
 over the audience to see if there were any move- 
 ments toward quelling the disturbance, but no 
 one moved in that direction. Then I looked 
 toward the speaker. 
 
 He had not even stirred, but stood perfectly 
 motionless, with that firm right hand still rest- 
 ing on the desk where he had first laid it. He 
 stood like a god and faced that belligerent ele- 
 ment, with a countenance unrufTled and calm 
 and a certain masterful expression that was- in- 
 describable. The fury began to subside, order 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 33 
 
 was restored, and the house became quiet with- 
 out a word of protest from any quarter. 
 
 The speaker took up his subject just where 
 he had left off, without a comment or change 
 of voice or countenance, and continued holding 
 the attention of the entire audience with ever- 
 deeping interest and without a dissenting voice 
 to the close. He was master of that higher 
 magic. He said to that turbulent sea of brutal 
 thought, Peace, be still. And it obeyed him; 
 just as the storm on the Sea of Galilee two thous- 
 and years ago obeyed the commands of the 
 Master Magician. 
 
 What was true of those commanding minds 
 is equally true of all who are controlled by their 
 divine Mind and will. 
 
 We must not forget that there are many strat- 
 as of thought. All thought originating in the 
 minds of men influences in a silent way the minds 
 of all other men that come in contact with them. 
 All books, although unread, influence the 
 mind of the race for good or evil, according to 
 the nature of the thoughts embodied in them. 
 Thoughts of hatred, animal passions, jealousy 
 or anger, although not expressed, arouse kind- 
 red thoughts in others on the same plane; so 
 that what was merely the thought of crime in 
 one may come into expression through another, 
 
34 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 who yet would never have thought of the wrong. 
 Crimes of all descriptions are contagious. 
 They are in the air as much so as diseases. On 
 the other hand so likewise are good thoughts, 
 kindness, love and mercy. They are on a high- 
 er plane, but we can have them if we reach high 
 enough. Thoughts rise according to their 
 specific gravity. 
 
 To think of the divine source of love, is to 
 send the thoughts to the center of all Good. 
 That in the highest sense is prayer. The men- 
 tal atoms have been to the bosom of the Infinite, 
 and return laden with divine love strong to heal 
 and bless. To strongly desire the well-being 
 of another is to pray for that one. 
 
 Prayer does not consist in many and eloquent 
 words. All elevated and unselfish thoughts are 
 prayers. The high and pure aspirations of all 
 lovers of the race have formed a mental zone 
 above the atmosphere created by the carnal or 
 fleshly mind. In this elevated belt of thought 
 is stored the wisdom of every grand soul that 
 has ever inhabited our planet. Nothing is ever 
 lost, nor is there anything new. 
 
 We, if we desire, can have access to this 
 mighty storehouse where all the wisdom of the 
 past and future awaits our demands. We have 
 onlv to come to the consciousness of the Su- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 35 
 
 preme Mind within us to. become possessors of 
 the vast riches in store for the seeker after truth. 
 
 The wise Egyptian, Balthazar, was doubtless 
 very familiar with this elevated region of 
 thought. He says, "There is a kingdom on the 
 earth, though not of it; a kingdom wider than 
 the bounds of the earth, though they were roll- 
 ed together as finest gold and spread by the 
 beating of hammers. Its existence is a fact, 
 as our hearts are facts, and we journey through 
 it from birth to death without seeing it; nor 
 shall any man see it till he hath first known !iis 
 own soul; for this kingdom is not for him, but 
 for his soul. And in its dominions there is 
 glory such as hath not entered into imagination 
 — original, incomparable, impossible of increase. 
 Nor shall any man see it till he hath first known 
 his own soul." This soul of man is his divine 
 Mind. He is to enlarge it. He is to earn his 
 divinity. He is to accumulate all the wisdom 
 of the ages in order that he also may become 
 one among the hosts of Gods who fashion the 
 objective universe. 
 
 Mankind has for the time lost his localization 
 with the Supreme central Mind. That is why 
 we need religious education now especially. 
 
36 
 
 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 "Let him that is endued with Mind, know himself to 
 be immortal; and that the cause of death is the love of 
 the body. 
 
 "But as many souls of men, as do not admit or en- 
 tertain the Mind for their Governor, do suffer the same 
 thing that the soul of unreasonable living things. 
 
 "And as brute beasts, they are angry without reason, 
 and they desire without reason, and never cease, nor are 
 satisfied with Evil. 
 
 "Therefore hath God set the Mind over these, as a 
 Revenger and Reprover of them." 
 
 •Hermes in "Divine Pymander. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 37 
 
 Father Hyacinth smilingly took his departure, 
 and Brother Frederick stepped forward, intro- 
 duced the new members of the class to those 
 of the brotherhood present. One splendid- 
 looking man, whom I afterward learned to know 
 as Brother Paul, rose from among the group and 
 welcomed us to the "Home" and the fellowship 
 with the "Brothers" and "Sisters" of the Mystic 
 Circle. The entire group arose and smilingly 
 bowed to us; then dispersed in various direc- 
 tions. 
 
 To one Sister was assigned the duty of enter- 
 taining our party until the dinner hour. To 
 our family group were added ten new members, 
 men and women from various portions of the 
 country, beside a scientist from Germany, who 
 had a most singular way of studying people 
 through his glasses, causing them to feel that 
 he was analyzing the component parts of their 
 etheric substance or some such thing. 
 
 As we passed out of the house, he dropped 
 back to my side and said that he had just come 
 from a visit to Tesla's laboratory, — wherever 
 that may be, I did not inquire, I was too busy in 
 taking in my new and novel surroundings to 
 care to talk upon science. I gradually made 
 my way toward the front of the group, near the 
 Sister, to hear her explanations of the colony, a 
 
38 Hermaphro Deity : 
 
 subject of greater interest to me just then than 
 anything else. 
 
 One could well imagine oneself in a town, so 
 numerous were the buildings, and grouped with 
 such system and order, with regular streets, elec- 
 tricity, water supplies, and telephones. All this, 
 remember, is located up on a mountain side; it 
 was literally "a city set upon a hill." It stood 
 in the midst of a grove of the grandest trees that 
 I have ever seen. The Home was of great size 
 and massiveness, something after the style of the 
 old English castles. The buildings for animals, 
 the storing of farm produce, the packing of 
 fruits, manufacturing purposes, electricity, etc., 
 were of the same architectural design and finish. 
 The entire town was built of the native stone, 
 of a soft light-gray color, with a fine grain and 
 very durable. 
 
 The Sister who escorted us over the place, in- 
 formed us that there were five thousand acres 
 in the plantation. That there were three hun- 
 dred acres devoted to orange groves, now in full 
 bearing; three hundred to cherries, five hundred 
 and fifty to grapes, fifty to strawberries, and five 
 hundred to plums and peaches, and about twen- 
 ty-five to garden produce fcr the family, includ- 
 ing one hundred acres to black and red rasp- 
 berries. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 39 
 
 This Sister also said, with a show of pride, 
 that they milked one hundred and fifty cows, all 
 of the choicest Jersey breed, and that their but- 
 ter brought the highest market price; that they 
 had twenty-five horses on the place, with the 
 necessary equipments; that their system of ir- 
 rigation was the most perfect in the State, and 
 that they had just completed arrangements for 
 the manufacturing of ice, which would enable 
 them to make a perfect success of their cream- 
 ery, as well as the storing of fruit. 
 
 ''Our buildings are all lighted by electricity, 
 as you see," our guide continued, "and the most 
 interesting part of the whole matter is," here 
 her face lighted up, "that the planning and the 
 entire work has been accomplished by members 
 of the brotherhood. We have in our family 
 four as fine artists as there are in the w r orld, who 
 were very celebrated before they came to us. 
 There are two painters, one sculptor and one ar- 
 chitect — three men and one woman. The 
 woman is our finest painter. She has done all 
 the large paintings for the Home; those pieces 
 in the chapel were hers. The painting of the 
 walls and other decorations were the work of 
 Brothers Andrew and James, so that through 
 the finished skill of the Brothers and Sisters we 
 have in our Home not only solid comfort, but 
 
40 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 real artistic finish." Here she smiled, showing 
 two dimples and a mouth full of perfect teeth. 
 
 ''What number have you in your fraternity?" 
 asked Angela. 
 
 'There are five hundred life members, taking 
 old and young," replied the Sister. "They are 
 not all in the Home at this present time. A 
 number of the more gifted and experienced are 
 out in the world, teaching in different portions 
 or the country. It is not known that they are 
 connected with this community. There is never 
 any proselyting done by the members of the 
 brotherhood, as only such can unite with us as 
 are prepared to live the strict life of self-sacrifice 
 and seclusion." 
 
 "Where are all the children?" inquired a Bos- 
 ton man, who had been deeply absorbed in all 
 that had been said. 
 
 "Well, at the present time we have no very 
 young children," answered the Sister. "The 
 youngest ones, from ten to fifteen, have grown 
 up in the colony — they came in quite young; 
 some of them were babies. But we shall soon 
 have more children, as there are several families 
 coming who have quite young members." 
 
 "You said that families came into this asso- 
 ciation, husbands and their wives; are there no 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 41 
 
 children born in the Home?" I ventured to 
 ask. 
 
 "No, there are no children born here; you 
 will understand that celibacy is the foundation 
 tenet in our creed," replied the Sister. 
 
 "Then, how do you expect to increase in num- 
 ber and become permanent?" I persisted. 
 
 "Oh, by voluntary contribution from the outer 
 world," smilingly answered our guide. 
 
 "Will not this community, like many others 
 of a similar character, be likely to disorganize 
 and disband in time?" asked a young man, who 
 had the air of a divinity student. 
 
 "We think not," replied the Sister. "Our fra- 
 ternity started with less than a half dozen fami- 
 lies, over fifty years ago. It has steadily in- 
 creased in numbers and prosperity. In all of 
 their experience there have been but five life 
 members who have withdrawn because they 
 could not adapt their lives to that of the com- 
 munity." 
 
 Here we were startled by the ringing of a 
 loud but sweet-toned bell hanging in the tower 
 of Home building. 
 
 "That is the signal for dinner," said our 
 charming escort, turning and smiling upon her 
 eager, enthusiastic company. "Come up this 
 way," she continued, as she, with her elastic 
 
42 Herrnaphro- Deity : 
 
 step and graceful robe, preceded us up the broad 
 steps to the main entrance of the Home. 
 
 On the porch we halted to look down over the 
 valley — over thousands of acres of rich and high- 
 ly cultivated land; over orange groves: over 
 orchards of plum, peach and cherry trees; over 
 fields of grapes and strawberries: and, over and 
 above all, such sunshine as can be seen nowhere 
 else under heaven. As we narrowed our vision, 
 and brought it up to the lawn in front of the 
 Home, we were greeted by a sight that must 
 delight all lovers of flowers. Such a wealth of 
 roses as no one could imagine unless he had been 
 in this country and witnessed for himself the 
 manner in which nature arrays herself in this 
 her bridal season. 
 
 Annie came to me in great excitement, shock- 
 ed that Brother Paul should have introduced 
 her to two full-blooded Africans. I studied the 
 two men as we passed on. They were 
 black as ebony, but each had the bearing of a 
 king, and the white surplices, and the dignity 
 with which they bore themselves, made them a 
 most conspicuous and attractive study. They 
 were given the honor of showing us to our seats 
 at the table, which they did with such grace and 
 dignity that even Annie was filled with admir- 
 ation; she, leaning over to me. whispered. "Well, 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 43 
 
 I never could believe that a darkey could be so 
 splendid looking. It is just because they are 
 up here." I observed that a peculiar deference 
 was shown these men, the cause of which I learn- 
 ed later. 
 
 On our way to the dining room I took a hasty 
 survey of the interior of the building on the first 
 floor. I noticed that the floors were all of hard 
 wood, and highly polished, with here and there 
 handsome rugs. The walls were of a golden 
 tint, without paper or figures of any kind, but 
 hanging upon them were many elegant paint- 
 ings and choice steel engravings. Wherever the 
 eye rested there were evidences of refinement; 
 in the rich furniture, rare works of art, and bits 
 of choice sculpture. Many of the families, the 
 Sister had told us, had not only brought their 
 wealth to the colony, but had also brought many 
 of the rare things that had adorned their homes 
 in other countries. 
 
 As we entered the dining room I was aston- 
 ished at not only the size, but its curious shape. 
 It was semi-circular in form, and supplied with 
 large windows which flooded the room with 
 light. 
 
 In this room were a large number of tables, 
 at each of which could be seated twenty per- 
 sons. Thev were made of some dark wood, 
 
44 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 mahogany I should judge, and polished until 
 they shone like mirrors. The chairs were also 
 of some dark wood. There were no cloths, but 
 here and there upon the tables pretty doilies for 
 the large dishes. In the center of each table 
 was a flat oval dish, in which was a beautiful 
 variety of growing fern, a native of the moun- 
 tains here. 
 
 Although everything was on so large a scale, 
 yet there was an air of delicacy and refinement 
 extremely pleasing. The china, glass and sil- 
 ver, though not of an expensive kind, had evi- 
 dently been selected with a view to artistic effect. 
 There was a perfect uniformity in the arrange- 
 ments. The tables were all laid with care and 
 everything was immaculately clean. 
 
 The fruit dishes were heaped with strawber- 
 ries, oranges and bananas; and scattered about 
 the tables in profusion were glass pitchers filled 
 with rich yellow cream and milk, with a gener- 
 ous supply of sugar at hand. No meats were 
 served; but there were eggs in great abundance, 
 prepared in various ways, with a variety of de- 
 licious vegetables cooked in the most appetiz- 
 ing manner, butter and cream entering largely 
 into their preparation. And the bread and but- 
 ter — well, Annie said that it was "meat fit for 
 the gods," whoever they might be. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 45 
 
 In the serving of this meal there were no at- 
 tendants; nobody entered or left the room dur- 
 ing the. time. No one arose from the tables. 
 At each table a Brother cut the bread on a large 
 carved wooden platter. Everyone assisted in 
 the serving, and yet there was no confusion or 
 noise. The Sisters served the fruit. 
 
 The whole arrangement of that room, the lay- 
 ing of the tables, the nature and delicacy of the 
 food, the manner of serving, the general air of 
 good breeding that prevai4ed, the courtesy dis- 
 played by one to another, is a picture indelibly 
 impressed upon my mind as one of the most 
 perfect things in all my experience. I had al- 
 ways had an aversion to eating with a crowd. 
 Any noise or uncouth manners at table were 
 sufficient to destroy all desire for food that I 
 may have had. But Lord Chesterfield himself 
 could have found no fault with the table man- 
 ners of these people. There was no moving of 
 the feet or chairs. 
 
 One thing impressed me greatly, and that was 
 their peculiar, low, deliberate manner of speak- 
 ing, together with a certain musical quality of 
 voice most pleasing. I had noticed this peculi- 
 arity in Angela's manner of speech. It was so 
 marked in her case, that, in traveling or in 
 crowds, when she would speak strangers would 
 
46 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 turn and look at her. And now, in compari- 
 son with those about us, Annie's voice and mine 
 appeared to be strung up on a metallic key that 
 grated terribly. I had never noticed it before, 
 although John had told us that we talked too 
 loud. 
 
 These people ate as deliberately as they talked; 
 they exhibited no haste in anything. They dis- 
 played an air of cheerfulness and an ease of man- 
 ner surprising to me when I remembered' that 
 the Sister had told us that many members of the 
 community had not been ofT the plantation in 
 fifteen years. 
 
 Father Hyacinth was the principal speaker at 
 dinner. He had just returned from an extend- 
 ed trip through the various fruit-growing re- 
 gions, and his talk was upon the different meth- 
 ods of crating, storing and shipping fruit. This 
 subject appeared to interest the entire company. 
 Then, too, the speaker had such a charming 
 manner of relating his experience with the people 
 in the various localities which he had visited. 
 One could well imagine himself at some great 
 banquet, so leisurely and comfortably was the 
 whole affair conducted. 
 
 The serving and the partaking of that meal 
 gave me an insight into the character of the 
 people that nothing but time and a close rela- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 47 
 
 tionship in other ways could have done. As 
 passed this meal, so passed all others during our 
 stay of many months with this most remarkable 
 and fascinating band of recluses. 
 
 I found that they did not believe in making 
 slaves of themselves, there being no incentive to 
 individuals to amass wealth, as every man and 
 woman had secured to them, not only a delight- 
 ful home, guarantee of care and attention in case 
 of sickness and in old age; but a certain annuity 
 from the Corporation, which John informed me 
 was on as strict a basis as the United States Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 As time passed, I discovered that the mem- 
 bers never labored to exceed six hours a day, 
 and that only during the season of gathering, 
 storing and shipping fruit; at all other times 
 four or five hours were the rule. Everything 
 is done to make the home life attractive and de- 
 lightful, and their efforts have been successful. 
 
 This community is a world within itself. 
 Their landed possessions were full of resources, 
 which this ingenious people have developed to 
 an astonishing perfection. 
 
 Through Annie's skill in shorthand I am en- 
 abled to give a tolerable digest of the strange 
 and wonderful doctrines taught and believed, 
 yes, and lived up to, by this singular school of 
 Mystics. 
 
48 Herrnaphro- Deity : 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Benares, California, April 15th. 
 
 This morning the new members of the class, 
 twelve in number, breakfasted with the family, 
 and were ready at half past six to start on a tour 
 of inspection and study of this most wonderful 
 country and community. 
 
 We have been here over a week, and yet have 
 investigated but a small portion of this immense 
 enterprise. One or two 'of the Brothers or 
 Sisters usually accompany the party in their 
 rounds as a matter of courtesy, as well as to give 
 information. Pleasant, high-toned manners are 
 displayed by this people at all times and under 
 all circumstances. A Brother never meets one 
 without lifting his hat, or a Sister without a bow 
 and a smile. This show of deference and re- 
 spect is manifested toward the least in import- 
 ance in the colony. I discovered early that un- 
 usual deference was always shown those of alien 
 blood, the African and Japanese members. 
 
 We had learned that there were two excur- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 49 
 
 sions to this resort each month, commencing in 
 April and continuing until July. They came 
 from the various towns along the line of the 
 Northern Pacific Railroad, occasionally one 
 from San Francisco. 
 
 The Brother, a Japanese, who was our escort 
 this morning informed us that today was the 
 date for the San Francisco excursion, which 
 would reach the plantation at twelve o'clock. 
 He said that refreshments would be served as 
 soon as the guests arrived, that the tables would 
 be laid on the lawn under the trees. I now ob- 
 served that several of the Brothers were engaged 
 in unloading folding chairs and tables from a 
 large furniture van. 
 
 'We were informed that Brothers Paul and 
 Frederick had the management of these enter- 
 prises. That the excursionists often numbered 
 two and three hundred, and that the sales of 
 fruit, honey, cheese, butter, eggs, etc., were at 
 times enormous. 
 
 The refreshments were gratuitous, and the 
 ride to and from the station free also. Our 
 guide said, laughingly, "When those city people 
 get up here, and take in this mountain air, they 
 get so hungry that it sometimes looks doubtful 
 about our finding enough food on the planta- 
 tion to feed them; but our band plays during 
 
50 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 the meal, and the music somehow seems to 
 satisfy them. We always give them our choicest 
 music, and you know what that is," he said, 
 turning to a professor of music from Berlin. 
 
 We had discovered that among the members 
 of the colony there were musicians of a very su- 
 perior order, both in the line of vocal and in- 
 strumental music. To make the most and best 
 of every faculty for good is the leading prin- 
 ciple of this peculiar people, so that those dis- 
 playing talents of any order were encouraged 
 to cultivate them, the best teachers and facilities 
 being employed to this end. 
 
 There was an orchestra composed of eight of 
 the Sisters, who played upon stringed instru- 
 ments, and who gave one of the most perfect en- 
 tertainments to which I have ever listened. 
 Brother Rameses being their leader and insrtuct- 
 or. There was also a well organized military 
 band that, for an hour each evening, out on the 
 lawn, discoursed the choicest music of the great 
 composers, from Chopin down. 
 
 The attraction for me in all their music was 
 the performance of their principal violinist, 
 Brother Rameses, an Austrian by birth. He 
 was of massive proportions and com- 
 manding presence — more like Wilhelmj than 
 any one else I had ever seen. There was a 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 51 
 
 silent power about the man that appeared to ele- 
 vate those that looked at him, and as he slowly 
 and gracefully drew the bow over the strings of 
 his instrument, one could not help feeling a re- 
 gret that all the world could not listen to his in- 
 spiring and elevating music. 
 
 The professor from Berlin, who was up here 
 in the mountains for his health, pronounced the 
 entire musical department of the colony as per- 
 fect in every detail. 
 
 I learned that the violinist was on the pro- 
 gram for the day. This concert usually oc- 
 cupied not more than an hour, so that the visi- 
 tors could have time to investigate the working 
 of the institution. 
 
 As this was the morning for the lesson, when 
 the great clock struck the quarter to nine we all 
 turned our steps toward the Home. One of 
 the new students, a man from Boston, walking 
 along by my side, said, "Is there anywhere on 
 earth another such a spot or such a people? It 
 is all so new and strange to me, yes, and per- 
 fect, that I want to stay here the remainder of 
 my life." 
 
 I looked up into his frank, smiling counte- 
 nance and noted the faint glow of health that 
 had been from day to day slowly deepening on 
 his cheeks, and said, "You are less excitable and 
 
52 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 much more harmonious than when you first 
 came. I think you may be trusted to stay," I 
 added with gravity. 
 
 "Well, then, allow me the privilege of sitting 
 next to you in the class this morning," he said 
 smilingly, as we entered the chapel. 
 
 We took our seats, and after our long walk in 
 the exhilarating mountain air the holy quiet of 
 this room appeared to fall like a benediction on 
 all. 
 
 John, who was always seated at my right, 
 came in with Annie, and, taking his accustomed 
 place beside me. said, in a low voice, "I wish 
 you to give your undivided attention to the sub- 
 ject of the lesson this morning, it is of import- 
 ance to all. There are certain truths which you 
 need to understand." 
 
 "I will," I replied, looking into his grand face 
 and wondering why they did not make them all 
 like John. Then I closed my eyes, and listen- 
 ing to the music and singing wandered in 
 thought away back to those remote ages when 
 men were supposed to have been angelic beings, 
 and I wondered if they were really any better 
 than some of the human family I knew at the 
 present time. 
 
 Presently I was aroused from my reverie by 
 the voice of Father Hvacinth announcing the 
 
The Mystery of 'Divine Genius. 53 
 
 subjcet of the morning's lesson, that old and 
 hackneyed story of the Creation of Man and our 
 Planet. 
 
 The Boston man leaned over, and whisper- 
 ing to me, said, "I want you to watch me, and 
 pinch me or stick pins in me, for I shall go to 
 sleep; I have heard all I care to about the cre- 
 ation business, and unless your preacher can 
 trump up something new in this line I would 
 rather pick oranges." . 
 
 "You mean that you would rather eat them," 
 I snapped out, drawing myself away from his 
 side unable to conceal my disgust at his levity. 
 
 At this point Father Hyacinth commenced 
 his lesson and I forgot my irritation and impa- 
 tience in the fascination of the speaker and the 
 subject. 
 
54 Hermaphro-De&y . 
 
 "Every man is appointed by God to know and to 
 
 contemplate." 
 
 — Pythagoras. 
 
 "There is no other true religion than to meditate on 
 the universe and give thanks to the Creator. * * * * 
 How happily constituted and near to the Gods is human- 
 ity! In joining himself to the divine, man disdains that 
 which he has in him of the earthly; he connects himself 
 by a bond of love to all other beings, and thereby feels 
 himself necessary to the universal order. He contem- 
 plates heaven; and in this happy middle sphere, in which 
 he is placed, he loves all that is below him; he is beloved 
 by all that is above." 
 
 — Hermes. 
 
 ''Let us realize it again and again — man is the lord of 
 all that exists; his crown of thorns is his crown of 
 glory. That which elevates man above all other beings 
 is his capacity for suffering, and the consequent power of 
 asking for its extinction absolutely and forever." 
 
 — Mohini M. Chatterji. 
 
The Mysteiy of Divine Genius. 
 
 SECOND LESSON. 
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN AND OUR 
 PLANET. 
 
 The study of the creation of the race and the 
 planetary system is not as a rule considered of 
 much importance to the average individual. It 
 is so remote from anything on the plane of his 
 daily life, that it appears of trifling value in com- 
 parison to the present existence. Very few 
 can see any relation between the celestial Man 
 and the man of today, in fact scarcely believe 
 there ever was a celestial Man, and planet to 
 match — indeed rarely think anything concern- 
 ing the matter. Were it not a fixed fact in the 
 philosophy of life that the Thought of the race 
 not only moulds the character and nature of the 
 race, but also the planet down to its lowest king- 
 dom, we would not have the courage to bring 
 forward so unsavory a topic. 
 
 The animal or natural man, as he exists today, 
 has little or no capacity to comprehend the 
 character of the divine Being or Power or celes- 
 tial Hierarchy which he has been taught to call 
 
56 Hermapkro Deity ; 
 
 Gocl. There is, however, deep in the higher 
 nature of humanity, a dim sense of a Supreme 
 Power; and in the history of the world it has 
 been only those who have followed that instinct 
 that have reached any degree of satisfaction in 
 their labors of life. 
 
 Now as a crowning statement in our proposi- 
 tion we declare that the real Man is an offspring 
 of the divine Central Mind and possesses in em- 
 bryo all of the potentialities oi the divine Parent. 
 He is not merely a demonstration of. but the 
 demonstrator of the Central Intelligence, and 
 one with the celestial hosts of Gods whose mis- 
 sion it is to develop the ideas and plans of the 
 Central Architect or Mind. *T have said. Ye are 
 Gods, and all of you children of the Most High,'' 
 said the mystic David. 
 
 That wise Egyptian, Hermes, who lived, 
 thought and wrote centuries before David's 
 time, who like Paul was conveyed away into 
 Paradise and heard, " Things spoken which is 
 not possible for man to relate," says. "Man is a 
 divine living thing, and is not to be compared 
 to any brute beast that lives upon earth, but to 
 them that are above in heaven, that are called 
 Gods. "Wherefore we must be bold to say. 
 That an earthly man. is a mortal God: and that 
 the heavenly God, is an immortal Man." 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 57 
 
 It will be difficult for those seeing only the 
 degraded side of human nature to accept the 
 statement of man's divinity. I am aware there 
 is a crookedness manifested that does not har- 
 monize with the theory of the race having been 
 created in the likeness of God. But I take the 
 position that this forbidding outside aspect is 
 only temporary. Man in his central life is still 
 divine. He cannot help himself. Because God 
 exists, and is eternal, Man must exist eternally. 
 God being the infinite, the divine Central Life, 
 could create nothing unlike himself and there is 
 but the one Substance from which all things are 
 made. 
 
 "Thus saith the Lord, the holy one of Israel, 
 Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, 
 and concerning the work of my hands — I have 
 made the earth and created Man upon it; I, even 
 my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and 
 all their hosts have I commanded." 
 
 ''And God said, Let us make man in our 
 image, after our likeness; and let them have do- 
 minion." According to this statement God did 
 not operate alone. "Let US make man," — who 
 was US? 
 
 From a careful study of all ancient and sacred 
 history, we learn that there are, in the domains 
 of the Supreme Overmind, celestial Hierarchies 
 
58 Hermaphro- Dei$y ; 
 
 or orders of Gods, who in the scheme of creation 
 perform the behest of the Supreme, making His 
 thoughts manifest. According to the most oc- 
 cult authority, Christ was the leading intelli- 
 gence in our circle, and through His creative 
 fiat our solar system and Man came into object- 
 ive being. 
 
 " For the Father of all things, the Mind, being Life and 
 Light, brought forth Man, like unto himself, whom he loved ; 
 for he was all beauteous, having the Image of his Father. 
 
 "For the Mind being God, Male and Female, Life and 
 Light, brought forth by his Word ; another Mind, the Work- 
 man ; which being God of the Fire and the Spirit, fashioned 
 and formed seven other Governors, which in their circles 
 contain the Sensible World " 
 
 — Hermes. 
 
 There are doubtless many circles and great as- 
 semblages of celestial beings sitting in council 
 on the momentous work of the evolving and 
 objectifying of suns, systems, and races of men. 
 As there are myriads of glowing suns in that 
 belt of light known to us as the "Milky Way," 
 so there are myriads of Godlike beings who 
 come and go, doing the work of manifesting 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 59 
 
 the thoughts and plans of the great Central Mind 
 of our spiritual universe. 
 
 Creation was not the work of past ages alone, 
 but is an ever-present movement of divine Mind. 
 The "wheel of life" is ceaseless disintegration 
 and creation, ever evolving new forms from the 
 old, without the loss or destruction of one par- 
 ticle of the divine Substance. 
 
 But for the present we are interested only in 
 our own solar system, and especially in the his- 
 tory of the creation of our race and planet. 
 
 To be explicit: Christ was the creator of the 
 objective man and this world. We are there- 
 fore His creation, and that is the reason it is so 
 imperative that mankind should come into un- 
 derstanding of and at-onement with Him. The 
 objective man cannot exist without Him. The 
 soul is doomed that will not recognize the Christ, 
 because He is the Light and Life of all souls, 
 and to persistently shut away that Light is for 
 them to eventually go out in utter darkness — 
 to become disintegrated; to lose their objectiv- 
 ity. 
 
 This teaching presents Christ in a new light, 
 and brings Him into closer relationship to our 
 humanity, and explains why He, of all the Gods, 
 came to the world to redeem the race and re- 
 store all things. "He came to redeem His own, 
 
GO Her rnaphro- Deity : 
 
 and complete His work." Our interpretation 
 of the first chapter of St. John will unveil much 
 that appears mysterious and irreconcilable, and 
 out of which has grown widely divergent opin- 
 ions and creeds. 
 
 In the first chapter of St. John the Logos — 
 or Word — always signifies the Christ. "In the 
 beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
 with God, and the Word was God." — or "a" 
 God. "The same was in the beginning with 
 God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
 among men. and we beheld His glory, 
 as of the only begotten of the Father, full of 
 grace and truth. Which was born, not of blood, 
 nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of 
 man, but of God. In Him was life: and the life 
 was the light of men. All things were made by 
 Him; and without Him was not anything made 
 that was made. He was in the world, and the 
 world was made by Him, and the world knew 
 Him not. He came to his own domains and 
 yet His own people received Him not." 
 
 We have Christ's own words: "My Father 
 worketh hitherto, and I work. For the Father 
 loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that 
 Himself doeth: and He will show Him greater 
 works than these, that you may marvel. For 
 what things soever He doeth. these also doeth 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 61 
 
 the Son likewise. As the Father has life in Him- 
 self; so He gives also to the Son to have life in 
 Himself. I am the way, the truth and the life; 
 no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." 
 
 Almost His last utterances were these: "And 
 now, O Father, glorify Thou Me, with thine 
 own self with the glory which I had with Thee 
 before the world was. For Thou lovedst Me 
 before the foundation of the world." 
 
 Paul says: "There is one God, the Father, OF 
 WHOM are all things, and we IN HIM; and 
 one Lord Jesus Christ, BY WHOM are all 
 things, and we BY HIM." 
 
 And again, in the first chapter of Hebrews, 
 he says: "God * * * hath in these last days 
 spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath ap- 
 pointed heir of all things, by whom also He 
 made the worlds; who being the brightness of 
 His glory, and the express image of His per- 
 son, and making manifest all things by the word 
 of His power." 
 
 In the religious teachings of the world, man 
 has been represented as so vile and far removed 
 from the divine that to reinstate him would ap- 
 pear impossible. So long has he been taught 
 that he was utterly degraded and debased in 
 both soul and body that he has grown to be- 
 lieve the storv, and has materialized condi- 
 
&2 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 tions suitable to such a state of mind. In order 
 to redeem him we must change this manner of 
 thinking and teaching. 
 
 "God created Man in His own image, in the 
 image of God created He him. And God saw 
 everything that He had made, and, behold, it 
 was very good." From this we perceive that 
 man, being in the divine likeness, must, like his 
 source, possess infinite possibilities, perfections 
 and duration. He has not the power to destroy 
 anything created by the divine Mind. 
 
 He has for the time lost sight of his divine 
 nature; has forgotten his first estate, as the aged 
 and infirm often lose the remembrances of the 
 scenes and events of their childhood and youth; 
 the spiritual consciousness has become obscured 
 through the sense life. 
 
 The divine Mind in man is endued with 
 all spiritual understanding, and as he enters the 
 realms of that Mind he comes into conscious 
 of what appears to the worldly mind so strange 
 and mysterious. Christ, endeavoring to in- 
 struct the ignorant and stupid crowd that daily 
 followed His footsteps, said. "Are your hearts 
 stnpified? Having eyes, do you not see? and 
 having ears, do you not hear? and do you not 
 recollect?" Appealing to their spiritual con- 
 sciousness of truths hidden beneath the heavy 
 burden of the fleshly memory. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 63 
 
 "Our life is but a sleep, and a forgetting, 
 The soul that rises in us, — our life-star — 
 Hath had elsewhere its setting, 
 And cometh from afar." 
 
 Time, like all of man's inventions, is a weighty 
 and oppressive thing. In our present narrowed 
 mental condition we cannot grasp the idea of the 
 vast periods required to restore the life of our 
 planet and its inhabitants. We try to sense in a 
 bewildered way the slow and silent process. 
 
 We can form but a dim conception of the 
 angelic Man. We are told that he was formed in 
 the "image of God," the divine Creator, whose 
 Nature is Love, whose Substance is Spirit, 
 whose creative Power is Mind; who is unlim- 
 ited, — from everlasting unto everlasting, — all- 
 seeing, all-knowing. And Man was created of 
 His Substance and in His likeness; and our 
 Guide said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father 
 in heaven is perfect." 
 
 The reason that we cannot comprehend the 
 nature and power of God, and Christ, is because 
 we do not understand Man, his creative genius, 
 his reasoning power, his marvelous insight into 
 hidden forces. 
 
 The creation of a planet and a race of men 
 
64 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 would not appear so incomprehensible if we 
 stopped for a moment to consider the wonderful 
 creative ability of man. The planning and 
 building of our great cities, our navies, our com- 
 mercial, electric, telegraphic and steam faci'ities, 
 all evolved through man's inventive and creative 
 genius; the architect and the artist conceiving 
 the ideas, which are submitted to others compe- 
 tent to externalize them. One need only to 
 watch Tripler's experiments with his "liquified 
 air;" or more wonderful still, Tesla's demonstra- 
 tion of the "electric life of the universe;" to 
 comprehend how a higher grade of mind might 
 be able to evolve from the cosmic ether, which 
 contains the essence of all shapes, an objective 
 world and its inhabitants. 
 
 The men of our present day, possessing but 
 ordinary mental capacity, have opened a door 
 into hidden forces, back of which lies a latent 
 and almighty Power awaiting the command of 
 the human race to evolve so-called miracles far 
 beyond our present comprehension. The ma- 
 jority of the race can form no more conception 
 of the order of Mind through which a planet and 
 a race of men could be evolved, than I. having 
 no knowledge of astronomy, could understand 
 the velocity of the planets in their revolutions 
 around their centers, or be prepared to tell when 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 65 
 
 the comets, meteoric showers or eclipses are 
 due, or of the Martian's mode of irrigation. 
 
 Evidently, the divine idea was to give ex- 
 pression to "individuality;" to develop objective 
 life, "create forms." "The earth was without form 
 and void, and darkness was upon the face of the 
 deep." Our planet had not yet assumed shape. 
 "The face of the deep" was the vast ocean of 
 cosmic, or spiritual Substance, from which are 
 evolved all forms of objective life. 
 
 The MIND — the image of Christ — in man, is 
 the Power that creates all the marvels of the ob- 
 jective worlds. Not only the vegetable, but also 
 the animal kingdoms come forth at his bidding; 
 all of the glories of architecture, art, literature 
 and science — in brief, he has created the ob- 
 jective world. 
 
 A limited observation of what we call the 
 world of nature would be sufficient to convince 
 the thoughtful student of the truth of this 
 theory. All that has ever come to the race, by 
 way of advancement or comfort from the lower 
 kingdoms, has been the result of man's intelli- 
 gent effort keeping pace with his demands. 
 
 As illustrations, we will take the present con- 
 ditions of those countries that man has in a 
 measure forsaken, which were once the pride 
 and glory of the world. The Pyramids of Egypt, 
 
66 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 silently brooding over the wastes of sand, could 
 they but speak, would confirm this apparently 
 extravagant statement. Where is now the glory 
 of Egypt? of Phoenicia? of Babylonia? of As- 
 syria? Where is Thebes, with her grand and 
 massive architecture and her groves of orange, 
 citron and olive? Where are the Hanging Gar- 
 dens of Babylon? Alas! all the marvels of art 
 and science have disappeared like shadows, and 
 what we are wont to call Nature fades out and 
 is gone when man withdraws his love and foster- 
 ing care. 
 
 The evolving of our planet out of the cosmic 
 Substance, the putting forth on our globe of the 
 various kingdoms, is controlled by the Mind of 
 Man. The multiplied eons during which our 
 world has revolved in its ocean of ether is of sec- 
 ondary interest to us. Man is the crowning 
 glory of the whole creation. To know Man is to 
 know God. 
 
 The primeval Man would not be so attractive 
 to us. but from the fact that his existence and 
 destiny is intimately linked with ours: we 
 have walked hand in hand with him down the 
 slopes of time, and we cannot know ourselves 
 until we have come into understanding of his 
 origin and nature. We are but a branch of 
 that great family that left the Father's house on 
 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 67 
 
 their tour of investigation ages and ages ago, 
 when the morning stars sang together. 
 
 We will briefly review the early history of our 
 race as far back as there is any record, beyond 
 that, doubtless for countless ages, the Adamic 
 race existed in the radiant atmosphere of a sin- 
 less world, where selfishness, disease and death 
 were unknown. 
 
 We can form no accurate conception of the 
 nature or condition of the inhabitants, or our 
 planet, at that time. From very ancient records 
 we find this statement: "God made not death; 
 neither hath He pleasure in the destruction of 
 the living. For he created all things that they 
 might have their being; and the generations of 
 the world were healthful, and there was no 
 poison or destruction in them, nor the kingdom 
 of death upon the earth." * 
 
 From Vedantic authorities we learn that 
 man was even in the second and third eras an 
 ethereal being, and that the exhalations of his 
 body were deliciously fragrant; and that all ani- 
 mals at that period were like trees, flowers and 
 plants, most fragrant." "It is next to impos- 
 sible," says this authority, "to give a true con- 
 ception of the human beings who once walked 
 this earth; its early possessors. They can only 
 
 * Book of Wisdom. 
 
68 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 be realized by the seer, and conceived by those 
 whose imaginative powers are of a very high de- 
 gree. * 
 
 It is generally supposed that the first and sec- 
 ond chapters of Genesis relate to the one creation, 
 and the decided difference in the two histories 
 has led to great complications and confusion, 
 because of the unlikeness of the two creations. 
 
 In the first chapter it is stated: "God created 
 Man in His own image. And God saw every- 
 thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very 
 good." 
 
 The second chapter evidently relates to a 
 period in the experience of the race and planet 
 widely remote from the first history- The first 
 creation was the spiritual Man, in the likeness 
 of the Most High. The angelic Man not yet 
 having entered into objective life. 
 
 In the second chapter we find, "The Lord 
 God," who was given the mission from the 
 Father to bring into material life the race and 
 the planet (God being the Father, the Lord God 
 being the Son), "formed man of the dust of the 
 ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath 
 of life; and man became a living soul." This is 
 not a creation — "Became" a living soul. To be- 
 
 * Fragments of Forgotten History. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. . 69 
 
 come, is to pass from one state or condition into 
 another, assuming new qualities and offices. 
 
 "Formed man of the dust of the ground." 
 this symbolizes a more material state, as we call 
 it; but more properly speaking the race and 
 planet had entered into objective life, although 
 Man was still a sinless and angelic being, and 
 the world was as yet in a perfect state. 
 
 "He breathed into his nostrils the breath of 
 life, and man became a living soul." This soul 
 is something that has been given to the spiritual 
 Man who was created in God's image, a neces- 
 sary Helper in his search after knowledge. The 
 soul represents an individual mind which will 
 enable Man to gather up and store away the 
 knowledge gained from the varied experiences 
 of his numerous lives. This soul or mind reaches 
 out, and gathers in all the modes of divine oper- 
 ation; dips dow T n into the lowest — if there be 
 any lowest — where the spiritual Man could not* 
 go, that it may receive instruction concerning 
 the mysterious process of creation. In this soul 
 is locked a knowledge of all things. 
 
 You will keep before you the fact that soul 
 and Spirit are two distinct entities,having widely 
 different missions to fulfill. After working out 
 its destiny, the soul, rich in the experience of its 
 numerous lives, will come into at-onement with 
 
70 Hermapkro- Deity ; 
 
 the Spirit, thus completing the destiny of man 
 and making of him a God. 
 
 The soul or mind is an aggregation of in- 
 numerable consciousnesses which, when polar- 
 ized, becomes as an effulgent sun the center of 
 man's life, as the Supreme Mind is the center of 
 the universe. This mind grows. It becomes. 
 It expands. It can sin; and IT CAN DIE. 
 
 But the Spirit in man is sinless and deathless. 
 It knows no change, is in the likeness of the Su- 
 preme Father, the Jehovah Elohim. 
 
 It was Christ who breathed this soul or mind 
 into man, and who stamped the objective race 
 with His image; and He alone can redeem His 
 own, can heal the nation of its disease. 
 
 The theory that God is a principle, a bound- 
 less ocean of life, pervading all things alike, leads 
 to a vague and hopeless state of mind in the end. 
 To those who in early life have been greatly 
 shocked by severe Puritanical teachings, this 
 theory gives a sense of boundless freedom, at 
 first extremely satisfactory, as the higher nature 
 always rebels against the doctrine of an angry 
 or jealous God; but in time there comes, in place 
 of this mental exhilaration, a feeling of loss, a 
 sense of being alone and unprotected. An in- 
 dividual in this state of mind is as a ship on a 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius: 71 
 
 boundless ocean without compass, rudder or 
 anchor. 
 
 Man in his present state of development in- 
 stinctively yearns for some power greater than 
 himself, some source of wisdom in whom he may 
 trust, and whom he may love. The spiritual 
 Man yearns for the father — mother — the source 
 of his being; he does not long for the principle 
 of a being, but for the being itself. 
 
 Christ, while with men, constantly taught of 
 a Supreme Being, whom He named "■■Father." 
 Not His Father alone, but "The Father." "I 
 speak that which I have seen with my Father." 
 "I came from the Father," and "I go to the 
 Father." Christ in all of his teachings endeav- 
 ored to present God in an attractive light, so that 
 His followers would not only understand the na- 
 ture of the Father, but would trust and love Him 
 also; and not only trust and love Him, but be- 
 come like Him. 
 
 We understand that at this juncture in his 
 journey, the average man cannot comprehend 
 the modus operandi of the creative plan, or the 
 Creator. He has not even fathomed the law 
 through which the simplest flower unfolds its 
 beauty to the sun. How then can he be ex- 
 pected to apprehend that stupendous operation 
 by which worlds and races of men are evolved. 
 
72 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 But there are vital points connected with this 
 subject which for his safety and advancement 
 he should understand. First of all, his divine 
 origin, his spiritual nature, his intimate relations 
 to the Christ, his limitless mental capacity and 
 will power, his power of creating and re-creating. 
 He must also understand his religious nature 
 and needs; he must know that he can become 
 whatever he desires. 
 
The My ster.y of Divine Genius. 73 
 
 "A man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose 
 flower and fruitage is the world. * * * Human labor, 
 through all its forms, from the sharpening of a stake to 
 the construction of a city or an epic, is one immense il- 
 lustration of the perfect compensation of the universe." 
 
 ~ Emerson. 
 
 'Man, what thou art is hidden from thyself. 
 Know'st not, that morning, mid-day and the eve 
 Are all within thee? The ninth heaven art thou; 
 And from the spheres into the roar of time 
 Did'st fall ere while. Thou art the brush that painted 
 The hues of all the world — the light of life, 
 That ranged its glory in the nothingness." 
 
 — Ferridoddin. 
 
74 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 "We will adjourn," said Father Hyacinth at 
 the close of the lesson, stepping from the plat- 
 form and greeting in his loving way the mem- 
 bers of the class that thronged about him. 
 
 "Children, you hear that;" pointing toward 
 the great clock that was just then striking ten. 
 "This is to be an important day for our little 
 world," he continued. "There will be two or 
 three hundred visitors, no doubt, and you have 
 each a mission to these outside members of the 
 great brotherhood. I want you all to try and 
 see what kindness, patience and love will do to- 
 ward making these outsiders one with us. We 
 shall all need to exert ourselves in order to en- 
 tertain them as royally as we desire to do. 
 Come now," looking back and smiling, "we 
 must commence work." 
 
 In a few moments the audience had dispersed, 
 each individual obeying the call of duty or the 
 prompting of inclination. The Boston man, 
 who appeared inclined to be sociable with me 
 this morning, proposed that we should unfold 
 the chairs and arrange them about the tables, 
 which had been opened and placed in order. 
 - Brother Paul said that we should require all 
 of the reserved seats in the town. This being 
 the season of small fruits and roses, the crowd 
 would be unusually large. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 75 
 
 After completing our task of placing the chairs 
 the Boston man said, "Now let's take our chairs 
 out under that grand old tree yonder," pointing 
 to a majestic redwood on the edge of the lawn, 
 "and have a chat and watch the Brethren set the 
 tables. I have travelled extensively in nearly 
 every portion of the habitable globe in search of 
 curiosities, sights and sounds, and, taking it all 
 in all, I have never found a spot so full of inter- 
 est, so perfect in every respect, so nearly ideal, 
 as this. It appears to me to be a demonstration 
 of what is best and wisest in human nature — 
 solving the problem of man's possibilities. What 
 do you think about it?" turning abruptly to me. 
 
 "I am not wise, neither do I know much about 
 the world," I replied, "but the people here seem 
 so honest, truthful and happy; everything ap- 
 pears very different from anything that I have 
 ever known." 
 
 At this moment John and Annie joined us. 
 John looking serene and comfortable, as usual; 
 and Annie in one of her facetious and excitable 
 moods. Coming up to me, she said, "Elizabeth, 
 I must go home. If I stay here much longer I 
 shall be converted, especially if Brother Paul 
 chooses me again as his companion in inspecting 
 the fruit orchards. I think I shall need two or 
 three more reincarnations in order to get rid of 
 
76 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 my 'badness/ as John calls it. Don't you think 
 so, Elizabeth?" turning toward me a face as 
 honest and sweet as a child's. 
 
 "If there is one thing that I do desire above 
 another," I replied, "it is that in some of your 
 incarnations you may evolve the faculty of speak- 
 ing the truth, for if there is anything I prize it is 
 honesty and truthfulness in those who profess 
 to love me." 
 
 "You dear soul," she cried, throwing her arms 
 about me and beaming upon me. "you will have 
 your heart's desire concerning me if I remain 
 here long. They are all so awfully good you 
 can't quarrel with anybody. You can't be bad; 
 there's nobody to be bad with, especially since 
 you are getting regenerated," looking me full in 
 the eyes. "This is a curious place up here," 
 shaking her head and looking as sober as a 
 judge. "I have been about the world a good 
 bit, — not so extensively as our distinguished 
 friend here," — nodding toward the Boston man, 
 "but more than many, and I will say that I never 
 saw such a place and such a people. Here are 
 over three hundred persons, men and women 
 thrown together up in this wilderness, hundreds 
 of miles from civilization, some of them not hav- 
 ing been off the place in a dozen years: and yet 
 all, to a man and a woman, having high-bred 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 77 
 
 manners, being uniformly courteous, cheerful, 
 obliging, self-sacrificing, and the most wonder- 
 ful of all speaking the English language correct- 
 ly. Gracefully and artistically clothed. People 
 that when you come in contact with them you 
 feel that you are with ladies and gentlemen, no 
 matter what may be their color or occupation. 
 Society where a gentleman* can smile upon a 
 lady, or give a pleasing compliment, without 
 being in love with her or desiring her to be in 
 love with him." 
 
 "The unusual conditions and practices among 
 these people are what make this little world up 
 here in the mountains what it is," said John. "I 
 learn that, during the fifty odd years that have 
 passed since the little band of pilgrims first set- 
 tled on this spot, there has never been a case of 
 intoxication, an ounce of tobacco used, a quar- 
 rel, or a blow struck in anger, on the plantation. 
 There are no lawyers or doctors on the place, 
 neither marriages nor divorces. These facts ex- 
 plain to you why this unusual atmosphere per- 
 vades the whole settlement." 
 
 "That is just where the trouble is with me," 
 cried Annie. "I can't be so good. I like a good 
 fight now and then, and I dote on love-making, 
 marriages and especially divorces. These things 
 are all there is in life to me; at least, so far as I 
 
78 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 have been able to see. I tell you I am not good 
 enough to live up here with these people, " 
 stamping her feet by way of emphasis. 
 
 "Never mind," said John, "perhaps you are 
 better than you know. Come, we will go down 
 to the station and welcome the visitors; they 
 will bring you a taste of that world which you 
 like so much." And drawing her arm within his 
 own strong protecting one they walked off to- 
 ward the station, Annie looking back and smil- 
 ing like a spoiled child. 
 
 The Boston man and I sat in silence for several 
 minutes after they had left us. At last my com- 
 panion said to me, "Which of all the women who 
 appear to adore that handsome brother of yours 
 will he be likely to marry?" 
 
 "None of them," I replied; "he will never 
 marry." 
 
 "And why not?" he asked with some asperity. 
 
 "Well — because he is not made that way," I 
 answered in slangy parlance. 
 
 That polished Boston man gazed at me for 
 some moments, his whole manner plainly denot- 
 ing disgust. At length he said, "You know bet- 
 ter than to make use of any such expressions. 
 There is nothing 'smart,' as you call it, in their 
 use; on the contrary, it is incorrect and inele- 
 gant." 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 79 
 
 "I know that," I replied. "It is another proof 
 of the science of that automatic action of the 
 brain that we hear so much of in these days." 
 
 "More properly speaking, the automatic ac- 
 tion of the tongue; the brain had little to do 
 with the matter, the tongue talked itself," said 
 the Bostonian sourly. 
 
 We sat for some moments in silence. I knew 
 that my companion was correct and that I had 
 shown an unattractive side, but I had the Yankee 
 element known as "spunk" strong in me with a 
 desire for the last word, so I strengthened my 
 spinal column and said, "I should judge that a 
 large proportion of the conversation in general 
 society was automatic; from the tongue only. 
 Place a group of garrulous people together, start 
 them off on some subject, and it talks itself. 
 There would not be expressed one thought in 
 hours of such talk. We are very sure to stop 
 talking as soon as we begin to think. The 
 'thinkers' of the world have not been talkers." 
 
 "Your logic is better than your language, Sis- 
 ter," my companion said with mock gravity, and 
 rising he offered me his arm, and with a courtly 
 air said, "Will you permit me to escort you to 
 dinner, which has just been announced?" 
 
 "Yes," I answered, "you no doubt consider 
 
80 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 by this time that I am in need of a tutor or 
 guardian." 
 
 "Well, yes; I discovered there are a few things 
 for you to learn yet," looking at me with that 
 high and mighty air which some men assume 
 while looking at a woman whom they consider 
 as their inferior. 
 
 "I was not aware that any of us up here could 
 lay claim to a knowledge of all things," I return- 
 ed spitefully, as we took our seats at the table. 
 I did not look at my companion for some time, 
 but could feel that he literally shook with sup- 
 pressed laughter; over what 1 have no idea. 
 
 The excursion party was on time, and un- 
 usually large, one of the most successful that had 
 yet been given. The air of kindliness and genu- 
 ine politeness exhibited by the members of the 
 community toward the visitors made a most fav- 
 orable impression. A close inspection was made 
 into the various branches of industry on the plan- 
 tation, and their original and improved meth- 
 ods greatly astonished the leading business men, 
 who had come largely out of curiosity. All were 
 evidently surprised at the elegance and perfect 
 finish of the buildings, particularly that of the 
 Home. 
 
 Brother Paul said that these excursions were 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 81 
 
 of great value to the Institution, making it bet- 
 ter understood, and adding to its strength in 
 every way. He said that three families had on 
 this occasion planned with Father Hyacinth to 
 enter the Home this season on probation. Also 
 that this had been one of the most remunerative 
 expeditions they had yet known, requiring an 
 extra car to ship the supplies from the Home to 
 the junction. The visitors appeared inclined to 
 purchase everything they saw in the line of food, 
 the quality being so superior and the prices reas- 
 onable beyond any thing they had ever known. 
 Sister Irene, who superintends the apiary, re- 
 ported the sale of three hundred and fifty pounds 
 of honey. 
 
 April 15th, 7 p. m. 
 
 Order and comparative silence have been 
 again restored to this blessed retreat. Brother 
 Rameses has been for the past hour giving in 
 his inimitable style on the violin the plaintive 
 airs of his native land, until the spirit of Peace 
 has spread her wings over all, causing one to feel 
 like blessing rather than condemning. In my 
 heart I forgave that Boston man for his evident 
 belief in his own superiority over women, and as 
 
82 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 I thought it all over I repeated to myself in my 
 favorite slang, "He is not to blame, he is made 
 that way." 
 
 10 p. m. 
 
 The chimes have just sounded the hour for re- 
 tiring, and silence broods over all that was so 
 recently the scene of animation and life. 
 
 Annie declared as she was dropping off to 
 sleep that this had been the eventful day of her 
 whole life. Why or how she did not inform me. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 83 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Benares, California, April 24th. 
 
 It was announced at the breakfast table that 
 Sister Alicia would give the morning lesson in 
 place of Father Hyacinth, who had been called 
 away, and the subject is to be the Fall of 
 Man. I hope she will not let him down too 
 hard, for I don't believe that all of the men fell. 
 
 Annie and I, while waiting for the bell to 
 sound for the class, were out on the lawn walk- 
 ing up and down enjoying the mountain air 
 laden with the fragrance of the trees and flowers 
 that crowded each other up the mountain side. 
 
 Annie took out her pencil and sharpened it 
 most carefully, and unrolled her note paper, say- 
 ing, "I want to take down every word of the les- 
 son this morning/' smoothing out her paper. 
 "Our old minister told me, when I went to him 
 for information, not to ask too many questions, 
 that I was too young to understand such sub- 
 jects." 
 
84 Her maphro - Deity : 
 
 ''Would you have been any better off if you 
 had known?" I asked. 
 
 "Why of course I would; wouldn't I?" she 
 asked in astonishment. "What are we all up 
 here listening to these lessons for if they are no 
 good?" 
 
 "Such things are all right for us to know, I 
 suppose, if by knowing them we live better lives 
 and are kinder to those about us," I replied. 
 
 "Well, that will do," she said, pulling me 
 along toward the Home. "We get preaching 
 enough in the chapels without your prattle. But 
 I am getting more interested in the lessons even- 
 day, though they were awfully poky at first. 
 Brother Paul has explained many things to me. 
 He is too nice for anything. I think it is just 
 ridiculous that these Brothers up here can't mar- 
 ry!" — jerking out her words with a vengeance. 
 
 "Do they desire to do so?" I asked, in aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 "Well, no; not that I know of." she answered 
 slowly. "I suppose that John will be more queer 
 and outlandish than ever when he gets back 
 home, won't he?" 
 
 "I think John will join this brotherhood," I 
 answered, after a moment's pause. 
 
 "Well I guess not!" Throwing back her head, 
 her black eyes fairly blazing. "You don't sup- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 8> 
 
 pose for a moment that he would leave you for 
 any brotherhood, do you?" 
 
 "But I should come up here too," I said, look- 
 ing seriously at her. 
 
 "Not if I can prevent it, you may be sure," she 
 said sniffing the air and tossing her head de- 
 fiantly. 
 
 "Annie," I said, drawing her arm through 
 mine, and taking her hand m a firm clasp, "I 
 have come to the conclusion that John takes the 
 correct view of life, and I know that he tries to 
 live up to what he considers to be right, just and 
 loyal toward all men. And I, like King Agrip- 
 pa, am almost pursuaded to be a Christian. Lov- 
 ing you as I do, I have hoped that you would 
 view life in a different way from what we have 
 always seen it. That is, more earnest and help- 
 ful to those in trouble — yes, and more kindly. 
 Loving people more, and seeing fewer faults in 
 them." 
 
 She did not raise her head, or speak for several 
 minutes; at last she said, tears filling her eyes, 
 "My dear, I am not nearly so bad as I appear 
 on the surface; I think of many things of which 
 I never speak. My early life as a newspaper re- 
 porter developed in me a disposition to levity. 
 I was nothing, unless I was funny. My occupa- 
 
86 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 tion had a tendency to smother in me everything 
 that was earnest and true. I had the reputation 
 of being one of the wittiest writers of the day; 
 I grew into the habit Of turning everything into 
 ridicule; nothing escaped me. I sacrificed my 
 best friends to my wit. The habit has grown 
 upon me, until people appear ridiculous to me. 
 But I am not so severe and critical as I used to 
 be; I have more patience with what I call 
 people's idiosyncrasies, and know that I have 
 grown kindlier toward the human race since I 
 came up here. So don't be disheartened, dear.* 
 putting her arms about me and caressing me in 
 her inimitable manner, "I may be converted yet, 
 though I may try your patience in many ways. 
 This false way of viewing things has become sec- 
 ond nature to me, and I shall transgress before 
 I am aware of it. I am a demonstration of your 
 theory of the automatic action of the tongue — 
 it will talk itself." 
 
 The great bell just now pealed out the hour 
 for service and cut short our conversation. We 
 entered the chapel in time to listen to the music 
 and hear the reading of the lesson, which was 
 from the seventeenth chapter of St. John's gos- 
 pel. 
 
 I observed that the Boston man had a seat on 
 the other side of John, and was looking unusual- 
 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 87 
 
 ly modest and humble, an attitude I considered 
 decidedly becoming to him. 
 
 When Sister Alicia stepped forward and stood 
 in silence for a few seconds, I could not take my 
 eyes from her beautiful face; such a feeling of 
 pride arose in my heart that she was a woman, 
 and that I was a woman — I like men awfully 
 well, but there is something about a woman that 
 I like more than awfully well — but when she be- 
 gan to talk I forgot all about her being a woman 
 or anything else. All I could do was just to 
 listen, and I think Annie never took her eyes 
 from her. It was so soothing to notice the 
 graceful fall of her Greek costume as she would 
 make appropriate gestures from time to time. 
 Women are more beautiful than men, there is 
 no denying the fact. 
 
38 Eermaphro ■ Deity ; 
 
 'Look how the floor of heaven 
 Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: 
 There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st 
 But in his motion like an angel sings, 
 Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims; 
 Such harmony is in immortal souls; 
 But whilst this muddy vesture of decay 
 Doth grossly close it in. we cannot hear it." 
 
 —Merchant of Venice. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 89 
 
 THIRD LESSON. 
 
 MAN'S MISTAKE. 
 
 'From our Scriptures and all other sacred his- 
 tories we learn that the human family, some- 
 where in remote ages, transgressed a divine law, 
 out of which has grown all of the suffering of the 
 world — disease, decay and death. Ancient pro- 
 phets and seers declare that man brought all 
 forms of suffering upon himself through his dis- 
 obedience of a law controlling his physical being. 
 
 There have been a few adepts in occult science 
 who have stated what that sin was and what law 
 was broken, but these statements have never 
 been placed in a familiar light before the student 
 of sacred history, so there is a general mis- 
 understanding as to the what or how or when 
 of the catastrophe. But all believers in our 
 Bible, Christian or otherwise, hold steadfastly to 
 the belief that our forefathers, at some period of 
 the journey of life, deliberately took matters into 
 their own hands which brought about the pres- 
 ent condition of things, but no one appears will- 
 ing to tell just what that sin was. 
 
90 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 Mankind must have done something. 
 
 (According to our Scriptures, the race was 
 given control over the earth in all of its glory, 
 "And out of the ground made the Lord God to 
 grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and 
 good for food; and the tree of life also in the 
 midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge 
 of good and evil. And the Lord God said to this 
 people, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest 
 freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of 
 good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the 
 day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
 die." 
 
 We understand that this did not relate to the 
 death of the body alone, as we know death, but 
 to the degeneracy of the soul; to the introduc- 
 tion of disease, decay and death into every king- 
 dom upon the earth. 
 
 One of the undisputed privileges of all divinely 
 created beings is FREE Will, with the right to 
 use it; which the Divine Power cannot deny. 
 
 There came a phase in the growth of the race 
 when there was developed an insatiable hunger 
 to know more concerning the working of the 
 divine law of life. Not alone were these child- 
 ren of the Divine given the use of Free Will, but 
 they were also given the privilege of solving all 
 apparent hidden mysteries. These angelic beings 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 91 
 
 were informed that if they would know all 
 things, they must come in touch with all things, 
 and suffer all things. They, nothing daunted, 
 said, "Father, give us the portion that falleth to 
 us." And this family of the Infinite "took its 
 journey into a far country, and THERE 
 WASTED ITS SUBSTANCE IN RIOTOUS 
 LIVING." 
 
 I wish to make some statements here that I 
 fear may shock some, because of the strangeness 
 and newness of the thought; but we must bear 
 in mind that there is nothing new. 
 
 Now the original God-created race was an- 
 drogynous, or hermaphroditic, when it started 
 out on that journey. The divine plan of popu- 
 lating the world at that time was through im- 
 maculate conception. In those later and de- 
 generate days, Mary, the mother of our Lord, 
 came as a perfect and normal type of the original 
 race that inhabited our globe before sin came. 
 Christ following, revealing in perfection the di- 
 vine dual man, and coming in the original order 
 of reproduction; not the result of a miracle. 
 
 In the third era, we learn that man was f6rmed 
 of the dust of the ground, and that the Lord 
 God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; 
 and he became a living soul." Here is a de- 
 cided change from the first race which was in the 
 
92 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 divine image. Something had been added 
 
 thereto. To "become" is to pass from one state 
 or condition into another. Doubtless in that 
 garden of the Lord, where He walked "in the 
 cool of the day," there passed cycles of time, 
 during which Man was still an angelic being, al- 
 though he had come into possession of a form 
 to suit his needs. 
 
 Then again another countless sweep of time — 
 ages, too vast to comprehend — and we hear, 
 
 "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall 
 upon Adam — or Man — and he slept." That 
 "deep sleep" that fell upon the race was a cloud- 
 ing of the spiritual understanding and an awak- 
 ening into material consciousness. At this stage 
 we hear not only of man, but also of woman, and 
 we learn that they have bodies of flesh. "L'n- 
 to Adam also and unto his wife did the Lord 
 God make coats of skins, and clothed them." 
 
 The few thousand years generally accepted as 
 the age of the planet and the race is not so much 
 as the dawn of one of the creative periods known 
 as the six days of creation. Time is among 
 man's inventions. In the divine ordering there 
 is no Time. "One day is with the Lord as a 
 thousand years; and a thousand years is as one 
 day." 
 
 During the figurative "sleep" which fell upon 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 93 
 
 mankind, great changes were wrought in mind, 
 body and environments. Marked differences oc- 
 curred in the bodily formations; there was pro- 
 duced what scientists have named as differenti- 
 ation of the sex : the evolution of individual man 
 and individual woman, in place of those dual 
 beings, those "Sons of God," who in the begin- 
 ning peopled our planet. 
 
 What has always been known as the "Fall of 
 Man" was the gradual descent of the celestial 
 Man into what we call animal generation, the 
 production of animal man ; the race having fallen 
 into an abnormal state of mind, in time mani- 
 fested a marked change in bodily form, a change 
 that rendered the propagation of the animal man 
 possible, an artificial method of reproducing the 
 race. 
 
 This was that great sin which Man was forbid- 
 den to commit; it was that fruit of the tree of 
 knowledge which he was commanded not to 
 touch, unless he was willing to take the penalty, 
 which was death and everything that goes to 
 bring it. 
 
 It required countless periods of time to de- 
 velop those physical malformations necessary to 
 render animal generation among men possible. 
 In all probability but a small portion came under 
 this curse at the beginning. We read: "And it 
 
94 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 came to pass, when man began to multiply on 
 the face of the earth, and daughters were born 
 to them, that the Sons of God saw the daughters 
 of men that they were fair, and they took them 
 wives of all which they chose * * * • and 
 they bore children to them." 
 
 Those "Sons of God" were of the celestial fam- 
 ily who had not yet lost their original conforma- 
 tion. The daughters of men were of the fleshly 
 generation. From those "Sons of God" and 
 "daughters of men" came our present race.* 
 
 According to all geological survey, the recov- 
 ery of the Mastodons and other monstrous 
 shapes, showing the slow stages of development, 
 there must have been incalculably long reaches 
 of time, countless ages, during which shifting 
 periods nothing but confusion, discord and 
 fering existed upon the sorrowful planet. A 
 period of darkness, before the full establishment 
 of the law of human propagation: a reign of ter- 
 ror; such hideous forms, such monstrosities as 
 were produced through that man-made law can 
 
 * There are many evidences of man's dual nature still extant— cer- 
 tain physical conformations that have always aroused much discus* 
 pecially among the more earnest students of anatomy. The human body 
 is a dual structure both in form and function. Physiologists have never 
 done with questioning why the brain was in pairs, and why the ner 
 vel In pairs from the medulla to the feet. Then, too. careful students 
 have long questioned the purpose of the rudimentary mammary glands in 
 the male species; evidently they were not intended for ornament, as what 
 we call Nature, creates only for use. Anyone familiar with the study of 
 anatomy must be impressed with the similarity between the male and fe- 
 male organizations, especially in the organs of generation. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 95 
 
 scarcely be comprehended by the human mind. 
 We read, "There were giants in the earth in 
 those days." 
 
 All of the lower kingdoms upon the earth suf- 
 fered alike from the sin. Through man's sex- 
 transgression there was engendered a deadly 
 virus, becoming a race contagion, and being by 
 degrees infused into the life of all the lower king- 
 doms. 
 
 From our sacred authority we read: "The 
 Lord said unto Adam, Because thou hast heark- 
 ened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten 
 of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, 
 Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground 
 for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the 
 days of thy life; thorns and thistles shall it bring 
 forth to thee. In the sweat of thy face shalt 
 thou eat bread. And God saw that the wicked- 
 ness of man was great in the earth, and that 
 every imagination of the thoughts of his heart 
 was evil continually, * * * for the earth 
 was filled with violence, * * * for all flesh 
 has corrupted his way upon the earth. * * * 
 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always 
 strive with man, for that he also is flesh." 
 
 Man here referred to was doubtless those rem- 
 nants of the androgynous race fast becoming ex- 
 tinct through physical union with the "daugh- 
 
96 Hermaph ro- Deity : 
 
 ters of men." "And the Lord God said, Behold 
 the man (the race) has become as one of us, to 
 know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth 
 his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and 
 eat, and live forever; therefore the Lord God 
 sent him forth from the garden of Eden. * * 
 He drove out the man. And he placed at the 
 east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a 
 flaming sword which turned every way, to keep 
 the way of the tree of life." 
 
 The race having disobeyed the divine com- 
 mand, and transgressed a spiritual law, or rather 
 having substituted the law of flesh for the law 
 of spirit, had become as creators; had through 
 the eating of that "tree of knowledge of good 
 and evil" brought forth the man of flesh, in 
 which exists all evil. In order that this self- 
 created race should not lay hold of and eat the 
 tree of life and live forever in its transgressions 
 and crimes, hosts of cherubims, spirits of fire 
 with their naming swords of death, were placed 
 at the entrance of the eternal life. Thus we see 
 that through the sins of fleshly man alone death 
 entered into the world. 
 
 The chief point of importance in this lesson is 
 the fact that the divine Man, the true Man. being 
 created androgynous, cannot be changed any 
 more than God can be changed. Each individ- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 97 
 
 ual is dual in the spiritual nature ; each is a union 
 of the divine feminine and divine masculine still. 
 The apparent division is in the external shell, 
 the body only, and that is the creation wholly of 
 the fleshly or carnal mind, in which, as we have 
 seen, exists all wrongs. 
 
 The race belief in the division of the sex has 
 had the tendencv to accentuate the leading- char- 
 acteristics of both man and woman; developing 
 in the male character a disposition to be severe, 
 harsh, dictatorial and tyrannical, because de- 
 prived of the softening influence of the womanly 
 nature, being as a kingdom divided against itself. 
 
 Man believes himself to be a single, separate 
 individual, having a feminine counterpart some- 
 where in the universe wandering up and down in 
 search of him. While the woman is unceasingly 
 seeking for her "twin soul," both as wretched as 
 human beings can be, for they always make the 
 mistake and take their neighbor's "counterpart" 
 or "twin soul." 
 
 Paracelsus said, centuries ago, "There is per- 
 haps no doctrine which has done' more mischief 
 than the misconstrued teaching about 'soul af- 
 finities' and 'soul marriages,' because such a doc- 
 trine is willingly accepted by the carnal mind. 
 God did not create souls in halves; nor can 
 
98 Her maphro -Deity : 
 
 Adam find his Eve again, unless she grow with- 
 in his heart." 
 
 The masculine characteristics displayed in the 
 strongest specimens of manhood are great cour- 
 age, strength of purpose, love of self, steadfast- 
 ness, truthfulness, bravery, with the power to 
 reason, analyze and especially to command. 
 These are considered to be exclusively the char- 
 acteristics of man. While the set of faculties 
 considered as purely feminine are love of home 
 and offspring, tenderness, patience, faithfulness, 
 mercy, and intuition, with the desire for self- 
 sacrifice. These qualities of course render her 
 so much more docile, gentle and easily com- 
 manded by the thoroughly masculine man. 
 
 Bayard Taylor says, "Genius is always herma- 
 phroditic, adding the male element to the 
 woman and the female to the man." 
 
 Those self-poised, commanding, useful, and 
 independent women, who have been foremost in 
 all works for the emancipation and elevation of 
 humanity, have developed the dual mind and 
 nature. They have manifested strength of pur- 
 pose, courage, sense of justice, truthfulness, with 
 the power to reason, analyze and command, 
 blended with all of the sweet and gentle feminine 
 traits. 
 
 Such women have not considered it sufficient 
 
■ 
 
 The Mystery of Divine Genius. 99 
 
 that men should monopolize and use those ele- 
 ments of strength alone. They have developed 
 these so-called masculine qualities in themselves, 1 
 
 and yet have lost nothing of their feminine grace 
 and sweetness. Indeed they have been the more 
 merciful, more loving, more self-sacrificing for 
 the uniting of the two natures. 
 
 The noblest of men have possessed in their 
 characters a blending of love with justice, devo- 
 tion with courage, patience with strength; and 
 with their power to reason, analyze and com- 
 mand, the woman's intuition and desire for self- 
 sacrifice. 
 
 Each to a degree have returned to the an- 
 drogynous type. There have been, and there are 
 still, many such who stand out in sublime relief 
 above the race. Such have been the tenderest, 
 strongest, most faithful and patient of men; the 
 wisest, kindest, grandest and most helpful of 
 women. 
 
 All such have entered into that "kingdom of 
 God" where they shall no longer be "twain" but 
 "one flesh." 
 
 This state or condition is the marriage of the 
 divine love and wisdom, the feminine and mas- 
 culine natures in the individual. 
 
 The teaching and demonstrating of this vital 
 truth was one of the most important of Christ's 
 
3 00 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 mission. The recovery of that nature in man 
 was that ''kingdom of God" concerning the na- 
 ture of which He so emphasized in all of His les- 
 sons. "Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or lo, 
 there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within 
 you." 
 
 Christ was a perfect example of the celestial 
 marriage — the dual individual — and was there- 
 fore called the "Bridegroom. " John the Baptist 
 said of Him: "The Bridegroom is He who pos- 
 sesses the bride. He must increase; I must de- 
 crease." 
 
 While Christ, in speaking of John, said: "I 
 say unto you. Among those born of woman, 
 there is not a greater than John, yet the least in 
 the kingdom of God is superior to him." Be- 
 cause John had not attained to that celestial 
 union — the two-in-one — or had not become con- 
 scious of it. • 
 Jacob Boehme say 
 
 "What is mystically called the end of the world 
 is the end of external or physical generation, and 
 will be when the man has again found the 
 woman within himself: from whom he has be- 
 come separated by his descending from his spir- 
 itual state and becoming gross and material. 
 The man is not without the woman. That is to 
 say, the paradisiacal man is still male and female 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 10 L 
 
 in one. But man having ceased to be lord, and 
 become servant to the animal kingdom in him, 
 has ceased to recognize the true woman within, 
 his heavenly bride, and seeks for the woman in 
 that which is external to him. Therefore man 
 cannot enter into his original state of unity and 
 purity except by means of the celestial marriage 
 in his own soul." 
 
 To the Aveak and oppressed feminine portion 
 of the race life has always presented a serious as- 
 pect. Woman has always been a prey to evil in- 
 fluences because of her historical weakness. The 
 literal interpretation of the story concerning the 
 formation of Eve, that rib business and its in- 
 corporation into all religions and creeds, has 
 caused a deep and lasting prejudice against 
 womankind wherever the story has been told. It 
 is a race hypnotization. 
 
 According to the received authority, the Lord 
 instructed Adam as to what he should and 
 should not do, while Eve was left to herself to be 
 tempted, to bring disaster not alone to the 
 human family, but a curse to all of the lower 
 kingdoms and the planet itself. 
 
 The universal belief is that the weight of the 
 whole calamity of the Fall of Man rests wholly 
 upon the woman. This has been the teaching, 
 so that it is not strange that she should be under 
 
102 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 the bondage of that belief. Woman's natural in- 
 feriority and wickedness has become a race be- 
 lief, so that notwithstanding all of her efforts to 
 elevate herself, she still maintains a humiliated 
 position, from which man in his present state is 
 not likely to help to elevate her. 
 
 This false teaching has influenced and biased 
 the judgment of many of our most gifted and 
 grand men. Paul, that wise and enlightened 
 mystic, has left through his teaching a spirit of 
 bondage for the women of all Christendom. 
 
 It is one of the marked characteristics of the 
 mind of flesh to degrade the woman. So true 
 is this of the carnal mind, that the average 
 women, as a rule, do not love, cherish and sym- 
 pathize with each other. It is only those ad- 
 vanced, cultured and broadly humane of the sis- 
 terhood that love all womenkind ?>nd who labor 
 for their advancement and upbuilding. Such un- 
 consciously recognize the divine woman in all. 
 And it will be only when the man becomes con- 
 scious of the divine woman within himself that 
 women, as a race, will receive a just recognition. 
 
 The mystery of the divine feminine is the cen- 
 tral truth in the Catholic religion, and explains 
 their worship of the "Mother." 
 
 One of the fatal results of the fall of the race 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 103 
 
 into animal generation was the reincarnation of 
 the soul into new bodies on this p'anet. Through 
 sin man entered upon the ever-circling wheel of 
 Time, where he will revolve and continue to re- 
 volve in the narrow circuit of death, and re-birth, 
 until his regeneration or the resurrection of his 
 divine mate within. 
 
 The soul had its mission to perform on this 
 plane of existence, but having come under the 
 control of the carnal mind — the mind of the 
 flesh — it lost sight of the errand upon which it 
 was sent, and has therefore become "earth- 
 bound;" and according to the carnal law, the 
 law controlling the earth under man, it will be 
 compelled to re-embody until it either learns 
 that for which it was created, or passes out of 
 being, and becomes as chaff from the "mills of 
 God." 
 
 Milton pictures this state or condition of the 
 soul : 
 
 "But when lust 
 By unchaste looks, loose gestures, and foul talk, 
 But most by lewd and lavish acts of sin, 
 Lets in defilement to the inward parts, 
 The soul grows clotted by contagion, 
 Imbodies, and imbrutes, till she quite lose 
 The divine property of her first being." 
 
104 
 
 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 Re-embodiment is the law governing all physi- 
 cal life; and reincarnation of the race into new 
 bodies and new environments is but the fulfill- 
 ment of that law. Man takes upon himself many 
 guises, according to the status of his mind and 
 desires, and his progress toward the object of his 
 creation, or his dissolution. 
 
 There are many grades in the school which he 
 has entered, and he will be environed to suit his 
 grade. Where he may be placed, on what 
 planet, with what surroundings during his later 
 term of schooling, is not for him to know just 
 now. The eternal law of fitness will govern all. 
 One who holds in tenderest love the least and 
 lowliest among us has promised that there shall 
 be a place for all. "In my Father's house there 
 are many mansions; if it were not so, I would 
 have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, 
 * * . * that where I am there ye may b? also." 
 
 The religious teaching that man came into ex- 
 istence for the first time here upon this planet, 
 on which he lives a brief span. sins. suffers and 
 dies, and goes into a changeless state of bli- 
 woe. or out entirely, according to his meri: 
 nature, is, as a body of teaching, most uns 
 factory and crippling to the mind: because there 
 is in man an impulse toward progress and spirit- 
 
The Myster y of Divine Genius . 1 05 
 
 ual enlightenment. It is the promptings of the 
 divine life within him. It was that impulse that 
 forced him out on his tour of inspection and in- 
 vestigation'. All teachings that limit his mental 
 and spiritual powers cause him to retrograde. 
 This is the condition in which we find mankind 
 at the present time. 
 
 We have been taught that inasmuch as man 
 has degraded himself, he must likewise elevate 
 himself. Even a Christ or God has not the 
 power to save a soul that WILL NOT rise above 
 the carnal life. 
 
 All knowledge upon these subjects will be of 
 no real value to mankind so long as the mind of 
 the world rules. 
 
 That old and hackneyed story of being "born 
 again'' is not mere cant, as many of you believe, 
 but has in it a vital truth. It simply signifies that 
 the individual has laid aside his carnal mind, and 
 come into possession of his divine Mind, which 
 consists of all understanding just as fast as he 
 unfolds it. It is like laying aside a worn and 
 filthy garment, and assuming a new one of rich 
 and lasting fabric, fashioned in a pleasing and 
 graceful style. He has met with a change of 
 mind instead of heart, as we were wont to call it, 
 and as his higher Mind gradually unfolds he will 
 grow to lay less stress on this life, so short and 
 
106 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 unsatisfactory, which is but a little term in that ex- 
 istence of ever-increasing knowledge and under- 
 standing, of which this life is but an hour's 
 schooling. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 107 
 
 "The object of man's existence is to be a Man, includ- 
 ing all that this term implies. To re-establish the har- 
 mony which originally existed between him and the divine 
 state, before the separation took place which disturbed 
 the equilibrium. * * * To re-establish this harmony, 
 man may bring the will of God to perfect expression in 
 his nature by learning to know within himself the will of 
 God, and being obedient to it, and thereby his own na- 
 ture, and finally even the Whole of the Macrocosm, may 
 become spiritualized and be rendered paradisiacal. 
 
 — Paracelsus. 
 
108 Hermaphro Deity 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Benares, California. May 4th. 
 
 This morning, before the hour for our lesson, 
 Annie and myself started out on an exploring 
 expedition up the mountain side in quite a new 
 direction. Following a well-traveled roadway 
 we came suddenly upon a strange looking build- 
 ing, quite cuit of sight of the Home buildii 
 built in the side of the mountain, and of ' 
 blocks of the native stone, giving it an appear- 
 ance of great solidity. At the one entrance was 
 a massive iron door, and I noticed it had one 
 large chimney. There were no other buildings 
 
 near. 
 
 "This must be where they store their dyna- 
 mite." I said, after studying the strange structure 
 for a time. 
 
 "Dynamite!" exclaimed Annie. "What pos- 
 sible use could they have for such an explosive 
 material away up here, out of the world?" 
 
 "For blasting rocks." I suggested. 
 
 "Oh, but these people don't do any such rack- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 109 
 
 ety things up here," she persisted. "They don't 
 believe in doing anything that disturbs their 
 equilibrium ; that breaks the serene harmony of 
 their environments. They don't want to have 
 their atoms jarred or shocked — so that stately 
 individual called Rameses informed me." 
 
 I was disgusted with the girl's flippancy and 
 utter lack of seriousness; I turned and studied 
 her for a moment, she returning my gaze inno- 
 cently and patiently. 
 
 "You incorrigible little heathen! I wonder if 
 you really have a soul?" I asked, looking at her 
 in amazement. 
 
 "I don't think I have," she replied soberly. 
 "I think that my other half has never been 
 evolved yet, and Brother Paul says that we do 
 not have a soul till'that takes place." 
 
 I looked at her in silence. I know that she did 
 not believe one word of what she had been say- 
 ing; and yet her countenance was as serene and 
 unruffled and as innocent as a babe's. For the 
 first time in all of my acquaintance with this girl 
 a feeling of impatience toward her seized me. 
 
 "I do wish that you could be honest and sin- 
 cere occasionally," I blurted out, and turned 
 from her and walked away. 
 
 At this moment two of the Brothers came 
 around the base of the mountain and joined us, 
 
110 Hermaphro - Deity ; 
 
 and I asked them the purpose of the odd-looking 
 building. 
 
 "It is our crematory," one of them replied. 
 "Here are cremated all animal remains." 
 
 "What do you do with your animals when 
 they become disabled, or too old for further 
 use? You never make any use of animal food, 
 and I am told that you never sell a live creature 
 from the place," questioned Annie. 
 
 "In the first place, we take the best possible 
 care of our animals," said the younger of the 
 two men, "and by that means they live and re- 
 main active to a much greater age than do do- 
 mestic animals generally. As soon as they be- 
 come too old for use, or disabled in any manner, 
 we turn them out in a large inclosure prepared 
 for the purpose, which we call our hospital. In 
 this there are comfortable stables and plenty of 
 fresh and delicious water. Our animals that have 
 become superannuated or disabled are cared for 
 as carefully as when in their prime." 
 
 "We love our animals," said the elder of the 
 two men, his face glowing with enthusiasm, "and 
 we care for them as tenderly as we would the 
 human members of our family. When they be- 
 come utterly helpless our surgeon applies a lit- 
 tle chloroform, and in a few moments thev are 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. Ill 
 
 at rest, without a struggle; then the remains are 
 cremated and that ends the matter." 
 
 ''Matters are quite different with us in regard 
 to such things/' remarked Annie. "When our 
 domestic animals get too old for service, our 
 cows are sent away to be converted into steaks 
 and roasts, and our dear old pet horses into 
 bologna sausage and canned beef." 
 
 The two brethren smiled at Annie's sarcasm, 
 and asked us if we enjoyed that sort of diet. 
 
 Just here the great bell sounded the quarter 
 to nine, and we all descended together, reaching 
 the chapel in time to hear the chanting and sit 
 through their five minutes' heavenly silence. 
 
 The subject for this morning's lesson is of un- 
 usual interest to me; anything of an occult na- 
 ture at once arouses my curiosity. Much in the 
 teachings here explains to me John's peculiar 
 views and mode of life. Each day since I came 
 here I have learned a lesson, each one showing 
 me how little I really knew that was of any im- 
 portance in life. 
 
 There appeared to be an air pervading the 
 chapel this morning unlike anything that I had 
 ever experienced in any other room or building; 
 and as I sat, with closed eyes, listening to the 
 tremulous tones of the organ and the low sweet 
 voices chanting the psalms, I experienced a 
 
112 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 strange thrill throughout my entire being; many- 
 new and strange thoughts came to me; and I re- 
 called that command that was given to the 
 chosen few, to remain in Jerusalem until they 
 were baptized with the Holy Spirit; and I ques- 
 tioned as to the nature of that Holy Spirit. 
 I also recalled the fact that that Presence and 
 that promise of Power was not given to the 
 apostles of that time and that place alone, but to 
 the devoted lovers and followers at all times and 
 in all places made sacred to Him. And my heart 
 opened up to the world, and I embraced all in 
 love, and I forgave Annie and clasped her hand 
 in mine. 
 
 Father Hyacinth stood for iome moments mo- 
 tionless after the singing ceased. These periods 
 of silence appeared more impressive to me than 
 words however eloquent, but I was scarcely pre- 
 pared for the lesson of the morning; indeed it 
 opened into an entirely new and strange world, 
 but one which commends itself nevertheless to 
 my inner consciousness. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 113 
 
 FOURTH LESSON. 
 
 NATURE SPIRITS. 
 
 Man has developed the sense-life on the 
 animal plane to such a degree that it is impos- 
 sible for him to comprehend those silent and 
 subtle forces that move the universe. For in- 
 stance, fire and electricity, two elements of com- 
 mon everyday use, yet wholly unknown to him 
 as naked forces. He can only see and feel the 
 workings of those hidden laws. 
 
 It is the same with the Elemental world; a 
 world of semi-intellectual beings which largely 
 control the elements — the earth, water, fire and 
 air — the human race is at all times more or less 
 under the influence of these beings, without 
 knowing how to defend themselves against their 
 assaults. Man should know how to control these 
 beings as well as he now does light, air, water 
 and electricity. He now moulds many things to 
 his use that he does not know the basic principles 
 of at all. 
 
 From all occult writings we ascertain that 
 there have been large numbers of men — and 
 
114 Her maphro - Deity : 
 
 women also — who have been perfectly familiar 
 with those denizens of the invisible universe. 
 Not only been cognizant of them, but able to 
 control them. 
 
 These were the demons and devils spoken of 
 by Christ, and which his disciples commanded 
 and controlled. The Vedantic authorities call 
 this class of life Elementals; in our Bible they 
 are spoken of as cherubims and angels. 
 
 Zechariah, in describing one of his visions, 
 says: "Then I said unto the angel who talked 
 with me. What are these, my lord? And the 
 angel answered and said unto me. These are the 
 four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from 
 standing before the Lord of all the earth." 
 
 Ezekiel's visions appeared to be of the same 
 nature, he said: "Also out of the midst thereof 
 came the likeness of four living creatures. And 
 this was their appearance; they had the likeness 
 of a man * * * * and I knew that they 
 were cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up 
 their wings from the earth in my sight." 
 
 We consider our Scriptures to be the most re- 
 liable authority on occult matters, and they are 
 full of proofs of the existence of these Nature 
 Spirits. They also teach of other classes of 
 spirits, some of which are of the most diabolical 
 type, and do not belong to the elements, but 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 115 
 
 are such as entered into the swine during the 
 ministry of Christ. 
 
 There is a deeply occult lesson in that story 
 of the devils entering into the swine, which 
 would be most profitable for the new class to 
 study carefully. I cannot in this connection ex- 
 plain, because it would open a vast field of study 
 and speculation too wide and deep for the oc- 
 casion. , 
 
 Cornelius Agrippa says: u As the spirits of 
 darkness be stronger in the dark, so good spirits, 
 which be angels of light, are augmented not only 
 by the divine light of the sun, but also by our 
 common wood fires; and as the celestial fire 
 drives away dark spirits, so also this our fire of 
 wood doth the same." 
 
 Here the question will naturally arise, Are 
 these the spirits of departed human beings? 
 
 No ; we are not dealing with the spirits of the 
 so-called dead, but with a world of life, with its 
 thousands of different forms over which we are 
 to obtain control. Man, if he did but know 
 it, is superior to these subordinate kingdoms. 
 "I have said, Ye are Gods!" declared David. 
 
 No; those Spirits of which we have been 
 talking are the Elementals of the Vedas, and the 
 cherubims and seraphims of our Bible. Certain 
 species of the Elementals are those spirits of 
 
116 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 darkness alluded to in the occult philosophies. 
 The angels of light being the seraphims, a very- 
 high order of intelligence, that have a most im- 
 portant mission to mankind for good. 
 
 Our inability to see the inhabitants of the spir- 
 itual world does not thereby separate us from 
 them, all of which are powerful factors for good 
 or ill to the race and the planet. 
 
 Man's descent into animal generation was the 
 commencement of a species of hostility to be 
 waged against him by the unseen. He had trans- 
 gressed a divinely established law by which the 
 rights of those hosts in the unseen region had 
 been usurped. 
 
 "Evil spirits are, so to say, bailiffs and exe- 
 cutioners of God. They have been called into 
 existence by the influence of evil, and they work 
 out their destiny," declares Paracelsus. 
 
 In the divine plan, man had a mission to these 
 beings, as all higher types have to the lower; 
 but he, forgetting his divine origin, and going 
 into business on his own responsibility on the 
 animal plane, aroused a deadly antagonism in 
 the Elemental worlds, which had been, during 
 his state of innocence, a great strength and 
 power for good. 
 
 The truth is, they reflect all moods and states 
 of mind. While man was pure and good, they 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 117 
 
 were good. They respond to man's moods. They 
 manifest love where love prevails, and hatred 
 and rage where such passions predominate. All 
 discord, from whatever cause; all bloodshed, 
 whether from the slaughtering of men or ani- 
 mals; has the power to arouse the anger and 
 excitement of these unseen hosts. In retaliation 
 they cause the various upheavals in nature. 
 Whenever there are any great outbreaks of 
 human passion, they gather in great armies and 
 join in the battle. 
 
 The fearful shock which our planet exper- 
 ienced during the crucifixion of our Lord was 
 caused by the rage of those celestial armies. The 
 fearful earthquake, the tempests and thick black- 
 ness that enveloped the land and covered Jerusa- 
 lem as with a pall, rending her temple, tearing 
 asunder her grand edifices and walls, were the 
 work of those enraged hosts. 
 
 They make war where the spirit of war exists. 
 They reflect the states of mind of the individual 
 or of bodies of individuals. They reflect the 
 strongest influence for the time. Not being 
 reasoning creatures they act only from impulse. 
 
 According to the teaching of Paracelsus these 
 beings have their hates and their loves. He says : 
 "The Elementals have an aversion to self- 
 conceited and opinionated persons, drunkards 
 
118 Hermaphr o- Deity : 
 
 and gluttons, and to vulgar and quarrel- 
 some people of all kinds; but they love natural 
 men, who are simple minded and childlike, inno- 
 cent and sincere." 
 
 Under pure, good and healthy influences these 
 Spirits become powerful allies in good works. 
 They come to the aid of the Christian healer, 
 especially where material — so-called — environ- 
 ments need to be removed, changed or done 
 away with. They are God's workers and war- 
 riors on the unseen plane. 
 
 The centurion understood this philosophy 
 when he besought Christ to heal his servant. 
 "I am coming and will cure him." the Master 
 said. But the Roman said. "I am not worthy 
 that Thou shouldest come under my roof; but 
 only command by word, and my servant will be 
 cured. For even I am a man, appointed under 
 authority, having soldiers under me: I say to 
 this one. Go, and he goes; to another. Come, 
 and he comes; and to my servant. Do this, and 
 he does it." Jesus said, "Beit doneto thee as thou 
 hast believed." And the sen-ant was immediately- 
 restored. And Christ was astonished at the un- 
 derstanding of this hidden force manifested by 
 an ordinary soldier. 
 
 This power was understood by the Greeks, 
 and no doubt bv the Romans lar^elv. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. lit) 
 
 Christ knew that the slightest resistance 
 aroused the antagonism of the large bodies that 
 follow the human family constantly; therefore 
 non-resistance was one of the strongest points in 
 His teaching. His was the law of love; and love 
 cannot resist. We all know the law! "I say 
 
 unto you, oppose not the injurious person; but 
 if any one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn 
 to him also the left." 
 
 All states of mind are contagious; the indi- 
 vidual who indulges in the spirit of combative- 
 ness and resistance, however silently, will arouse 
 the same low element in those about him. Not 
 only will he arouse it in the human, but also ;.n 
 those hosts of Elementals that constantly sur- 
 round him, and are interested in all that he 
 thinks or does. 
 
 "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth 
 to minister to them who shall be heirs of salva- 
 tion?" Paul asks. 
 
 It was this mighty unseen force to which 
 Christ referred on that night of agony and de- 
 sertion in Gethsemane: "Dost thou think that I 
 cannot intreat my Father, and He will send to 
 my relief more than twelve legions of angels?" 
 
 The most prominent of all scriptural teach- 
 ing is that of angelic and spiritual ministry; and 
 no careful student and thorough believer in the 
 
120 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 New Testament can have the slightest doubt of 
 the statements concerning these powers. The 
 seventy, on their return from their mission of 
 healing and teaching, declared with joy: "Lord, 
 even the demons are subject unto us by thy 
 name." The name of Christ was as an ele- 
 ment of peace to those fiercely disturbed armies 
 of spiritual soldiery. "For He is our peace, hav- 
 ing removed the enmity/' Paul tells us. 
 
 Where the evil thoughts of large bodies of 
 people are commingled, as in warfare, or political 
 strife, where fierce animosity prevails, these Na- 
 ture Spirits become so enraged, and so numerous 
 are they, that their action upon the elements is 
 often of the most disastrous nature, producing 
 terrible storms, great conflagrations in towns 
 and cities,also those destructive forest fires which 
 are so mysterious and impossible to control. 
 
 All antagonism and resistance has the ten- 
 dency to inflame and enrage these unreasoning 
 entities. This explains Christ's spirit of non-re- 
 sistance. ''When he was buffeted He buffeted 
 not back again." 
 
 As a rule they follow the strongest lead. There 
 have been times when vast hordes of these crea- 
 tures have come under the control of wicked 
 leaders of high intelligence, who have made use 
 of this power for evil purposes, and through 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 121 
 
 which great cataclysms have occurred at various 
 periods of the world's history. 
 
 Paul, who understood the nature and influence 
 of these denizens of the unseen world, not only 
 upon the elements, but upon the human and ani- 
 mal creation, tried to forcibly impress upon his 
 students the fact of the constant warfare between 
 the carnal mind and these unseen armies. He 
 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty where- 
 with Christ has made you free, and be not en- 
 tangled again in the yoke of bondage, wherein 
 in times past you all walked according to the 
 course of this world, according to the prince of 
 the power of the air, the spirit that now work- 
 eth in the children of disobedience." 
 
 Another occult writer says: "There are good 
 Spirits and Spirits of evil; planetary Spirits and 
 angels. There are the Spirits of the four ele- 
 ments, and there are many thuosands of different 
 kinds. Men have their leaders and authori- 
 ties; bees and ants their queens; and all ani- 
 mals have their leaders. So also have the Spirits 
 of nature their kings and queens." * 
 
 Mankind must come into the knowledge of 
 the Elemental world in order to control and 
 command this power as they now do fire, elec- 
 
 * Paracelsus. 
 
122 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 tricity and other unseen forces. It will be im- 
 possible for the race to become regenerated 
 without a certain knowledge of these kingdoms. 
 For illustration, take the elements of fire and 
 water, both indispensable to the maintenance 
 of all life; and yet how destructive to life when 
 not under the control of man. A child is early 
 taught this much of science, that he may avoid 
 danger. Christ, during his ministry, made 
 known the existence of these beings to his 
 apostles, and also instructed them as to the law 
 by which the Elemental life was controlled. 
 
 While none of us understand perfectly the real 
 nature of the air which we breathe, we know 
 that we cannot exist many seconds if it be shut 
 away from our lungs; we therefore control this 
 element. We know that if any foreign element 
 be introduced into it that our lives are endanger- 
 ed; we understand enough of the nature of this 
 life principle to correct all these things. It is 
 only a step higher to the control of that Element- 
 al life that surrounds us all, very much as the air 
 does; we each have our "familiars." let us try 
 and make good use of them. 
 
 As we investigate the character of these occult 
 forces, and appreciate our absolute oneness with 
 them all, we will not need to question why there 
 is never a loud, harsh or angry word uttered on 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 123 
 
 this plantation; and why an animal never re- 
 ceives a blow or an unkind word, why nothing 
 that has life is ever tortured or slaughtered. 
 
 We esteem it a crime to entertain an angry or 
 unkind thought, or to speak an ill word to or of 
 another; a crime for which we shall receive due 
 punishment; there will be no escape. 
 
 You now understand why love is the ruling 
 principle here. 
 
 Every Brother and Sister, through a know- 
 ledge of these hidden laws, has become a master 
 or mistress over those agents of the Most High, 
 controlling them for wise purposes. 
 
 This spot is to be our Mount Zion. From 
 this spot are constantly going out in all di- 
 rections messages of peace and love that shall 
 help to heal the diseased soul of our planet. On 
 this consecrated spot is set up those ladders of 
 light which Jacob saw in his vision; and on those 
 ladders shall come and go those helpers of God 
 which are promised to the children of earth. 
 
 You must all, by this time, appreciate the re- 
 generating influence of such a nucleus as this 
 upon that great sea of warring, brutal passions 
 that cover the earth as the waters cover the 
 mighty deep. You cannot fail to realize the 
 healing and soothing influence of the united 
 mental power of this body of earnest men and 
 
124 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 women, all united as one in the thought of love 
 and good will toward all men. 
 
 No one can ever step upon this plantation 
 without being benefited, or as in most instances 
 wholly healed. 
 
 We all know that Thoughts are Things, and 
 that to think in the line of good — to think 
 God's thoughts — steadily, unwaveringly and 
 hopefully, is to make tangible those thoughts. 
 This, that we call thinking, has always been, and 
 still is, by the majority of people called prayer. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 
 
 125 
 
 "There are good spirits and spirits of evil; planetary 
 spirits and angels. There are the spirits of the four ele- 
 ments, and there are many thousand different kinds. 
 
 "A person without any self-knowledge or self-control 
 is made to act according to the will of these creatures; 
 but the true philosopher acts according to the will of the 
 Supreme, the Creator, in him. 
 
 "The four classes of nature spirits do not mix with 
 each other. * * * They live in the four elements. * * * 
 The Elementals have no higher principles. They are 
 therefore not immortal. * * * They have only animal 
 intellects, and are incapable of spiritual development. 
 
 "As far as the personalities of the Elementals are con- 
 cerned, it may be said that those belonging to the ele- 
 ment of water resemble human beings. * * * Those 
 of the air are greater and stronger. * * * The spirits of 
 fire — the salamanders — are long and lean. * * * The 
 pigmies are the spirits of the earth and are of the length of 
 about two spans." 
 
 — Paracelsus. 
 
12 6 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 This morning, at the close of the lesson, as the 
 students dispersed, going their several ways, An- 
 nie joined me, slipping her arm through mine in 
 a confidential manner whispered, "Now I know 
 why I never could have that San Francisco 
 woman come near me; I always feel when near 
 her as if I am being rubbed down with sand- 
 paper — or rubbed up, I don't know which. Then 
 she dresses so horridly. I told Sister Alicia to 
 seat her next to you, because you don't know 
 enough to notice people's disagreeable looks and 
 rasping auras." 
 
 "Oh! don't I; I am greatly obliged to you 
 for your good opinion," I snapped out. "It is 
 barely possible that both the woman and myself 
 might have had some choice in the matter had 
 we been consulted. The Sister seated the 
 stranger next to me, saying that she would ex- 
 plain later. But I wish to remark to you, my 
 friend, that I have never been harmed by my 
 contact with that 'San Francisco woman,' as you 
 call her. She has taught me some valuable les- 
 sons, as have some others thac I could mention." 
 Here I looked at her sharply. 
 
 "Now don't be angry with me," she said, 
 snuggling up to me and hanging on to me with 
 both hands. "You know, dear," she said, look- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 127 
 
 ing up into my face with a childlike smile most 
 exasperating, "that we cannot be angry up here 
 on account of our Spirits; you must remember 
 what Father Hyacinth said about angry pas- 
 sions." 
 
 'True! true! But did he say something about 
 disgust?" I replied. "I am simply disgusted with 
 your style. You see, Annie," I continued, 
 "since that morning that Sister Alicia seated 
 that woman near me, taking her away from your 
 side, I have studied her very closely to see if I 
 could find out why the change was made. I have 
 discovered that she is very finely educated, and 
 unusually considerate of the rights and feelings 
 of others. I have never seen her do a selfish act. 
 I have grown to esteem her highly; and John 
 says that she is an 'Advanced Thinker.' I do 
 not know exactly what he means by that, but 
 something good, I know. And, my dear, I 
 think that she can instruct us both in many 
 things good for us to know, even if she does 
 wear ugly dresses." 
 
 Annie was silent for some moments, not look- 
 ing up, but digging up the soil with the toe of 
 Tier boot. 
 
 At length she said, "But don't you believe 
 that certain individuals exhale a poisonous at- 
 mosphere, and that some are actually surround- 
 
128 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 ed by evil spirits? You remember in the lesson 
 last evening, concerning Mary Magdalene, it 
 appears that she kept seven devils on hand all 
 the time, at one period of her experience. I be- 
 lieve every word that Father Hyacinth said this 
 morning," turning and looking me full in the 
 face. "I should think you would understand the 
 thing by this time." 
 
 "I do," I replied, "believe every word of it. 
 I feel sure that there are devils hanging about 
 people, as in the days of Mary Magdalene, and 
 that some must have unholy and unclean atmos- 
 pheres. But there it is again; Brother Paul told 
 me this morning that we couldn't safely judge 
 another without convicting ourselves, that we can 
 never see in another what we have not experi- 
 enced ourselves; in fact, we could not see a 
 devil in another without having known how it 
 was ourselves." 
 
 We walked on in silence for some minutes. I 
 asking my soul how much of the law of Love I 
 had exemplified in my morning's work, and I 
 thought, 
 
 "Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 
 Lest we forget — 
 Lest we forget!" 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 129 
 
 Here Annie squared herself around, and tak- 
 ing my face between her two hands, looked me 
 straight in the eyes for a minute, at last she said, 
 "Elizabeth, you are correct; I have the devil in 
 me sometimes I know, but I don't want to be 
 bad. I am going to ask Father Hyacinth to try 
 and regenerate me. He says it can be done if I 
 will only give myself up to the Spirit. Now what 
 does he mean? You think I have too many 
 Spirits already, don't you?" 
 
 "It all depends upon what sort you give your- 
 self up to," I answered, as we entered the spa- 
 cious dining room, and took in, not only the de- 
 licious fragrance of the fruit and flowers, but the 
 mental and spiritual aura of the noble souls there 
 assembled. 
 
 Annie pressed close to me and whispered, "I 
 never felt it before!" 
 
130 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Benares, California, May 18th. 
 
 As I carefully note the perfect system gov- 
 erning this colony, the great amount of labor ac- 
 complished, and the ease and perfection with 
 which it is done; the unfailing consideration, 
 love and devotion manifested among the mem- 
 bers; the absolute liberty granted to all, I am led 
 to the conclusion that this is a practical demon- 
 stration of an ideal brotherhood. 
 
 At first the teachings of Father Hyacinth did 
 not appeal to me; they were so new, and so un- 
 like anything that I had ever heard or read of, 
 but gradually they began to assume some form 
 and proportion, until now it seems to me that I 
 have known all of these things somewhere be- 
 fore. Where previously I had been an incessant 
 talker all my life, I have now grown more re- 
 served, silent and eager to hear and observe. 
 As I take a retrospect of my past life it all ap- 
 pears so utterly empty and foolish that I am led 
 to wonder how John could ever have been so 
 patient and gentle with me. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 131 
 
 This is such a beautiful world up here. The 
 grand mountain scenery, the highly cultivated 
 valley, the symmetrical and artistic buildings, 
 the color and harmony, all go to delight the 
 lover of the beautiful. Everything is done with 
 an eye to beauty as well as utility. 
 
 Annie and I have asked the privilege of oc- 
 casionally accompanying the Brothers and Sis- 
 ters in their rounds of duty; in the orchards 
 with the fruit pickers, in the store rooms where 
 the delicious and perfect fruit is assorted and 
 crated and made ready for shipping. Annie 
 declares that she knows the fruit up in that old 
 garden, which Eve made such a blunder over, 
 wasn't any nicer than the car loads that are daily 
 shipped from this plantation. 
 
 Brother Paul has a way of looking at the girl 
 when she gets on her talking moods that tones 
 her down, especially when he asks her, in his 
 slow way, if she isn't afraid that she is talking too 
 much. She never knows how to talk back to 
 him. Nearly everyone else gets a touch of her 
 wit or sarcasm, but just one glance from that 
 man is enough to, at least, change the nature of 
 her talk; yet his marvelous eyes cheer, comfort 
 and strengthen whenever occasion calls. Brother 
 Paul is a study. He is altogether lovely — if one 
 
132 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 can safely say that of a masculine member of the 
 human family. 
 
 But then the entire association manifests that 
 same peculiarity; a species of reserve power that 
 is felt at once upon entering the presence of any 
 members of the family. There is something so 
 sweet and attractive about them that you in- 
 stinctively want to turn and follow them as they 
 are passing you in their round of duty. This pe- 
 culiar attractiveness is universal with all; it is 
 something that I have never sensed in any other 
 body of people I ever came in contact with. I 
 have on rare occasions met an individual possess- 
 ing such power, but not perhaps more than one 
 out of a thousand. 
 
 I mentioned this singular fact to Brother 
 Frederick, and after studying me intently for a 
 time, he said that I would understand the secret 
 of all this later on, but that one cause of the 
 serenity and cheerfulness characterizing the 
 whole colony was because they were non-flesh- 
 eating. 
 
 "YVe consider," he continued, "that the con- 
 sumption of large quantities of oft times 
 diseased flesh must cause, to some degree, 
 a putrescent state of the blood in the human 
 being, giving rise to that offensive odor which is 
 constantly being exhaled from the body, also 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 133 
 
 causing that irritability and violence of temper 
 so common in the world." 
 
 Here Annie nudged me, and whispered, "Now 
 I understand why I am becoming such an angel; 
 it is because I don't eat meat." 
 
 This morning while out walking we stopped 
 and watched the Brothers as they were turning 
 on the water to irrigate the valley. I asked one 
 of them, who was standing near me. if they ever 
 had any kind of sickness in the colony. 
 
 "No; why should we?" he answered. 
 
 "Don't all people get sick sometimes?" I ask- 
 ed. 
 
 "Well, we do not believe in it; we never speak 
 the word. We deny that there is such a thing in 
 reality. We never think of such things; never 
 talk about them. There is so much that is good 
 and lovely crowded in upon us, that we have no 
 time to think of anything that is not Good. We 
 constantly deny all that you name Evil; and 
 what we do not desire we simply decline." 
 
 -Here Annie, who was standing with open eyes 
 and mouth, asked, "Why! do you never expect 
 to get sick up here? and never expect to die?" 
 
 "We all expect to pass through that change 
 which you people talk of so much and call 
 death," answered the Brother gently, "but we do 
 not expect sickness, neither will we have it." 
 
134 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 "Now that reminds me of something," cried 
 Annie; "I have not seen anything like a burial 
 ground or vault. What do you do with your 
 people when they 'pass out,' as you call it?" 
 
 "Cremation is our method of disposing of the 
 remains of both the human and the animal," the 
 Brother replied. 
 
 "Worse and worse!" exclaimed Annie, turn- 
 ing abruptly and walking away hurriedly. 
 
 "Do you know," she said, as I joined her a 
 few moments later, "that these people are regu- 
 lar heathens!" 
 
 "I wish there were more like them; the world 
 would be the better, I am sure," I replied. 
 
 We walked along in silence for some moments 
 until we came to the entrance of their immense 
 apiary, which was under the care of six of the 
 Sisters. Sister Alicia was about to enter, so she 
 invited us to go in with her. 
 
 This branch of their industry is intensely in- 
 teresting. The study of bee life and intelligence 
 possesses a greater fascination to me than any 
 other department in this colossal enterprise. I 
 need not enlarge upon the beauty and excellence 
 of their product, as everyone is familiar with the 
 fame of California honey. 
 
 In my eagerness to study the working of the 
 colonies of bees about to swarm. I had forgotten 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 135 
 
 all about Annie. When I began to look about 
 for her, one of the Sisters said laughingly, "Oh! 
 she made her escape long ago. Strangers rarely 
 dare to come in among the hives, especially dur- 
 ing their swarming season. Bees are very sensi- 
 tive to odors and auras. They don't appear to 
 mind you however." 
 
 When I reached the Home I found Annie, 
 with a flushed face, laying down the law to one 
 of the Brothers who was cleaning the porches. 
 As I came up she turned, blazing with 
 anger, and shaking her small fist at me, cried 
 out, "You must have been in a bad way for en- 
 tertainment to go in among those little wretches. 
 Just look at my hand! I'll never touch another 
 drop of honey as long as I live. I'll kill every 
 bee that I can get at; the horrid things!" 
 
 "I am sorry for that, for really honey is a 
 large part of our living," said a low voice near 
 by. 
 
 We turned and there stood Brother Paul and 
 John. I did not look in the face of either of the 
 men, for I was just ready to cry myself for hav- 
 ing taken the child into danger; but Annie walk- 
 ed straight up to John and laid her wounded 
 hand into his great strong one. 
 
 He did not say anything for some moments, 
 but just passed his soft magnetic fingers over the 
 
136 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 swollen parts. At last he said, "Don't you see, 
 dear, that it is nothing to lose one's temper 
 over? don't you see that the whole thing is 
 gone?" Sure enough, the swelling had nearly 
 disappeared. 
 
 I now looked up at Brother Paul. He was 
 simply looking at the girl, and she had quieted 
 down and was smiling, quite her old self again. 
 
 As I looked at the group standing silent and 
 motionless, I recalled to mind many things I had 
 seen John do at home, and had considered it all 
 nonsense; now I could not deny the fact that a 
 great change had come over Annie, and that her 
 hand appeared to be all right, as far as I could 
 see. At all events, from a state of uncontrollable 
 anger, she had passed into one of peace and 
 serenity, all in the space of a few moments; an 
 unusual thing for her. Generally in her fits she 
 kicked and floundered around for an hour or 
 two, until I could in some way pacify her; after 
 which she would be so sweet and charming and 
 altogether lovely that one would forget how 
 confoundedly disagreeable she had been. 
 
 I slyly stole away out of sight, for I felt that it 
 was a scene too sacred for an outsider to intrude 
 upon. Then, too, I considered myself in fault 
 somehow for the unpleasant affair, and now. as 
 I wandered off under the shadow of the great 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 137 
 
 trees I kept asking myself, "How is it done? Do 
 they do it, or is it because she behaves herself?" 
 Then I recalled how Christ stilled the tempest, 
 cast out devils, healed the sick, gave sight to the 
 blind, etc. "}Yes," I thought, "but He was 
 Christ. Can those things be done in these days 
 by human beings?" 
 
 I took my pocket Testament out and opened 
 it; and the first thing I found rather startled me, 
 it was this: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and 
 commanded them, saying, Go, heal the sick, 
 cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out dev- 
 ils." These men were as common and earth- 
 ly as any we have in these days, it seems to me. 
 I thought of John, and Brother Paul, and, good- 
 ness! there is Father Hyacinth; to say nothing 
 of the rest of these honest, earnest men and 
 women who are trying so hard to follow Christ's 
 law. 
 
 I pondered over this matter long and earnest- 
 ly, hidden away as I was out of sight of human- 
 ity. It was hard to accept the idea that those 
 two men possessed some power for good over 
 that wayward girl that I did not. "If they can 
 do it, I don't see why I can't," I muttered to 
 myself. 
 
 Then I opened my Testament again, and pres- 
 ently I came on this passage: "Indeed, I assure 
 
138 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 you, he believing on me, the works which I do, 
 shall he do also; and greater than these shall he 
 do. And whatever you may ask in my name, 
 that will I do." 
 
 "I think I understand how the thing is done," 
 I said aloud, as I rose and started homeward, 
 reaching the Home just as the family was being 
 seated at the dinner table. 
 
 Annie looked supremely happy, seated next to 
 John, presenting no vestage of the mental cy- 
 clone that had so lately wrenched and distorted 
 her. 
 
 Brother Rameses, seeing that I was alone, 
 beckoned me to a seat next to him, which I glad- 
 ly accepted, feeling at once rested and comforted. 
 This man is no talker, unless he has something 
 to say, but he can quote poetry day in and day 
 out. I cannot say that I care for poetry as a 
 general thing. As I, from time to time, looked 
 up to the grave face, with its clean shaven, 
 square cut chin, clear, honest blue eyes, and mas- 
 sive brows shaded by a wealth of yellow hair, a 
 kind of an awe crept over me; I almost wished 
 he wasn't so solid, wasn't so awfully good. 
 
 Presently he turned and looked down at me. 
 saying, "Had rather an interesting episode this 
 morning:, eh?" 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 139 
 
 I knew he had reference to the bee tragedy, so 
 I never answered. 
 
 Then he let out on his poetry. 
 
 "A fool there was, and he made his prayer 
 
 (Even as you and I!) 
 To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair, 
 We called her the woman, who did not care 
 But the fool, he called her his lady fair 
 
 (Even as you and I)" * 
 
 "Oh, the years we waste and the tears we waste, 
 And the work of our head and hand 
 Belong to the woman who did not know 
 And now we know, that she never could know 
 And did not understand." * 
 
 We sat long in silence, until I began to boil 
 inwardly. "Well, that is not very interesting — 
 not much poetry in that," I blurted out. It al- 
 ways made me savage to hear a man say any- 
 thing in a slighting way concerning a woman, 
 no matter what I might think or know. 
 
 "Why! that is an effusion of the prospective 
 poet-laureate of England," said Rameses, after 
 a silence, as he peeled and quartered a luscious 
 orange and laid it on my plate. 
 
 * Kipling. 
 
140 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 I was silent during the remainder of the meal, 
 but I could see that the man was studying me, 
 and could feel a thrill go all over me — a new sen- 
 sation to me, and one that I did not understand. 
 
 As we arose from the table Father Hyacinth 
 came forward to where we were, and said to 
 Rameses, ''I would like to speak with you for a 
 few moments if you are at liberty." 
 
 My companion excused himself, and bowing 
 to me with a stately dignity passed on out of 
 sight. 
 
 I walked out on the lawn in a brown 
 study. I was really a little anxious concerning 
 my sentiments regarding that yellow-haired 
 Austrian. There are some things about these 
 men up here that one likes awfully well; and 
 some things that you don't like at all. I must 
 talk with John about it. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius, 141 
 
 "This visible universe is composed of invisible non- 
 contiguous atoms; it rests on space, but the ruling forces 
 themselves are immaterial and invisible. Seek matter and 
 you will not find it; it is mirage that recedes as you ad- 
 vance; it is a shadow that vanishes each time you think 
 to seize it.*' 
 
 — Camille Flammarion. 
 
142 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 FIFTH LESSON. 
 
 COSMIC LIFE. 
 
 The object of urging this ponderous subject 
 upon the attention of this class is not merely 
 for the pleasure which the knowledge brings for 
 the time, but for the important influence which 
 an understanding of and an obedience to the 
 divine law must exert upon the life and character 
 of the individual; and really not alone upon the 
 individual man, but upon all manifested life. In- 
 asmuch as man, through his transgression, caused 
 all the disasters that now curse the race and the 
 planet, it devolves upon him to adjust those dis- 
 jointed conditions in the lower kingdoms; as 
 the healing of the low fierce brute life, and 
 the diseased vegetable world, can come only 
 through redeemed humanity. 
 
 Paul appears to have had a perfect under- 
 standing of this great truth. He says: 
 
 "Indeed the earnest expectation of creation 
 longs for the revelation of the 'Sons of God.' 
 For the creation was made subject to frailty. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 143 
 
 * * * in the hope that even the creation 
 itself will become emancipated from the slavery 
 of corruption into the freedom of the glory of 
 the children of God. 
 
 ''For we know that the whole creation groan- 
 eth and travaileth in pain together till the 
 present time. 
 
 "For the creation was made subject to frailty." 
 
 This idea will not appear so strange and un- 
 reasonable when we understand the nature of 
 the Life principle of the universe, which is not a 
 structureless substance, an invisible nothing, but 
 a vast ocean of infinitesimal atoms, each possess- 
 ing in itself a power of expansion too mighty for 
 the human mind to comprehend. 
 
 In the original and perfect state, this cosmic 
 Substance surrounding our planet was com- 
 posed, as we have seen, of atoms, each of which 
 was double, possessing two distinct lives, male 
 and female, in one atom, — the divine marriage. 
 So that everything created of, or growing out of, 
 this great body of Life was dual, until the sex sin 
 came. 
 
 Those tiny bodies compose that shoreless sea 
 of Substance — for it is substance — from which is 
 evolved all objective life; and into that great 
 reservoir of exhaustless Substance these atoms 
 
144 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 return, to be again and again called out to form 
 new and more beautiful objects. 
 
 There is but one Substance, from which is 
 created all of the changing forms which men 
 have named Matter. 
 
 "Because everything exists from the beginning in God, 
 into whose unmanifested state all things will return. * * 
 * * There is no death in nature, and the dying of the 
 beings consists in their return to the body of their 
 Mother. That is to say, in an extinction and suppression 
 of one form of existence and activity, in a re-birth of the 
 same thing * * * in a new form, possessed of new 
 faculties that are adapted to its new surroundings." 
 
 — Paracelsus. 
 
 This Substance, like its Infinite Source, is death- 
 less. Those appearances which men have named 
 Death and Decay are not in the Substance itself, 
 but are merely dissolving views of the forms 
 and shapes fashioned from it. 
 
 Its fixed character for the time has been 
 changed, so that there exists in all visible things 
 a restlessness, a constant impulse toward 
 change. The atoms still feel the stress of the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 145 
 
 divine law of duality that once ruled them, and 
 are therefore moving hither and thither, seeking 
 and desiring the divine union again. This con- 
 dition causes that nameless longing and con- 
 stant desire for change that marks the character 
 of the race today, and which might be classed as 
 a species of insanity. 
 
 Prof. F. R. Japp, one of the foremost scien- 
 tists of the world, in his address before the chem- 
 ical section of the British Association, his subject 
 being, "The Life resident in the Atomic Sub- 
 stance; the Ceaseless Activity of the Atoms; 
 their Attraction and Repulsion," said, "The ab- 
 solute origin of the compounds of one-sided 
 asymmetry to be found in the living world is a 
 mystery as profound as the absolute origin of 
 life itself." 
 
 "An asymmetric compound is one which is 
 not complete and evenly balanced, and which, 
 because of its incompleteness, seeks to ally itself 
 with its chemical affinity and therefore contin- 
 ues in a condition of restless activity." * 
 
 Through the infusion of the virus of the ani- 
 mal sex-life into the atomic Substance there 
 came a violent shock, the wrenching asunder of 
 
 * The Pantheism of Modern Science. 
 
146 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 that holy union in the atoms; so that instead of 
 there being in one atom two nucleoli or germs, 
 there is now but a single germ in each, a male or 
 female, as the case may be; a negative or posi- 
 tive, as the scientist terms them. There is now 
 a constant warfare in that portion of the 
 substance that goes to make up man and his 
 planet; his Substance of Life has lost its stead- 
 fastness, has come under the law of limitation — 
 a man-made law. 
 
 Although this Substance received a shock that 
 has changed its action, it is still indestructible 
 and redeemable. 
 
 The violation of the spiritual law of reproduc- 
 tion of the human family, and the externalization 
 of the sex-life on the animal plane, produced a 
 marked change in all of the kingdoms of the 
 earth, and upon the body of the planet itself. 
 "The earth is also defiled under the inhabitants 
 thereof; because they have transgressed the law, 
 broken the everlasting covenant." 
 
 Before man broke that law, the vegetable 
 world was without disease or blight. Those ani- 
 mals that are now so destructive to all forms of 
 life were then unknown; there was nothing to 
 hurt or make afraid. But when he disobeyed 
 and "ate of that tree of the knowledge of good 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius, 147 
 
 and evil," then began his degeneracy and the in- 
 fusing of that lust-poison into the Life Substance 
 enveloping our planet. 
 
 "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; * * * 
 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to 
 thee." This was not a curse, for divine love 
 cannot curse. . It was a prophecy. A divine law 
 had been broken and there is no forgiveness of 
 sin. 
 
 "Thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that 
 thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Not 
 to die, as we know death, but the sowing of the 
 seed of decay, dissolution and discord. 
 The larger portion of the earth's surface 
 is at this time a barren waste; nay, worse 
 than that! it is in a condition that breeds suffer- 
 ing and death to the thousands who are forced 
 to inhabit it. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake, 
 in sorrow shalt thou eat of it." 
 
 Every atom composing the vast sea of Life is 
 sentient. Each recognizes and responds to 
 each. Man is an aggregation of these atoms; 
 he vitally influences the whole mass surrounding 
 him; his thoughts act upon this sea of Life as a 
 solid and foreign substance would upon a body 
 of water. If a pebble be thrown into a placid 
 lake it will agitate the entire body to its extreme 
 
148 Hermapliro-Deity : 
 
 limit, every molecule feeling the vibration. The 
 more powerful the disturbing influence, the 
 greater the agitation. 
 
 The great atomic sea of Life is One, and the 
 thoughts of intelligent beings strongly influences 
 the responsive medium for good or evil. All be- 
 ligerent thoughts, evil and brutal passions, dis- 
 turb that spiritual atmosphere so that equili- 
 brium is lost, the vibrations become irregular 
 and at times violent. 
 
 It appears evident enough from the study of 
 all ancient religious history, to say nothing of 
 proofs of geology, that our planet has, at one 
 time, received a terrible shock, and that the orbit 
 of the earth has been changed from interstellar 
 space to its present position. We need only to 
 bear in mind that worlds are not stationary, but 
 float upon an elastic sea. whose Substance re- 
 sponds to the thoughts of God-created beings. 
 There can be no question but that our planet, 
 from its weight of crime, bloodshed and wrong, 
 has sunk in space, as a stone would sink in water; 
 and through the united weight of the rebellious 
 mind of the race swung gradually out of its 
 original orbit, and away from the great Central 
 Sun of the universe. 
 
 Those terrific mental cyclones that have swept 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 149 
 
 the face of the globe from age to age certainly 
 must have influenced adversely its position and 
 motion on that shoreless and responsive ocean. 
 
 Attraction and repulsion are the two great 
 motive powers of the universe. 
 
 We will not forget that Mind is the creative 
 power. Certain states of mind are repellent and 
 destructive. Denial of God and the Good is a 
 form of blasphemy. At all times, the spirit of 
 hatred expressed, it matters not toward whom, 
 has the power to repel, to drive from the Good. 
 All selfishness, denial of the Christ, hatred of our 
 kind, anger and jealousy, has a tendency to drive 
 us still further from that Central Life — our 
 source. Denial is death — repulsion. While on 
 the other hand all affirmations for the Good; 
 love for man, and all that lives; adoration for the 
 divine Source of Life; obedience to the Christ, 
 to love as He loved, is the positive magnet that 
 will attract all toward the light. 
 
 When we take into consideration the fact that 
 at one period of the world's history evil reigned 
 supreme, the whole race being in darkness, it 
 will not appear so unreasonable or strange that 
 the united sins of blasphemous people could 
 cause our world to fall from its high estate. 
 
150 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 From time immemorial, men have preached 
 about the "fall of man," but have never said any- 
 thing about the "fallen world;" yet the world re- 
 ceived its due share of the curse. 
 
 "God saw everything that He had made, and 
 behold it was very good." We have perfect faith 
 that God never made a mistake; never made a 
 botch. It is not consistent with divine wisdom, 
 harmony, justice, or love, that He should have 
 created so imperfect a piece of work as our planet 
 and its inhabitants. That He should have thrown 
 us off in this isolated corner of the universe with 
 no near companions, save a dead moon and a 
 rapidly consuming sun; when there appear 
 be a region of space filled with myriads of glow- 
 ing suns, a great pathway of eternal day, where 
 there must be light and warmth and consequent 
 happiness. Darkness and cold is where God is 
 not, and brings to man his greatest suffering. 
 
 Neither can I believe that the divine Architect 
 ever left our globe so tipped upon its axis that 
 so large a portion of its habitable surface is be- 
 yond the reach of warmth, light and comfort. 
 While we — in this so-called garden of the 
 world — are in darkness half of the twenty-four 
 hours which constitutes our day; a period dur- 
 ing which are perpetrated the vilest and most 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 151 
 
 diabolical of crimes, that daily shock the reading 
 public. 
 
 And God said, "Let there be light." God the 
 infinite Lover, the infinite Good, never created 
 anything adverse to Himself. He is love, light, 
 fire and eternal life. Cold and darkness come 
 from man's denial of God, and resistance of the 
 Good. 
 
 Our planet in its first estate, doubtless, was 
 one of that mighty procession of suns in what we 
 call the Milky Way, up toward which we gaze 
 night after night with deep reverence and much 
 questioning. 
 
 But we are told that there was war in heaven. 
 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, 
 son of the morning!" The disobedience, crime, 
 cruelty and bloodshed of mankind acted as a re- 
 pelling force, causing our planet to sink from 
 that belt of light, heat and love, down to its pres- 
 ent level. 
 
 It all came through the law of repulsion. 
 Good does not love Evil, and Evil hates Good. 
 There was, therefore, a mutual repulsion. Noth- 
 ing has occurred outside of a fixed and unyield- 
 ing law, and wholly in harmony with divine 
 dynamics. 
 
152 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 From our sacred history we glean the follow- 
 ing, all going to substantiate our claim. 
 
 "For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place 
 to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their 
 iniquity. The earth also shall disclose her blood, 
 and shall no more cover her slain. 
 
 "I will punish the world for their evil. * * * 
 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the 
 earth shall remove out of her place. 
 
 "Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty 
 and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down. 
 
 "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunk- 
 ard. 
 
 "The earth is utterly broken down. * * * 
 The earth is moved exceedingly. * * * * 
 And shall be removed like a cottage; and the 
 transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and 
 it shall fall. 
 
 "The land shall be utterly emptied, and utter- 
 ly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. 
 * * * * Upon the land of my people shall 
 come up thorns and briers." 
 
 Life would be utterly bereft of its incentive 
 were we not assured that the Good is an eternal 
 principle, and Evil but a passing dream, a night- 
 mare, a mirage. 
 
 AYe are promised a divine panacea for the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 153 
 
 transient malady now torturing the soul Sub- 
 stance of things. "And the inhabitants shall not 
 say, I am sick, * * * for the Lord is our 
 judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our 
 King; He will save us." 
 
 Our Lord came not alone to heal the sick soul 
 of things; but to establish an electric chain be- 
 tween our planet and the Central Sun of our 
 system, to assist in attracting the globe into its 
 original position and place in that "Home of the 
 many Mansions" in that pathway of light. 
 
 We with our darkened vision cannot see that 
 wondrous chain of light over which, passing and 
 re-passing, are hosts of angelic beings, who, with 
 Christ's love in their souls, are aiding in the work 
 of redeeming man and his disjointed world. 
 Ages ago, Jacob, on his pillow of stone, saw in 
 a vision that ladder of light let down amid the 
 blackness. 
 
 Christ said, "I say unto you, that hereafter 
 you shall see the heavens open, and the angels 
 of God ascending and descending to the Son of 
 man." 
 
 There are now a few advanced minds investi- 
 gating this science, and who understand the al- 
 mighty force resident in atomic Life. This force 
 — or power — under the control of the divine 
 
154 HermaphrO'Deity : 
 
 Mind in man, supported by the will, could sway 
 a planet in its course, as wind can a thistle- 
 down. 
 
 I have perfect confidence in the lessons of my 
 Master and Teacher. He said, "He that be- 
 lieveth on Me, the works that I do shall he do 
 also; and greater works than these shall he do. 
 * * * If y OU should say to this mountain, 
 Be thou lifted up and thrown into the sea; it 
 will be done. And whatever you shall ask in 
 prayer, believing, you will receive." 
 
 Prayer, we understand, is nothing but an earn- 
 est desire. The time is not distant when men 
 and women, wise, just and Godly, mighty in 
 thought and will, having a practical knowledge 
 of this unseen power, can employ it for the rein- 
 statement of human affairs in our world; just as 
 readily as men, who have come into an under- 
 standing of electricity can utilize that subtle 
 power for the benefit of mankind. 
 
 "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
 make you free.'' 
 
 What is this truth? Is it not the secret of this 
 Life Substance of which we have been speaking, 
 and our intimate relation to it? All Life is One, 
 and we have each done our share in the degrad- 
 ation of the whole. We are therefore called upon 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 155 
 
 individually to assist in this wonderful work of 
 restoration. 
 
 What are we to do in a work so mighty, and 
 we so weak? 
 
 Are we weak? We have for our central force 
 the Christ-Mind, the God within us. From 
 that source our thoughts are deathless, and we 
 impress for Good the ocean of ether in which we 
 exist. He who thinks a loving thought has 
 lightened the burden of the world. 
 
 Divine Love, like divine Life, is a Substance; 
 it enters into the ocean of life and heals the 
 wound of sins; it unites the severed lives in the 
 atoms. 
 
 Christ was the Substance of Love itself. We 
 are His children; His helpers. We are to es- 
 tablish on earth that "kingdom of Good," — the 
 kingdom of divine Love. Our thoughts must 
 be as grappling irons thrown out to anchor and 
 steady our world in her erratic and troubled 
 homeward journey. 
 
 The millennial dawn may not be as distant as 
 we are disposed to think, when we take into con- 
 sideration the marvelous speed in the movement 
 of our entire planetary system; and understand 
 that all of the starry hosts are being whirled 
 
156 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 through space toward some great center at a 
 speed incomprehensible to the human mind. 
 
 During the past century, yes. during the last 
 decade, man has demonstrated fully his power 
 for good over the earth's surface; making the 
 "waste places blossom like the rose." The earth 
 materializes the thoughts of mankind, be they 
 what they may. 
 
 Not only is man subduing the surface of the 
 globe, but he is learning to master the secret 
 forces as well. These demonstrations are all in 
 their infancy; yet they substantiate our appar- 
 ently extravagant claims for the race. 
 
 We can now dimly comprehend the meaning 
 of that promise: 
 
 "They shall not hurt, nor destroy, in all my 
 holy mountains; for the earth shall be full of the 
 knowledge of the Lord, as water covereth the 
 deep." 
 
 "All things that my Father hath are mine, 
 nothing shall wrest them from Me." "I am the 
 light of the world." "These things I command 
 you; that you love one another." 
 
 And this divine Lover of Souls has instructed 
 me that I am my brother's keeper, and that my 
 brother is to be as dear to me as myself; in fact, 
 that I must give myself for his good if required; 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 157 
 
 and that all men of whatever grade, color, con- 
 dition or clime are my brethren. 
 
 He has also in His tender love told me that I 
 must keep watch for the returning prodigal, and 
 that when I see him afar off, that I must hasten 
 to meet him, lest he think himself unwelcome 
 and turn back. 
 
 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; 
 for the first heaven and the first earth were pass- 
 ed away; and there was no more sea. 
 
 "And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusa- 
 lem, coming down from God out of heaven, pre- 
 pared as a bride adorned for her husband. And 
 I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "Be- 
 hold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He 
 will dwell with them, and they shall be His 
 people, and God himself shall be with them, and 
 be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears 
 from their eyes; and there shall be no more 
 death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall 
 there be any more pain, for the former things 
 are passed away. 
 
 "And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, 
 I make all things new. And He said unto me. 
 Write, for these words are true and faithful. 
 
 "And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha 
 
158 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will 
 give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of 
 the water of life freely. He that overcometh, 
 shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, 
 and he shall be my son/' 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 159 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Benares, California, June 2d. 
 
 Today, thirteen persons, old and young, male 
 and female, came to the Home on the eleven 
 o'clock train. So quietly is everything conduct- 
 ed in this institution that no one outside of the 
 regular family knew anything of the matter; so 
 that we visitors were quite excited over the ar- 
 rivals. 
 
 As Angela and I were watching the new com- 
 ers file up the steps and enter the hall, we hailed 
 Sister Alicia, who was passing near where we 
 were seated, and asked her what she was going 
 to do with her new recruits. 
 
 "Come with me, and see for yourselves," she 
 answered, looking back over her shoulder smil- 
 ing and showing her white teeth and dimples. 
 
 We followed her upstairs and through a set of 
 hallways entirely new to us, as we had never in- 
 vestigated that wing of the Home building. 
 
 "We have four hundred available sleeping 
 
160 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 rooms in this city," she said, with an air of satis- 
 faction; "and every one of them comfortably if 
 not handsomely furnished; quite as much so as 
 these," opening a door into a suite of large, airy 
 rooms, all tastefully and artistically furnished, 
 and immaculately clean. "We are never taken 
 by surprise up here; we keep 'open house' at all 
 times, and many of those who have been called 
 'tramps' find their way to us. I may say all of 
 whom stay with us permanently, trusted and be- 
 loved. We have in our brotherhood members 
 from almost every civilized nation on the globe." 
 
 "I suppose you must have suitable rooms for 
 your working people and tramps," I suggested, 
 as we inspected suites of really handsome rooms 
 with their polished floors and large windows. 
 
 The Sister was silent for a moment, then in her 
 quiet impressive way said, "We make no distinc- 
 tion here; our 'working people.' as you call them, 
 are all equal, we have no grades; if we ever show 
 any preference it is toward those who have been 
 unfortunate in some way. As for our 'tramps/ 
 we should not do better by royalty. We desire 
 to make them forget all past grades and misfor- 
 tunes; and we succeed usual! v." 
 
 There was something in her quiet tone and 
 manner that humbled me. and started me on a 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 161 
 
 train of thought not altogether flattering to my 
 self-love. And as she and Angela walked on in 
 advance of me, talking over the arrangement of 
 the buildings, I followed slowly, thinking of 
 tramp life, and not feeling quite comfortable, not 
 knowing in fact who my near neighbors might 
 be. 
 
 Then I recalled the history and nature of that 
 tramp which the dear old bishop put into the 
 spare bed room; and I remembered the silver 
 candle-sticks, and all that grew out of the bish- 
 op's kindness, confidence and patience toward 
 that despised and hunted convict; the influence 
 for good on all the after life of that brutal tramp. 
 And as I thought of Him who ate with publicans 
 and sinners and was not harmed; who labored 
 among the down-trodden and sinful in order to 
 elevate and save; there came to me a dim con- 
 sciousness of the oneness of humanity. I re- 
 called all of John's schemes and exploits with 
 tramps, depraved and outcasts of all creation. I 
 remembered how I had ridiculed and abused him 
 for his patience and confidence toward what I 
 had considered and termed the "rough scuffs" 
 of all creation. Now there was unrolled before 
 me a picture of the vast multitudes of the friend- 
 less, homeless and outcast of the human family, 
 
162 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 and I saw walking in advance of that multitude 
 that One, who said, "Inasmuch as you do it unto 
 the least of these, you have done it unto me." 
 Then came over me such a wave of compassion 
 that for a moment I was stunned; I had never 
 realized before that so large a majority of the 
 race were among those "little ones." 
 
 This new question must have impressed itself 
 in a degree upon my face, for when I came up to 
 where Sister Alicia and Angela were awaiting 
 me they both looked at me sharply, and Angela 
 passing her arm about me smilingly said, "Of 
 one blood made He all, my dear." 
 
 We now entered a suite of rooms which Sister 
 Alicia had selected for a party. She informed us 
 that four out of the party of thirteen — two gen- 
 tlemen and two ladies — were from England, and 
 were of English aristocracy: Sir Anthony West- 
 lake, his wife and daughter, and Sir Charles 
 Westlake, Sir Anthony's brother. The remain- 
 ing party were from San Francisco, and were 
 friends of the "San Francisco woman." as Annie 
 called her. They consisted of two gentlemen 
 and their wives, and five single ladies. 
 
 "These people who come in on trial, do the 
 husbands and wives live in the old relations," 
 asked Angela. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 163 
 
 "No," Sister Alicia answered; "they conform 
 to our rules in regard to those relations, and if at 
 the close of their season of trial they should not 
 consider themselves ready to adopt the perman- 
 ent life of celibacy, they return to their homes, 
 none the worse for their sojourn with us. But 
 in the experience of half a century there have 
 been but two cases where the parties have deem- 
 ed it best to renew their old relations. ,, 
 
 At dinner the English party was seated at our 
 table, and next to Angela. It appears they had 
 been many years in India, in the same section 
 where Angela spent so much time. They were 
 familiar with all the occult philosophies, and had 
 made a thorough study of Theosophy. This fact 
 at once made a tie between the party and An- 
 gela. The young baronet and John fairly tum- 
 bled into each other's affections. We were all 
 refreshed by the new element coming in. 
 
 Annie whispered to me, as we were leaving 
 the dining room, "I am going to set my cap for 
 that young lord. He is a 'catch/ and I am amaz- 
 ingly fond of lords." 
 
 "I trust that you will behave with becoming 
 dignity," I said, looking at her soberly. 
 
 "I could not do otherwise, with you as my ex- 
 ample," she replied meekly. 
 
164 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 The most delightful occasion of the day is the 
 reunion on the lawn after the evening meal; the 
 entire family gathers, forming an altogether 
 unique group, charming beyond anything that 
 could be imagined. 
 
 Supper is served promptly at five o'clock; then 
 while the Sisters are arranging domestic mat- 
 ters in the house, the Brothers are milking, strain- 
 ing the milk, putting it in the coolers, and taking 
 care of the stock; and by half past six the whole 
 family, including the guests, are ready for the 
 evening pastime, which consists of music, read- 
 ing or speaking. As a rule, this gathering takes 
 place on the lawn, as we never have rain here, 
 and the air is so delightful. 
 
 •From six until seven o'clock we are to have 
 music this evening, furnished by Brother Rame- 
 ses with his violin, and the Sisters with their 
 stringed instruments. 
 
 I find it impossible to describe the quality or 
 the effect of the music in this strange out-of-the- 
 way place, under those old red-wood trees, with 
 the grand mountain scenery rising up beyond the 
 reach of human vision as a back ground; then in 
 front, stretching away as far as the eye can 
 reach, the fertile valley, smooth and regular.with 
 its various shades and colors, forming an extend- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 165 
 
 ed picture of rich fruitage, and all about the signs 
 of high civilization without the slash and clang 
 that accompanies it. As I sat entranced by the 
 music and the scenery I questioned in my mind 
 if they really had anything better on the planet 
 Mars. 
 
 In looking over the grounds while the people 
 were seating themselves, I could not help noting 
 the general air of cheerfulness and good humor 
 pervading the whole assembly. I could not de- 
 fine the difference between that gathering and 
 hundreds of others that I had been in. There 
 were over three hundred persons on the lawn, yet 
 there was no noise or confusion; but instead a 
 kind of subdued gayety, quite new to me; all of 
 the faces shone with a species of good humor 
 and good will toward each other. I had always 
 been of the rollicking sort, and Annie even more 
 so, when in her best moods. 
 
 As I looked over the company, I espied Annie 
 seated beside Sir Charles, deeply engaged in 
 highly animated conversation. 
 
 My attention was now drawn toward the stage 
 by the arrival of Rameses and his troupe. 
 
 As I sat, entranced by the music, in that most 
 charming and secluded spot, having for my com- 
 panions so many choice spirits, I in my own en- 
 
166 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 thusiastic way sent up a kind of petition that this 
 curious people with their strange doctrines and 
 wholesome and righteous living might become 
 known and emulated by the world at large. 
 
 It appears that Sir Anthony YVestlake had 
 casually remarked to Brother Frederick that 
 doubtless this fraternity would, in time, go the 
 way of all similar institutions; so it had been 
 considered wise that some one should explain 
 briefly wherein this colony differed from all 
 others that have risen and declined from time to 
 time. Brother Rameses was chosen to make 
 this explanation at the close of the concert. I 
 was astonished beyond measure, as I had never 
 heard that gigantic Australian utter a dozen 
 words, except to recite poetry, at which he was 
 an adept. 
 
 I looked enquiringly at John, who nodded 
 toward the man. as much as to say that he was 
 all right. 
 
 Rameses arose with a dignity and ease of man- 
 ner rarely displayed by an occasional speak- 
 er, and in a quiet deliberate way — in much the 
 same manner as he draws his bow across his 
 violin when he brings out such heavenlv music 
 — he spoke as follows: 
 
 "I have been asked to explain in few words the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 167 
 
 foundation principles of our fraternity. I have 
 had a somewhat intimate acquaintance with 
 many of the schools and fraternities that have 
 sprung- up at different times in different coun- 
 tries. From my early boyhood I had conceived 
 of an ideal brotherhood, composed of both men 
 and women on an equal footing; an institution 
 that should be a school possessing all the facili- 
 ties for a first class education, where those who 
 had been neglected in their childhood could re- 
 ceive a mental and physical training that would 
 develop the best that was in them, regardless of 
 sex, age, nationality or color. 
 
 "I have entered many different fraternities, 
 and after studying carefully their foundation 
 tenets, have retired from them, having failed to 
 find what I deemed to be the true foundation for 
 a lasting corporation, that is self-governing and 
 altruistic. All fraternities that I have come in 
 contact with have been under the dominance of 
 some strong leading spirit, who possessed both 
 a mind and will of the strongest order, and who 
 in many cases exerted a hypnotic influence over 
 all that it came in contact with. All bodies thus 
 governed endure but a brief season after the 
 leading mind has been withdrawn. 
 
 "This brotherhood has no leader. Never has 
 
168 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 had one; at least, not in the form of man. We 
 all remember that He whom we accept as our 
 Leader and Counsellor, said, 'He that would be 
 first among you, let him be last.' There is not 
 one in this brotherhood that is esteemed above 
 another. Every important move to be made is 
 submitted to the whole body, male and female 
 alike. There are those in the fraternity whose 
 judgment we prize, and whose wisdom we re- 
 vere, but such never attempt to lead. 
 
 "When you take into consideration the fact 
 that this city up here on the mountain side, with 
 all of its grand and massive buildings so ex- 
 quisitely finished, is entirely the work of the 
 members of this brotherhood, you will be com- 
 pelled to acknowledge that we have talent of a 
 superior order among our members, much of 
 which has been developed wholly in our schools. 
 
 "Those members who have been deprived of 
 opportunity for education in youth enter our 
 schools as children, and are carefully taught and 
 developed, so that there are none more highly 
 favored than others. We have several hundred 
 members in our colony, but there is not one who 
 does not know every screw in this vast ma- 
 chinery, and who would not be capable of com- 
 ing to the front if need be. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 169 
 
 "Men and women to enter this colony must 
 become capable. It is an educational institu- 
 tion; a great body of men and women who live 
 up to wise and just principles; therefore it must 
 continue, altruism being the foundation of the 
 whole fabric. 
 
 "But the most potent reason for the last- 
 ing nature of this brotherhood is the position we 
 give our women. We have equal suffrage here. 
 We know that women are going to lead in all 
 works of reform. Woman has never lost her 
 stamp of the Divine, therefore we place her fore- 
 most in the ranks of honor. We venerate, and 
 try to emulate her. We remember that she was 
 the last to leave our Lord at His crucifixion, and 
 the first to meet Him at His resurrection. We 
 consider her the advance guard of the race, and 
 if you watch carefully you will see that this is 
 not all talk with us. We believe with our Ma- 
 hatma, 'The word which shall come to save the 
 world shall be uttered by a woman." 
 
170 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 "But we speak the wisdom of God, which was hidden 
 in a mystery, and which God previously designed, before 
 the ages, for our glory. But wisdom, not of this age nor 
 of those rulers of this age, who are coming to an end." 
 
 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, 
 but that Spirit which is from God, that we may know the 
 things graciously given to us by God; and which things 
 we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but the 
 teachings of the Spirit; unfolding spiritual things." 
 
 "Now the animal man does not receive the things of 
 the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he 
 is not able to understand, because they are spiritually 
 examined." 
 
 "But we possess the Mind of Christ." 
 
 — I. Corinthians ii. 
 
 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath 
 anointed me to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, He 
 hath sent me to publish release to the captive and recovery 
 of sight to the blind; to dispense freedom to the op- 
 pressed, and proclaim an era of acceptance with the 
 
 Lord." 
 
 — Gospel of our Lord. 
 
 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great 
 
 light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 
 
 upon them hath the light shined." 
 
 —Isaiah. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 171 
 
 SIXTH LESSON. 
 
 CHRIST'S MISSION. 
 
 Christ did not come into the world simply as 
 a teacher to mankind, or as a demonstration of 
 the redeemed Man, of which He was so perfect 
 a type; but as the great Healer, not alone of 
 man and the planet, but of that sea of cosmic 
 Substance from which objective life is formed. 
 
 The redeeming quality of Christ's blood and 
 body has always been the chief corner-stone in 
 the Christian religion. However the various 
 sects may differ on other points, they steadfastly 
 adhere to the one crowning glory, the redeem- 
 ing power of Christ's body and blood. 
 
 Through what channels and by what means 
 that healing and redeeming process was accom- 
 plished has never been satisfactorily explained; 
 at least not in these later days. That old story 
 that Christ was sacrificed to appease the wrath 
 of an angry God, in order that a comparatively 
 few out of the great hosts of human beings might 
 
172 Hermaphro ■ Deity ; 
 
 see salvation from endless punishment, is as a 
 body of religious teachings most repulsive to 
 the humane and thoughtful seeker after truth. 
 To such this teaching has for a foundation 
 neither reason nor justice. 
 
 There is abroad at this time a strong spirit 
 of inquiry, a desire to ferret out hidden things, 
 which, if they be based upon science or reason, 
 can be readily comprehended by the reasoning 
 and thinking individual. 
 
 Gods works through laws and by orderly 
 methods, and not through miracles or especial 
 providences. The whole tenor of the life of 
 Christ ran to a purpose. All things were or- 
 dered to be just as they were; but not for signs 
 or symbols, any more than the general prepar- 
 ation for the laying of the Atlantic cable, or 
 the stretching of our telegraph wires, were in- 
 tended as symbols of the completed works. 
 Christ's birth was no miracle. His life and His 
 death were controlled by laws; the whole pro- 
 cess was scientific and methodical. He came to 
 perform an important work, and He did it ac- 
 cording to fixed laws. 
 
 Mankind, through sin. corruption and selfish- 
 ness, had sunk so low in the scale of being as to 
 be in danger of annihilation: not only was man 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 173 
 
 himself in jeopardy, but the planet was in a state 
 of collapse from its weight of crime. 
 
 Christ having called man and the planet into 
 objective existence, it devolved upon Him to 
 watch over and protect His work, which was 
 only in accordance with divine justice. God's 
 pity and love saw a way through which the race 
 and planet could be redeemed and restored to 
 their primitive purity and perfection. And be- 
 cause of His intimate relations with mankind, 
 Christ was chosen to take upon Himself the heal- 
 ing and restoring of the world. 
 
 This could only be accomplished through His 
 coming to our planet,associating Himself with its 
 interests; and assuming the human form, there- 
 by connecting Himself with the race and estab- 
 lishing an electric union between our sorrowful 
 world and that belt of light toward which we 
 gaze and for which we yearn. 
 
 Christ being of immaculate birth, His body 
 and blood was composed, as we have seen, of the 
 imperishable Substance. The dual atoms com- 
 posing it possessed within themselves an incal- 
 culable capacity for expansion, increase and 
 healing. There was but one avenue through 
 which this healing life could be brought into 
 
174 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 immediate contact with the life of the earth and 
 the human family. 
 
 It is an established fact in history that cruci- 
 fixion was the general mode of executing male- 
 factors in the time of Christ; it is also known 
 that it was a bloodless method of taking life, 
 Christ being an exception; He was lacerated 
 and torn; He was "Christ of the seven wounds." 
 He literally shed His blood, all of which was ac- 
 cording to a plan. Every drop, of that immacu- 
 late blood, by a process incomprehensible to us, 
 was absorbed into the sick and tortured soul 
 of the planet, where it has through all of these 
 centuries been healing the sting of sin. 
 
 This theory will not appear strange or unrea- 
 sonable when we take into consideration the fact 
 that there is no such thing as Matter, as gener- 
 ally understood, but that Spirit is the only Sub- 
 stance in the universe, and that Christ's body and 
 blood was of this Substance in its unpolluted 
 state. 
 
 He, while on earth, was made tangible to the 
 gross physical senses of mankind through a law 
 well known to the mystic, and through which 
 He manifested Himself to His disciples after His 
 crucifixion. It is evident enough He was 
 
 clothed upon with a spiritual form after being 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 175 
 
 laid in the sepulchre. His objective body had a 
 mission to the planet and man; in one way it 
 acted as an anchor, in another as a healing 
 leaven. He was the master of all secret forces, 
 and through the concentration of the divine ray 
 (which many are now coming to comprehend) 
 His body was dissolved and became the property 
 of the cosmic life of the planet. 
 
 Christ's Substance operated upon the cosmic 
 life somewhat after the manner of ordinary in- 
 oculation practiced in the medical schools. At 
 least, one might by that illustration gain some 
 idea. of the process through which the healing 
 life came into contact with the elements from 
 which the objective life is evolved. 
 
 The whole divine plan was as orderly and 
 natural, and as easily comprehended, as the re- 
 placing of a dislocated joint, or the introduction 
 of vaccine into the human circulation. It is 
 methodical and not at all marvelous or miracu- 
 lous. Christ's body and blood was inoculated 
 into the life of the world. It was the only man- 
 ner in which the life-giving element could be 
 brought into contact with the disturbed and 
 diseased Substance of human life. 
 
 Everything in God's universe is done in an or- 
 derly manner. It has been said, and wisely 
 
176 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 enough, that "God geometrizes." He certainly 
 never works outside of law, and we may under- 
 stand His methods as we do those employed by 
 man; for instance, those of Tesla in his scheme 
 of putting our world in communication with 
 other planets, and our own method of unravel- 
 ing the mystery of the planetary universe 
 through our system of telescopy. 
 
 This interpretation of Christ's mission reveals 
 the meaning of that mystic lesson which He 
 gave His disciples, as recorded by John: 
 
 "My Father gives you the true bread, for the 
 bread of God is He which descends from 
 heaven, and is giving life to the world. 
 
 "I have descended from heaven, not that I 
 may Jo my will; but the will of Him who sent 
 me. 
 
 "I am the bread of life * * * I am that 
 living bread who has descended from heaven; if 
 any one eat of this bread, he shall live forever; 
 and the bread is my flesh which I give for the 
 life of the world. 
 
 "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, 
 has eternal life. For my rlesh is the true food, 
 and my Wood is the true drink. 
 
 "He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, 
 abides in me. and I in him. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 177 
 
 'The bread that I give is my body, which I 
 give for the life of the world." 
 
 His parable of the leaven is symbolic of the 
 infusion of His life into the Substance of things. 
 We understand that the kingdom of heaven, to 
 which He so often alluded in His teachings, is 
 thtit regenerate state in man where the dual na- 
 ture has been restored through that healing life, 
 the infusion of His blood and body into the life 
 of mankind. 
 
 He says: "The kingdom of heaven resembles 
 leaven, which a woman taking, mingled in three 
 measures of meal till the whole was fermented. ,, 
 Nothing could have expressed the effect of 
 Christ's Substance on the mass of cosmic life 
 more simply and comprehensively than the les- 
 son of the leaven, possessing in its small 
 bulk such a wonderful capacity of expansion and 
 growth, and the power to infuse itself through- 
 out the mass until all becomes perfect. 
 
 Our Lord enlightened Paul in all this sacred 
 mystery, although He had gone from sight. It 
 was through visions and revelations that Paul 
 came into the knowledge of Christ's real nature 
 and mission to the world; of His immaculate birth, 
 His dual life, the significance of His death, and 
 the efficacy of His body and blood. Paul knew 
 
178 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 "many things not lawful for a man to tell," for 
 at that time these deeper truths could not be 
 comprehended by the generality of mankind. 
 With deep reverence and humility he declares: 
 "To me, the very lowest of all saints, was this 
 favor given to announce among the nations the 
 glad tidings, even to enlighten all, as to what is 
 the administration of that secret which has been 
 concealed from the ages by that God who cre- 
 ated all things." 
 
 There is nothing marvelous or needs be mys- 
 terious in this entire sacred drama, nothing out- 
 side of human possibilities. Christ is in all things 
 our Teacher and Guide, and He has promised: 
 "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do 
 he shall do also; and greater works than these 
 shall he do." 
 
 Although Christ gave Himself for the redemp- 
 tion of all things, yet man individually has a 
 work to perform in the scheme. He must place 
 himself in rapport with the saving principle. He 
 can no more be saved without effort on his part 
 than could a drowning man who refused to lay 
 hold of the cable thrown out to him. 
 
 Man must cleanse his nature, change his line 
 of thought, open his life to the inflowing of the 
 divine healing principle which cannot permeate 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 179 
 
 the animal plane; he must elevate his whole na- 
 ture. He must not only redeem himself, but 
 must help to redeem the lower kingdoms. "In- 
 deed the earnest expectation of creation longs 
 for the revelation of the 'Sons of God.' " 
 
 'Who then are these "Sons of God?" They 
 are the redeemed of the race, whenever and 
 wherever they may be found; all of you here 
 who have come into correct thinking and liv- 
 ing. 
 
180 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 "Whosoever wall attain to divine contemplation, must 
 mortify the anti-Christ in his soul, and depart from all 
 own-hood of the will. * * Through imagination, 
 
 and an earnest, serious desire, we become again impreg- 
 nated of the Deity, and receive the new body in the old." 
 
 — Jacob Boehme. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 181 
 
 Benares, California, June 9th. 
 
 This morning, at the close of chapel services, 
 Father Hyacinth announced that a large party 
 of Knights Templar from San Francisco were to 
 spend the day with us, dining at the Home and 
 inspecting the institution generally. 
 
 This, of course, aroused the interest of the 
 transient members of the family; for as sly as we 
 may keep it, we all like a little smack of the out- 
 side world, however wicked it may be. Annie 
 goes down to the junction almost every day, just 
 to smell the wheel grease, she says, but I notice 
 she manages to be on the spot only when the 
 great express trains thunder in. 
 
 An extra train on our road will run down to 
 the junction to meet the nine o'clock express 
 from the west bringing in the Sir Knights, and 
 Brother Paul has invited our party to go down 
 with him and see them come in. The principal 
 attraction for me this morning is the company 
 of Brothers and Sisters, over two hundred in 
 number, who will go down on our train as far as 
 the orange orchards, there to stay over to gather 
 fruit until the eleven o'clock train comes up, 
 which will bring them to dinner, as every indi- 
 vidual is expected to array himself or herself in 
 
182 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 his or her best in honor of the distinguished 
 guests. 
 
 The fruit pickers were about equally divided 
 as to men and women and old and young — if 
 one could say old, regarding these people. Cer- 
 tain things they appear to have forgotten, such 
 as getting wrinkled, sallow and peevish. I have 
 a chronic distaste for crowds, and have always 
 kept out of them if I could, until I came up here. 
 Now I manage to get with the gatherings of 
 these curious people whenever I can, they ap- 
 pear to rest me somehow, I cannot tell why, but 
 they talk about unusual things, and talk low; 
 and usually after I have been in Annie's com- 
 pany for a while T get so wrought up that if I can 
 only fly out to the fields or orchards and just tag 
 the "helpers," as they call them, from place to 
 place, I become as serene and angelic as the best 
 of them ; and John says that he has hopes that I 
 may be saved yet. 
 
 The honor of meeting and welcoming the 
 guests had been given to Brother Eric — he 
 being a member of the Order. 
 
 "Von have no doubt been attracted toward 
 Brother Eric in many ways," said Brother Paul, 
 looking out under his heavy brows at John. "He 
 has a* history.'' he continued, "interesting be- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 183 
 
 yond that of the generality of men." Then he 
 fell into a thinking mood. 
 
 Brother Paul has a fascination about him that 
 is most difficult to describe. He has a way of 
 saying a few words, and then dropping off into a 
 silence that expresses more than most people's 
 words. So we sauntered along toward the train 
 that stood snorting ready to start and was being 
 filled with those who were going down to the 
 orchards. ' 
 
 After we were seated, Brother Paul turned to 
 us and said, "Brother Eric is master of cere- 
 monies today, and I want you to watch him 
 closely. His experience would fill a volume," 
 he continued, "but he is so silent no one could 
 read him from the surface; he is a man of deep 
 and reverent nature and great dignity of char- 
 acter, in fact, a king among men. Later I will 
 give you a short sketch of the past ten or twelve 
 years of his life. He is so modest and retiring, 
 that I fear you can never know his real nature 
 or character; for self-sacrifice and good work he 
 stands foremost in the ranks of the brotherhood. ,, 
 
 At this point we arrived at the junction, just 
 as the long express train began to move slowly 
 out, looking like a huge reptile crawling over 
 the face of the country. Standing upon the plat- 
 
184 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 form was a large party of distinguished looking 
 and handsomely uniformed men; and as Brother 
 Eric stepped forward to greet them, to my as- 
 tonishment I saw that he too wore the dress of 
 the Knights Templar. As he lifted his chapeau, 
 saluting the company, I could not but admire his 
 manly bearing, his broad shoulders, deep full 
 chest; but above all, his magnificent head, like 
 a great dome looming up. I have no words to 
 express the air with which that man bore him- 
 self, as he advanced toward the company, each 
 man uncovering his head to return the saluta- 
 tion. I turned and looked at John and Brother 
 Paul, who both stood with uncovered heads. 
 Annie for once in her life was silent, and I also, 
 because I was afraid to speak, but I thought to 
 myself, "Well, they have all caught it;" and I 
 fell to thinking and studying and I have not 
 found it out yet. 
 
 What a day that was! No language can ex- 
 press its fullness. I never had an opportunity to 
 speak a word, but I just kept thinking. I re- 
 called to mind that somewhere somebody had 
 said that, "One day with the Lord was as a 
 thousand years, and a thousand years as one 
 day.'' I never could understand that kind of talk 
 before. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 185 
 
 After we were all seated at the dinner tables, 
 Brother Eric rose and gave a brief but eloquent 
 address welcoming the Sir Knights to the friend- 
 ship of the brotherhood. How his face lighted 
 up, and how lordly he did look. While he was 
 speaking Annie leaned over and whispered in 
 my ear, "That tow-headed Austrian is just too 
 handsome for business," but she did not explain 
 what business;" it may have been some of her 
 slang. 
 
 At the close of the banquet a fine stately 
 gentleman — one of the Sir Knights — arose and 
 gave a most flattering tribute to the colony and 
 its workings, saying at the close of his speech 
 that its foundation he believed was eternal, 
 because of its principle of equal suffrage ; that if 
 any preference was shown at all it was given to 
 the woman. 
 
 This, as a matter of course, brought forth pro- 
 longed applause, and if ever I was heartily glad 
 that I was a woman it was on that occasion, to 
 see the real deference that was shown the Sis- 
 ters by those city men; but the beauty of the 
 whole thing was that the Sisters commanded 
 that respect, and those men could not help them- 
 selves. It was the most beautiful picture I ever 
 saw; the Sisters in their graceful and classic 
 
186 Uermaphro- Deity : 
 
 dresses, the Brothers all in their white uniforms. 
 The strange and unique sight evidently impress- 
 ed those city-bred men deeply, from the fact that 
 we fashionably and gaudily attired females pre- 
 sented not the slightest attraction for them. 
 
 But I didn't care; I was glad of it, for I knew 
 that those women were beautiful, and that they 
 were as good as they were beautiful. I knew 
 that they possessed what women of the world 
 can never know anything of; and I saw that 
 these men of the world instinctively recognized 
 in them a hidden but potent influence. 
 
 So that day passed, full of strange experiences 
 to me, and the most deeply interesting of my life. 
 But then my life is only a small one as yet. 
 
 Our visitors went down to meet the four 
 o'clock express, having been deeply interested in 
 what they had seen, judging from remarks made 
 during the day. Brother Eric and Father Hya- 
 cinth accompanying the guests to see them off 
 on their home-bound train. 
 
 Annie had arranged for a shorthand report of 
 the clay's proceedings for one of the Sir Knights, 
 which he was to have published in the San Fran- 
 cisco dailies. 
 
 Brother Paul, John, Angela and myself started 
 up the mountain for a little quiet chat before the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 187 
 
 evening gathering. After we had all been seated 
 for some moments, drinking in the sublime 
 beauty of the surrounding country, I began to 
 wriggle about, I did not like the silence; then, 
 too, I wanted to hear something about that man 
 Eric. 
 
 Brother Paul has a queer manner of looking 
 at people and never seeming to see them. What 
 troubles me the most is the fact that these 
 strange men and women talk more with their 
 eyes than with their mouths; a kind of language 
 that I have never gotten used to, although John 
 and Angela use it generally, never appearing to 
 require any words to help them in understand- 
 ing each other perfectly. Silence may be a glori- 
 ous thing, but talk is the average woman's birth- 
 right. Life is not of much consequence if she is 
 deprived of that right. 
 
 I had endured this silence about as long as I 
 could; I began to feel that I wanted to scream 
 right out, or get up and run or kick or do some- 
 thing to break the spell, when Angela, in her 
 quiet way, turning to Brother Paul, said, "I wish 
 you would tell us something of Brother Eric's 
 life; what you said of him this morning made 
 him an object of double interest to us all I feel 
 sure," looking at me as she finished speaking. 
 
188 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 I looked up into Brother Paul's face. There 
 was something in its expression that quieted my 
 excitability in a few seconds, how or why I am 
 sure I don't know; it is a power possessed by 
 these confounded men. I hope to know some 
 day how it is done. 
 
 "We never give utterance to any flattery, 
 boasts or recrimination in this fraternity,'' said 
 the Brother, quietly and slowly, without raising 
 his eyes, "but if there was really expressed what 
 is uppermost in each heart, it would be to say 
 that Brother Eric stands, in all respects, as a 
 member of this institution, trusted and loved be- 
 yond expression. He has permitted us to oc- 
 casionally use his history as a lesson to those 
 who believe in constitutional and irredeemable 
 degradation." And with that he looked straight 
 at me in a manner that made the cold chills creep 
 up and down my back, so I never looked his way 
 again, but I kept up a tremendous thinking. 
 
 "Eleven years ago this very month," he con- 
 tinued, "just at nightfall, there came to the Home 
 a lone tramp of the most despicable type, judg- 
 ing from all appearances. Only those who have 
 come into close relationship with tramp life can 
 form any conception of what human life can sink 
 into, of the degradation, of the worse than brute 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 189 
 
 development. This man — if we could call him 
 such — had evidently sounded the depths of all 
 phases of crime of which tramp life is susceptible. 
 But as we never refuse any applicants, or ask 
 any questions, he was taken in and kindly at- 
 tended to like all others. 
 
 "He did not utter a word for many days, un- 
 til at length he was consulted as to what occupa- 
 tion he would prefer; he appeared then to bright- 
 en up, and at once chose bookkeeping, for which 
 he has shown the utmost aptitude. 
 
 "At length he asked if he could be admitted 
 into the brotherhood, which request was readily 
 granted, for no one could then recognize in him 
 the filthy, ragged, profane and degraded tramp 
 of a few months previous. When he was initi- 
 ated, he was asked what name he would prefer 
 to go by. After a long and expressive si 1 ence, 
 he said, 'You may call me Eric, but above ail I 
 wish you would call me Brother,' and tears, as 
 only such men can shed, were rolling down his 
 broad cheeks. 
 
 "No one ever questioned him as to his past 
 life, but when he had been with us a year he was 
 trusted with any and everything. He was such 
 an accomplished accountant that he took charge 
 of nearly all of the sales, our business never hav- 
 
190 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 ing been so well managed as through him. This 
 is a collossal enterprise, this plantation of five 
 thousand acres." 
 
 How the man's face lighted up as he progress- 
 ed. 
 
 "You have noticed/' he continued, turning to 
 John, "that there are between twenty and thirty 
 freight cars sent out daily loaded with oranges, 
 and twice that number with grapes and other 
 fruit; this part of the enterprise is under Eric's 
 management. 
 
 "When he had been with us two years we had 
 grown to worship the man, he exhibited so many 
 grand traits; then. too. he was so modest, he 
 stood out a kind of grand figurehead, and we 
 would find ourselves quoting Eric on all oc- 
 casions. It became to me alarming, although I 
 never breathed my fears, still I knew too well the 
 effect on all of hero-worship. From his en- 
 trance into the fraternity he had become a part 
 of myself; we made no manifestation of regard, 
 but each would have died for the other and 
 counted it gain." 
 
 "A modern Damon and Pythias," suggested 
 Angela, smiling. 
 
 "Yes. quite equal," answered the narrator, 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius, 191 
 
 laughing good humoredly; "I can smile now, 
 but there was a time when I could not. 
 
 "To proceed, for it is near our supper hour. 
 When Eric had been with us two years there 
 came an unusual large and important order from 
 San Francisco for small fruit, and it was deemed 
 advisable for Eric to go there and superintend 
 the matter personally. The train was enormous 
 in size, and of great value, being of the early 
 and perishable fruits. It was made up 
 and despatched, and Eric was to telegraph us 
 within twenty-four hours; as we very naturally 
 felt anxious concerning the matter, it being a 
 new venture, and rather an experiment in fact. 
 So when twenty-four hours lapsed into thirty- 
 six, and thirty-six into forty-eight, and yet no 
 word or sign, we concluded that something must 
 be wrong, so I started on after him. I traced 
 the train into the freight sheds in San Francisco, 
 and was told that the cars had been unloaded 
 on their arrival. Then I began to reconnoiter 
 the city. I found that the fruit had all been dis- 
 posed of on its arrival at the highest price and in 
 the most perfect order, but I could not fin i my man. 
 I continued my search with the assistance of the 
 best police force in the city for twenty-four hours 
 without the shadow of a clue. I had then given 
 
192 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 up in despair and was about to return home, 
 when I met on the street one of the freight 
 agents whom I had previously talked with. He 
 came up to me and said, 'I believe your man is 
 in one of the cars, locked in; we can hear some- 
 thing in the car, but it is locked on the inside 
 and we cannot get in, and would not force the 
 door until we had seen you.' 
 
 "Well, we went down to the depot and forced 
 the car door open; and there, sure enough, lay 
 our Eric dead drunk. After he had finished his 
 business he had locked himself up in the car 
 with his jugs of liquor about him and became 
 oblivious to everything else. If I had found 
 him dead from an assassin's hand — had he but 
 died in honor — I should have been happy in 
 comparison to what I then suffered." 
 
 Then Paul had another spell, and we had to 
 wait. At length he continued. 
 
 "Upon examining his person I found all the 
 money safely folded in his belt and strapped 
 about him, showing that he had completed per- 
 fectly all his business before touching the liquor. 
 
 "He was utterly unconscious of anything, so 
 I arranged a good comfortable bed, and with the 
 help of one of the men put him in it. I threw 
 away the intoxicants, secured some wholesome 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 193 
 
 food, had our train run out and attached to one 
 going east, then took up my station beside the 
 poor fellow, and by daylight the next morn- 
 ing we found ourselves switched off on a side 
 track at Benares. 
 
 "I .can never forget the look in that man's 
 eyes when he came to consciousness and realized 
 what had transpired. He appeared to sense all 
 that had taken place after he had lost his con- 
 sciousness. He had done the thing, of all others, 
 that he would not had he kept his equilibrium. 
 I could feel that strong man's agony, and would 
 have given my life to have relieved him. I asked 
 no questions; I only held his hands in mine, and 
 silently prayed for help. 
 
 "You know what all such things mean," said 
 Paul, looking around squarely at John. 
 
 I knew only too well that John had been 
 through many such scenes, and now his tender 
 eyes were filled with tears. 
 
 "After a time," continued Brother Paul, "Eric 
 controlled himself sufficiently to speak to me. 
 'I think it wisest that I should not go back to 
 the Home,' he said in a low disconsolate voice. 
 'If you could but know what I have suffered! 
 Drink has been my curse from the first. O God, 
 have mercy upon me! I will not disgrace you, 
 
194 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 dearest and most patient friend.' He was cover- 
 ing my hands with kisses and his burning tears, 
 rising he unbuckled the belt from around his 
 body, and handing it to me, said, There is the 
 money for the sales, all safe; it was one of the 
 most profitable ever made, and oh! if I could 
 only have been man enough to have resisted that 
 accursed appetite,' and he fell prone upon the 
 floor of the car and shook as only such men 
 shake in their grief. 
 
 ''After he had quieted down a little I said to 
 him, 'Eric, you must go back to the Home; no 
 one will ever know that anything has happened; 
 you can go right on with your work; I know 
 that such an accident will never happen again.' 
 I took him in my arms and held him close to my 
 heart and asked the Master to stay by us both; 
 I bathed his swollen and tear-stained face, 
 combed his disheveled hair and brushed his 
 clothing, constantly speaking words of encour- 
 agement. The cars having been side-tracked. 
 no one knew that we had returned, so I felt that 
 I could take my time and straighten the fellow 
 up. He sobbed and trembled like a child who 
 had been fearfully beaten, never once looking 
 into my face. 
 
 "After I had brushed him up. and infused a 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 195 
 
 kind of new life into him, he looked up into 
 my face and said, 'My disgrace must not be con- 
 cealed from the fraternity; I cannot live under 
 false colors; they must know it all. I can trust 
 them. They will help me, if I am worthy.' 
 
 "I wish," Brother Paul resumed, after a slight 
 pause, "that I could describe to you the peculiar 
 expression in that man's eyes when he at last 
 looked me full in the face. There was the im- 
 press of a fearful experience, and a resolve; an 
 expression that has never departed nor ever will. 
 At his request a meeting of the fraternity was 
 called, that meeting is as a sealed book, but it is 
 registered in heaven. 
 
 "That all happened over nine years ago. Eric 
 has gone regularly, and alone, every year to the 
 large cities arranging for the marketing of our 
 fruit, nothing has ever occurred since; we have 
 had no more anxiety concerning him than we 
 have of Sister Irene when she goes to the city to 
 arrange for the shipping of her honey," looking 
 over toward me and smiling, because he knew 
 that Sister Irene was my patron saint. 
 
 "It seems sad though that he should have 
 been so humiliated before the fraternity. Could 
 it not just as well have been kept from them?" 
 Angela asked in a low voice. 
 
196 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 " 'There is a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 roughhewthem howwe may,' "repeated Brother 
 Paul slowly. "We were all growing to make an 
 idol of him; he had need to fall in order to show 
 us our error. We must not worship Personality. 
 It is true that he is now often given the place 
 of honor because he has shown himself a prince 
 among men, has become master of himself. In 
 early life, before he fell, he stood high in the 
 Masonic fraternity, and was perfectly at home 
 with those men who were here today." 
 
 At this juncture the supper bell rang and we 
 all walked off silently toward the Home, no one 
 uttering a word on the way. But I kept up a 
 thinking; I recalled the fact that John had al- 
 ways said that Good was the only cure for Evil; 
 and I remembered how T had battled with him 
 for what I declared was sheer nonsense, main- 
 taining that the world would never be any bet- 
 ter unless people were punished severely for their 
 evil doings. 
 
 As we came up to the porch we met Father 
 Hyacinth and Brother Eric just returning from 
 the junction. How grand that Norseman look- 
 ed, calm, quiet and self-possessed. 
 
 Can such things be? And did he descend into 
 the dregs? I ask myself, as this grand dignified 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 197 
 
 man passed on in advance of us. Alas! how lit- 
 tle we know of the reality of life, and the things 
 that go to make up life. 
 
 "To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden 
 manna (i. e., essential bread), and I will give him a white 
 stone (i. e., an incorruptible body), and upon the stone 
 a new word (i. e., title) written, which no man knoweth 
 but he that receiveth it." 
 
 — Revelation ii. 17. 
 
198 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Benares, California. June 16th. 
 
 This morning', after breakfast, the Westlake 
 family, John. Annie and myself, started out on 
 a reconnoitering expedition up the side of the 
 mountain. After a time we came to a deep 
 ravine, along the side of which there was a well- 
 beaten roadway that appeared to have been 
 much traveled. We could none of us understand 
 its use away up there, almost beyond the timber 
 line. We strolled on, it appeared to me a full 
 mile, some of the way quite steep, when pres- 
 ently we came in sight of a large singularly 
 shaped stone building, nearly completed, a num- 
 ber of workmen still engaged upon it. 
 
 As we neared the building, one of the Broth- 
 ers, who seemed to be inspecting the work, came 
 forward, and John enquired of him the nature 
 of the edifice. 
 
 "This is our Observatorv," he answered: "we 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 199 
 
 are quite anxious to get it completed as our tele- 
 scope is to be here next week." 
 
 This was all so new to us that we were silent 
 for some moments, when John said, "I was not 
 aware that you were building an Observatory. 
 How long have you been on the work?" 
 
 "We commenced the building three years 
 ago," he answered; "it has necessarily progress- 
 ed slowly because we work only a given number 
 of hours each day — not more than five or six. 
 Then nearly all of our material is taken in the 
 rough, right up here; we burn our own lime for 
 our mortar; the stone for our walls and the slate 
 for roofing comes from the quarries right here; 
 we get our wood from lower down the mountain ; 
 we make our own putty. The glass, nails and 
 iron trimmings are about all that we import. 
 Our progress is rather slow, but everything is 
 done upon honor; we have, as a matter of course, 
 a large force of 'Helpers.' " 
 
 "What is to be the calibre of your install- 
 ment?" asked Sir Anthony Westlake. 
 
 "It is to be equal in every respect, if not super- 
 ior, to the one in the Lick Observatory. You 
 must examine our building; there is not another 
 in the country as fine in finish and appoint- 
 ments." 
 
200 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 We entered and inspected the structure, which 
 Sir Charles considered quite equal to that of Sir 
 Francis Galtons in England. 
 
 "Who was your architect?" he asked of the 
 Brother. 
 
 "Brother Paul drew up the plan," replied the 
 man; "he is quite an astronomer, and has visited 
 all of the observatories of any note, both in 
 Europe and in this country, and has improved 
 upon them all we think," smiling good naturedly. 
 
 "Do you have no overseer or superintendent 
 from the outside world?" asked the Englishman. 
 
 "No," replied the Brother. "Every man is his 
 own overseer and superintendent. Every one 
 of the twenty-five men at work here is equally 
 capable of following out Brother Paul's plans, 
 each man endeavors to see how perfectly he can 
 perform the work allotted to him. We all have 
 an especial pride in this building; every member 
 of the fraternity is full of anticipation concern- 
 ing this additional facility for study and re- 
 search." 
 
 "Well, this colony I consider one of the mar- 
 vels of this century." said Sir Charles Westlake 
 as we were descending the mountain. 
 "Had the plan been presented to me before com- 
 ing here I should have pronounced it entirely 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 201 
 
 Utopian, but their resources are marvelous, con- 
 sidering where they are. I examined their li- 
 brary, and was astonished not only at the quantity 
 but also at the quality of the reading matter it 
 contained. They appear not only to be all ar- 
 tists and artisans, but scholars as well," he said, 
 laughing. 
 
 "They do not permit you to call them 'work- 
 men,' " I said, remembering what Sister Alicia 
 had said to me; "they are 'Helpers.' " 
 
 "Well," he said, laughing heartily, "whatever 
 they call themselves, they are a really wonderful 
 people." 
 
 Annie now monopolized the attention of the 
 young lord, and fell back on the pretense of get- 
 ting some ferns and flowers that grew in an in- 
 accessible place, and which she sent his lordship 
 clambering over rocks and brambles to gather. 
 She had that faculty which so many girls have, 
 of always appropriating in a company what they 
 consider the "catch" of the occasion. 
 
 I don't mention this from any feeling of jeal- 
 ousy, for I did not want the English lord's at- 
 tention, for I would rather have John's little 
 finger than all the lords in creation. 
 
 The rest of our party strolled on down toward 
 Home, as it was now nearly time for the lesson. 
 
202 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 A Brother walking down with us remarked on 
 the way that in two weeks there was to be an 
 excursion party from Los Angeles, which would 
 be quite an interesting affair, as the party was 
 to remain over night and visit the Observatory, 
 the telescope would then be in working order. 
 The visitors had been invited by the Brothers in 
 honor of the occasion. 
 
 "I would like to enquire where you people get 
 all the means for procuring these luxuries; the 
 elegant buildings, furniture, telescopes, etc?" 
 asked Sir Anthony Westlake. "In my country 
 it requires money, a vast deal of it, even to live 
 quietly, and here you have luxuries and an 
 abundance of them." 
 
 "Our institution is now self-sustaining,*' an- 
 swered the Brother. "Our income far exceeds 
 our outlay. YVe have five thousand acres of 
 land, a large portion of it under a high state of 
 cultivation. We have at this time six hundred 
 acres of the choicest variety of grapes just ready 
 for the market. A large part of the labor is per- 
 formed by the fraternity, except in extreme 
 cases, as in the gathering of fruits that 
 ripen simultaneously, like grapes, when we are 
 obliged to import our help by the hun- 
 dreds.* 1 Here smiling and waving an adieu he 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 203 
 
 turned off into another path and we continued 
 on. 
 
 "As far as I have been able to judge, they all 
 appear well educated," said Sir Anthony. 
 
 "This is really a school," John replied; "they 
 have every facility for education. I have rarely 
 been in colleges that were better equipped than 
 their school rooms. Those who enter the insti- 
 tution from time to time, who have had no op- 
 portunities in early life, go through a course of 
 primary studies, and after a time through the 
 more advanced course. There is no place in 
 this colony for ignorance, lack of discipline or 
 lack of self-control." 
 
 "So I see," said the Englishman, apparently 
 in a brown study, walking slowly with his head 
 down and his hands clasped behind him. 
 
 We had now reached the Home, and saw the 
 guests from without all going toward the chapel, 
 and heard the grand old clock chiming the quar- 
 ter to nine. 
 
 John drew my arm through his, saying in a 
 low voice, "You must listen carefully to the les- 
 son this morning, for it is a deeply significant 
 subject and I would like you to understand the 
 full meaning of all of these teachings." 
 
204 Hermaphro - Deity ; 
 
 "I will try," I answered seriously, "for your 
 sake." 
 
 After we had been seated a few moments An- 
 nie entered, smiling radiantly, followed by her 
 young lord with his arms full of brush, looking 
 foolish and disgusted. I glanced slyly up at 
 John's face, and saw a merry twinkle in his hon- 
 est brown eyes, and the dimples deepen in his 
 cheeks; the Boston man, leaning his head down 
 on the back of John's seat, fairly shook with sup- 
 pressed laughter. They all enjoyed Annie's lit- 
 tle harmless maneuvering at times. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. - 205 
 
 "And for this cause, Man above all things that live 
 upon Earth, is double; mortal, because of his Body, and 
 immortal because of the substantial Man. 
 
 "And being Hermaphrodite, or Male and Female, and 
 watchful, he is governed by, and subjected to a Father, 
 that is both Male and Female, and watchful." 
 
 — Hermes, in "Divine Pymander." 
 
 "Increased practice of celibacy is the only means for 
 any real advancement of the race; the celibacy which is 
 not the result of restraint, but the outcome of a spiritual 
 growth, producing deep conviction and general elevation 
 of character. 
 
 The commonest objection taken against celibacy is 
 that if practiced by all it will bring the world to an end. 
 This line of argument entirely ignores the dynamic power 
 of thought, which the celibates will bring to bear upon 
 those desirous of issue; and thus the general average of 
 humanity, far from deteriorating, will be likely to im- 
 prove." 
 
 — Fragments of Forgotten History. 
 
206 Hermaphro- Deity 
 
 SEVENTH LESSON. 
 
 CELIBACY. 
 
 "The children of this age marry and are given 
 in marriage; but those that are deemed worthy 
 to attain to the kingdom and the resurrection 
 from the dead, neither marry or are given in 
 marriage. For in those days, those before the 
 Deluge, they were eating and drinking, marry- 
 ing and pledging in marriage, till the day that 
 Noah entered the ark, and understood not till 
 the Deluge came and swept them all away." 
 
 "And they sang as it were a new song. * * * 
 And no one was able to learn that song except 
 the hundred and forty-four thousand, those who 
 were redeemed from the earth. These are those 
 who were not defiled with women, for they were 
 virgins. These were redeemed from men." 
 
 We have every assurance that the race was 
 created androgynous or double, each individual 
 possessing both the male and female character- 
 istics; that it was angelic, knowing nothing of 
 what we call sin. Now as Man was created in 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 207 
 
 the image of God, we come to the conclusion 
 that like his Creator he must be changeless and 
 deathless; so that whatever may present itself 
 to us in our investigation in this direction we can 
 always fall back on that fact. 
 
 The double angelic individual, possessing 
 within his or herself the divine mate — the two 
 in one — is a being altogether beyond our pres- 
 ent comprehension, but we believe in it all the 
 same. In our sacred annals we learn that as long 
 as Man preserved his androgynous character 
 and attended strictly to the business assigned to 
 him, he was not only righteous but was perfectly 
 happy also. 
 
 We have discovered in our study that Man, 
 somewhere along his journey, cultivated a dispo- 
 sition to pry into things, and as he required suit- 
 able implements with which to work, he invent- 
 ed a species of home-made law, quite outside of 
 and unknown to divine jurisdiction; he also 
 tinkered up some kind of a machine that he call- 
 ed "mind" to match it; and in time fell to think- 
 ing on a very curious plane of thought that 
 changed his whole being, mentally, morally and 
 physically, so that he was apparently no longer 
 one whole, all round and perfect being, but there 
 were two very inferior halves; and sometimes 
 
208 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 not quite halves — a fact that we are being con- 
 stantly made aware of. 
 
 Then later on we hear of the "fall of Man," 
 that greatest of all catastrophes in the world's 
 history — or so we judge. We learn also that the 
 cause of the "fall" of Man was his losing sight 
 of his divine helpmate within, and his starting 
 on a race for something or someone outside of 
 himself; thereby, according to our best authori- 
 ties, committing a species of adultery by his 
 transgression of the law of wholeness. The pun- 
 ishment for which was the development on our 
 earth of every form of sin, sickness, discord and 
 death; as we have been previously informed. 
 
 Now from the heights, after contemplating 
 those angelic beings created in the image of 
 God, we will descend and make the acquaintance 
 of the nineteenth century individual; who, after 
 countless ages of mismanagement in doing 
 business on his own responsibility, is beginning 
 to realize that there is a screw loose in the ma- 
 chinery somewhere. He is coming into a con- 
 sciousness — somewhat dimly perhaps — that 
 there is something in existence beside himself. 
 There are times when, back of all the jar, dis- 
 cord, confusion and mistakes, he feels half con- 
 sciously the steady push of infinite design. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 209 
 
 'Many things that man through his mis-step 
 has been forced to do in the old regime, are no 
 longer admissible in this our new dispensation. 
 A misdemeanor in a child would be overlooked 
 because of ignorance; but in one matured and 
 knowing the law, a transgression would be con- 
 sidered a sin, and punishable as such. "If I had 
 not spoken unto them, they would not have had 
 sin, but now they have no excuse for their sins," 
 said the Master. 
 
 To the more advanced of the human race, celi- 
 bacy has become an imperative law, the trans- 
 gression of which brings to the individual inde- 
 scribable suffering, and in a degree degradation 
 in various forms. 
 
 The Indian proverb says, "He who desires off- 
 spring desires death, the immortal must be celi- 
 bate. 
 
 "The married relation, which accentuates the 
 difference between man and woman, is utterly 
 incompatible with the higher life. 
 
 "Adeptship is the peculiar heritage of the celi- 
 bate. ' 
 
 "The spiritual wisdom of the world has been 
 the offspring of the celibate." * 
 
 * Fragments of Forgotten History. 
 
210 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 The robust health and fine physical develop- 
 ment usually existing among Catholic priests is 
 the result of the celibate life. All people who 
 have lived strictly and conscientiously up to this 
 life escape the ordinary diseases that attack the 
 generality of mankind. In monastic institutions, 
 where there are at times hundreds of inmates, 
 living often in close quarters, there are rarely, if 
 ever, cases of sickness of such character as ordi- 
 narily prevail among the pupils of schools and 
 colleges. 
 
 This fact is easily accounted for, when we un- 
 derstand that celibacy is the foundation upon 
 which all such institutions are founded, and is 
 conscientiously practiced by its devotees. To 
 live in obedience to the law of chastity must in- 
 fluence for good the entire life of the individual, 
 physically, morally and mentally. 
 
 When we fully realize that the real Man is 
 still dual, and that the division is only in the 
 perishable animal man and no more enduring, 
 it will be plain enough to the individual that he 
 can easily outgrow that low habit of thought, 
 just as readily as he denies away many other 
 criminal suggestions of his mind of the flesh. 
 This change cannot take place in the individual 
 without some effort or preparation on his part. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 211 
 
 He will need to think deeply and upon religious 
 and spiritual subjects, dwelling long and earnest- 
 ly; until, like Milton, he can see with spiritual 
 eyes. 
 
 ''Till oft converse with heavenly habitants 
 Begin to cast a beam on the outward shape, 
 The unpolluted temple of the Mind, 
 And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence, 
 Till all be made immortal." 
 
 Christ was an example of the regenerate Man; 
 the recovered Man; and the race is to attain to 
 His state. He came to demonstrate the law of 
 celibacy — to restore that lost art. His advent 
 on this planet was not a miracle, but a demon- 
 stration of the law of chastity. Celibacy was the 
 core of His teachings, and that of all those dis- 
 ciples who were prepared to understand His 
 more occult lessons. He said to His faithful few, 
 "To you it is given to know the mysteries of 
 God's kingdom, but to others in parables only." 
 But even in his more external teachings there is 
 ample proof of His doctrine of celibacy. He 
 said, "The children of this age marry and are 
 given in marriage, but those deemed worthy to 
 obtain that world, and that resurrection from 
 the dead, neither marry nor are given in mar- 
 
212 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 riage, because they are like angels, and are sons 
 of God, being sons of the resurrection." "And 
 the disciples say to Him, It is not good to mar- 
 ry?" "He answered, None can admit the word 
 (the teaching) but those to whom it is given; 
 for there are some eunuchs by natural constitu- 
 tion, others have been made eunuchs by men, 
 and others have made themselves eunuchs on 
 the account of the kingdom of the heavens. He 
 who is able to do this let him do it." 
 
 The term "eunuch," as ordinarily employed, 
 has not the same significance as in the teaching 
 of Christ. The translators have used the word 
 eunuch for the want of a more appropriate term 
 for those of whom He was speaking. In one 
 case He declares that the individual had been 
 born above the carnal law, that is, of a dual 
 nature; "For there are some eunuchs by natural 
 constitution." In another instance there had 
 been evolved through religious thought and pur- 
 ity of life in the person, that at-onement of the 
 two natures; "Such have made themselves 
 eunuchs on the account of the 'kingdom of the 
 heavens.' " In brief, they have received the Holy 
 Spirit. "Others have been made eunuchs by 
 men." Have been made eunuchs through the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 213 
 
 manual process known at the present time as 
 asexualization. 
 
 Paul in his more mystical teaching says, "I 
 wish all men to be even as myself, * * * 
 the time being shortened; it remains that those 
 having wives should be as not having them. 
 
 "You who formerly were afar off, are made 
 near by the blood of Christ. * * * Having 
 by His flesh annulled the law" (that is the carnal 
 or sex law). 
 
 "That He might form the two in Himself un- 
 to one new man. * * * * Who will trans- 
 form the body of our humiliation unto conform- 
 ity with His glorious body." 
 
 By which we understand that through the di- 
 vine Substance of Christ we are to be healed of 
 that race-mark of sin, and that there is to be an 
 awakening in man of the divine dual conscious- 
 ness; a blossoming out of the Christlikeness 
 within him, as Paul saw it. "He will transform 
 the body of our humiliation (that which was 
 our humiliation) into conformity with His glori- 
 ous body." 
 
 Jacob Boehme expresses it: "Through imagin- 
 ation, and in earnest serious desire, we become 
 again impregnated of the Deity, and receive the 
 new body in the old." We must be "born again" 
 
214 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 — to use a hackneyed expression — must be re- 
 generated. 
 
 An important crisis occurs in the evolution of 
 the psychic nature in every individual. A cul- 
 minating point in the growth toward that change 
 known as regeneration or the "new birth." It is 
 the scene of the "temptation," an experience 
 that none can escape. If at this point in his 
 growth the individual descends to the animal 
 plane, hoping to live in both worlds at the same 
 time, he will, if he continues to occupy this de- 
 batable ground, not only suffer menta 1 and physi- 
 cal torture, but open the doors to the most un- 
 holy of- influences, "And the last state of that 
 man will be worse than the first." 
 
 There are many in these latter days who are 
 on that debatable ground, who long to be eman- 
 cipated; yet who know nothing of those laws 
 that control their spiritual nature. The suffer- 
 ings of such are indescribable. These are their 
 birth throes, and they do not know where to look 
 for deliverance. 
 
 To the lover of his kind, there are presented 
 at this time many distressing and discouraging 
 features in the management of human affairs. 
 It is not alone the eye of the pessimist that de- 
 tects these portends of coming calamity: but 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 215 
 
 the philanthropist, the humanitarian, and even 
 the altruist, looks on with forebodings. 
 
 The race has been so long under the dominion 
 of the animal sex law that there has been bred 
 in the physical constitution a deadly disease, a 
 plague spot, contagious and destructive in its ef- 
 fects, not only on the physical lives of men and 
 women, but damning to the soul as well. This 
 disease does not exist alone in the unmention- 
 able abodes of sin, or in the low dens of crime; 
 but prevails alike in high places, regardless of 
 position, culture or education. It has become a 
 race malady. Forty years' practice as a physi- 
 cian among women has convinced me that the 
 prevalence of those affections peculiar to females 
 is caused wholly from the transgression of the 
 law controlling the dual life. This sin against 
 the divine law is the cause of the constantly in- 
 creasing nervous derangements and insanity, 
 which so far have baffled the skill of the most 
 learned of the medical fraternity. The divided 
 sex poison becomes, to both men and women, 
 under certain conditions destructive in its effect 
 upon the brain and nerve centers, inducing ner- 
 vous diseases which are incurable without a life 
 of total abstinence from the exciting cause. 
 
 The reason for the effect of this transgression 
 
216 Hermaphro - Deity : 
 
 being so much more destructive to woman than 
 to man is because the female side of humanity 
 has never yet wholly lost the image of the divine 
 feminine — "the dual type;" they have not yet 
 come totally under the law of degeneracy, and 
 are therefore many degrees higher and nearer 
 redemption than the masculine. That is why 
 woman suffers so keenly from the prevailing 
 wrongs. The nearer a soul is to its regeneration, 
 the more does it suffer from the commission of 
 sin. 
 
 To live a celibate life not only tends to heal 
 and elevate the individual, but to influence for 
 good all other lives with whom he or she may 
 come in intimate contact. The overcoming of 
 this animal instinct will be the soul's Gethse- 
 mane. It is the door opening into that kingdom 
 of God which is within you all. 
 
 One having overcome the animal nature has 
 no longer any desire for the ownership, mon- 
 opoly or possession of an individual life. Such 
 no longer speak of "my wife." "my husband" or 
 "my children," but instead "our brother/' "our 
 sister," "our friend," "our Father!" from whom 
 the whole family in the heavens and on earth is 
 named. Among the animal qualities overcome 
 will be his "myness." 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 217 
 
 This change in the life will not narrow the 
 sympathies and render one selfish, but, instead, 
 will broaden and deepen the whole nature. It 
 will have annihilated the animal selfhood in man 
 and woman, rendering them capable of loving 
 their neighbor as themselves. 
 
 Here arises a somewhat exciting and weighty 
 question: If celibacy becomes a general prac- 
 tice, how is the world to become populated? you 
 ask. 
 
 This is a difficult question to answer. We can 
 only fall back on the statement that forms the 
 principal support of our theory. That God hav- 
 ing made man androgynous — in His own like- 
 ness and after His own image — the androgynous 
 man is therefore really a fixed fact in creation, 
 only requiring recognition to become an estab- 
 lished order. Then according to the wise order- 
 ing of things, which we are too corrupt to com- 
 prehend at present, immaculate conception 
 would be again established; there being nothing 
 mysterious or marvelous in it, Mary and Jesus 
 being our open examples. 
 
 Celibacy cannot in this age become a prevail- 
 ing practice, from the fact that the teaching can- 
 not be accepted but by the few who have reached 
 that climacteric stage in their experience which 
 
218 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 demands a radical change in their physical mode 
 of living; there need be no fear so far as the 
 "end of the world" is concerned. Christ said, 
 "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." 
 There will be, no doubt, some little time yet be- 
 fore celibacy will become universal. I fear it 
 will not be in our time. 
 
 There is little danger of any lack of popula- 
 tion; the greater weight of the world's sorrow is 
 caused by the surplus of a certain grade of 
 human life that is constantly increasing in vol- 
 ume. 
 
 According to Boehme, ''The end of the 
 world," which has been so long the terror of the 
 average of mankind, is simply the end of animal 
 generation. 
 
 To the true lover of mankind, the Christian, 
 humanitarian and philanthropist, the most deep- 
 ly interesting problem of the hour is — or should 
 be — the mental, moral and physical condition of 
 those most largely engaged in propagating the 
 human species. Who is it that is filling our 
 foundling hospitals, homes for the feeble mind- 
 ed, houses of correction, houses of illfame. re- 
 form schools, work houses, prisons, and many 
 other institutions established for the alleviation 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 219 
 
 of evils from over-production of certain grades 
 of human beings? 
 
 The majority of the population of the world at 
 this time live but a little above the animal plane; 
 a proportion sinking even below the brute in de- 
 gradation, being usually the more prolific; while 
 the mentally, morally and physically well bal- 
 anced portion of the race add but a limited num- 
 ber to the advanced types in these days. A 
 large proportion of the refined, cultured and 
 well-to-do people enter into the marriage rela- 
 tion with a fixed intention of avoiding offspring. 
 Taking it altogether the replenishing of the 
 human family is left mainly to those wholly un- 
 fit for the parental office. 
 
 Now the vital and all-absorbing question of 
 the hour is not, How shall we increase the popu- 
 lation of the world? but, rather, How shall we 
 stay the tide of the over-production of the de- 
 formed, imbecile, degraded and vicious human- 
 ity that is hourly being multiplied? 
 
 There appears to be one solution to the mat- 
 ter; it is, that inasmuch as man established the 
 law of animal generation, it devolves upon him 
 to regulate the working of that law, especially 
 the law of fecundity,that generally governs in the 
 lower orders. We understand that the propaga- 
 
220 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 tion of the carnal man is outside of the divine 
 law, "For it is not subject to the law of God, 
 neither indeed can it be," Paul informed us. 
 
 There must be something done in the line of 
 human effort, quite different from anything that 
 has yet been attempted, to regulate the sex rela- 
 tions, especially in the depraved, diseased, de- 
 formed, imbecile and criminal ranks, to prevent 
 an increase along that line of the low grade of 
 human life. 
 
 We can see a way to a better state of things; 
 can see a solution to this mighty problem. It is 
 Asexualization! That, and that alone, will regu- 
 late the stupendous wrongs that now curse the 
 race. If asexualization became an established 
 law for the regulation of the unfortunate, as it 
 should, a few generations would produce a mark- 
 ed change upon the race; as the propagation of 
 the species would be left to those who regard the 
 parental office as something sacred, and who 
 would impress upon their progeny the nobler 
 and purer qualities; and in time there would be 
 developed a grand race of men and women, each 
 generation approaching more nearly to the per- 
 fect state of "two in one." 
 
 The reconstructed race will not be composed, 
 as today, of men and women of widely divided 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 221 
 
 and erratic natures, constantly at variance and 
 at war with each other; but a family of divinely 
 symmetrical beings, grandly balanced, possess- 
 ing all noble and sweet qualities, as well as the 
 power to understand God's works and the ca- 
 pacity to perform them as well. By degrees the 
 original order of things will be restored, and 
 gradually immaculate conception will become 
 the law. Whatever has been done through di- 
 vine law, will be again done; it is a law that 
 can never be broken. There will be more Marys 
 and more immaculate conceptions. 
 
 God will again establish His laws upon the 
 earth. We cannot tell where or when this may 
 be manifested, but we know that He never fails, 
 and we have His promise. Our Lord, when 
 asked when the kingdom of God should come, 
 said, "When two shall be as one, and that which 
 is without as that which is within." 
 
 There was a period in the history of the planet 
 when the same questions agitated the minds of 
 men as today. What shall we do with our waste 
 population? And when is the world coming to 
 an end? 
 
 "They did eat, they drank, they married 
 wives, they were given in marriage, until the 
 day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood 
 
222 Hermaphro - Deity : 
 
 came, and destroyed them all. And as it was in 
 the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days 
 of the Son of man." 
 
 That episode in human history known as the 
 Deluge was the result of the degradation of man- 
 kind at that period; and because of the oneness 
 of all things, our poor tortured planet collapsed, 
 lost its balance, tipped over on one side, thereby 
 washing away large portions of the race, Noah 
 and his family being among the saved. We read 
 also that Noah was a "just man, and perfect in 
 his generations, and Noah walked with God;" 
 so he must have been superior to the man of 
 today. And Noah had three sons; we do not 
 read of any daughters; and according to our au- 
 thority Noah lived nine hundred and fifty years 
 — a long time. 
 
 It is evident that Noah and his sons — as these 
 beings are called — were androgynous or herma- 
 phroditic, having preserved through all pesti- 
 lence and corruption their dual nature. ''Noah 
 was a just man, and perfect in his generations." 
 The androgynous being could never have known 
 sickness or pain, as both of these are outgrowths 
 of sexual life — poison. Therefore it need not 
 be condemned as a myth, the story of Noah's 
 advanced age. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 223 
 
 We have learned that during the first era God 
 blessed the race and bade them to be fruitful, 
 "And God saw everything that He had made, 
 and behold it was very good. And the Lord 
 God walked among men." 
 
 Then the third era dawned, and man had de- 
 veloped the power of producing the animal man, 
 as we learn. But this method of populating the 
 world was not blessed as in the case of the origin- 
 al. The Lord did not pronounce it "good," but 
 as we have seen frowned upon it. "Unto the 
 woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sor- 
 rows and thy conceptions; in sorrow shalt thou 
 bring forth." 
 
 Why bring forth in sorrow? One of the most 
 troublesome, puzzling and harrassing questions 
 of the day is that of the sex relations and the of- 
 fice of maternity. Have yon never, in pondering 
 over this subject, queried as to the wisdom of 
 the whole matter? Wondering why the subject 
 should be clothed upon with dishonor, secrecy 
 and shame. Things never to be spoken of open- 
 ly, as are all other inevitable states and circum- 
 stances in life. Why should this be as it is? If 
 God ordained these things, then they must be all 
 right, wise and honorable. Wiry clothe them with 
 
224 Hermaphro-Deity ; 
 
 shame? Do we need to crimson over God's 
 work? 
 
 But if He did not order them, then what? 
 "I will greatly multiply thy sorrows. In sorrow 
 thou shalt bring forth." Why shall she bring 
 forth in sorrow? God had pronounced all of His 
 work good; why condemn this, which appears 
 to us to be rather an important affair? 
 
 This is the explanation. Animal generation 
 was the mark of that sin which the race com- 
 mitted. It was the brand of man's disobedience; 
 in fact it was a curse: "I will greatly multiply 
 thy sorrows." Here is the reason why the sex 
 and maternal functions are spoken of in secret 
 and with bated breath and shame-faced glances. 
 It is because the divine instinct in the spiritual 
 Man recoils at the perversion of what was, in the 
 original and angelic family, the highest and holi- 
 est office, that of Motherhood! 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius, 225 
 
 ''For the Woman is the crown of Man, and the final 
 manifestation of humanity. * * * She is nearest to 
 the throne of God, when she shall be revealed." 
 
 So that women shall no more lament their woman- 
 hood; but men shall rather say, "Oh, that we had been 
 born women!" 
 
 "And her reign shall be greater than the reign of the 
 Man; * * * * an( j s h e shall have dominion forever." 
 
 "And she that is alone shall bring forth more children 
 to God than she who hath a husband. But the creation 
 of the woman is not yet complete; but it shall be com- 
 plete in the time which is at hand." 
 
 —Perfect Way. 
 
226 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 Benares, California, June 20th. 
 
 As we dispersed this morning, after the usual 
 services, each following his or her own inclina- 
 tion or call to duty, I observed that the hand- 
 some guest car with a steaming engine stood at 
 the entrance of the grounds, ready to run down 
 to the junction for some purpose unknown to the 
 majority of us. Nothing had been said either at 
 breakfast or in chapel concerning any new move- 
 ment, consequently there was much questioning 
 and speculations among the members of the 
 class. I, being true to my American instinct, 
 a desire to know other people's business, began 
 to look for someone who could give the desired 
 information concerning the matter. 
 
 As I strolled down toward the train, I saw 
 John in close conversation with Brother Eric, 
 who, as I approached, walked, off toward the car 
 and boarded it. He was clad in the full costume 
 of the Order and carried himself like a prince as 
 usual. 
 
 As John came up and drew my arm through 
 his, he said, as we walked slowly back toward 
 the Home, ''We are to be honored by a stunning 
 event today, which we worldlings know nothing 
 of, because these people do not talk about their 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 227 
 
 affairs very much in advance, and thus, I fancy, 
 have deeper enjoyment than we do, who spread 
 everything out, diluting it by much talking over 
 it before it really happens." 
 
 "Well, never mind about that," I said pettish- 
 ly; "what is going to happen? let's have it." 
 
 John eyed me keenly for a moment, without 
 uttering a word, and I am always willing to keep 
 still and wait when he looks that way. At length 
 he said, "A party is to visit the colony this morn- 
 ing composed of the wealthy and privileged 
 classes, great railroad magnates, many times mil- 
 lionaires, having their own train, their French 
 chef, family physician, maids, nurses, waiters, 
 etc.; in fact, every luxury that money can pro- 
 cure." 
 
 "How in the world did they ever happen to 
 come here?" Tasked in open-eyed wonder. 
 
 John answered, "The leading man of the ex- 
 pedition, it appears, at one time knew Brother 
 Eric intimately, and because of some unaccount- 
 able personal attraction has felt inclined to keep 
 trace of the Brother all these years, and latterly 
 has written to him expressing a strong desire to 
 visit the colony,and as the excursion party would 
 pass the junction en route for San Francisco, the 
 temptation was too great for this friend of earlier 
 
228 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 years to resist. An invitation of the most cor- 
 dial nature from the leading members of the 
 Brotherhood was at once extended to the travel- 
 ers. A committee has been appointed to perfect 
 all arrangements at the junction. The train 
 will be switched off, thus permitting the guests 
 time to inspect the institution. Eric has gone 
 down to welcome them and bring them up to 
 the Home. They are not far distant from the 
 sound of that whistle," added my companion, 
 turning his smiling face in the direction of the 
 sound. 
 
 At this juncture, Annie joined us, all of a flut- 
 ter. "Only think of it, John," she cried, clutch- 
 ing his disengaged arm, "a company of real mil- 
 lionaires are coming in their own palace car! I 
 am going to dress in my very best for the oc- 
 casion." And away she flew up to her dormi- 
 tory, from which she descended in a few minutes 
 looking as serene and sweet as an angel, a faculty 
 that she pre-eminently possessed. 
 
 'A large group composed of the family and 
 students had seated themselves on the lawn and 
 Brother Paul was giving them a little object les- 
 son in chemistry, "Solidified Air," I guess: that 
 man knows all about such things. 
 
 After he had completed his experiment and 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 229 
 
 put aside his chemicals, he said, "We will just 
 keep our seats out here, and watch the proceed- 
 ings, and be ready for any development." 
 
 Then we all fell into a silence; that is the best 
 way I can express it, and Brother Paul "looked 
 into futurity." That is what Annie calls those 
 periods of silence, that no one would dare to 
 break any more than they would dare to scream 
 out in meeting. 
 
 Presently Annie pressed close to me and whis- 
 pered, "What a world of mystery surrounds this 
 people, and yet how fascinating, how different 
 from that world and that people that we have al- 
 ways known. Where and how will it all end?" 
 
 Off in the distance we can hear the powerful 
 engine puffing and wheezing, toiling up the hill 
 with its precious burden of human life. 
 
 The great clock struck the hour of nine, and 
 Brother Paul said, breaking the silence, "We 
 shall not have the pleasure of dining with the 
 distinguished guests, as many of you doubtless 
 have hoped to do," looking up under his brows 
 at Annie. 
 
 "May I enquire why we are not?" cried Annie, 
 getting very red in the face, and sitting up 
 straight. "I was informed," she continued, "that 
 
230 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 the party was to dine at the Home, and that 
 Brother Eric had made special arrangements to 
 that effect." She squared herself around facing 
 Brother Paul, looking defiant and disturbed. 
 
 " 'The best laid planso' miceand men gang aft 
 aglee,' " muttered the mystic; then, turning to- 
 ward the excited girl, he said, "The leading man, 
 it appears, declined Eric's invitation for the party 
 to dine with us when he learned that we served 
 neither wines nor meat at our board, remarking 
 that the company would just take a little look at 
 the place — 'the town,' as he called it — and re- 
 turn to their car for dinner; remarking, by way 
 of explanation and apology, that the members 
 of the company were all high livers and could 
 never take a dinner without their wine, and as 
 their supplies were all so abundant he thought 
 they had better dine on the car. Almost anyone 
 but Brother Eric would have felt chagrined at 
 the refusal, but nothing moves him, not even 
 the fact that he was not invited to dine with his 
 old-time friend on the palace car," and Brother 
 Paul laughed heartily, exclaiming at the same 
 time, "But here comes our Brother and his hon- 
 ored guests." 
 
 'Annie sprang from her seat, flushed and ex- 
 cited, and before we could think or speak she 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 231 
 
 was half way across the lawn on her way to be 
 presented to the visitors. 
 
 There were about twenty in all, but only three 
 of the ladies had cared to visit the Home, each 
 accompanied by her maid carrying fans, sun- 
 shades, wraps and salts; the remainder of the 
 party not having interest enough in the "bar- 
 barians," as they styled the members of the 
 brotherhood, to expose themselves to the heat in 
 order to see them. 
 
 Brother Frederick, being on the committee to 
 arrange for the comfort of the guests at the 
 junction, doubtless heard many 7 things not in- 
 tended for the ears of the fraternity. 
 
 Sister Alicia, assisted by Annie, who was in 
 an ecstasy of delight, was arranging easy chairs 
 and rugs on the cool and capacious porches for 
 the ladies and their maids, the ladies declining 
 seats on the lawn for fear of bugs and worms. 
 
 The gentlemen manifested deep interest in the 
 town, in the 'fine architecture and the superior 
 quality of granite used in the buildings; but 
 what appeared to astonish them most was the 
 extent of the territory owned by the brother- 
 hood, and all of which was under such a perfect 
 state of cultivation. 
 
 At the close of their tour of inspection they 
 
232 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 came around where our party was seated, and 
 the -first question asked by the speaker on the oc- 
 casion was, "Where does all the money come 
 from? for you have here not merely every com- 
 fort, but absolute elegance." 
 
 Brother Paul explained in a few concise words, 
 and then, to the astonishment of all present, 
 stated the amount of funds in the repository at 
 the present time. 
 
 "Well! what do you intend to do with your 
 surplus means?" bluntly asked one of the visi- 
 tors, a large man, walking up beside Brother 
 Paul. 
 
 What a contrast between the two men! The 
 stranger was evidently about the same age as the 
 Brother, and had doubtless been of equally fine 
 proportions, but he was now excessively stout 
 and flushed and breathing with great difficulty. 
 
 A smile broke over the face of the mystic, as 
 he arose and stood beside the man of the world, 
 displaying in contrast his finely developed chest, 
 clear cut features and brilliant eyes. 
 
 "We have great need for money at all times," 
 he said, gently and courteously, "not merely for 
 the purpose of establishing new colonies in var- 
 ious portions of the country, but to assist the 
 poor and oppressed wherever found: to aid the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 233 
 
 Labor Unions in their struggles in cases of 
 strikes, not alone in this country but in foreign 
 lands also." 
 
 "It is barely possible that you are attending 
 to that which is really none of'your affairs/' in- 
 terposed one of the gentlemen, his face flushed 
 and his eyes sparkling with excitement. 
 
 "Oh, no, we think not," replied the Brother, 
 smilingly. "Wherever there is suffering in any 
 form we consider it our affairs to do what we can 
 to alleviate it. The interest of the human family 
 is all one with us." 
 
 "'What use do you make of all these immense 
 buildings? you have a city up here," smilingly 
 questioned one of the ladies who had ventured 
 out and joined our group. 
 
 Brother Eric turned to the fair visitor and said 
 gravely, "We have here our institutions of learn- 
 ing, our libraries, our repositories and our hos- 
 pitals. Here we receive the most degraded 
 tramps and criminals that the world has pro- 
 duced, and they are treated and healed with as 
 much certainty as we would treat and heal fever 
 patients. You will understand that it requires a 
 large amount of money to successfully operate 
 such a school, reformatory and hospital as we 
 have here." 
 
234 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 " Where are all your tramps and criminals?" 
 asked a spruce looking young man, with a slight 
 curl of the lip. 
 
 "We haven't any," replied the Brother, turn- 
 ing his handsome" smiling face toward his ques- 
 tioner. "When they come to us they cease to be 
 tramps and criminals, and become students and 
 law abiding citizens of our Social Democracy." 
 
 The first speaker fanned himself vigorously 
 with his hat, looking first at Brother Paul, then 
 at Brother Eric, in blank amazement, then said 
 impatiently, "You will see what all your Social- 
 istic ideas will amount to; they will only stir up 
 strife and cause strikes." 
 
 "That is just what we desire," interposed 
 Brother Eric, in a tone of voice that made the 
 chills creep over me. 
 
 How that man can expand in all directions 
 when he gets aroused. What a model he would 
 have made for the Colossus of Rhodes! 
 
 "You don't expect this thing to be perma- 
 nent, do you?" persisted the man, still fanning 
 himself with his hat. 
 
 "Yes, we do," Brother Paul answered, smil- 
 ing and showing his handsome white teeth. 
 "This colony was planted up here in the wilder- 
 ness over fifty years ago, with less than a dozen 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 235 
 
 members. Today we have a thousand members, 
 all peaceable and law abiding, many of them un- 
 knownare in theoutsideworld aiding in thework 
 of reform, going and coming to this haven of 
 rest, where peace, hope and brotherly love alone 
 prevails." 
 
 With the exception of the stout man, the visi- 
 tors had all gone down and taken the train for 
 the junction^ accompanied by Brother Eric and 
 Annie. The stranger stood some moments si- 
 lently studying the distant landscape, with its 
 thousands of acres of orchards spread out like a 
 grand painting; as his glance swept around tak- 
 ing in the mountain scenery, with the unique x 
 city perched on its elevated site, his eyes kindled, 
 and he said with enthusiasm, "I must go now, 
 but some day I shall come up here alone and 
 stay with you a long time, and study your sys- 
 tem." 
 
 "You mean our religion," interposed Brother 
 Paul, reaching out and clasping the man's hand 
 in both of his warm magnetic palms; "that is 
 the secret, my brother." 
 
 For a moment the two men looked into each 
 other's eyes as they stood thus. God only knows 
 what was revealed to them in that space of time. 
 
 The visitor waved his hand, bowed politely to 
 
236 Her maphro- Deity : 
 
 us all, and without more words turned and walk- 
 ed down to the party that awaited him on the 
 train. 
 
 We were silent for some little time, no one 
 apparently caring to break the spell that had fall- 
 en upon us. 
 
 At length Angela said, "I do not believe that 
 with all their millions those people are as happy 
 as we are, who haven't a dollar in the world that 
 we can call our own." 
 
 Brother Paul, who had not lifted his eyes from 
 the ground since the visitor had departed, now 
 said in his impressive manner, "That is the sad- 
 dest thought in the whole matter; these people 
 are not happy, but are constantly seeking for 
 happiness, driven hither and yon by that spirit 
 of restlessness that always lashes the disobedient 
 soul, driving the individual from one extreme 
 to another." 
 
 "What assurance have we that those people 
 come under the head of 'disobedient souls,' as 
 you call them?" I screwed up courage enough 
 to ask. 
 
 "Why because they are manifesting the un- 
 mistakable signs. They are constantly seeking 
 for some change, they are never satisfied with 
 what thev find." the Brother answered kindlv. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius, 237 
 
 "The obedient soul has found its heaven with- 
 in, it is therefore satisfied; it has no further de- 
 sire to travel over unexplored countries in palace 
 cars, with servants and slaves at beck and call." 
 
 "I suppose that what you call 'disobedient 
 souls' are those that go to hell, are they not?" 
 asks a divinity student, looking sharply 
 through his glasses at the Brother. 
 
 "No; not as you understand it and teach it," 
 replied the teacher deliberately. "Hell is not a 
 country or a region, but a state. When we cul- 
 tivate that which makes it, we have it right 
 along, here and now. As we find our heaven 
 within, so on the other hand we find our hell 
 there,whenever we look it up and arrange for it. 
 That creed of an endless hell originated wholly 
 with man, a diabolical type of man too. I do not 
 believe you or I could have framed it. We 
 should have constantly remembered that God, 
 first of all, was Justice; then, first of all, was Love; 
 and love works no ill at any time. One of the 
 foremost laws of God's justice is, that Good is 
 Eternal; that which we term Evil is the out- 
 growth of the law of transition, so our hell is 
 fleeting, that is what makes hell, I think. When 
 man falls into a line of evil thinking, he begins 
 to go out, he gets in a hurry, he goes with great 
 
238 Her rnaphro- Deity : 
 
 speed; we hear occasionally of so-and-so being 
 'fast.' " 
 
 "What do you mean by 'going out?' " the 
 young man asked with asperity. 
 
 Brother Paul looked at the youth a moment, 
 just as sweetly as an angel, while I could scarcely 
 keep my seat I wanted to go over and box his 
 ears so badly; then the Brother asked in a kindly 
 tone, "What was the matter with your student's 
 lamp in the library last evening when you called 
 me?" 
 
 "Why, it went out!*' snapped out the young 
 man. 
 
 "There must have been a cause for its going 
 out," persisted the teacher. 
 
 "Well, you know as well as I do the cause; 
 you know that it had no oil in it." 
 
 The boy's face was getting very red. and he 
 was looking a little nonplussed, for as stupid as I 
 was I saw the lesson intended, and evidently it 
 was clear enough to the young Bible student. 
 
 "This soul business is the one important mat- 
 ter in man's existence," resumed the teacher. 
 "It is a difficult thing to accept, and still more 
 difficult to try to teach, the fact that at least 
 one-third of the race, as we know it today, has 
 no life beyond this existence any more than the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 239 
 
 « 
 
 animal creation has. Some of the most beautiful 
 and fascinating people in the world are abso- 
 lutely without the Ego. They have nothing more 
 lasting in their natures than have their pet horses 
 and dogs. It is all good enough, as far as it 
 goes, but they are the false blossoms on the 
 tree of life, they lack the eternal germ. None 
 were made so; they have grown that way, and 
 they are 'going out/ unless wise love can reclaim 
 them, as in many instances it does." 
 
 The great clock sounded the noon hour, and 
 we all started for the Home, and just as we 
 reached the front entrance our people came up 
 from the junction and orchards. Annie and 
 Brother Eric were in advance, and in a high 
 state of glee, getting all the sport they could out 
 of the fact that neither had been invited to re- 
 main and dine with the visitors on the palace 
 car. 
 
 Nothing ever disturbs Brother Eric, and he 
 had succeeded in infusing his cheer into Annie, 
 so that we all had a jolly time at dinner. I 
 missed John and Brother Rameses from the din- 
 ing room, and I learned that they had run down 
 to the junction with a pony car loaded with bas- 
 kets of delicious fruit, cases of honey, bread, but- 
 
240 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 ter, cheese, cream and eggs. Annie told me all 
 that. 
 
 "That is what I call 'turning the other cheek' 
 with a vengeance," she said, with a malicious 
 twinkle in her eyes. "But as sure as you are 
 born, John will stay down there; their family 
 physician and he went to school together, and 
 I'll wager anything they will make him dine 
 with them." 
 
 "Well, I hope they will," I cried, rising up in 
 my pride for John. "I can tell you that none of 
 them are .any better than he is, I don't care how 
 many millions they may have." 
 
 She began to giggle. "What a fool you are. 
 Did I say that he was not the best man in the 
 world?" 
 
 With that she pulled me around, patted my 
 cheeks, hugged and kissed me, wiped away a 
 tear that had come in spite of me, and we 
 mingled our atoms together again and became 
 as one, she promising to tell me all about those 
 "big bugs," what they are like, etc. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 241 
 
 THE MUSE OF BROTHERHOOD. 
 
 Some momentary touches of my fire 
 
 Have warmed the barren ages with a beam; 
 
 There is no peak beyond my swift desire, 
 There is no beauty deeper than my dream. 
 
 I make an end of life's stupendous jest — 
 The merry waste of fortunes by the Few, 
 
 While the thin faces of the poor are pressed 
 Against the panes — a hungry whirlwind crew. 
 
 I come to lift the soul-destroying weight, 
 To heal the hurt, to end the foolish loss, 
 
 To take the toiler from his brutal fate — 
 The toiler hanging on the Labor-Cross. 
 
 I bring to earth the feel of home again, 
 That men may nestle on her warm, still breast; 
 
 I bring to wronged, humiliated men 
 The sacred right to labor and to rest. 
 
 Still hope for man: my star is on the way! 
 
 Great Hugo saw it from his prison isle; 
 It lit the mighty dream of Lamennais; 
 
 It shook the ocean thunders of Carlyle. 
 
 Wise Greeley touched the star of my desire, 
 Great Lincoln knelt before my hidden flame: 
 
 It was from me they drew their sacred fire — 
 I am Religion by her deeper name. 
 
 Edwin Markham. 
 
242 Hermaphro- Deity . 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Benares, California, June 24th. 
 
 This morning after breakfast I called John to 
 one side and told him I had something of im- 
 portance that I wished to talk with him about. 
 
 He turned me around to the light, and after 
 looking at me sharply for a moment, said, "Well, 
 why not let me hear it right here and now?" 
 
 "But somebody will be sure to interrupt us 
 here, and I want you all to myself for a good 
 long talk," said I, with a decided jerk of the 
 head. 
 
 John never does anything in a hurry, so he 
 stood some moments looking down, as he kick- 
 ed the leaves with the toe of his boot. At last 
 he said, "Well, what do you say to our going up 
 and trying one of their Twelve Stations?" 
 
 We started up the side of the mountain, where 
 from time to time the brethren had built little 
 arbors, fitting comfortable seats around the sides 
 and training over the trellis an exquisite vine, a 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 243 
 
 native of the mountains, thus making a most de- 
 .sirable spot for quiet and deep study. These 
 beautiful and artistic retreats Annie had christ- 
 ened the 'Twelve Stations" from the first. So, 
 after getting above all sound from the Home, we 
 seated ourselves where, it being so early in the 
 morning, we felt sure of being free from inter- 
 ruption. 
 
 After we had rested for a time, John said, 
 "Had you anything special that you wished to 
 say to me," sitting back and looking at me 
 keenly. 
 
 "Well — yes. It was something about these 
 men up here," I said, fidgetting about on my 
 seat. "Do they ever fall in love with women 
 who come up here ?" My face was getting aw- 
 fully red I knew. 
 
 John sat several minutes, not saying a word, 
 but striking his boot with a twig that he had 
 gathered on his way up. At last he said, not 
 looking up, "That depends upon what you un- 
 derstand by the term Love." 
 
 "Why, I mean what everybody else does, I 
 suppose," I blurted out, my face getting redder 
 every moment. 
 
 "There is so much difference in the way in 
 which people accept that term," he said musing- 
 
244 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 ly. "Now, for instance, what sort of a love do 
 you have for me?" squaring himself around and 
 looking me full in the eyes. 
 
 "Why!" I exclaimed, starting up, "Why I 
 adore you! But that is not the way that men 
 and women love each other, is it? We wouldn't 
 call that love, would we?" I questioned, in great 
 excitement. 
 
 "Well," he asked deliberately, "what would 
 you be willing to sacrifice for me?" 
 
 I was pretty well wrought up by this time, but 
 kept my tears back, and as soon as I could con- 
 trol my voice I said, "It is an easy matter for 
 people to talk, John," taking his face between 
 my hands, "but I would die today to save your 
 life and honor." And so I would! 
 
 The tears gathered in his honest, kindly eyes, 
 and he said in a gentle, quiet voice, "I do not 
 know of any other love than that, my dear. 
 That excitable, devouring, scathing instinct that 
 usually goes by the name of Love, is of purely 
 animal origin and no more lasting. A large 
 proportion of the marriages of the present day 
 are the spur of that instinct, and hence the un- 
 happiness." 
 
 I studied the man earnestly ; he had a kind of 
 command about him that appeared to compel 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 245 
 
 one to accept his views, whatever they might 
 be. At length I said, "Do you never intend to 
 marry or to love any one?" 
 
 How I do wish I could describe John to you; 
 I never have seen another man so handsome. 
 He has times of looking strange. I do not un- 
 derstand him. He has a smile like no other man. 
 
 He caught my hands in his and smiling said, 
 "To marry, no! To love anybody, yes! In 
 the first place, my heart is running over with 
 love for you; then I have a multitude of other 
 friends whom I adore, as you call it. I have so 
 many whom I love that I have no chance to nar- 
 row down my affections to one individual." 
 
 There must have been a curious expression on 
 my face,for he laughed heartily and said, "What? 
 would you like to have me love and marry some 
 woman who would love and monopolize me, 
 taking me away from you — which she would?" 
 
 I did not reply. We sat for some moments in 
 silence, and I recalled Annie and her peculiar dis- 
 position to monopolize anyone that she had any 
 claims upon, and I wondered if most wives were 
 not on that same plane. 
 
 A sudden fear seized me ; I did not want John 
 to marry. Such a thing would be a tragedy to 
 me. But — did I want to marry? No; I do not 
 
246 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 believe there is a man on earth that I would leave 
 John for, not even Rameses, providing that he 
 was of the marriage sort, which I am pretty 
 sure he is not. 
 
 John sat in silence, even forgetting me, I 
 think. How handsome he was, and how proud 
 I was of him! A bell, sounding faintly on the 
 rarified air, recalled us to the outside world 
 again. 
 
 "That is the bell for the lesson, and our last 
 one," cried John, springing up. "I want you to 
 take in every word, because it is not every day 
 that we can hear Father Hyacinth." 
 
 "I listen to these lessons all for your sake, 
 John," I said, as we entered the chapel and took 
 our seats. 
 
 After we were comfortably seated I began to 
 look about for our friends. I saw Annie up in a 
 new seat beside Sir Charles, and the Boston man 
 poked up on a high seat right in the midst of 
 the San Francisco party of girls. Well — in turn- 
 ing around who should be seated just back of us 
 but that blonde beauty, Rameses; I could have 
 touched him with my hand, but I did not. I 
 confessed that I felt happier when I found that 
 he was near by. 
 
 If I had thought Father Hyacinth grand in 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 14H 
 
 his previous lessons, I thought him divine in this 
 one. How I wished that all the world could 
 have heard him. What he said that day is in- 
 delibly stamped upon my mind; it has become 
 a part of my being. 
 
 At the close of the lesson Annie came to me 
 and putting her arms about me, whispered, "Can 
 you forgive me and still love me?" the tears fill- 
 ing her eyes. 
 
 I took her to my heart as I recalled our lesson. 
 
 "Long-suffering Lord! Ah, who should be 
 Forgiven, if thou wert as we?" 
 
 —Pearls of the Faith. 
 
 "If ye forgive men their mistakes, your Father will 
 also forgive you yours. But if ye forgive not men their 
 mistakes, neither will your Father forgive you yours." 
 
 —The Gospel of the Lord. 
 
248 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 "Christ is coming more and more to be Lord and 
 Master in our social order. * * * * In all the blun- 
 dering and ignorance of the attempt to create a new social 
 order, I can dimly see Christ re-asserting His Lordship 
 and Mastership in unexpected ways and unexpected places. 
 It is in the New Testament, in the teachings of Christ, 
 that we are to find the Spirit which must pervade and re- 
 generate the social order. 
 
 If this be so, if Christ is the heart of the Bible, by 
 whom we are to measure all interpretations and all utter- 
 ances; * * * * if He is the heart of human history, 
 and human religion; if He is the heart of society, in 
 whose Mastership will be peace and permanent and en- 
 during order; it will be only as He becomes the heart 
 and center and the Life of each one of us, The Good of our 
 being; so that you and I put this Christ before us and 
 say, 'To be like Him,' that is the aim of our life, the in- 
 spiration of our being, so that we say with Paul, 'The 
 Love of Ctwist constraineth us." 
 
 — Lyman Abbott 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 249 
 
 EIGHTH LESSON. 
 
 THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN. 
 
 We have now reached the crowning point in 
 this most vital study. To have a perfect knowl- 
 edge of all the leading facts that have been pre- 
 sented in this series of talks is of little value to 
 the individual if not put into practical use in 
 every-day life. Not alone is the student to make 
 the laws laid down in these lessons his daily pre- 
 cepts, but he must take the one Central Life, 
 illuminating the whole, as his guide in all things. 
 Nay, more, as the one absorbing love of his ex- 
 istence! 
 
 Nothing is of real value to the individual un- 
 less it be practical. It is very true that the fore- 
 going theories may not be considered practical 
 by the thorough business man of the world, but 
 we do not view matters quite from his stand- 
 point; we have a code of laws which we consider 
 equally as practicable. We take Christ's stand- 
 ard of morals and religion and His daily life as 
 our guide. 
 
250 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 A perfect life is not an inheritance or gift; it 
 is not gained by subscribing to creeds, dogmas 
 or ceremonials; and even a conscientious belief 
 in these vital truths will not alone bring the de- 
 sired state to the individual. There must be a 
 systematic training of the disposition; a recon- 
 struction of the mind, the unfoldingof the Divine 
 Mind. This mental training must be just as or- 
 derly and as regular as the drilling in our gym- 
 nasiums for the purpose of perfecting the physi- 
 cal symmetry and strength of the people of 
 this colony. First of all, the individual must 
 carefully and dispassionately study his own char- 
 acter and line of thought to see where he is de- 
 ficient and imperfect. 
 
 Three years ago, two men came up here in 
 these mountains to be cured of pulmonary dis- 
 ease. They went into our gymnasium, took all 
 of the exercises and full breathing for the pur- 
 pose of expanding and healing the lungs. In a 
 few months they returned to their homes in per- 
 fect health, with the lung tissues healed and the 
 lungs greatly enlarged through their deep 
 breathing of pure air. I speak of those circum- 
 stances simply as illustrations of what systematic 
 use will accomplish. The expansion of the 
 lungs, the opening up of air cells that had never 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 251 
 
 been used, changed the whole physical life of 
 those men. 
 
 The individual desiring a change of mind — or 
 as it is called in church parlance a "change of 
 heart" — must examine his thoughts and motives 
 to see if he harbors malice, anger, impatience, 
 uncharitableness, greed, egotism, condemnation, 
 love of the world, or a distaste for sacred things. 
 If he finds any of these elements of the carnal 
 mind, he will require good thorough mental 
 gymnastics, and deep thinking to enlarge the 
 mind and heal it of its disease, its sins, its preju- 
 dices. He must dwell upon the deeper and 
 spiritual subjects. 
 
 He will not like this at first, and will constant- 
 ly meet with discouragements and rebuffs; just 
 as in the case of these consumptives who came 
 up to take gymnastics; they felt sore and dis- 
 couraged and irritated at the commencement, 
 but through perseverance at last overcame their 
 enemy, as we have explained. "Whoever will 
 attain to divine contemplation, must mortify the 
 anti-christ in his soul," said Boehme. 
 
 It is the bent of the natural man to doubt; he 
 is by physical nature anti-christ. He says, "But 
 I do hot believe in Jesus of Nazareth as a Sav- 
 iour of mankind." 
 
252 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 No? You do not believe in Jesus of Nazar- 
 eth as the Saviour of mankind? And why do you 
 not believe in Him? Have you ever studied His 
 life, character and works? Have you ever 
 thought anything about Him? 
 
 We never understand an individual or an ob- 
 ject until we have entered into its sphere and 
 viewed it from all quarters. In these days of 
 rapidly evolving ideas and truths, it is scarcely 
 safe for us to doubt or condemn anything simply 
 because we may not see it as presented at the 
 time. In the near future it may be demonstrated 
 as a fact in science, what we have considered but 
 the vagaries of an erratic or half crazed brain. 
 
 Once upon a time, centuries ago, a man, a 
 thinker and a dreamer, announced to the world 
 that the earth was a globe, round, instead of 
 flat, and that it turned upon its axis and traveled 
 around its center the sun. And the whole read- 
 ing world rose up against him and cried out, 
 "We do not believe it! It is not true! You 
 shall take it back!" and he took it back to save 
 his life. But today no one has the courage to 
 deny or doubt that statement concerning the 
 earth's form or orbit. The vagaries of today 
 become the scientific facts of tomorrow. It does 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 253 
 
 not make a fact any the less a fact simply because 
 we do not happen to believe it. 
 
 I appreciate the truth that many are attracted 
 to this line of teaching through a Theosophical 
 bias, yet will not at once be interested in the 
 history and the mission of the Christ. And to 
 scores of so-called Christians also His life, mis- 
 sion, death and resurrection, have been present- 
 ed in a manner so obscure and unnatural as to 
 have made no permanent impression upon their 
 minds, so that they are really unacquainted with 
 His character and teachings, and are literally 
 without Him. He is, to all such, unfamiliar, in- 
 accessible and of no vital interest. 
 
 The Mosaic law suits the average human mind 
 best, and Christ's simple, straightforward and 
 just doctrines have not been the burden of the 
 teaching of the modern religious world. We 
 hear from the pulpits of the land all about Moses, 
 Elias, Job, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and hosts of 
 others; some of whom were great prophets and 
 seers, and some, alas! shedders of human blood, 
 who lived away back in the dead past; but we 
 are told very little about the Christ who was in 
 reality the consummation of all that past history, 
 and who came to do away with the conditions 
 then existing. Christ in His fullness has never 
 
254 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 been preached to the world. We have not been 
 made acquainted with Him. His helpful human 
 side has rarely been depicted by religious teach- 
 ers. The human family is longing for a more in- 
 timate knowledge of the human Jesus, without 
 knowing the cause of its dissatisfaction and un- 
 easiness. It is as a child lost in a desert place 
 sighing and sobbing for the devoted and loving 
 parent. 
 
 We, being men and human, are dull of com- 
 prehension of spiritual things, can only come to 
 the Christ through the man Jesus: we must come 
 into an intimate knowledge of His human na- 
 ture; of His deep love toward all, His pity for 
 the sorrowing, His keen sense of justice, His 
 tenderness to the babes and little children, His 
 sympathy for the common folk, for the unfortun- 
 ate, sinful and outcasts; His modesty and 
 humility, but above all His boundless love. 
 
 There have been many noble and devoted 
 teachers of men, in all ages, but there has never 
 been one who presented such an example of un- 
 selfish devotion, such a high sense of justice, 
 such wisdom, such love for and understanding 
 of man's needs, as did Jesus the Christ. 
 
 Beyond all reasons that the human mind can 
 urge, there is that deep-down secret cause why 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 255 
 
 He understood man's nature and needs better 
 than anyone else ever did or could; because the 
 race in its divine nature is His, is joined to Him 
 and He to it, as loving children are bound to the 
 adoring and devoted parent. And man, in his 
 spiritual nature, is constantly longing for that 
 Infinite Source, without knowing — in the con- 
 dition he now is — what it is he is yearning for; 
 while Christ is longing — beyond anything that 
 we can comprehend — for the love and recogni- 
 tion of His children. 
 
 The teachings of our Lord in the Gospel of 
 John has never been clear under any other in- 
 terpretation. How impressive it all becomes 
 when we understand why Christ, of all others, 
 came to redeem the race and restore all things. 
 He is saying to you all at this moment: "Come 
 unto me, and be taught of me; and your lives 
 shall find a resting place. My yoke is easy, and 
 my burden light." Come unto Me, He pleads. 
 
 Now come with me for a little season, and let 
 us live over again with Jesus that Judean life. 
 Let us walk with Him beside the blue Galilean 
 waters, under the sunny skies. Let us accept 
 Him for our Teacher, Master and Leader. Let 
 us get very near to Him; He permits it. John 
 leaned upon His breast and was not forbidden. 
 
256 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 And you, frail little one, you may slip your' 
 cold, weak hand into His warm, strong one and 
 feel yourself gently led and comforted without 
 words. And you sick, suffering and sinful ones 
 may touch the hem of His robe and find your- 
 selves healed. And I — I will ask only the privi- 
 lege of tying the straps of His sandals, and shall 
 be blessed, strengthened and comforted thereby. 
 
 We will become His disciples, for He refused 
 none. So day after day by the seashore, on the 
 hillside, through the fields of grain, on the 
 mountain-top, in the Temple, in the busy marts 
 of trade, we will follow His footsteps and listen 
 to His teachings of love, mercy, wisdom and the 
 brotherhood of man. 
 
 We will behold how multitudes of the afflict- 
 ed, deformed and sinful follow Him, and hang 
 upon His words, imbibing them as drops of heal- 
 ing and eternal life. We will see Him feed the 
 multitude, refusing none and blessing all. And 
 we will gaze into His tender eyes until our own 
 fill and overflow with tears, shed in sympathy for 
 the struggling, human mass that do not know 
 Him. 
 
 Then we will seat ourselves upon the grass 
 with the multitude that hang upon His words. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Gcniut. 257 
 
 and, oh! the music of that voice! Who could 
 resist it? 
 
 "Come unto me all you laboring and burdened 
 ones * * * and be taught of me, for my 
 yoke is easy and my burden is light. * * * 
 If any one love me, he will observe my words; 
 and the Father will love him, and we will come 
 unto him and make our abode with him." 
 
 We listen eagerly, the tears rolling down our 
 faces and washing out of our hearts the uncharit- 
 able feelings and all unkindness toward our 
 brothers. As He stands before us, we note how 
 majestic He appears; and yet how tender and 
 gentle toward the frail and suffering ones. How 
 carressingly He holds the tiny infant in His 
 strong arms. How they trust and love Him. 
 How grand! How more than human He ap- 
 pears; and yet how near He seems to us all. 
 
 How our hearts are stirred as He says, "A new 
 commandment give I unto you, That you love 
 one another, as I have loved you. By this shall 
 all men know that you are my disciples, if you 
 have love one to another. I will ask the Father, 
 and He will give you another helper that He 
 may be with you forever; the Spirit of Truth, 
 which the world cannot receive because it be- 
 holds it not, nor knows it; but you know it, be- 
 
258 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 cause it abides with you and will be in you * * 
 and bring all things to your remembrance 
 whatsoever I have said unto you." 
 
 Then He feeds the multitude and sends them 
 to their homes refreshed, blessed and healed. 
 
 So we, who hang upon His words, follow 
 Him day by day, and our souls are thrilled with 
 new and more humane thoughts, and life appears 
 so different to us; we see how selfish and 
 thoughtless we have been, and we long to live 
 better and truer lives. So we follow our Guide 
 along through the groves of olive and citron, 
 and up the sunny hillside, and we all seat our- 
 selves about the beloved Master; and He re- 
 veals to us. His chosen ones, the deep secrets of 
 His mission to the children of men, and His real 
 relation to them. We feel ourselves being heal- 
 ed as He says to us in His tender tones. "In my 
 Father's house there are many dwellings; but 
 if not. I would have told you: because I am 
 going to prepare a place for you. * * * So 
 that where I -am you also may be. All that the 
 Father giveth me shall come to me. I come 
 down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but 
 the will of Him who sent me. Greater love hath 
 no other than this, that one should lay down his 
 life in behalf of his friends. You did not choose 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 259 
 
 me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that 
 you may go and bear fruit, and that your fruit 
 may abide." 
 
 We cannot leave Him ; His love draws us with 
 an irresistible power. We watch Him at the 
 well in His interview with the Samaritan woman, 
 and we tremble as He reads her soul record; and 
 we try to cast off our selfhood, knowing that He 
 sees all our thoughts. Then we remember Mary 
 Magdalene and how He looked at her without 
 uttering a word, and how she was stripped of 
 her scarlet robes and sinful ways — healed with- 
 out a touch. And we remember the centurion's 
 servant, and we long to even touch the hem of 
 His garments and be healed of our infirmities. 
 
 As we follow Him over the hillsides and 
 through the fields, listening to His teaching, we 
 gradually come into the full consciousness that 
 Love is the redeeming breath of heaven. He 
 turns and faces us; as we eagerly cluster about 
 Him His countenance is radiant, His voice sweet 
 and gentle, as He says, 'This is my command- 
 ment, that you love each other, as I loved you. 
 No man has greater love than this. That one 
 should lay down his life in behalf of his friends." 
 
 And now, as we return to the present, do we 
 not all feel refreshed and strengthened? Do we 
 
260 Her map h ro- Deity : 
 
 not feel that we know Christ the better for hav- 
 ing dwelt with Him a little season? We feel that 
 we have touched the hem of His garments, have 
 felt His touch upon our heads; we have gazed 
 into His eyes, and He has smiled upon us. He 
 has said, "You my beloved have not chosen me, 
 but I have chosen you." 
 
 All your life long you will carry the memory 
 of this brief visit with our divine Master. There 
 will be aroused in the breast of each a tender 
 pity if not a love for Him. We will be unable to 
 understand how one so good, kind, patient and 
 harmless could have been so misunderstood and 
 wronged. In time, as we go into our seasons of 
 meditations and give ourselves up to these 
 thoughts, we will become conscious of an exalted 
 Presence near us, filling us with new emotions 
 such as we have never experienced before. 
 
 In our study of Jesus.the Man, we have come 
 into consciousness of the divine Christ, and there 
 will creep into our hearts a feeling to which we 
 have been strangers; we shall be slowly ap- 
 proaching our transformation, our "new birth;" 
 we will begin to feel a greater patience for the 
 faults and weaknesses of others, a tenderness and 
 pity for all that has life and consciousness. A 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 261 
 
 pity that will not permit us to tread upon a 
 worm. 
 
 This will be the dawning of love so broad that 
 it will embrace all humanity; will recognize all 
 men and women as brothers and sisters, regard- 
 less of condition, position, race or color. A love 
 that will cause us to sacrifice the self for the 
 good of another; that judges no man, but will 
 help us to bear and forbear in silence and pa- 
 tience. We shall no longer have the ambition 
 to accumulate earthly possessions; but, instead, 
 will experience a strong desire to help lighten 
 the burden of the oppressed wherever found, 
 recognizing in all the common bond of brother- 
 hood, seeing in the lowly and degraded only the 
 children of an infinitely loving Father. We feel 
 ourselves fired with a new zeal for good works, 
 and deep down in secret we feel a nameless ador- 
 ation for our newly found Friend, The Christ. 
 He has taken up His abode with us. Long and 
 silently He has waited for us to recognize Him, 
 and open unto Him. He has said, "Behold, I 
 stand at the door and knock; if any man hear 
 my voice and open the door, I will come in to 
 him and sup with him and he with me." 
 
 We cannot fail to grow like unto that which 
 we constantly contemplate and love. 
 
262 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 "What thou lovest, O man! 
 That too become thou must. 
 God, if thou lovest God; 
 Dust, if thou lovest dust." 
 
 We become possessed with the desire to imi- 
 tate the deeds of those whom we respect and 
 love. An absorbing love for Christ and human- 
 ity is an evidence that there has taken place in 
 the soul a healing process through the inflowing 
 of the Christ life. This is that regeneration or 
 "new birth" of which we have spoken. This is 
 not an impossible condition, this at-onement 
 with Christ; there are hosts of noble examples 
 where both men and women have entered into 
 this state of consciousness of the nearness of 
 Christ, and the infusion of His strength and life 
 into their's in time of sore trial. Such have been 
 among the philosophers, philanthropists, teach- 
 ers and helpers of the race, beside a multitude of 
 unnamed and unknown mystics in the obscure 
 walks of life. It is a subdued and elevated state 
 of mind, wherein exists the deepest satisfaction, 
 a nameless serenity, which no amount of misun- 
 derstanding and persecution from the world, 
 losses by land or sea, disloyalty or desertion on 
 the part of friends, can in the least disturb. Un- 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 263 
 
 to such is given to know the secrets of the "king- 
 dom of God." "And you shall find rest unto 
 your souls." 
 
 Sponoza, while hiding from his religious per- 
 secutors, living in poverty and isolation, subsist- 
 ing on a crust of bread and a cup of milk or 
 water as his daily rations, said, with the zeal of 
 an enthusiast: "I never dreamed it possible for a 
 human being to be so happy as I am." In his ex- 
 panded and awakened soul he beheld the truth 
 of Divine Being. His soul was exalted by a 
 deep and fervent love for the Divine; he had 
 come into consciousness of the new life of his 
 Christ-likeness. 
 
 It is a historical fact that the most enlighten- 
 ed, advanced and highly developed minds in all 
 Christendom have and do believe in Christ; in 
 His divine nature, His perfection, and the ma- 
 jority of them in His office as Saviour of man- 
 kind. 
 
 But this changed condition should not take 
 you from among your brethren. You are to 
 radiate this new power within you, as did Christ 
 while He was Jesus the man, and walked among 
 men. He has given you an example: He says to 
 you: "You are my friends, if you do whatsoever 
 things I command you. I have chosen you, and 
 
264 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 ordained you, that you should go and bring forth 
 fruit." 
 
 This is a deeply significant epoch in the ex- 
 perience of the race. Much questioning, uneasi- 
 ness and speculation is the impulse of the hour, 
 and infidelity is the curse of modern thought. 
 Man requires a central object of contemplation 
 because the law of centralization governs the 
 substance of his being. 
 
 Christ was the manifestor of all life in our 
 center, and is as much individual as the great 
 central sun of our universe, and as real as you or 
 I; and more than that, wajks with men upon 
 the earth today as He did two thousand years 
 ago. 
 
 Men have been looking for and expecting the 
 return of Christ for, lo! these many generations, 
 and have not understood that to the pure in 
 heart He is always near and ready to bless. He 
 is saying to us all, I will not leave you orphans; 
 I am coming to you. "Yet a little while, and 
 the world beholds me no more: but you behold 
 me; because I live, you also shall live." 
 
 "If any one loves me, he will observe my word, 
 and my Father will love him. and we will come 
 to him and make our abode with him." Could 
 there be anything clearer to the comprehension 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 265 
 
 than this promise? These promises are for every 
 hour and for every individual soul on earth. 
 They were not for a few fishermen two thousand 
 years ago; but for all who are seeking for the 
 truth. 
 
 Christ is love, and love is for the healing of the 
 nation. All who are without faith and a love for 
 Christ, are as a ship in mid-ocean; storm-tossed, 
 without rudder or compass, at the mercy of the 
 gale. There is in all such a nameless longing 
 for they know not what. 
 
 Such may possess riches, honor, knowledge, 
 wisdom, and yet be without peace. Peace never 
 comes to the soul of man until he has opened his 
 inner consciousness to Christ; because we are 
 His, and His likeness is stamped upon our in- 
 most soul. He is constantly pleading for the 
 return of His children, to be recognized and 
 loved. He does not command, He pleads. 
 
 "Behold I have stood at the door, and I knock; 
 if anyone may have heard my voice, and opened 
 the door, I will enter in to him, and feast with 
 him, and he with me." 
 
266 Hermaphro- Deity : 
 
 "The love of the perfect man is a universal love; a 
 love whose scope is all mankind." 
 
 — Confucius. 
 
 "Blessed are the Peacemakers; for they shall be called 
 the children of God. 
 
 Love * * * bless * * * do good, that ye may be 
 the children of your Father, who is in heaven." 
 
 — Jesus. 
 
 "Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they 
 shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, 
 with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his 
 messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they 
 shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from 
 one end of heaven to the other." 
 
 Matthew xxiv. 30, 31. 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 267 
 
 Benares, California, June 30th. 
 
 Today, on the eleven o'clock train, a party of 
 tourists came to attend the opening of the Ob- 
 servatory. It was composed of scientific men 
 and their wives, not alone from Los Angeles, 
 but from several other large cities. The ladies 
 were cultured and accomplished, the gentlemen 
 all solid scientific men. Our German professor 
 found himself in his element, and the Boston 
 man never so much as looked at me, or one of 
 the common individuals. Father Hyacinth, 
 Brother Rameses and Brother Paul are to take 
 charge of the party, and preparations have been 
 made for them to remain all night at the Obser- 
 vatory. As there is an evidence of a cloudless 
 night, it will be a wondrous treat to all. We are 
 promised the same a few nights later. 
 
 After dinner, as the party was taking its depart- 
 ure for the Observatory, we noticed that among 
 the number were the Westlakes, the German 
 professor, the Boston man and the San Fran- 
 cisco party. They were all in exuberant spirits 
 and presented a picture which I shall never for- 
 get as they all set out up the mountain,, each 
 woman carrying her basket of refreshments, and 
 
268 Hermaphro- Deity ; 
 
 each man with a sufficient supply of bedding 
 strapped across his shoulders. 
 
 After they had passed out of sight, John gath- 
 ered our party, Angela, Annie and myself, about 
 him, with an air full of foreboding of some 
 kind of change. I have a deadly terror of 
 changes. He gathered us about him as close as 
 he could, and managed to get hold of a hand of 
 each, and then began to unfold his business. 
 
 "You see," he began, "I received a letter to- 
 day from August, and he says, 'That I had bet- 
 ter come home, the harvest is unusually large, 
 and he doesn't know how to manage it.' We 
 have overstayed the time allotted to us already, 
 and as the lessons are closed for this session, I 
 think we had better go down to our little planta- 
 tion and see what August and Elsie are doing. 
 What do you say, girls?" 
 
 No one uttered a word. He looked from one 
 to another in blan^ amazement. 
 
 After studying our downcast faces for a mo- 
 ment or two he broke into a hearty laugh, ex- 
 claiming, "Well upon my word! Do you want 
 to stay here?" still shaking with laughter. 
 
 "We like to stay here," said Annie sheepishly; 
 "but we cannot stay without you." 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 269 
 
 We all laughed heartily at this change in An- 
 nie's sentiments regarding the colony. 
 
 "How is it with you, girls?" asked John, turn- 
 ing to Angela and myself. 
 
 "So far as I am concerned," I exclaimed im- 
 pulsively, "where you go I shall go, and where 
 you stay I shall stay." 
 
 Angela remained silent a time, as was her 
 habit; she was always deliberate in her con- 
 clusions. 
 
 We were all silent for some moments, when 
 John said, "You girls might remain here, and I 
 go East and attend to matters and return here in 
 December. I am to remain with them up here 
 for another year. It is my desire to join the 
 brotherhood if my girls are not opposed/' smil- 
 ing upon us. 
 
 "I have from the first decided to remain per- 
 manently in the School," said Angela. "It is 
 what I have long been in search of." 
 
 "And you know that what is for you, is for 
 me," I said to John, snuggling up close to him. 
 
 I wish I could portray in words John's face 
 when a certain smile of satisfaction lights it up; 
 it is a species of inward illumination; it always 
 recalls that story of Christ and His three on the 
 mountains, "And His face did shine as the sun." 
 
270 Hermaphro Deity ; 
 
 I have seen but few faces that would express so 
 much, and John's is among the number. 
 
 After a little silence he asked Annie what ar- 
 rangements would please her, and after due de- 
 liberation she concluded to remain in the frater- 
 nity until John and I should return; and feeling 
 it to be good for her to be in the atmosphere of 
 this body of people, we considered it as satisfac- 
 torily settled. 
 
 Benares, California, July 1st. 
 
 The sun had just risen when the scientific 
 party reached the Home where breakfast await- 
 ed them. 
 
 It appears that a large portion of the visitors 
 had decided to examine the mountain lake which 
 supplied water for irrigation and all purposes on 
 the plantation. Brother Frederick and John 
 were to act as escorts on this occasion. The 
 Westlakes, the San Francisco party, and as many 
 of the excursionists as were sufficiently rested, 
 together with most of our late class, started up 
 the mountain in an entirely new direction. We 
 followed a roadwav for a mile or more through 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 271 
 
 wild and sublime scenery; at length we came to 
 what appeared to have been the crater of an ex- 
 tinct volcano ; a deep oval basin with stone walls 
 of almost uniform depth, and so smooth as to 
 appear like the work of human hands. These al- 
 most perpendicular walls enclosed an area of 
 about thirty acres, forming a uniform body of 
 the clearest and purest of water; no vegetation 
 growing near the water, but a fringe of ever- 
 green at the top of the wall. There were various 
 speculations among the scientists as to its source 
 of supply. Some believe it to be a reservoir for 
 the melted snows, others consider that it is sup- 
 plied entirely from springs. Father Hyacinth, 
 who has watched it carefully for the past thirty 
 years, says that it has never perceptibly fluctu- 
 ated in that time, and that in the center they are 
 unable to sound it. The water is almost as cold 
 as ice while in the lake, but becomes sufficiently 
 warmed for irrigating purposes before reaching 
 the plantation. 
 
 I have no words with which to express my 
 sensations while standing on the outer rim of 
 that strange body of water. It was grand be- 
 yond expression; in fact, too grand for me; it 
 gave me a sense of some unexplainable mystery, 
 awesome in the extreme. 
 
272 Hermaphro-Deity : 
 
 What had .formed this strange reservoir? Had 
 this once been the South Pole? Who could tell? 
 I felt dumb in the presence of this mystery. 
 Many of the party were full of speculations and 
 suggestions, and some of them stopped talking 
 long enough only to take breath. If they were 
 impressed with the sublimity of the scene, it did 
 not silence them. 
 
 I expanded my lungs and breathed with de- 
 light when I reached the Home, and saw the 
 familiar signs of life and the work of human 
 hands, and recalled Annie's remark when John 
 asked her to join the party: 
 
 "No, I thank you; I do not wish to go to any 
 higher region just now; I consider this the jump- 
 ing off place." But thereby hangs a tale. 
 
 I had discovered that Sir Charles had dropped 
 out of the party and lingered behind, which ac- 
 counted for Annie's lack of interest in the upper 
 region. 
 
 After one of our superb dinners — which was in 
 reality a banquet, so lavishly and exquisitely was 
 it served — the party took their leave, full of en- 
 thusiasm and admiration for everything and 
 everybody; and we all equally enthused and in 
 love with them. 
 
 Such experiences cannot fail to bring out the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 273 
 
 strongest and best that there is in human na- 
 ture. The grand in nature always develops the 
 grand in man. I had never realized before that 
 there were so many people that were given to 
 large thoughts. I had fancied that John and 
 Angela were two cranks who had ideas unlike 
 anybody else in the world, and fancied that in 
 the end it might land them both in the insane 
 asylum. But here were hundreds of people, all 
 perfectly at home and all happy, entertaining 
 those advanced and ultra ideas and plans, and 
 all appeared perfectly sane. 
 
 I had lived in a superficial world, such as the 
 larger portion of the human family exist in, I 
 think, where to eat and drink and clothe oneself 
 is, as a rule, the end and aim of life; but a few 
 months' experience here has opened up to me a 
 vast world of ideas, which under the old circum- 
 stances would have been an unexplored and un- 
 known region of thought and life. 
 
 Those who have ascended the mountain of life 
 can never again descend and be at peace on the 
 low lands and marshes. To climb is the instinct 
 of man. Ever more give us light! is the prayer. 
 
274 Herrnaphro- Deity : 
 
 Benares, California, July 16th. 
 
 Tomorrow, John and myself take our depart- 
 ure for our eastern home, returning here in Sep- 
 tember instead of December, as at first arranged. 
 
 Annie has no desire to return East at present, 
 so she informed me this morning, saying that 
 she considered her fate was sealed. In what way 
 it was done she did not inform me, so I asfeed 
 her if it was hermetically sealed. She elevated 
 her nose and walked away with an air of injured 
 innocence, not deigning to reply. She has had a 
 great number of similar attacks, so that I am not 
 at all alarmed. She told John last night that she 
 considered herse^ as good as engaged to Sir 
 Charles, and John having her under his care in a 
 degree talked around the young nobleman to see 
 what he thought about the matter, and finds him 
 entirely unconscious of the young lady's state of 
 mind, and so far has no intention of changing his 
 present free state. 
 
 Angela tells me that Annie is hard at work on 
 a manuscript which she intends having published 
 at once. She intends writing up her experience 
 with this community. 'We can imagine what it 
 will be like. It will be after the order of "Inno- 
 cents Abroad." I conclude, as she sees only the 
 
The Mystery of Divine Genius. 275 
 
 ludicrous side of life. But Annie has grown 
 more earnest and truthful, and I feel sure that 
 she will come out all right. 
 
 Yesterday afternoon I had a long and earnest 
 conversation with Father Hyacinth. He told 
 me all about the new colony that has been estab- 
 lished in the West. A new plant, he calls it. Ten 
 thousand acres of land have been appropriated, 
 and the city laid out and planned by their archi- 
 tect. Brother Rameses, Brother Paul and John 
 have been chosen to get the colony in working 
 order. Father Hyacinth starts for the new terri- 
 tory at once, and a supply of assistants will go 
 there as soon as required. 
 
 This new arrangement does not give me the 
 slightest trouble, for I have made up my mind to 
 go where John does. Then, too, Rameses is 
 going, and I cannot help but feel an interest in 
 that fellow — nobody could that ever saw him. 
 
 It is my intention to return with John to this 
 community and perhaps take up the history of 
 this wonderful people; especially the working of 
 the new colony, for I feel sure that they are in 
 the right and that through their teachings and 
 practices the world will be made better, and in 
 time, so potent is the influence of Mind, the race 
 must be redeemed. 
 
DESCRIPTION OF JESUS CHRIST BY PUBLIUS 
 
 LENTULUS, PRESIDENT OF JUDEA IN 
 
 THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS CAESAR. 
 
 There lives at this time, in Judea, a man of singular 
 virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians 
 esteem as a prophet, but his followers love and adore 
 him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls 
 back the dead from their graves, and heals all sorts of 
 diseases with a word or a touch. He is a tall man, and 
 well-shaped, of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair 
 of a color that can hardly be matched, falling into grace- 
 ful curls, waving about, and very agreeably couching upon 
 his square shoulders, parted on the crown of his head, 
 running as a stream to the front, after the fashion of the 
 Nazarites; his forehead high, large and rather imposing; 
 his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a 
 lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite 
 symmetry; his beard thick and of a color suitable to his 
 hair, reaching below his chin and parting in the middle 
 like a fork; his eyes bright and blue, clear and serene; 
 look, innocent, dignified, manly and mature; in propor- 
 tion of body most perfect and captivating; his hands and 
 arms most delicate to behold. He rebukes with majesty, 
 counsels with mildness: his whole address, whether in 
 word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has 
 seen him laugh, yet his manners are exceedingly pleasant; 
 but he has wept frequently in the presence of men. He 
 is temperate, modest and wise: a man. for his extraor- 
 dinary beauty and divine perfections, surpassing the child- 
 ren of men in everv sense. 
 
 M 113 82 -4 
 

 
 
 
 
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