— - — WHO IS MRS. BESANT? f AND ■ WHY HAS SHE COME TO INDIA? Containing her early history; an account of her numerous changes of belief; and her object in coming to India. WITH PORTRAITS OP [ MRS. BESANT, MR. BRADLAUGH, AND MADAME BLAVATSKY. MADRAS: TEE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY. S. P. C. K. PRESS, VEPERY. 189 4 Price One Anna. The Anna Library, 1 Anna each. Mostly with Numerous Illustrations . Indian Fables. 48 pp. Picture Fables. 48 pp. Choice Pictures and Stories. 48 pp. Pictures and Stories for the Young. 48 pp. Augustine, the Greatest Early Christian Writer. 48pp. Palissy the Potter. 48 pp. William Carey, 48 pp. Story of Dr. Duff, by A. L. 0. 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AND WHY HAS SHE COME TO INDIA? “ Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong, Everything by starts, and nothing long,” Dryden, First Edition, 3,000 Copies. MADRAS: THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY. 8. P. C. K. PRESS, VEPKRY. 1 894 CONTENTS. <* PAET I. Page. WHO IS Mrs. BESANT ? ... ... ... 1 Introduction, 1 ; Childhood, 1 ; Education by Miss Marryat, 3 ; Religious Changes before Marriage, 4; Marriage with Mr. Besant, 5; Becomes a Theist and separates from her Husband, 5; Anti-Christian, 6; Atheist and Materialist, 6; Evils of Atheism and Materialism, 9; Proofs of the Existence of God, 11; Why Mrs. Besant became an Atheist and what she should have done, 14; Malthusian, 16 ; Spiritual¬ ist, 16 ; Theosophist, 19; Anti-Materialist, 21; Anti-Mal- thusian, 22. PART II. WHY HAS SHE COME TO INDIA ?. 22 Claimant to be the World’s Great Teacher, 23; India a prepared field, 23; Mrs. Besant’s object in coming to India, 24; Mrs. Besant’s Flattery to gain her end, 24; Theosophy alleged to be ancient Hinduism, 26 ; Theosophy the Organon to restore India to her Pristine Grandeur, 27 ; Mrs. Besant’s Three Great Measures por the Improvement of India : 1. The Restoration of Hindu Civilization, 28; 2. The Substi¬ tution of Manu’s Laws for the Penal Code and the Eetention of Caste, 28 ; 3. The Preservation of the Ancient Faith, 29 ; Why Theosophy should be Rejected : 1. The Character of its Founder, 33; 2. The Nature of its Doctrines, 34; 3. The History and Character of Mrs. Besant, 37. The World’s Great Teacher, 39. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS . 42 WHO IS MBS. BESANT? INTRODUCTION. A few years ago a white lady, Madame Blavatsky, caused a great sensation in Ceylon by calling herself a Buddhist. The Sinhalese showed her as much honour as if she had been a queen. Now a white lady, Mrs. Besant, has caused equal wonder in India by declaring herself a Hindu, and going about lecturing in favour of her new religion. When she and Colonel Olcott came to Tinne- velly, they attracted great audiences. The people heard that a learned gentleman and a wonderful lady who knew all about the Sastras were going to explain the mysteries of the Vedas, and to prove the unrivalled excellence of the Hindu religion. Hundreds of people who did not know one word of English came pressing and crushing one another, at least to see them, and to hear them pronounce the sacred words ‘ Sri Krishna* and f Arjuna.* There is supposed to be great virtue in hearing the name of a god pronounced by a European. At Bangalore, Mrs. Besant was hailed as “the veritable goddess of Ind, coming from the far off West for the spiritual regeneration of the land.” Sir Sheshadri Iyer called her the incarnation of Saraswati and their sister. As Mrs. Besant is visiting other parts of India some account of her and her object in coming to this country, is desirable. The following sketch is compiled chiefly from her own writings, and from an account of her life, written by her intimate friend, Mr. Stead, which appeared in the Review of Reviews in October, 1891. Childhood. Mrs. Annie Besant’s maiden name is Wood. She was born in 1847, and is now therefore about 46 years of age. Her father belonged to an English family; but he was 2 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? born and educated in Ireland, where he took his degree as a doctor, although he seldom practised. Afterwards he removed to London, where he held a good appointment. Mrs. Besant says that he was “ deeply and steadily sceptical “ His mother and sister were strict Roman Catholics, and near the end forced a priest into his room, but the priest was promptly ejected by the wrath of the dying man/ 5 Dr. Wood married an Irish lady, called Morris. Mrs. Besant knew little of her father, for he died when she was only five years old, but she was warmly attached to her mother. She describes her as, “ The tenderest, sweetest, proudest, noblest woman I have ever known....So guard¬ ed and shielded had been my childhood and youth from every touch of pain and anxiety that love could bear for me, that I never dreamed that life might be a heavy burden, save as I saw it iu the poor I was sent to help. 55 Dr. Wood died in October, 1852. Grief made Mrs. Wood’s raven hair white as snow in a single night. Though left a widow with a young family and scarcely any means, instead of seeking help from relations, she nobly sought to earn her own living, and to carry out the dying wish of her husband to give their eldest boy a University education. Mrs. Wood removed from London to Harrow, where there is one of the most celebrated public schools in England, largely attended by the children of wealthy families. The Rev. Dr. Vaughan, then Headmaster of Harrow, allowed her to take some of the Harrow boys into her own house, so that she was not only able to support herself, but to find means for the education of her son. Mrs. Besant acknowledges that Dr. Vaughan and his wife were the earnest friends and helpers of her mother. Annie, brought up as a child among boys, was as good a cricketer and climber of trees as any of them. The house had a large garden. There was not a tree in it which she did not climb. One wide-spreading tree was her sitting room and study. She would sit there reading for hours. Milton’s Paradise Lost was her favourite book. She EDUCATION BY MISS MARRYAT. 3 says, “ I liked to personify Satan and declaim the grand speeches of the hero-rebel.” Education by Miss Marryat. Miss Marryat was a wealthy lady, the sister of Captain Marryat, a well-known English novelist. She undertook to educate a niece, but soon discovered that her pupil would get on better if she had a companion. By chance Miss Marryat met Annie Wood. Pleased with the child, she offered to educate her free of charge. Her mother, though grieved to part with her daughter, felt that this would be for her good, and consented. Miss Marryat lived in a beautiful village in the west of England, so that Annie afterwards came to Harrow only dur¬ ing the holidays. Other children of good family, but poor, were also taken; for it was a pleasure to Miss Marryat to spend her fortune in thus doing good. In after years Mrs. Besant wrote : “No words can tell how much I owe her, not only of knowledge, but of that love of knowledge which has remained with me ever since as a constant spur to study.” Miss Marryat was an earnest Christian. She visited the poor, taking help wherever she went, and sending food from her own table to the sick. She seldom gave money, but would try to find employment for such as needed help. While on Sundays ordinary books were notread, they were made attractive by walks in the garden, by the singing of hymns, and wonderful missionary stories. Passages were learned from the Bible and hymns for repetition. Her pupils also taught in the Sunday School, for Miss Marryat said, that it was useless to learn if they'did not try to teach those who had no one to teach them. The Sunday School lessons had to be carefully prepared on Saturday, for Miss Marryat said that work done for the poor should always be work that cost something to the giver. Her feeling was, (t Shall I give unto the Lord my God that which has cost me nothing ?” Miss Wood was taught to avoid theatres and balls. She 4 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? was taken to Paris for seven months to acquire a knowledge of French, and there she was confirmed as a member of the Church of England. On her return to England, she contin¬ ued her French and German studies, and devoted much, attention to music of which she was passionately fond. Religious Changes before Marfjage. As there are different sects among Hindus, so there are divisions among Christians. All Christians, properly so called, agree on many of the most important points. They believe in the same God, the same Saviour, and accept the Bible. The short statement of belief, usually called the Apostles* Creed, is generally acknowledged. The two principal divisions of Christians are Roman Catholics and Protestants. Besides disagreeing on some important points of doctrine, they differ in their modes of worship. The Roman Catholic Church has splendidly decorated churches, and its priests wear rich vestments. Among Protestants, the tendency in worship is towards simplicity. But in the Church of England there is a section, called the High Church party, having a leaning, more or less, to the Church of Rome. Miss Marryat belonged to the Protestant party, and the future Mrs. Besant was brought up under her influence. She had been taught to shun balls where dancing is carried on late at night. When Miss Wood left Miss Marryat and returned to Harrow, she entered with pleasure into the amusements of the world. “ She was devoted to archery and croquet, and danced to her heart*s delight with the junior masters f who could talk as well as flirt.* ** But a good deal of attention was also devoted to English literature. About this time there was what is called the High Church Revival in the Church of England. A series of publications was issued, called Tracts for the Times , in which Roman Catholic doctrines and forms of worship were advo¬ cated. Mrs. Wood had removed to London, where her daughter, who had acquired High Church views, spent BECOMES A THEIST AND SEPARATES FROM HER HUSBAND. 5 much time in making ornaments and arranging decorations for a Mission Chapel. During three years Miss Wood had passed through three changes, having been Protestant, worldly, or fond of amusements, and High Church, in turn. Marriage with Mr. Besant. At the Mission Chapel, Miss Wood made the acquaintance of a young clergyman, the Rev. Frank Besant, a Cambridge graduate, who helped in the Mission, and supported him¬ self as under-master of Stockwell Grammar School, London. He is the brother of Mr. Walter Besant, the novelist. In December, 1867, when about 20 years of age, she became his wife. She married him, not from love, but because she thought that he, by his office, would bring her nearer to God. Soon afterwards Mr. Besant obtained a mastership at Cheltenham, in the west of England. There in lodgings his young wife began to write stories for the Family Herald, for which she received her first earned money. She also wrote the “ Lives of the Black Letter Saints/ 5 for which she could not find a publisher. The first pamphlet which she printed was a little tract, Roman Catholic in its tone, which insisted upon the virtue of fasting. Becomes a Theist and separates from her Husband. Lord Hatherley, Lord Chancellor of England, was the uncle of Mrs. Besant. Through his favour Mr. Besant was appointed in charge of Sibsey, a parish in Lincoln¬ shire, with an income of about £450 a year. Meanwhile, doubts about some of the truths of Christi¬ anity had arisen in her mind. She read both Christian works on the Evidences and Anti-Christian books without any benefit. As a last resolve, she sought the advice of Dr. Pusey, considered the leader of the High Church Party. He did not understand her case, and the inter¬ view did more harm than good. One of the most sacred Christian ordinances is that 6 WHO IS MBS. BESANT ? called the Holy Communion, in memory of the death of Christ. When it was observed at Sibsey, Mrs. Besant walked out of Church. Kind farmers 5 wives who were present thought she was unwell, and called next day with sympathising inquiries. Mrs. Besant acted more conscientiously than educated Hindus, who take part in idolatrous ceremonies which they condemn, merely to please their ignorant relatives. At Sibsey Mrs. Besant wrote her first controversial tract against Christianity. It was published anonymously, as “by the wife of a beneficed clergyman. 55 Subse¬ quently it was republished as the first chapter of My Path to Atheism. As it was very injurious to Mr. Besant 5 s work as a clergyman for his wife to leave Church in the manner above mentioned, the alternative was put to Mrs. Besant either to remain or to return home. The former seemed a violation of conscience, so she chose the latter. Mrs. Besant went back to her mother, receiving a small monthly income from her husband. She occasionally earn¬ ed some money by nursing, and by her pen. She was still a Theist, and attended the lectures of Moncure Conway in London. Anti-Christian. After separating from her husband, Mrs. Besant gave much of her time to writing tracts against Christianity. With the exception of a few pages, the whole of My Path to Atheism is of the above character. For nearly twenty years she has been “waging a pitiless war against her early faith and its adherents. 55 She has repeatedly shown this spirit during her Indian tour. Atheist and Materialist. Atheistic thoughts were first awakened in Mrs. Besant 5 s mind in the following manner : Two children were born, first a boy and then a girl. When the latter was seven months old she had, like other ATHEIST AND MATERIALIST. 7 children, an attack of whooping cough. The child suf¬ fered severely and seemed at death’s door, but recovered. Mrs. Besant says : “ There had grown up in ray mind a feeling of angry resentment against the God who had been for weeks, as I thought, torturing my helpless baby. More than once the indignant cry broke from my lips, ‘How canst Thou torture a poor baby so ? Why dost Thou not kill her at once and let her be at peace V ” It was, however, intimacy with Mr. Bradlaugh that made her an avowed Atheist. Mr. C. Bradlaugh. (A A short notice may be given of Mr. Br dlaugh, with whom Mrs. Besant was so long associated. Charles Bradlaugh was born in London in 1833, From his early disbelief in Christianity, he was separated from his friends. For some years he was very poor, being in turn an errand boy, small coal-dealer, and a private soldier. He was three years in the army, and made a good use of his time; but in 1853, after 3 years’ service, he was able by means of a small legacy to purchase his discharge. In WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? London he applied to a lawyer for employment as a clerk. He was told that an errand-boy was wanted—not a clerk. He asked what salary would be given to an errand-boy ? “ Ten shillings a week” was the reply. “ Then I'll take it,” said he. Through bis abilities Mr. Bradlaugh was soon promoted to be clerk, and gradually acquired a large stock of legal knowledge. A good speaker, he began to take part in .political and freethought movements. In 1859 he commenced with .Joseph Barker a weekly newspaper, called The National Reformer. The co-editors soon disagreed, and Mr, Bradlaugh became sole editor. He also, by the voice and the pen, sought to spread atheism and materialism. In A Plea for Atheism, he says : “ The Atheist does not say ‘ There is no God/ but he says : ‘ I know not what you mean by God ; I am without idea of God; the word ‘ God’ is to me a sound conveying no clear or dis¬ tinct affirmation ... If, however, God is defined to mean an existence other than the existence of which I am a mode, then I deny ‘ God,’ and affirm that it is impossible such £ God’ can be. That is, I affirm one existence, and deny that there can be more than one.” “ When the Theist affirms that his God is an existence other than, and separate from, the so-called material universe, and when he invests this separate, hypothetical existence with the several attributes of personality, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, eternity, infinity, immutability, and perfect good¬ ness, then the Atheist in reply says : I deny the existence of such a being.”* In the foregoing there is a quibble about the meaning of God, as if it is not well understood to mean the self- existent intelligent Creator of the Universe. Thus under¬ stood, Mr. Bradlaugh asserts that there is no such Being. Atheist, (from a without and theos, God)strictly means one who denies the existence of God. It has been well shown that the man who can say so, must be God himself. Unless he is present everywhere at the same time, he cannot say there is no God. Unless he knows the cause *A Plea for Atheism, pp. 4, 5. THE EVILS OF ATHEISM AND MATERIALISM. 9 of everything, that which he does not know may be caused by God. Unbelievers of intelligence now profess only agnosticism. This word (from a without and gnosis, knowledge) means they do not know that there is a God. Practically, they are atheists. They generally live as if there was no God, and didn’t care whether there was one or not. Besides preaching Atheism, Mr. Bradlaugh was a materialist. A materialist is one who denies the existence of spirit, and maintains that there is but one substance, namely matter. He wrote a tract, Has Man a Soul ? in which this is denied, and where it is asserted that death ends all. One day in 1874, Mrs. Besant bought a copy of the National Reformer. This led her to go and hear Mr. Bradlaugh's lecture in the Hall of Science. She wrote to him, and was accepted as a member of the National Secular Society, established to spread atheism and materi¬ alism. Shortly after she went to meet him, when he said to her, “You have thought yourself into Atheism without kuowing it.” He saw that she was clever, and a few days later he offered her a small weekly salary, and a place on the staff of the National Reformer. For about 15 years Mrs. Besant laboured with zeal to pro¬ pagate the above doctrines. When women embrace Atheism, so contrary to their religious nature, they are generally blatant,or noisy in the expression of their views. A gentle¬ man in Ceylon says that he was present in the Hall of Science, London, when Mrs. Besant stood with a watch in her hand and said : “ If there be a God, let Him strike me dead in five minutes.” The Evils of Atheism and Materialism. Mrs. Besant was so deluded as to believe that Atheism was the path to happiness. The Preface to her book My Path to Atheism concludes as follows: The path from Christianity to Atheism is a long one, and its first steps are very rough and very painful; the feet tread on the 10 WHO IS MRS. BESANT? ruins of broken faith, and the sharp edges cut into the bleeding flesh ; but further on the path grows smoother, and presently at its side begins to peep forth the humble daisy of hope that heralds the spring-tide, and further on the roadside is fragrant with all the flowers of summer, sweet and brilliant and gor¬ geous, and in the distance we see the promise of the autumn, the harvest that shall be reaped for the feeding of man.” The way in which this glorious change is to be brought about is thus explained in her Constructive Rationalism :— “Full of hope, full of joy, strong to labour, patient to endure* mighty to conquer, goes forth the new glad creed into the sad grey Christian world; at her touch men’s faces soften and grow purer, and women’s eyes smile instead of weeping ; at last, the heir arises to take to himself his own, and the negation of the usurped sovereignty of the popular and traditional God over the world developes into the affirmation of the rightful monarchy of man.” pp. 177, 178. The golden age is to begin when man, the rightful lord of the universe, takes the throne usurped bv God ! She thus wrote of the benefits of Materialism : “ As calmly as the tired child lies down to sleep in its mother’s arms, and passes into dreamless unconsciousness, so calmly does the Rationalist lie down in the arms of the mighty mother, and pass into dreamless unconsciousness on her bosom.”* Mrs. Besant is a most unsafe religious guide. The re¬ sults were just the opposite of what she promised. To deny the existence of God is like to blot out the sun from the heavens. Men are then like young orphan children, left to wander alone, without any father whom they may love or to whom they may look for help in trouble. If there is no hereafter in which the virtuous are rewarded and the wicked punished, men may, without fear, live as they please. The fruits of such atheistic and materialistic teaching are now fearfully shown in some parts of Europe. In Russia persons who have embraced it are called Nihilists, from the Latin word nihil , nothing. They teach that there is no God; * My Path to Atheism , p. 175. PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 11 that there should be no government, no marriage, that all land should be divided, and that every man should do as he likes. In other parts of Europe they are called Anarchists, from a, without arche, government. There is a terribly explosive substance, called dynamite, for more destructive thau gun¬ powder. Not long ago the Anarchists in France threw a bomb which exploded in the French Parliament; in Spain one was thrown into a theatre, when a number of ladies and other innocent persons were killed. The evil is so great that all the governments in Europe are combining to put down anarchy, and prohibit the manu¬ facture of dynamite bombs. Proofs of the Existence of God. Mrs. Besant thought there could not be a God, because her child suffered so much pain. The argument is like that of a man who should say, my watch sometimes goes badly; therefore it cannot have had a maker. Mrs. Besant should rather have thought, If there is no God, how came my child into existence ? Socrates, the wisest of the Greeks, more than 2,000 years ago thus proved that our bodies must have been made by God. Conversing with Aristodemus he says :— “ It is evidently apparent, that He who at the beginning made man, endued him with senses because they were good for him, eyes wherewith to behold whatever was visible, and ears to hear whatever was to be heard. For say, Aristodemus, to what purpose should odours be prepared, if the sense of smelling had been denied ? or why the distinctions of bitter and sweet, of savoury and unsavoury, unless a palate had been likewise given conveniently placed, to arbitrate between them and declare the difference P Is not the providence, Aristodemus, in a most eminent manner conspicuous, which, because the eye of man is so delicate in its contexture, hath therefore prepared eyelids like doors whereby to secure it, which extend of them¬ selves whenever it is needful, and again close when sleep approaches P Are not these eyelids provided, as it were, with a fence on the edge of them, to keep off the wind and guard the 12 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? eyes ?...Is it not to be admired that the ears should take in sounds of every sort, and yet are not too much filled by them ? —that the fore-teeth of the animal should be formed in such a manner as is evidently best suited for the cutting of its food, as those on the side for grinding it in pieces P ... And canst thou still doubt, Aristodemus, whether a disposition of parts like this should be the work of chance, or of wisdom and contrivance ? “ I have no longer any doubt,” replied Aristodemus ; “and indeed the more I consider it, the more evident it appears to me, that man must be the masterpiece of some great Artificer, carrying along with it infinite marks of the love and favour of Him who hath thus formed it.” Cicero, the greatest Roman orator, thus shows the absurd¬ ity of supposing that the world was produced by parti¬ cles of matter coming together without a Creator : “ If a concourse of atoms can make a world, why not a porch, a temple, a house, a city, which are works of less labour and difficulty ?” Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest philosophers that ever lived and a famous astronomer. He says : “ This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelli¬ gent and powerful Being.” The wisest and best men in all ages have believed in the existence of a great Creator. One great difference between a bad and a good lawyer is that the former cannot grasp the whole of a case. He dwells upon one small point, while he overlooks the far stronger arguments on the other side. So it is with atheists. A parent punishes his child for wrong-doing. For this he is to be praised rather than blamed. Most of the suffering in the world is caused by men breaking God’s laws, and the pain is intended to teach them to reform. It is so ordained that poison kills and fire burns. The Creator does not interfere miraculously with the operation of such laws. A poison given by mistake from the loving hand ©f a wife kills as surely as if administered by an PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 13 enemy. Unless the laws thus acted, the whole course of human life would become a scene of hopeless confusion. So with God's moral laws. Indolence, drunkenness, and immo¬ rality all lead to suffering. A world of sin must be a world of misery. Notwithstanding all the pain and sorrow there is in this life, people are too much attached to it. Mach more would this be the case if all went well with us. Sickness, as it were, says to us, “ Arise, this is not your rest.” A holy man of old said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted. Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept Thy word.” Millions upon millions have had the same experience. Good men who suffer affliction rightly, come out of it purified, like gold which has been tried by fire. Many parents have been led by the sickness and death of their children to think of a world where there is no more pain or death, and where they shall meet again their loved ones, never more to be separated. Granting, however, that there is some misery which we cannot explain, we should set against it the innumerable blessings we receive at God’s hand, and be content to wait till we reach His presence and get it explained. We are like a child of two years of age, unable fully to understand the government of a mighty empire. Bacon, a famous English philosopher, says : “ It is true that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion ; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered , it may sometimes rest in them and go no farther ; but when it beholdeth the chain of them confederate and linked together, it must need fly to providence and Deity.’’ What is meant by “the chain of them confederate and linked together” is partly explained by Socrates; but a few additional remarks may be added. There is what is called a Chubb-lock. It is verv curious •> in itself, and only one key will open it. Can it be ima¬ gined that a Chubb-lock and key were formed by blind chance ! But there are combinations in Nature infinitely 14 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? more wonderful. Take for example the eye and light; the ear and sound. For further particulars on this important point, see Row's Existence and Character oj God. An). Why Mrs. Besant became an Atheist, and what she SHOULD HAVE DONE. A celebrated Greek philosopher in ancient times said : “ Atheism is a disease of the sonl before it becomes an error of the understanding." The “ disease" of Mrs. Besant's soul is pride of intellect. Mr. Foote, one of her Free- thought friends who knows her well, says : “ Amidst all her changes Mrs. Besant remains quite positive." Madame Blavatsky, whom she calls her “ Guru," saw through her character: “ Child, your pride is terrible; you are as proud as Lucifer himself."* Both she and Mr. Bradlaugh denied the existence of God in the ordinary sense of the word, in opposition to the opinion held by the wisest and best men in all ages. When she was in doubt she went to men and read books, instead of asking light and guidance from God Himself. In opposition to the instincts of our nature, and the prac¬ tice of the wisest and best men, she gave up prayer. She says :— As “ Theism melted into Atheism prayer was gradually discontinued as utterly at variance with any dignified idea of God and as in contradiction to all the results of scientific investigation." She adds :— “ God fades gradually out of the daily life of those who never pray; a God who is not a providence is a superfluity ; when from the heavens does not smile a listening Father, it soon becomes an empty space, whence resounds no echo of a man’s cry." Review -of Reviews, p. 360. There are three conditions of religious truth seeking :— 1. Earnest Prayer to God.—The late Dr. Kay, Princi- * Borderland . Oct. 1893, p. 175. WHY MRS. BESANT BECAME AN ATHEIST, ETC. 15 pal of Bishop’s College, Calcutta, gave the following'sdvice to intelligent Hindus :— “ You and all your countrymen who are worth listening to on such a subject, acknowledge that spiritual light and the know¬ ledge of God must come from Himself, the one Supreme. The Mussulmans say the same ; and we Christians, above all others, affirm it. Then, if you are really in earnest, if you are honest, you see what you must do. You must go and endeavour to pray thus : 0 all-wise, all-merciful God and. Father , pour the bright beams of Thy light into my soul , and guide me into Thy eternal truth." 2. Purity of Life.— A man’s conduct has a most import¬ ant influence upon his beliefs. This especially applies to impurity. Milton thus describes its effects : “ The soul grows clotted by contagion, Embodies and embrutes till she quite lose The divine property of her first being.” 3. Acting up to the Light we possess. —If we acknow¬ ledge God to be our Father in heaven, we should give him a father’s love and respect. We should live as in His constant presence ; we should seek to please Him in all things ; we shall love to make known our wants to Him in prayer. Jesus Christ, the Great Teacher, says : “ If any man will do His (God’s) will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John vii. 1 7. Other conditions might be mentioned. A Hindu Com¬ mentator justly remarks: “They who desire to know the truth are competent for discussion.” Humility is another requisite. “ The scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not.” The length of the search after truth depends upon the manner in which it is sought. There are some men who, although not quite indifferent to religion, show no earnest spirit of enquiry, and are content to remain perpetual doubters. Suppose you knew a man who all his life was in doubt what profession to choose, you would think he 16 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? had lost his senses. But far greater is the folly of the man who is content to remain without settled views about religion. Malthusian. Malthus was an English writer who brought out in 1798 an Essay on the Principles of Population. He was after¬ wards Professor of Political Economy and Modern History in the East India Company’s College at Haileybury. He held that population tends to increase faster than the means of subsistence, and therefore urged that an increase of population should be checked. The remedy he suggest¬ ed was late marriages. In 1877 Mr. Bradlaugh and Mrs. Besant united in publishing a book by an American writer which proposed other means for the above object. While they were fitted to answer this end, experience showed that they might also be used to render seduction and adultery safe from detec¬ tion, although such was not the intention of the publishers. It also permitted to married people the free indulgence of sensual desires. The book became the subject of a public prosecution. The jury condemned the book as calculated to deprave public morals. As the defendants refused to give up publishing it, they were sentenced to six months’ im¬ prisonment as first class misdemeanants, and fined £200 each. Mr. Bradlaugh appealed on a point of law which was decided in their favour, and the whole proceedings were quashed. The book was afterwards withdrawn, and replaced by another of a somewhat similar character from the pen of Mrs. Besant. Spiritualist. Spiritualism is a belief that communication can be held with departed spirits through persons of special suscepti¬ bility, called mediums. These communications may be made by the agency of raps, through writing, or through spirit touches. Spiritualists also believe in apparitions of SPIRITUALIST. 17 spirit forms which can be felfc_, embraced, and even photo¬ graphed. Some spirits were said to float in the air, and to be able to keep tables suspended. Spiritualism began in America in 1848. A belief in ghosts, or departed spirits, has existed from the earliest times. Formerly ghosts generally moved silently in a dim light, although sometimes they were noisy, and seemed to take pleasure in terrifying people. But the American spirits were not of that kind: they were good enough to answer questions put to them on any subject. When the alphabet was used, questions were answered by raps at certain letters. Writing was said to be performed without human agency. The meetings for spiritualistic exhibitions are called seances , from a French word, meaning sittings. What makes them suspicious is that they take place in the dark, and that the mediums are paid. When competent obser¬ vers have been present, nothing worth notice has occurred. They are like the tricks of conjurers who make a mango plant grow, or after stabbing a woman in a basket, she appears unhurt. The deceptions of mediums have often been exposed. Mrs. Fox Kane, one of the first and most celebrated, explained that the rappings were made by the action of the first joint of her great toe. At a seance when a spirit was supposed to be floating across the room, it was sud¬ denly caught and a light was struck. The spirit was found to be made of light cloth, which the medium moved by wires. Mrs. Besant went with a friend called Mr. Burrows, to some of these seances. Mr. Stead says : “ I never attended any of these seances, but heard a good deal about them, especially on one occasion when the table announced the death of a well-known clergyman, who obligingly mentioned the place of his death, and sent messages to his bereaved relations. Fortunately the table lied, as tables will, for the clergyman shortly after turned up alive and well.”* * The Review of Reviews, Vol. iv. pp. 365, 366. B 18 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? Her own account of her experience is briefly as follows : “ 1 added Spiritualism to my studies, experimentalising pri¬ vately, finding the phenomena indubitable, but the explanation of them incredible. The phenomena of clair-voyance, clair- audience, thought-reading, were found to be real.”* Clair-voyance, clear-seeing, is a supposed power of being able to see things not present to the senses. It has been repeatedly disproved by the offer of a bank note, equal in value to Rs. 1,000, to any one who would tell its number when enclosed in an envelope. Clair-audience, clear- hearing, is a supposed power of hearing sounds inaudible to others. An instrument, called the microphone, has been invented which enables very faint sounds to be heard, as the microscope enables very small objects to be seen. A fly can be heard walking like an elephant. Thought reading professes to know what other people are thinking about. This is possible to some extent. A child can often read bis mother’s thoughts; he knows by her face whether she is pleased or angry. Clever men can do more, but the power claimed has not yet been established. MADAME BLAVATSKY. From a Photo by Resta, Coburg Place, Bayswater. * Quoted in Borderland, October 1893, p. 174. THEOSOPHIST. 19 Theosophist. The Founder of Theosophy is the late Madame Blavatsky. She was born in 1831 at Ekaterinoslav, in South Russia, and was the daughter of Colonel Hahn. At the age of 17 she was married to General Blavatsky. He was 60 years of age, and she had no affection for him ; but she married him in fit of girlish ill humour. After leading an unhappy life for three months, they separated, she goiug back to her father for a time, and then travelling for many years in different countries. Mrs. Besant first met Madame Blavatsky in London. An account of the previous history of the latter will be found iu Madame Blavatsky, her Tricks, and her Dupes. * The word Theosophy is composed of theos, God, and sophos, wise. The proper meauing is divine wisdom. It was originally used to express a more intimate knowledge of the relation of the soul with God. As Madame Bla- vatsky was an avowed atheist, she used the word as mean¬ ing the Wisdom Tteligion. How far it deserves such a name, will appear hereafter. Madame Blavatsky, in 1888, published a large work in two volumes, called, The Secret Doctrine. In 1889 this book was given to Mrs. Besant, by Mr. Stead, to review. Shortly after, she asked Mr. Stead to give her an intro¬ duction to Madame Blavatsky. When Mrs. Besant called on Madame Blavatsky, she found her seated in a large chair before a table. “ My dear Mrs. Besant, I have so long wished to see you,” was the salutation. Mrs. Besant sat down, while Madame Bla¬ vatsky talked of her travels, all the time rolling cigarettes with her fingers, for she was a great smoker. Before leaving, Madame Blavatsky said, Oh ! my dear Mrs. Besant, if you would only come among us !” Mrs. Besant thus describes the next meeting :— * Price 1 Anna sold by Mr. A. T. Scott, Book Dep6t, Madras. 20 WHO IS MRS. BESANT? “The Charges against H. P. B. “ And so it came to pass that I went again to Lansdowne- road to ask about the Theosophical Society. H. P. Blavatsky looked at me piercingly for a moment: ‘ Have you read the report about me of the Society for Psychical Research ?* ‘ No, I never heard of it so far as I know.’ ‘ Go and read it, and if, after reading it, you come back—well.’ And nothing more would she say on the subject, but branched off to her experi¬ ences in many lands.” “ I borrowed a copy of the report, read and re-read it. Quickly I saw how slender was the foundation on which the imposing structure was built. The continual assumptions on which conclusions were based ; the incredible character of the allegations ; the most damning fact of all—the foul source from which the evidence was derived. Everything turned on the veracity of the Coulombs, and they were self-stamped as partners in the alleged frauds. Could I put such against the frank fear¬ less nature that I had caught a glimpse of, against the proud fiery truthfulness that shone at me from the clear blue eyes— honest and fearless as those of a noble child ? Was the writer of ‘ The Secret Doctrine, this miserable impostor, this accom¬ plice of tricksters, this foul and loathsome deceiver, this con¬ jurer with trap-doors and sliding panels ? I laughed aloud at the absurdity, and flung the report aside with the righteous scorn of an honest nature that knew its own kin when it met them, and shrank from the foulness and baseness of a lie- The next day saw me at the Theosophical Publishing Company’s Office at 7, Duke-Street, Adelphi, where Countess Wacht- meister,—one of the lealest of H. P. B’s friends— was at work, and I signed an application to be admitted as Fellow of the Theosophical Society.” p. 175. Mrs. Besant was tlius received after joining the Society:— “ On receiving my diploma, I betook myself to Landsdowne- road, where I found H. P. B. alone. I went over to her, bent down and kissed her, but said no word. ‘ You have joined the Society?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘ You read the report Yes.’ ‘ Well ?’—I knelt down, before her and clasped her hands in mine, looking straight into her eyes: 1 My answer is, will you accept me as your pupil, and give me the honour of proclaiming you my teacher in the face of the world ?’ Her stern set face softened, ANTI-MATERIALIST. 21 the unwonted gleam of tears sprang to her eyes ; then, with a dignity more than regal, she placed her hand upon my head : ‘ You are a noble woman. May Master bless you.’ From that day, May 10, 1889, until now—two years, three and a half months after she left her body—my faith in her has never wavered, my trust in her has never been shaken.” p. 175. An explanation will afterwards be given of the “ Charges against Madame Blavatsky” and the “ Report” to which reference is made. It should be observed that before joining the Theoso- phical Society Mrs. Besant never seems to have sought God’s guidance. Nor does Madame Blavatsky say, “May God bless you,” but “ May Master bless you.” Her chief “ Master” was Koot Hoomi Lai Singh, an imaginary being, a description of whose “ astral body” is given in Madame Blavatsky and her Tricks. Anti-Materialist. Mrs. Besant was one of the lecturers in the Hall of Science, advocating atheism and materialism. She was not satisfied with the result of her labours. She wrote :— “I had long been deeply troubled as to the ‘beyond’ (result) of all my efforts at social and political reform. My own Social¬ ism was that of love, and of levelling up; there was much Social¬ ism that was of hatred; and I often wondered if out of hatred any true improvement could spring. I saw that many of the poor were as selfish and as greedy of enjoyment as many of the rich, and sometimes a cold wind of despair swept over me lest the 4 brute in man’ should destroy the realisation of the noblest theories.” When speaking for the last time in the Hall of Science she said : “ There are problems in the universe which Materialism not only does not solve but which it declares are insoluble—difficul¬ ties in life and mind which Materialism cannot grapple with, and in face of which it is not only dumb, but says that mankind must remain dumb for ever...Was I to refuse to see them be¬ cause my philosophy had for them no place ? do what men have done in every age—insist that nature was no greater than 22 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? my knowledge, and that- because a fact was new it was, therefore-, a fraud or an illusion ? ”* Her inquiry ended in the renunciation of Materialism and adoption of Theosophy. She gave up her connection with Mr. Bradlaugh, and became the disciple of Madame Blavatsky. Mr. Stead truly describes her attitude towards her new Guru: “ She sat at her feet learning like a little child all the lore of the Mahatmas ; she was obedient in all things.” Anti-Malthusian, It has been mentioned that Mrs. Besant and Mr. Brad- laugh had been associated in the publication of a book which, while it checked population, allowed men the free indulgence of their sensual nature, and could be used to avoid discovery in cases of seduction and adultery. Mrs. Besant now felt that there was “a more excellent way” for restricting population. She advocated self- control and self-denial as far nobler than self-indulgence. With this object in view she refused to print any more or to sell the copyright of her former work. She says : “ Having taken this step, it is right to take it publicly, and to frankly say that my former teaching was based on a mistaken view of man’s natuie, treating him as the mere product of evolution instead of as the spirit, intelligence, and will without which evolution could not be.” Review of Reviews , August, 1891, p. 143. In this acting up to her convictions, Mrs. Besant deserves warm commendation. PART IX WHY HAS MRS. BESANT COME TO INDIA ? Claimant to be the World's “ Great Teacher.” Madame Blavatsky, Mrs. Besant's Guru, the World's “ Great Teacher,” died. The Chela aspired to be her # 'Review of Revieics . Yol. iv. p. 366. INDIA A PREPARED FIELD FOR MRS. BESANT J S CLAIMS. 23 successor. She, undoubtedly, was by far the best quali¬ fied. She had such unbounded belief in her Guru, that she did not consider it necessary to investigate charges against her although sustained by “ irresistible evidence. 77 She accepted with unwavering faith the f phenomena 7 exhibited by Madame Blavatsky, and the statements of the Mahatmas about “ astral bodies/ 5 “ the seven Kosmic planes of manifestation/ 7 &c. But she claimed sight as well as faith. When interviewed by the Tanjore correspon¬ dent of the Madras Mail , she is said to have made the following assertions:— “ Do you believe in what the Theosophists call “ pheno¬ mena ?” “ I do believe in phenomena. They were shown me and their reasons were explained to me by Madame Blavatsky who was my Guru, and I understood them as the results of psychic development.” Q. “ Have you seen a Mahatma ?” A. “ I have.*’ 7 Her creed may be thus summed up : “ I do not believe in a Personal God ; the concept is impossible to me But “I BELIEVE IN MADAME BLAVATSKY.” Mrs. Besant, among Theosophists, was unrivalled as an orator. Although she discarded her first Guru, Mr. Bradlaugh, for her second, yet, under his guidance she had become an “ adept 75 in managing low class audiences, and had acquired a knowledge of all the arts of clap-trap. Lastly, she had the Irish love of a fight, and was ready to give the challenge to the whole world, “ Will any body trample on the tail of my coat V 7 India a prepared field for Mrs. Besant 7 s Claims. The Chela wisely followed the example of her Guru in choosing India as her first great field of labour. Sir Monier Williams, the Oxford Professor of Sanskrit, who has * Madras Mail , Dec. 2, 1893. 24 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? devoted a long life to the study of India’s sacred literature, thus shows the mental condition to which Hindus have been reduced by that “ highly spiritual religion,” their “ ancient faith” :— “ Its policy being to check the development of intellect, and keep the inferior castes in perpetual childhood, it encouraged an appetite for exaggeration more monstrous and absurd than would be tolerated in the most extravagant European fairy-tale. The more improbable the statement, the more childish delight it was calculated to awaken. This is more true of the Rama- yana than of the Mahabharata ; but even in the later epic, full as it is of geographical, chronological, and historical details, few assertions can be trusted. Time is measured by millions of years ; space by millions of miles ; and if a battle has to be described, nothing is thought of unless millions of soldiers, ele¬ phants, and horses are brought into the field.”* Hindus can easily believe in Madame Blavatsky’s “ phenomena,” for among their 64 sciences they have others which promise the performance of far greater wonders; as the power of walking in the air, the power of leaving one’s own body at pleasure and entering another lifeless body or substance. Mrs. Besant might therefore expect to find a large number of “ imbeciles,” “ muffs” “ flapdoodle (food for fools) babies.” Her expectations were realised. At Bangalore she was hailed as “ the veritable goddess of Ind, coming from the far off West for the spiritual regeneration of the land.” Sir Sheshadri Iyar, the Dewan of Mysore, said she was “ the incarnation of Saraswati and their sister.” Mrs. Besant’s Object in Coming to India. This was to persuade credulous Hindus to accept Theo¬ sophy as their religion, and Mrs; Besant as its “Great Teacher” in succession to Madame Blavatsky its Founder. Mrs. Besant’s Flattery to gain her End. Flattery is the weak point of the Hindus. The most extravagant compliments are in use among them. " Great * Indian Ejoic Poetry , p. 35. MRS. BESANTS 5 FLATTERY TO GAIN HER END. 25 King” is a very ordinary term of address; 11 Lord of tlie .24 worlds” is not unusual; even blasphemy is sometimes employed. Colonel Olcott, at the commencement, tried flattery, and laid it on thick enough to please even Hindus. When, however, money promised was not forthcoming, he changed his tune. He spoke of some Hindus as being “ blinded by flattery, intoxicated with self-adulation.” At his Bom¬ bay Anniversary Address in January 1882, he said : “ You know just how we keep our promises; and we know what yours are worth.” Colonel Olcott was a kind of Mr. Facing-both-ways. The Indian Spectator said : Theosophy u is all a mist to Pandit Dayanand, wherein the colours of the Vedas, of Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism blend. He cannot say where one begins and another ends, so far as Theosophy is con¬ cerned.” April 2, 1882. Madame Blavatsky professed herself a Buddhist in Ceylon ; her Chela wisely prefers a larger constituency. Mrs. Besant professes to be an out-and-out Hindu. She believes in the gods of the Hindu pantheon, great and small; she upholds the caste system as a necessary part of the law of Karma, those in the lowest caste being there as the result of their former works. “ Preserve your idols” is another advice. Nay, she is reported to have made at Bangalore the following astounding statement : That she was a Hindu Pandit in a former birth, and is visiting her own land after a sojourn in the West where she was reincarnated to know the nature of the material istic civilisation of those regions * In corroboration of her now being a genuine Hindu, she has adopted the name of Anna Bhai. The following is the dose of flattery administered by Anna Bhai : 1. The Hindu theosophy is the best of all philosophies. 2. The Hindus are the wisest of all nations. * The Harvest Field , January, 1894, p. 279. 26 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? 3. The Sanskrit language is the best of all language. 4. Western civilization, with all its discoveries in science, is nothing compared with Hindu civilization. 5„ All that is best in the West has been borrowed from India. This is too strong for a few stomachs, and is rather inclined to act as an emetic; but on the “ imbeciles” it has all the soothing delightful feeling of an opiate. Theosophy alleged to be Ancient Hinduism. “ Hindu Theosophy” is held to be “ the best of all philo¬ sophies.” Hindus may ask iu surprise why this was not revealed till the time of Madame Blavatskv. Mrs. Besant •/ answers this question satisfactorily. In a lecture at Trichi- nopoly, as reported by the correspondent of the Madras Standard, (Dec. 8) she said :— That the present Vedas are not the whole, but that thou¬ sands of Slokas have disappeared. That the latter have not been lost, but they have been taken away by the gods knowing that in the Kali Yuga India would be brought under foreign yoke, and fearing that the ignorant foreigner would desecrate the sacred science.” The thousands of the lost slokas had been preserved by Mahatmas in Tibet, who communicated the substance of their precious contents to Mrs. Besant’s Gfuru. This is a pure fiction, totally opposed to fact. At an early period, before the foot of a foreign invader had touched the soil of India, every verse, every word, every syllable of the Rig-Veda had been carefully counted. The number of verses varies from 10,402 to 10,622 accord¬ ing as a few hymns are included or left out; the number of padas , or words, is 153,826; that of the syllables 432,000* So far from Theosophy being ancient Hinduism, it is chiefly derived from a French book of magic by a writer who calls himself Elipbas Levi, from Paracelsus, and other medieval mystics. See Root Hoomi Unveiled, by Arthur Lilhe, Member of the Royal Asiatic Society. Mr. W. * Max Muller’s Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 221. THE RESTORATION OF HINDU CIVILIZATION. 27 Emmette Coleman is preparing a work in which this will be substantiated by full quotations. Theosophy the Organon to restore India to her Pristine Grandeur. “In the old days,” says Mrs. Besant “ India was really great; she was great first in the spiritual life; great first in the grandeur of her spiritual knowledge, in the depth of her spiritual knowledge.”* Well may it be said, “ How are the mighty fallen !” What is the cause of India’s deep degradation ? Con¬ tact with Western nations, grovelling in the dust of materialism. But India is not irretrievably ruined. Krishna says in the Bhagavad GitaWhensoever religion fades and irreligion prevails, then I produce myself.” His present avatar , however, is in female form—the white goddess Saraswati—so says the Dewan of Mysore. Mrs. Besant is to be accepted as the World’s “Great Teacher,” in succession to Madame Blavatskv. MRS. BESANT’S THREE GREAT MEASURES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF INDIA. 1. The Restoration of Hindu Civilization. Mrs. Besant is reported to have said at Tinnevelly :— “ Western Civilization, with all its discoveries in science? is nothing compared with Hindu Civilization/’ Dewan Bahadur R. Ragunath Row says that at Kumba- konum she expressed the following wish : She was anxious to see the Aryan Civilization restored- being the oldest, truest, and best in the world.” f Mrs. Besant formed the above estimate of Hindu Civili¬ zation after having been only a few days in India. Dr. Bhandarkar is a distinguished Oriental Scholar, who has just retired from the Sanskrit Professorship in the Deccan • Address in the Victoria Hall, Madras, December 21, 1893. f Letter to The Hindu , Dec. 28, 1893. 28 WHO IS MRS. BESANT ? College at Poona. As a mark of tke esteem in winch, he is held, the Bombay Government lately appointed him Vice- Chancellor of the Bombay University. What is his opinion of the comparative merits of Hindu and Western Civili¬ zation ? In a lecture in Bombay on The Critical, Compara¬ tive, and Historical Method of Inquiry, addressing his “ Hindu friends” he says : — “ It is no use ignoring the fact that Europe is far a-head of us in all that constitutes Civilization.” p. 23. The case is, Mrs. Besant versus Dr. Bhandarkar : Whose opinion is to be accepted ? For a full account of Hindu civilization, the reader is referred to Mr. R. C. DutPs Civilization in Ancient India in 3 volumes. A comparison between Hindu and Western Civilization is given in India Past and Present, 8vo. 96 pp. Price 2 As. Sold by Mr. A. T. Scott, Book Depot, Madras. India was never so enlightened as it is at present. The words of Macaulay, with reference to medieval Europe, apply with double force to Ancient India : Such evidence may be deemed sufficient by a woman to refute any amount of testimony on the other side ; but lawyers will rate it at its proper value.§ 2. The Nature op its Doctrines. The following are some of the great defects of the “ Wisdom Religion :” 1. Its Virtual Atheism.—Both Madame Blavatsky and * See Proceedings of the Psychical Research Society, Dec. 1885. p. 274. t See Theosophy Exposed, pp. 13—21. X Ibid pp. 21—37. § Ibid pp. 85, 86, for further remarks on this point. THE NATURE OF ITS DOCTRINES. 35 Colonel Olcott admitted that they “ do not at all believe in the existence of God.”* It is true than the Founders profess to “ believe in a Principle which is neither entity nor non-entity ”; but what idea can be awakened by such an expression ? How different is that of God oar Father in Heaven. This, as has well been said, is “the name which is most exalted and yet most dear to every one of us, expressing both awe and love, the infinite and the finite.” The oldest Aryan prayer was addressed to Dyaus Pi tar, Heaven Father, our Father which art in heaven. How incomparably superior to the Blavatsky conception ! 2. No Prayer.—Colonel Olcott says in his Addresses :