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(May 1891)
Publications:
- The Path, vol. VI, no. 3, June 1891, pp. 91-92
Read:
CTD entry in Russian: Бак, Джира Дьюи - Возвращение миссис Безант домой
DATA
Title for references: Buck JD - Mrs Besants Homeward Journey
Short description: Signed "J. D. Buck," written aboard the S. S. City of Chicago, May 15, 1891, while accompanying Anni...
91
Letter.
Mrs. Besant's homeward journey has been altogether a pleasant one. Our little party have been "on deck" every day, Mrs. Besant having lost her reckoning but one day, thus proving herself a "good sailor" after all.
92 It is not the wind or weather, nor yet the tides of the sea, that I desire to call to the attention of the readers of the PATH. It is rather of that rising tide in the affairs of man that is everywhere setting in toward Theosophy.
Everywhere is heard the muttering of discontent at the old regime, of rebellion against the old creeds; and impatience is frequently expressed whenever it is proposed to rehash the old theologies.
On Sunday the Captain read the service of the English Church as a mere matter of official duty, and when a clergyman proposed a "sermon," he was informed that he could preach if generally invited to do so by the passengers. Need I add that we had no sermon last Sunday! Now add to this the fact that Mrs. Besant lectures by very general request to-morrow night on Theosophy, and the trend of the tide of public interest may be plainly seen. It would be hardly fair to name the prominent people on board who have sought interviews with Mrs. Besant; have expressed great interest in the subject of Theosophy, and who have felt honored at receiving a card of invitation to the meetings at 19 Avenue Road. The interest seems both wide-spread and deep. Of course Mrs. Besant's well known name, and her former work as a reformer and Socialist, have added greatly to her present prominence, while her intimate relations to Madam Blavatsky enable her to speak with the authority of personal knowledge.
Most of these people who express this interest in Mrs. Besant and her work are Americans, and the recent Convention at Boston and Mrs. Besant's lectures there and elsewhere have aided greatly in bringing about this new impulse. The result is specially interesting to readers of the PATH and members of the T. S. in America, because it further shows that the work done by the PATH and by the Tract-mailing Scheme is already bearing fruit. It is well to bear in mind that the strength of the T. S. movement is by no means represented by or confined to its organized branches. The branches are often small, and the work may seem discouraging because apparent and immediate results are not always forth-coming. The organized societies ought to learn, no less than individuals, how to work and wait; content to do their duty, well assured that no earnest and intelligent work is ever lost or done in vain.
J. D. Buck.
Footnotes