< The Alleged Himalayan Brothers (continued from page 11-129) >
utterances which ordinarily accompany physical manifestations. Mr. Jencken, among others, has given the public out of his vast experience, valuable testimony on this head.
The main point advanced in these pages has been, that although Madame Blavatsky, like Mrs. Jencken and various mediums, obtains raps with facility whenever desired, the major phenomena cannot be produced by her at the time they are most wanted; also, that the idea of the superior powers alleged to produce them being the Himalayan Brothers, depends upon her personal belief, without further evidence of the Brothers’ existence being before the public.
Some minor speculations will now be suggested, not as decisive on the point, but as straws which may possibly indicate the true direction of the stream of facts.
Mr. Sinnett states in substance, that a man is not “made” a “Brother,” but after years of probation neoessarily “becomes” one, because of the purity of his life and aspirations. Now this kind of life, our correspondent, “J.K.,” has led, and so rigid has he been as to have abstained from animal food and tobacco for years, which we believe Madame Blavatsky has not done. This comparison might perhaps be pushed farther, How then is it that Madame Blavatsky has opened up communication with these “Brothers,” whilst “J. K.’’has not done so, and is ignorant whether they exist? Can Madame Blavatsky introduce him to them?
A multitude of cases (see the book Spirits before our Eyes) indicates that when the spirit of man is most active in producing psychical phenomena at a distance from his body, that body is usually either in an ordinary or mesmeric sleep. Numerous precedents point in direction of the loss of will-power over the body, being a favourable and commonly present condition for the production of manifestations away from the body. But Madame Blavatsky is very wide awake in the body, like the more completely developed physical mediums, when phenomena occur in her presence.
There is little doubt that strong physical mediumship is largely connected with the animal part of the nature of the individual, the animal proclivities being usually strongly developed in one direction or another. A year or two of the diet of “J. K.” would probably reduce the powers of a physical medium to a minimum, if it did not obliterate them altogether. Hence, if Madame Blavatsky is a strong physical medium, her diet is probably far different from that required by the adept ship of “J. K.” How the facts are as regards Madame Blavatsky we do not know, but if her abstention from various kinds of food and beverages resembles that of “J. K.,” this one item goes more against than in favour of the speculation of her being a physical medium.
That at night, during sleep, she obtains psychographic communications, is an occasional feature of physical mediumship.
That her best manifestations are obtained in the midst of specially genial surroundings, is a strong feature of mediumship, and not in favour of the idea of her having power to govern? them. Mr. Sinnett would probably have been glad, had some of the chief sceptics in relation to the Blavatskian phenomena been present at the “cushion” manifestation, just as a Spiritualist often wishes that some irritating disbeliever, for whose opinion he cares, were present when exceptionally fine phenomena are taking place.
The “opinion” of many persons that Madame Blavatsky can govern some of the manifestations is not evidence; probably others have seen them and think that she does not control them. It is a curious thing that if anyone repeatedly, and with determination, asserts a highly improbable thing to be true, he is sure to find some minds so constituted as to believe him. Let a man strongly assert to a crowd that a stone lion wags its tail, a few in the crowd will soon announce their belief that they see it wag too. Let a claimant arise for the Tichborne estates, believers spring up apace, including the indignant woman who said, “Well, if he is Arthur Orton, why shouldn’t he get his rights?” Let a slanderer publicly launch an untruth and pertinaciously stick to it, he is sure to be seen with some supporters. There are, it is true, men who require better evidence before believing, but over a new and important question facts are the things needful, not opinions.
The existence of the alleged purified Brothers may be questioned on moral grounds. As a general rule, the lower the spiritual nature of the individual, the more secretive is he. Truth loves the open air and sunshine; the most at tractive people met in society, are as bright and open as the day. But those who lead lives in which they try to get all they can to the disadvantage of others, those who are deeply immersed in the tricks of trade, and those who, like a shady section of the legal fraternity, live by swallowing the property of the widow and the fatherless, are necessarily secretive. Their lives will not bear publicity. From dislike to <... continues on page 11-131 >