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Blavatsky H.P. - Forlorn Hope: Difference between revisions
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{{Style P-Epigraph|Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? | {{Style P-Epigraph|Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? | ||
|Eliphaz, in Job, xv, 2.}} | |Eliphaz, in Job, xv, 2.}} | ||
In days of far, far away Antiquity, namely, in 1886, a suggestive Theosophical Fable went the round of our circles, and found room in the March number of The Theosophist for that year.<ref>{{HPB-CW-comment|[Vol. VII, No. 78, pp. 390-91, “A Theosophical Fable,” recently identified as being by Dr. Franz Hartmann. See Vol. VII, p. 53, in the present Series. | In days of far, far away Antiquity, namely, in 1886, a suggestive Theosophical Fable went the round of our circles, and found room in the March number of ''The Theosophist'' for that year.<ref>{{HPB-CW-comment|[Vol. VII, No. 78, pp. 390-91, “A Theosophical Fable,” recently identified as being by Dr. Franz Hartmann. See Vol. VII, p. 53, in the present Series.—''Compiler''.]}}</ref> Its subject was a Society named “Harmony,” born to investigate the music of the Spheres, and established in the far East. It had, ran the fable, a queer “instrument,” to attune which a great genius descended occasionally from the upper realms and made the instrument repeat the music of the spheres. It possessed also a president, who, in the great honesty and innocence of his heart, had been imprudent enough to boast of his possession, and had made the instrument sing to whomsoever came within the range of his vision: so much so, that finally the instrument was made quite cheap. | ||
Then the fabula showed how the learned men of the West—who believed in neither genius, spheres nor the instrument—put their wise heads together, and finding that even if the instrument was no fiction, yet, as it was not built on any rules of the modern science of acoustics known to them, it had, therefore, no right to existence. Forthwith they concluded not to permit the music of the spheres to be played, least of all, believed in. So, goes on the fable, they “selected a smart boy, gave him a penny and asked him to go across the big water” and report upon what he would see in the “Harmonial Society.” | Then the ''fabula'' showed how the learned men of the West—who believed in neither genius, spheres nor the instrument—put their wise heads together, and finding that even if the instrument was no fiction, yet, as it was not built on any rules of the modern science of acoustics ''known to them'', it had, therefore, no right to existence. Forthwith they concluded not to permit the music of the spheres to be played, least of all, believed in. So, goes on the fable, they “selected a smart boy, gave him a penny and asked him to go across the big water” and report upon what he would see in the “Harmonial Society.” | ||
{{Page aside|2}} | {{Page aside|2}} | ||
The smart boy went and looked at the instrument, but when he came there it gave forth only discordant sounds, because his own soul was not in harmony with it. . . . . . The president then took out his book of incantations and tried all kinds of conjurations to force the Genius of the upper spheres to come and play a tune for the smart boy, but the genius would not come. | {{Style P-Quote|The smart boy went and looked at the instrument, but when he came there it gave forth only discordant sounds, because his own soul was not in harmony with it. . . . . . The president then took out his book of incantations and tried all kinds of conjurations to force the Genius of the upper spheres to come and play a tune for the smart boy, but the genius would not come. | ||
So the smart boy took his travelling bag and went home again and told his fathers in learning, that he did not see the great Genius and did not hear the music of the spheres, and the learned men stuck their heads together a second time. . . . and the result was that they said the smart boy was wise and that the president of the Harmonial Society was—mistaken. | So the smart boy took his travelling bag and went home again and told his fathers in learning, that he did not see the great Genius and did not hear the music of the spheres, and the learned men stuck their heads together a second time. . . . and the result was that they said the smart boy was wise and that the president of the Harmonial Society was—mistaken.}} | ||
Or, in less polite, but still more untruthful words, the president, his society, and his “instrument” especially, were all either fools, frauds or both. The charge of “humbug and imposture” against the “Harmonial” Society was thus proven, and became un fait accompli. Henceforth that idea was photographed in the shallow drums that public opinion mistakes for the heads of its leaders, and it became indelible. | Or, in less polite, but still more untruthful words, the president, his society, and his “instrument” especially, were all either fools, frauds or both. The charge of “humbug and imposture” against the “Harmonial” Society was thus proven, and became ''un fait accompli''. Henceforth that idea was photographed in the shallow drums that public opinion mistakes for the heads of its leaders, and it became indelible. | ||
From that time forward adjectives such as “fraud deception and imbecility” became attached to the “Harmonial” Society and followed it everywhere, like a tail follows its comet. The theory struck deep roots in the hearts and minds of many non-theosophists and became at last part of the very being of the British public. This proverbially “fair minded” body had heard one side of the question and—felt satisfied. Its pioneer-gossips, full of Christian charity and 5 o’clock tea, had ransacked the contents of the “smart boy’s” travelling bag. Having greedily fed themselves upon the adulterated food which was like heavenly manna for their insatiate stomachs, they differentiated, and then shared it with all who were hungry and thirsty for such celestial nourishment. Thus, Grundy’s cackle-twaddle was kept up in loud and authoritative tones for some three years, until gradually it succeeded in making “Theosophy” a byword synonymous with every kind of iniquity. Theosophy was set up as a target for daily slander, verbal and printed; it was proclaimed a fallen idol whose feet of clay had at last given way, and it was hourly advertised dead as a {{Page aside|3}}door nail and buried for ever. But, lo and behold! a dark shadow has suddenly fallen across the face of this sweet and secure hope. . . . . | From that time forward adjectives such as “fraud deception and imbecility” became attached to the “Harmonial” Society and followed it everywhere, like a tail follows its comet. The theory struck deep roots in the hearts and minds of many non-theosophists and became at last part of the very being of the British public. This proverbially “fair minded” body had heard one side of the question and—felt satisfied. Its pioneer-gossips, full of Christian charity and 5 o’clock tea, had ransacked the contents of the “smart boy’s” travelling bag. Having greedily fed themselves upon the adulterated food which was like heavenly manna for their insatiate stomachs, they differentiated, and then shared it with all who were hungry and thirsty for such celestial nourishment. Thus, Grundy’s cackle-twaddle was kept up in loud and authoritative tones for some three years, until gradually it succeeded in making “Theosophy” a byword synonymous with every kind of iniquity. Theosophy was set up as a target for daily slander, verbal and printed; it was proclaimed a fallen idol whose feet of clay had at last given way, and it was hourly advertised dead as a {{Page aside|3}}door nail and buried for ever. But, lo and behold! a dark shadow has suddenly fallen across the face of this sweet and secure hope. . . . . | ||