Blavatsky H.P. - The Signs of the Time: Difference between revisions

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It is amusing to find, how those who evidently must be young recruits in journalism, perhaps but of a few years’ standing, shrink horrified before the imprecations frothed at them by certain religious bigots! We almost expected to hear the classical ejaculation of: ''Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, cui lumen ademptum!''<ref>{{HPB-CW-comment|[Virgil, ''Aeneid'', Book III, 658: “A monster awful, shapeless, huge, bereft of light,” said of Polyphemus.—''Compiler''.]}}</ref> at the end of the article signed “P.R.” in the ''Philosophic Inquirer'', of Feb. 20. After treating his readers to ''thirty-two'' Billingsgate words (occuring in ''fifty-five'' lines) that had been lavished upon him by the editor of the ''Catholic Review'', who proceeds to curse him with bell, book, and candle, P.R. ''gives up'' “the controversy in despair.” There certainly is but little hope that any “heathen Chinee,” Hindu, or, in fact, heathen of any sort could ever compete in vile abuse on equal terms with such a {{Page aside|68}}literary Polyphemus as this pious opponent seems to be. Yet, Mr. P.R., and the editor of that clever and highly honest little Madras weekly—the ''Philosophic Inquirer''—ought not to be so selfish as to deprive their readers at once of such highly entertaining polemics. They must certainly see as clearly as they that any mere filth-throwing opponent is not formidable. He makes it only too plain that being utterly unable to offer a single good argument in defence of his cause, in hurling thirty-two fisherwomen’s objurgations instead, he must feel the ground very shaky under his feet. The shouter and curser is always in the wrong, and his noise is in proportion to his hurt. No amount of textual criticism upon the ''Bible'' or exposures of that most cunning of all human schemes—Theology—can disgust so many people perhaps ready to listen to the professed “Word of God,” as the frequent publication of ''such'' a defence of religious dogmas as the one under notice. Let then our esteemed colleague of Madras sacrifice himself by all means, for the instruction and good of humanity. For six years have we been collecting in six huge volumes the printed vituperations against us personally and the Theosophical Society by religious bigots.<ref> {{HPB-CW-comment|[H.P.B. means here her famous ''Scrapbooks'' preserved in the Archives of The Theosophical Society, at Adyar.—''Compiler''.]}}</ref> Were we but to compare notes, the epithets of “wretch,” “blockhead,” “fool,” “stupid, pedantic fool,” “incarnate devil,” “imp of iniquity,” and “offspring of the father of lies” that have stung P.R., would be found only weights, if into the other pan of the scale we were to throw the clerical and other ‘blessings’ bestowed upon us by the charitable Christians. Some years ago Mr. Gladstone took the trouble of collecting into a neat pamphlet under the title of the ''Speeches of Pope Pius IX'',<ref>{{HPB-CW-comment|[Published together with two other Tracts under the title: ''Rome and the Newest Fashions in Religion''. Collected and Edited by the R. Hon. W.E. Gladstone, with Preface. London, 1875.—''Compiler''.]}}</ref> the “flowers of speech” as he calls the choice compliments showered on heretics by the late Vicegerent of God, in his Papal ''Discourses''. The vituperations employed by the editor of the ''Catholic Review'' against P.R., as quoted in the ''Philosophic Inquirer'', seem {{Page aside|69}}like the love whispers of a fair maiden by comparison with what His Holiness managed to get off. We recommend Mr. Gladstone’s pamphlet to the perusal of our colleague if he has not seen it. Let our Madrassee Brother take a veteran’s word and experience for it that unmerited abuse by an enemy is ''the best of advertisements for a paper''.

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