50 



THE KEV. J. J. B. COLES, ON THEOSOPHY. 



surprised at some of the remarks that had been made in such a 

 Society in this twentieth century about a system which perhaps 

 those who had criticised it did not sufficiently understand. Surely 

 any system of religion and ethics should be judged by the effect it 

 had upon the lives of its adherents, and Theosophy had held the 

 minds and hearts of millions of earnest thinkers throughout the 

 world's history. It had been stated that the Christ was antagonistic 

 to all forms of faith but His own, but she was convinced that it was 

 impossible for Him to be antagonistic towards anything, even 

 though He might not agree. There was never anyone in the 

 world who cared less about doctrine and forms than the Christ. 

 Various of His sayings had been quoted that afternoon : there was 

 another beginning — " Other sheep I have which are not of this 

 fold." He recognised as His sheep, not those who followed any 

 special doctrine, but who partially understood and tried to follow 

 His spirit of absolute tolerance and charity. Mrs. Sharpe said she 

 was a theosophist of nearly twenty years standing, and could say from 

 her own experience that hundreds even in this country had found a 

 refuge in Theosophy, not only from the unbelief which is so common 

 to-day, but from the illogical beliefs which are driving so m.any away 

 from religion. The Theosophical Society contains members of every 

 great religion and of almost every creed, and many Christians as 

 well as members of other faiths have found that Theosophy enabled 

 them to hold to Christianity or their other faith with a devotion, a 

 certainty, a steadfastness that had not been possible before. 



The Eev. W. J. Stuart Weir said : In my opinion Theosophy 

 is explicable in the natural reaction between Eastern and Western 

 thought. In the West the intellectual bias has always been 

 material and the over-accentuation of that bias has given rise to 

 materialism. On the other hand the Eastern intellect has been 

 concentrated on the spiritual aspect of human thought. It has 

 been mainly introspective and the over-accentuation of this bias is 

 represented by Theosophy. The solution of the whole problem lies 

 in the true balance between the two extremes. 



Colonel Alves asked Mrs. Sharpe what good effect Theosophy 

 ever had on the degraded specimens of humanity ; it had gained 

 acceptance of people of respectable position ; but had it ever done 

 anything to relieve the masses 1 The Gospel of Jesus Christ on the 

 other hand raised men from the lowest condition ; and it is evident 



