i88o.] 
Mysticism and Asceticism. 
695 
IV. MYSTICISM AND ASCETICISM.* 
‘HERE is something almost startling in the clash of 
' opinion that makes itself heard at the present day. 
We find men of culture and standing, graduates of 
universities and members of learned professions upholding 
in evident good faith doftrines which differ from each other 
respectively even more widely than from generally received 
beliefs On the one hand we hear the calmly dogmatic 
denial of a spiritual element in man, of a future life and of a 
personal Deity ; on the other we perceive a revival of what 
our grandfathers derided as worn-out superstitions, a belief 
in “occult science,” in demoniacal possession and in 
m The world at large shakes its head at the Materialist, 
sneers at the Mystic and passes on its way, muttering per- 
haps the old question “ What is truth ? ” and leaves the 
decision of the great questions raised to the mercy of 
accident. 
Not all minds, however, can reconcile themselves thus 
easily to the chaos of theories now prevailing. If we are 
so completely in error as both the Materialist and the 
Mystic agree in asserting, not merely our philosophy but our 
daily practices must be profoundly erroneous, and require 
revision. Our science, it must be confessed, is not only 
very limited, but it involves a fearful amount of unproved 
assumptions. Naturally then, we cannot— ought not to- 
shut our eyes against any additional light provided we can 
feel sure that it is light. Here then lies the difficulty. Can 
the professors of Occult Science make good their claims ? 
If they possess the knowledge and the power ascribed to 
them by Dr. W. there can be little difficulty. Thus we are 
told that certain Hindoo adepts are able to raise themselves 
up in the air, influence the weather, or to call up storms 
unlimited in extent and violence. Be it so : let then one of 
these sages float, not in a building or in a cavern, but under 
the open sky. Let him, for instance, soar from the Monu- 
ment to the Victoria Tower at Westminster, fly across the 
Thames, or even hover along one of our main streets above 
the heads of the crowd. Or if, as the author hints, our 
* Theosorhv and the Higher Life, and Spiritual Dynamics and the Divine 
am1 Miraculous Man. By G. W M.D., Edin., President of the British 
T heusophical Sjciety. London : Trubner and Co. 
