{"id":3843,"date":"2023-05-07T15:59:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T19:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/?p=3843"},"modified":"2024-04-26T14:03:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T18:03:10","slug":"domovoy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/2023\/05\/domovoy\/","title":{"rendered":"Domovoy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

DOMOVOY<\/h3>\n

V.<\/span><\/h3>\n****\u2e3b<\/strong><\/h1>\n**** Blavatsky sat at her desk facing a large window looking which looked into the green leafy trees of Holland Park. Before her, and all around her, were heaps of papers, pamphlets, books, manuscripts, and a small bible for reference.[1]<\/a> She knew her Bible well, though to her it was only one of many sacred books, all sacred to her; for through her Theosophy\u2014she taught to drop the final \u201cs\u201d from religions. A deep student of\u00a0perennial philosophy<\/strong><\/a>, some of her interpretations were \u201celectrical.\u201d The esoteric meaning of God on His Throne, to Blavatsky, meant only that man must build his temple in his own heart, and once said that the suffragettes could not be regarded as consistent \u201cuntil they put the Virgin Mary back in heaven.\u201d To Blavatsky, Christ\u2019s final words: \u201cEli! Eli! Lama Sabachthani<\/em>,\u201d interpreted by the heterodox to be the sorrowful \u201cMy God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken Me!\u201d were transformed in her hermeneutics. She explained that in the Hebrew language, vowels were left to the imagination, or only indicated by easily-confused dots and dashes. Some missing sign could restore lost and precious significance. In Blavatsky\u2019s translation, Christ\u2019s final words were thus: \u201cMy God! My God! Thou hast glorified Me!\u201d<\/p>\n Blavatsky placed the plate with the remains of her small lunch on a nearby table next to a bunch of flowers in a diminutive vase. She picked up, again, the newspaper which sizzled her nerves several times that morning.<\/p>\n \u201cLelya, why are you reading it again?\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cThink of your health.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead what?\u201d said Verochka, who just entered the room.<\/p>\n Vera Petrovna gave her a \u201clook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018The freedom of philosophizing<\/em>,\u2019\u201d sneered Blavatsky. \u201cFlapdoodle!\u201d<\/p>\n In early August, British papers were reported on statements made by Francis Landey Patton<\/strong><\/a>, the new President of Princeton University, in an address he delivered at the farewell ceremonies of his predecessor, James McCosh.<\/p>\n \u201cHere is what this Patton says,\u201d said Blavatsky:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n "\n** These words I make my own today, and help me God, during the time of my administration, Princeton shall keep faith with the dead. [With reference academic freedom, Patton said:] The trustees have responsibilities, so have the professors. These limit freedom. We have no scientific confession of faith, but we would not let a communist teach political economy, nor Mr.\u00a0Jasper<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0astronomy, nor one the Flat-land people instruct in physical geography. We would not allow Mr.\u00a0Sinnett<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to teach\u00a0esoteric philosophy<\/strong><\/a>, or entertain a class with Madame Blavatsky\u2019s vagaries, because we believe in the freedom philosophising. We should also close our doors the crude idealism professed by the so-called\u00a0Christian Scientists<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and the metaphysical healers. It is not part of university freedom to open its halls of science and philosophy to men who teach atheism or belittle the Christian faith.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThose who will swallow a camel of whatever size\u2014provided it hails from orthodox or accepted authorities\u2014will strain and kick at the smallest gnat, if only its buzz comes from theosophical<\/em>\u00a0regions,\u201d said Blavatsky. She reached for her Matara tobacco basket that was just beyond her hand, and taking a generous portion of the pungent leaf, deftly rolled a cigarette. \u201cNine-tenths of the people will reject the most overwhelming evidence, even if it be brought to them without any trouble to themselves, only because it happens to clash with their personal interests or prejudices\u2014especially if it comes from unpopular quarters. We are living in a highly moral atmosphere, high sounding\u2014in words. In practice, however, the morality of this age\u2014in point of genuineness and reality\u2014is of the nature of the skin paint in a minstrel show, that is to say, assumed for show and pay, and washed off at the close of every performance. In sober truth, our opponents\u2014advocates of \u2018official science,\u2019 defenders of orthodox religion, and the\u00a0tutti quanti<\/em>\u00a0of the detractors of Theosophy\u2014who claim to oppose our works on grounds of scientific \u2018evidence,\u2019 \u2018public good and truth,\u2019 strongly resemble barristers in our courts of law\u2014miscalled of justice. In their defense of robbers and murderers, forgers, and adulterers, deem it to be their duty to browbeat, confuse and bespatter all who bear witness against their clients, and will ignore, and if possible, suppress, all evidence which goes to incriminate them.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n The sound of the doorbell brought Blavatsky\u2019s acidic musings to close, and soon the Countess Wachtmeister, with her \u201clost-Lenore\u201d expressions, announced the arrival of unexpected guests.\u00a0 \u201cMadame,\u201d said the countess, \u201cMr. and Mrs. Edmund Russell are here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDurak<\/em>,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cHe did not make an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Henrietta Crane & Edmund Russell.[4]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Russell, a youthful looking man (who much-resembled Lord Byron<\/a>,) was Blavatsky\u2019s intimate friend, and regarded by many as the \u201cAmerican Oscar Wilde.\u201d[5]<\/a> He and his wife, Henrietta Crane, were apostles of Delsartism, an Aesthetic movement founded by Fran\u00e7ois Delsarte.[6]<\/a> After completing a successful lecture tour in America, the Russells went to England to repeat the success. In London, Russell soon found himself lecturing in the studio of Felix Moscheles to audiences composed of the leading artistic voices of the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI first met Blavatsky last year,\u201d said Russell, \u201cafter being introduced through the kindness of the German court painter, Hermann Schlittgen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Mohini Chatterjee introduced you,\u201d said Henrietta.<\/p>\n \u201cIt may have been Mohini,\u201d said Russell, picking up a little brass seal. \u201cWhat might this be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s only a flapdoodle of Olcott\u2019s.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWould you permit me the pleasure of arranging all of your wonderful things more artistically?\u201d asked Russell, placing the seal down on the communal table. He then produced a copper hammer from his pocket. \u201cYour furnishings, and all these artistic objects, will benefit tenfold if you dispose of them differently, and clean the rubbish that crept in between them a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d asked Blavatsky. \u201cWhat do you want to do? I don\u2019t want any cleaning! I value all these things, good and bad, and I do not want you to turn everything upside down for me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d pleaded Russell, \u201ctrust me!\u201d His eyes surveyed the rare curios in the room.<\/p>\n Behind her desk, on the bracket against the wall, was a little white marble elephant, an \u201cemblem of power and wisdom.\u201d On either side of her were tables, and racks filled with reference books. All over the room were souvenirs from her time in Indian\u2014Palghat mats, Adoni carpets, Benares bronze, Moradabad platters, Kashmir plaques, and Sinhalese figurines. The walls, meanwhile, were covered with hundreds of photographs of Theosophists from around the world\u2014a practice she began while still living at the Lamasery in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cAway with your hammer, for mercy\u2019s sake!\u201d Blavatsky said, feigning a gasp. \u201cAway with the hammer! Can you believe this, Verochka? This robber wants to break my furniture and all my things! Get out of here you aesthetic murderer!\u201d Blavatsky turned to Verochka. \u201cHe\u2019s a domovoy<\/em><\/a>!<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n Verochka giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a domovoy?\u201d asked the hammer-handed dandy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe domovoy is a \u2018house-spirit,'\u201d said Verochka. \u201cHe is like little old man, but no bigger than a five-year-old boy. He flies into a passionate fit if his surroundings are untidy, or not to his liking.\u201d[8]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIs he sent from heaven?\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! You heartless Zoila!<\/em>\u201d said Blavatsky.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Domovoy.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The domovoy was a relic from a pagan past. The dvoeverie<\/em><\/a> (the double faith of Christianity and Paganism) of the Russian people was, like many things Russian, a byproduct of its layered geography and history. Russia, being a land and people which vacillated between the West and East, was a culture in a liminal land primed to reconcile the binaries of her neighbors yet feared with suspicion on all sides.[10]<\/a> It is little wonder that Blavatsky should favor a syncretism of East and West, for, like her homeland, she was both and neither. Like her contemporary, Dostoevsky, said, \u201cTo become a true Russian, to become fully Russian [\u2026] means only to become the brother of all men, to become, if you will, a universal man\u2026our destiny is universality\u2026won not by the sword, but by the strength of brotherhood and our fraternal aspiration to reunite mankind.\u201d[11]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Oscar Wilde & Edmund Russell.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a gross misinterpretation of Delsartism,\u201d said Russell, \u201cto represent it as teaching a special and arbitrary code of gestures and mannerisms, as artificial as they are absurd. The object is to acquire perfect mastery over self, and to make the body a facile interpreter of the thoughts and emotions\u2014control at the center, freedom at the extremities.\u201d<\/p>\n At the request of Vera Petrovna (who was writing articles about London for the Russian papers,) Russell produced a newspaper clipping which described his decorative exploits:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n "\n***** ** AN AMERICAN OSCAR.<\/p>\n ** The Pall Mall Gazette<\/em>. February 4, 1886.<\/p>\n ** *****\u00a0<\/p>\n One hears but little of Mr. Wilde just now\u2013Oscar, of course, not Jonathan. It may be that his work is done; it may be that he is hatching some new cult. Rumour sayeth not. He is probably happy, though married. He sometimes haunts the public places, but the ghost only of his former substantial self. We print here some sketches taken from an American paper of a young man now said to be the rage in the aesthetic<\/em><\/a> circles of America, who is known by the sobriquet<\/em> of \u201cbeautiful Edmund Russell.\u201d The new apostle of aestheticism enters the lecture-room with a halo of golden waving locks about his head and with a little hammer in his hand. With the hammer he demolishes the vases and the other objects of false art that his teachings have caused his hearers to despise, until when he has finished chipping up the china his aesthetic legs are knee deep in the debris. A Philistine once brought a bronze vase for Mr. Russell to exercise his hammer on. With a gesture of supreme disdain he threw the bronze into the stove. Mr. Russell teaches what he calls the beautiful \u201d in dress, in home surroundings, in weddings\u2013even in funerals. When he seats himself before his canvas, he is clad in a Grecian robe. He is evolving an artistic drapery for men like the clinging gowns he has made so popular with the gentler sex. Mr. Russell is going to Europe in the spring, and there will doubtless be a contest of the sunflowers between him and the Oscar Wilde. Mr. Russell will take his little hammer with him and use it as a battle-axe.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cI reverently separated the wheat from the chaff, with this very hammer in my hand.\u201d A self-congratulatory smile brashly claimed Russell\u2019s face. \u201cOh, ladies! It was delicious!<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cWas there any conflict between you and Mr. Wilde,\u201d asked Vera Petrovna. \u201cI met him when we visited Madame in Paris four years ago. I believe he was on his honeymoon.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNo, no,\u201d said Russell. \u201cOne of the first events we attended was an \u2018At Home\u2019 the Wilde\u2019s hosted in their home near Chelsea Embankment. We met Squire<\/a> and Effie Bancroft<\/a> there, and Wilson Barrett<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bancrofts were known for creating a new form of drama called \u201cdrawing-room comedy.\u201d Blavatsky, however, much preferred the plots of what the English called \u201ccat\u2019s-meat dramas,\u201d that is, a show with seven murders to an Act.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Sir Richard<\/a> and Lady Burton,\u201d Henrietta added.<\/p>\n \u201cAn old friend, and old member of the Society,\u201d said Blavatsky.[14]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSir Burton?\u201d asked Russell.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe showed us his cheek through which a spearpoint went at one side, coming out the other,\u201d said Henrietta.[15]<\/a><\/p>\n The doorbell rang again.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlushka!\u201d said Verochka, excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cSo, he\u2019s Charlushka, now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMamochka<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n Charley entered with his friends, Willie Yeats (whom Blavatsky already knew,) and Claude Falls Wright. A short, self-possessed man with glassy eyes, Claude had red luminescent hair which he wore long to his shoulders.[16]<\/a> He was known for making a good first impression\u2014and then shocking his new acquaintances with eccentricities (which many believed to be deliberate.) Some of these included eating no more than two meals a day, sleeping only a few hours a night, and working at his desk for eighteen hours at a time. He was the son of Alexander Falls Wright and Elizabeth Wright, who was the daughter of Lady Salkeld, May Ann Paine.[17]<\/a> Having once been an enthusiastic member of the Young Men\u2019s Christian Association<\/em> at Christ Church, Leeson Park, Claude once considered a career in ministry.[18]<\/a> He abandoned this idea after accepting the doctrines of reincarnation and karma. His next course of action was studying surgery at Dublin\u2019s Royal College of Surgeons, but this idea, too, was abandoned.[19]<\/a> After Charley introduced him to Theosophy, however, he now had designs on studying for the Civil Service and moving to India.<\/p>\n \u201cCharley is the son of Johnston of Beelykeelbeeg<\/em>,\u201d said Blavatsky in her introduction.<\/p>\n Charley immediately gave the good news that he passed the final examination of the candidates selected in 1886 for the Indian Civil Service, thereby ending his two-year probation.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI obtained 1,883 marks and increased my position by eighteen places,\u201d Charley told everyone. \u201cIn consequence of this, I am entitled to the fifth place among the candidates selected in 1886 for the Bengal Division of the Presidency of Fort William.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone congratulated Charley, but Verochka seemed less than enthusiastic.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition,\u201d said Charley, \u201cI was awarded the Sanskrit prize of \u00a340.\u201d[21]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMolodets!\u201d said Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be able to attend tonight\u2019s meeting,\u201d said Charley. \u201cI will be going back to Dublin to celebrate with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n After everyone was introduced, Blavatsky turned her attention to Charley\u2019s compatriots.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have not taken off your beard, Mr. Yeats,\u201d said Blavatsky with a nod of approval.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember what I told you, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n She then turned to Claude.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you? Have a cigarette. I knew you before,\u201d she said, as she rolled Claude a cigarette. She then glanced at a chair (which moved a few inches towards Claude,) and handed him the cigarette.<\/p>\n Claude, stunned, sat down, and absentmindedly picked up the brass seal which Russell left on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cMadame,\u201d said Charley, \u201cClaude has come to ask your advice about something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about going to India,\u201d said Claude.<\/p>\n Blavatsky was sketching something on a piece of paper. \u201cDo not go,\u201d she said, revealing her drawing. It was a picture of the seal that was still in Claude\u2019s hand. She then placed her hand over the drawing and, as if by magic, a replica of the seal appeared.<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026how\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome to me, and I will teach you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She then rubbed the drawing and the duplicate seal together, making them as one again. \u201cBut you must first form a Theosophical Branch in Dublin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said Claude. \u201cYes, I will.\u201d[22]<\/a><\/p>\n Claude looked at Charley and Yeats. He then thanked Blavatsky and took his leave.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n******* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cWonderful,\u201d said Russell to Yeats.<\/p>\n ** \u201cShe is<\/em> wonderful,\u201d Yeats told Russell, \u201cbut when she is gone the fellow who opens the door will think he can take her place.\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cNow what\u2019s all this about you beard?\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cMadame promised me a bad illness through the loss of all the mesmeric forces that collects in a beard.\u201d<\/p>\n ** *******\u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n********* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Verochka,\u201d asked Charley, \u201care you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cYes,\u201d said Verochka unconvincingly. She seemed distant ever since he arrived.<\/p>\n ** *********\u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n*********** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** ***********Once everyone was settled in, talk soon turned to anecdotes and old stories.<\/p>\n After their mother\u2019s untimely death from consumption in 1842, the eleven-year-old Blavatsky, and young Vera Petrovna, were sent to live with her grandparents, Andrei Fadeyev and Princess Helene Dolgoruky<\/a>, in Saratov<\/a>, Russia. The House Dolgorukov<\/a>, to which the sisters belonged, was of the illustrious Rurikid Dynasty<\/a>\u2014the line of Kievan Rus<\/em><\/a> who established the Russian Tsardom. Their great dacha<\/a> was a vast and ancient castle nesting on arteries of abandoned subterranean galleries. Blavatsky was allowed to explore the catacomb under the protection of a dozen male servants and an arsenal of torches and lanterns. In her explorations of the estate, Blavatsky happened across the private occult-library of her great-grandfather, Prince Pavel Dolgorukov.[23]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI had read them with the keenest interest before the age of fifteen,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cAll the devilries of the Middle Ages have found refuge in my head and soon neither Paracelsus, Kunrath, nor Agrippa had nothing to teach me.\u201d<\/p>\n As far back as she could remember Blavatsky possessed incredible magical endowments; she would uncontrollably manifest disembodied rappings\u2014a morse-code of communication tapped-out on table-tops; she could ring phantom astral bells whose viscous chimes left a haunting residue in the ears and produce a psychic storm that erratically moved furniture. It was after recovering from a terrifying illness that she had found herself in full mastery of powers that seemed uncontrollable to a child.<\/p>\n \u201cOur relatives owned a chateau<\/em> where the children of the different families used to spend the summer,\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cThe central hall was a great museum of natural history. At night, when all were tucked in dormitory cots, we begged little Lelya to \u2018make the animals talk<\/em>.\u2019 Bringing to life, she would speak as from their mouths\u2014\u2019I swam the frozen deep.<\/em>\u2018 \u2018I roved the jungles of Assam<\/em>.\u2019 \u2018I\u2014<\/em>\u2018 The voice of our governess in the next room would interrupt her. \u2018Mademoiselle Helene! If you do not stop exciting the children, I will come in and punish you!<\/em>\u2018 For a time all would be quiet. Then the man-eating tiger would begin to prowl again, and our little heads cowered beneath the sheets in terror! She once dragged the great polar bear from the hall and propped him against the door, so when the governess opened it, he would fall over her!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell us more,\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a view of adding specimens to the remarkable entomological collection of our grandmother, as much as for our own instruction and pleasure, diurnal as well as nocturnal expeditions were often arranged. We preferred the latter, as they were more exciting, and had a mysterious charm to us. We knew of no greater enjoyment. Our delightful travels in the neighboring woods would last from 9pm until, often 2 am. We prepared for them with an earnestness that the Crusaders may have experienced when setting out to dislodge the Turk from Palestine. The children of friends and acquaintances in town were invited\u2014boys and girls from twelve to seventeen, and two or three dozen young serfs of both sexes, all armed with gauze nets and lanterns, as we wore ourselves, strengthened our ranks. (One of the neighborhood boys of Saratov, Dmitri Mendeleev<\/a>, would later develop the periodic table of elements.)[24]<\/a> In the rear followed a dozen strong grownup servants, Cossacks, and even a gendarme or two, armed with real weapons for our safety and protection. It was a merry procession as we set out on; with beating hearts bent with unconscious cruelty on the beautiful, large night-butterflies for which the forests of the Volga province are so famous. The foolish insects, flying in masse would soon cover the glasses of our lanterns, and ended their ephemeral lives on long pins and cork burial-grounds four inches square. But even in this my eccentric sister asserted her independence. She would protect and save from death all those dark butterflies known as sphinxes, whose dark fur-covered heads and bodies bore the distinct image of a white human skull. \u2018Nature, having imprinted on each of them the portrait of the skull of some dead hero, these butterflies are sacred, and must not be killed<\/em>,\u2019 she said, speaking like some heathen fetish-worshipper. She got very angry when we would not listen to her but would go on chasing those \u2018dead heads<\/em>\u2018 as we called them; and maintained that by so doing we disturbed the rest of the defunct persons whose skulls were imprinted on the bodies of the weird insects.\u201d[25]<\/a><\/p>\n Butterflies were universally accepted by the Slavs as a symbol of the soul. The Russian word for butterfly, babochka<\/em>, was etymologically linked to the affectionate term for grandmother, babushka <\/em>(it was said that the babochkas which flew by, were the souls of little grandmothers who had recently passed away.) Other Russian dialects were more explicit\u2014naming the butterfly dushechka <\/em>(a diminutive of dusha<\/em>, the Russian word for the soul.) It was widely accepted that if the customary alms were not distributed during panikhidi, the soul of the deceased would reveal itself to their relatives in the form of a moth flying about the flame of a candle.[26]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOur favorite game was Bandit and Captive-Maiden,\u201d said Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cI always wanted to be one of the bandits,\u201d added Blavatsky. \u201cOne day they said, \u2018You must be Captive-Maiden sometimes<\/em>.'\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBandits never had such hard work to capture a maiden,\u201d said Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cI fought, I bit, I kicked, until they were glad to cast me for Bandit the rest of the year,\u201d said Blavatsky, taking a drag from her cigarette. \u201cAs a child I loved to fight. You know the Russian hatred of the Jews. How often have I crossed the street to slap some boy in the face\u2014\u2019How dare you look at me, a Christian!<\/em>\u2018 I was very proud of being a Christian in those days. I wish I could find that little boy and beg his pardon and tell him how short lived was my secular pride after I went out into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI call up the memory of a boating adventure of bygone days,\u201d said Charley, \u201cwhen Willie and I set forth from the harbor of Howth to explore an islet where monks once lived. We drew up our boat incautiously among the seaweed mantled rocks. We were left high and dry, and spent all day and most of the night watching seagulls, and the creatures of the sea as darkness came on us.\u201d[27]<\/a><\/p>\n Everyone was laughing, except Verochka, who only managed a slight smile. \u201cExcuse me,\u201d she said, leaving the room.<\/p>\n Charley looked at Yeats, who shrugged in ignorance. He then looked at Vera Petrovna and Blavatsky, who gently smiled at the foolish boy.<\/p>\n Yeats was about to speak when Russell interrupted him.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you familiar with Delsartism, Mr. Yeats?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere, come with me, I want to show you something.\u201d<\/p>\n Charley was left sitting alone with Henrietta and the Russian sisters.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dear,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cWhy did you get stranded on the islet?\u201d<\/p>\n Charley thought for a moment. \u201cBecause I was not mindful of the boat?\u201d<\/p>\n The ladies laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, my dear. You were not mindful of the ocean,<\/em>\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cNothing in nature is so reminiscent of a woman as the ocean. Her whims and fantasies quickly appear\u2014and disappear just as quickly\u2014and no one can predict their hour.\u201d<\/p>\n Charley looked at the ladies in semi-bewilderment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ocean gets its color from the sky, and its waves depend on the air,\u201d Blavatsky continued. \u201cIts entire existence, with its constant flirtations, and reflection of the elements, depend on the latter. In spite of all this, and in a completely feminine way, the ocean boldly, and relentlessly<\/em>, challenges you to battle. If you throw yourself at her too fast, she will treat you with contempt; if wade too far, she will ruthlessly destroy you.\u201d Blavatsky took a drag from her cigarette while Charley absorbed. \u201cIf, on the contrary, you carefully and quietly caress her dangerous currents, she will dutifully, and affectionately, carry you on the crests of high waves.\u201d[28]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf a man\u2019s deeds and character will be influenced by his language,\u201d said Henrietta, \u201chow much more by the form of expression he chooses in gesture, the language of love, whether it be good and graceful or a mere awkward inexpression. The more language is conventionalized, the less spontaneously it reacts upon the inner nature<\/em>. This is the reason for the audacities of poetry, for its splendid escapes from the debased coin of current metaphors.\u201d[29]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVerochka wanted to spend time with you<\/em>,\u201d said Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n*********** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cThere is a principle in art which Delsarte called parallelism,\u201d Russell told Yeats. \u201cThings moving in the same direction, related in the same way, expressing the same thing or obedient to the same law, emphasize the general while subordinating the particular and bury their own individuality in their support of a larger whole. Most people merely follow the general principle of respectability by always doing just what others do, always \u00e0 la mode<\/em>, always \u2018considered to be.\u2019 They are servant girl, who thought it her duty to be always of the same religion as the family she was with.\u00a0 The fashionable dress is made for no one particular. Its origin is sometimes to conceal the deformity of its originator, or often simply an unmeaning charge gotten up by tradesmen to make people buy new goods. The artistic dress is one especially designed to suit the characteristic points of the individual, adapted to the uses of his particular daily life, of his personality at his best\u2014beauty, health and comfort subordinated to expression. The greatest need of modern life is a true and practical knowledge of the principles of art in relation to our being, living and seeming.\u201d<\/p>\n ** Blavatsky, Vera Petrovna, and Henrietta approached them as Charley walked to the other side of the room.<\/p>\n ** \u201cMadame here is the best dressed woman in the world,\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\n ** \u201cBut I don\u2019t dress at all!\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cThat\u2019s just it,\u201d said Russell, \u201cthe others try to.\u201d<\/p>\n ** ***********\u201cLook at Charley over there talking French and smoking cigarettes with Verochka,\u201d said Yeats. \u201cHe has ripened to perfection that air of clever insolence and elaborate efficiency\u2014he looks like a veritable peacock!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that beautiful young man,\u201d said Henrietta. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare try and prevent them from falling in love!\u201d[30]<\/a><\/p>\n Charley, noticing Yeats gesturing in his direction, crossed with Verochka to join the others.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on Willie,\u201d said Charley, \u201cI think it is time we get going.\u201d He smiled at Verochka, who smiled back in kind. The boys then left.<\/p>\n The ladies looked at Verochka expectantly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked,\u201d she said, still smiling.<\/p>\n <\/h2>\n~<\/strong><\/h2>\n*************** ** ***************\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday was the day of the official weekly meeting of the Blavatsky Lodge. (Blavatsky also hosted two \u201cAt Homes\u201d a week\u2014one of which was usually on Saturdays.) This was not a dead-set rule, for in practice, nearly every night there was some visitor from around the world\u2014sometimes just for meals. \u201cNo one ever saw such hospi\u00adtality,\u201d it was said. \u201cOnce-invited-always-invited.\u201d A guest would arrive at any time, take any vacant seat without ceremony, and sometimes leave in the middle of a meal. It was a great equalizer. Poor students and artists dined with scientists and members of the nobility.[31]<\/a> Though Blavatsky herself was not a vegetarian. the food that was offered was \u201ccuisine ve\u0301ge\u0301\u00adtarienne,\u201d and few would have guessed it, \u201cso rich and varied were the magical dishes.\u201d Blavatsky\u2019s hospitality was truly Eastern, and she placed \u201ceverything she possessed at the disposal of her friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n***************** ** *****************\u00a0<\/p>\n The first guests to arrive were the Svobodas. Alexander Svoboda<\/a> was a tall, stout, open-faced man with a lion\u2019s head, and his wife, Blanche Tricon was just as tall, but far more slender.[32]<\/a> Svoboda, a renowned artist, painter and world-traveler belonged to a family entrenched in the arts. (George Bernard Shaw would, in later years, write the character of Eliza Doolittle<\/a> for Svoboda\u2019s niece<\/a> for the play, Pygmalion<\/em><\/a>.)[33]<\/a> He was known in London for his paintings of India, Egypt and Asia Minor\u2014but he was even more well-known in the world of science, largely for his contributions to the emergent field of archaeology. They brought with them photographs of the various ruins which Svoboda had captured while living in Bombay and Ceylon.<\/p>\n Another husband-and-wife-artist-team soon arrived, Michele Tedesco<\/a> and Julia Hoffman. Tedesco\u2019s work, \u201cA Pythagorean School Invaded by the Sybarites,\u201d was currently on display at the Italian Exhibition where it worthily occupied the center of a room. They, too, brought sample of their work.[34]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne finds that many artists frequent Madame\u2019s \u2018At Homes,'\u201d Russell told Verochka. \u201cI have often seen Schlittgen<\/a>, Moscheles<\/a>, Browning<\/a>, Whistler,<\/a> and Tadema<\/a> in these rooms.\u201d[35]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cDo they always bring their work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d said Russell, \u201cdon\u2019t let on that I told you, but lack of time and sore legs often prevents Madame from traveling to exhibitions and workshops\u2013many artists bring their work to her home instead.\u201d<\/p>\n The microscope revealed enormous crystals of uric acid in Blavatsky\u2019s blood, and Dr. Mennell, Blavatsky\u2019s able physician, believed that her even being alive was in itself a miracle. \u201cHer system is so disorganized by a complication of diseases of the gravest character that it is a simple wonder that she can keep up the struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n Verochka looked at her aunt with more sympathetic eyes, remembering their recent visit to the Nineteenth Century Art Society Exhibition, and what a strain it must have been.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw aunt Lelya\u2019s portrait with Father Smirnov the other day,\u201d said Verochka.[36]<\/a> \u201cDo you know him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have dined with Father Smirnov on several occasions,\u201d said\u00a0 Russell. \u201cHe speaks of Madame with great affection. \u2018She is too generous<\/em>,\u2019 he says. \u2018She gives more than she has<\/em>.\u2019 When he goes to her with the distress of the Russian people, Madame simply points to a drawer and says, \u2018take what you need if it is there.<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Schmiechen\u2019s Portrait of Blavatsky.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Russell turned towards Blavatsky\u2019s direction and, using his \u201ctheatre voice,\u201d spoke in an exaggerated aside. \u201cI like Schmiechen\u2019s portrait. It suggests a prophetess in the dim cave!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is just this that displeases me,\u201d said Blavatsky while studying Svoboda\u2019s photo album. \u201cIt makes me look too much like a Sybil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Svoboda \u201cView of the triple-headed bust of Shiva. [37]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not necessary to be either a specialist, an architect, or an eminent archeologist, in order to be convinced at the first glance that such temples as Elephanta are the work of Cyclopses,\u201d said Blavatsky, \u201crequiring centuries and not years for their construction.\u201d She was looking over Svoboda\u2019s photographs of the Caves of Elephanta<\/a>\u2014the first ever taken of the temple. \u201cWhereas in Karli<\/a> everything is built and carved after a perfect plan,\u201d Blavatsky continued, \u201cin Elephanta it seems as if thousands of different hands had wrought at different times, each following its own ideas and fashioning after its own device. A lack of uniformity is found in the pedestals of the columns, the finish and style of which is constantly varying. Why, then, should we not pay some attention to the explanations of the Brahmans? They say that this temple was begun by the sons of Pandu<\/a>, after \u2018the great war,\u2019 Mahabharata<\/a>, and that after their death every true believer was bidden to continue the work according to his own notions. Thus the temple was gradually built during three centuries. Everyone who wished to redeem his sins would bring his chisel and set to work. Many were the members of royal families, and even kings, who personally took part in these labors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Svoboda. \u201cInterior view of the Main Shrine showing the Linga Shrine, Cave No. 1.\u201d[38]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Everyone had now gathered around Blavatsky to hear her\u00a0 discourse.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the right hand side of the temple, see, right there, there is a cornerstone. Do you see?\u201d said Blavatsky, pointing at Svoboda\u2019s photo of the interior of the cave. \u201cIt\u2019s a lingam<\/a> of Shiva in his character of Fructifying Force<\/em>. It is sheltered by a small square chapel with four doors. Round this chapel are many colossal human figures. According to the Brahmans, these are statues representing the royal sculptors themselves. Each of the larger figures leans upon a dwarf representative of the lower castes, which have been promoted by the popular fancy to the rank of \u2018demons\u2019 called pisachas<\/a>. Moreover, the temple is full of unskilled work. The Brahmans hold that such a holy place could not be deserted if men of the preceding and present generations had not become unworthy of visiting it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEto interesno<\/em>\u2026\u201d said Verochka softly.<\/p>\n Blavatsky paused. An idea came to mind.<\/p>\n \u201cVerochka,\u201d said Blavatsky, \u201cyou should translate From the Caves and Wilds of Hindostan<\/em><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Verochka seemed at a loss for words. \u201cI\u2019m not sure I am qualified\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou must remember,\u201d said Blavatsky, \u201cthat I never meant for it to be a scientific work. My letters to the Russkiy Vestnik<\/em><\/a> were written in leisure moments\u2013more for amusement than with any serious design. Of course, the facts and incidents are true\u2013broadly speaking\u2013but I have freely availed myself of an author\u2019s privilege to group, color, and dramatize whenever it seemed necessary to achieve full artistic effect\u2013it is a romance of travel.\u201d[39]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBut, aunt Lelya, I have never even been to India.\u201d<\/p>\n Blavatsky looked at her niece with interest. \u201cYou may yet one day.\u201d<\/p>\n The bell of 17 Lansdowne announced new visitors. In walked Colonel William Gordon,<\/a> a gray-haired man as \u201cruddy as a healthy child,\u201d and his wife, Alice Gordon, both residents of India for many years. While Colonel Gordon was in the Staff Corps of the British army in Mannbhoom, Bengal, the husband and wife joined the Theosophical Society\u2013and were among those who could claim witness to the Masters.<\/p>\n The Gordons barely had time to sit down and join the chorus of shared memories, when the bell announced new visitors. Blavatsky was initially annoyed, but the warm voice which resounded in the hall swiftly ironed her wrinkled brows, and even put a smile on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is that?\u201d asked Verochka, her eyes drawn to the old white-haired man with sparkling blue eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Matthias Mull,\u201d said Russell. \u201cHe\u2019s a cheerful old man, and a lively storyteller.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Times of India<\/em> Building, Bombay (Mumbai,) India.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n When living in India, Mull purchased The Bombay Times<\/em>, which he renamed The Times of India<\/em><\/a> in 1861. Under his guidance, the paper earned a reputation as the \u201crepresentative English journal of Western India.\u201d He had two passions in life. 1. Supporting the Indian expatriate community in London. 2. The promulgation of English literature. After his retirement from Indian life, Mull devoted his time in England to the emendation and editing of Shakespeare\u2019s works (Hamlet<\/a>, Macbeth<\/a>.)[40]<\/a> In the capacity of joint-editor, he was even invited to aid in the production of the Lyceum Theatre\u2019s<\/a> Henry Irving<\/a> edition (but indifferent health prevented his acceptance.) The fruits of his efforts were on full display during his free Sunday lectures in his home at 39 Colville Terrace. (It was through these lectures that Russell first met Mull.) Many Indian students who arrived in London to study medicine or law, found a sanctuary in Mull\u2019s home, and regularly came to listen to his readings.[41]<\/a> Having been old friends with the boys\u2019 fathers, Mull knew many of them from birth. In time, 39 Colville Terrace, where Mull and his wife, Sarah Ann lived, became \u201cthe center of all young India,\u201d and earned the nickname \u201cMaison \u00e0 l\u2019Indienne.<\/em>\u201d[42]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m leading a whole deputation of guests from afar!\u201d Mull shouted; his eyes filled with mirth. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHere, I hand them over to your hands, H.P.B.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind Mull, in the dim unlit dining room, stood several silhouettes topped with white turbans.<\/p>\n When entering, many of these young Indians were not content with a respectful bow. As a sign of special respect, they prostrated themselves on the threshold. This, as always, made Blavatsky extremely embarrassed.[43]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/h2>\n**~<\/h2>\n******************* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cIs it your custom to greet everyone in such a manner?\u201d Vera Petrovna asked a nearby student<\/p>\n ** \u201cSuch an outward sign of reverence is to show our great gratitude to Madame and Colonel Olcott,\u201d said the student. \u201cTheir treatment of the Indians produced a beneficial effect on social prejudices in India and forced even the most arrogant Englishmen to change their unbearably contemptuous treatment of the Indians. Fifteen years ago not a single Briton, driving into Bombay or Madras, would have dared to shake hands with a native, even if he was at least once a rajah and once a scholar. Now, since the Theosophists have mastered the public opinion of the educated classes of India, the majority are ashamed to openly show their arrogance, and for the first time we breathe freely, having the right to consider ourselves human.\u201d<\/p>\n ** *****************\u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n******************* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cSalaam, dear friends! Welcome\u2026Come here!\u201d Blavatsky said warmly. \u201cNice to meet you. Do I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n ** *******************\u201cThey constantly pester me, \u2018when are you expecting Colonel Olcott?<\/em>\u2018\u201d said Mull. \u201cWould you please tell them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cColonel Olcott wired that he leaving Bombay on August 7th,\u201d said Blavatsky.[44]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n******************* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cWhy do they call her \u2018H.P.B.\u2019?\u201d Verochka quietly asked Russell.<\/p>\n ** \u201cThey address her as the \u2018Old Lady\u2019 at home, but for the public she prefers \u2018H.P.B.\u2019 I never can bring myself say it,\u201d said Russell. \u201cThe mean\u00adinglessness of initials does not seem great enough for her\u2014It would be like calling Queen Victoria \u2018Vic.'\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cSuppose you have two acquaintances,\u201d said Verochka, \u201cMr. Jonathan Thompson-Smith and Mr. James Thornton-Stuart\u2014are both of them to be called J.T.S.\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cTrue!\u201d Russell said. \u201cYes, for example, in America, where I first heard that Madame Blavatsky was called H.P.B., I didn\u2019t know that her name was Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\u2014I imagined something completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cWhat name did you imagine?\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cI was convinced that her admirers called her H.P.B. as shorthand for High-Para-Brahm!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n ** *******************\u00a0<\/p>\n ~<\/h2>\n********************* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cThese two gentlemen have come expressly to see you,\u201d said Mull. \u201cThey met you in Darjeeling when they were little boys, and they burned with desire to see you again, and convey to you greetings from their fathers and relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cI am the son of Babu Kana Chaterjee Semaya,\u201d said the first boy. \u201cMy sister\u2019s once embroidered a fan for you\u2014the one with the wings of emerald beetles and the feathers of a peacock.\u201d<\/p>\n ** \u201cOf course I remember,\u201d said Blavatsky.<\/p>\n ** \u201cMy uncle brought sandalwood to you in Adyar for the bonfire of your future cremation,\u201d said the second man, a nephew of Pandit N. Bh\u0101shy\u0101ch\u0101rya.<\/p>\n ** She did not let on that she failed to recognize these young men, who were just children when she last saw them nearly a decade earlier.<\/p>\n ** *********************<\/h2>\n ~<\/strong><\/h2>\n*********************** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** The conversations, as to be expected, soon turned to metaphysical discussion.<\/p>\n ** ***********************\u201cWho are they whom you call your \u2018Masters\u2019? Some say they are \u2018Spirits,\u2019 while others call them \u2018myths.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Diya Banerjee, an Indian youth who had lived in London for a long time. He wore an English-style suit, and a white muslin turban, and rarely visited Blavatsky. The only reason why he was present that evening was to inquire about Olcott\u2019s arrival (as he was expecting a package from his father.) He was one of the many Indian admirers of the \u201cextreme atheist philosophers,\u201d like Charles Bradlaugh, the founder of the National Secular Society<\/a>, and friend of Annie Besant<\/a> (see The Atheistic Platform<\/em><\/a>.) Such atheists sufficed among the young generation of British India, but they were, in general, not allowed among Theosophists, who welcomed \u201call religions and all beliefs, except for unbelief and unconditional denial of the spiritual world and the immortality of the soul.\u201d Bannerjee\u2019s presence was tolerated among his peers for the sake of old relations\u2014though his compatriots did not hesitate to impress upon him their unflattering opinion atheism.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are neither,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cI once heard an outsider say to another that they were a sort of \u2018male mermaid,\u2019 whatever such a creature may be. If you listen to what people say, you will never have a true conception of them. They are living men, born as we are born, and doomed to die like every other mortal.\u201d[45]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBut it is rumored that some of them are a thousand years old,\u201d said Banerjee. \u201cIs this not true?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs true as the miraculous growth of hair on Shagpat<\/a> in George Meredith\u2019s<\/a> story<\/a>. Truly, like the \u2018Identical,\u2019 no Theosophical shaving has hitherto been able to crop it. The more we deny them, the more we try to set people right, the more absurd do the inventions become. I have heard of Methuselah<\/a> being 969 years old\u2014but, not being forced to believe in it, have laughed at the statement, for which I was forthwith regarded by many as a blasphemous heretic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously, though,\u201d said Banerjee, \u201cdo they outlive the ordinary age of men?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you call the ordinary age? I remember reading in the Lancet of a Mexican who was almost 190 years old; but I have never heard of mortal man, layman, or Adept, who could live even half the years allotted to Methuselah. Some Adepts do exceed, by a good deal, what you would call the ordinary age; yet there is nothing miraculous in it, and very few of them care to live very long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMadame,\u201d asked Vittoria Cremers, in an only-slightly-diluted English accent, \u201cwhat, exactly, does the word \u2018Mahatma<\/em>\u2018 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSimply a \u2018great soul,\u2019 Mrs. Cremers,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cGreat through moral elevation and intellectual attainment. If the title of great is given to a drunken soldier like Alexander, why should we not call those \u2018Great\u2019 who have achieved far greater conquests in Nature\u2019s secrets, than Alexander ever did on the field of battle? It is a very old Indian term.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indians nodded in acknowledgement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, then, do you call them \u2018Masters\u2019?\u201d asked Banerjee.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that, dear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said, why do you call them \u2018Masters\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Bert Keightley answered. \u201cWe call them \u2018Masters\u2019 because they are our teachers, and because from them we have derived all the Theosophical truths, however inadequately some of us may have expressed, and others understood, them. They are men of great learning, whom we term Initiates, and still greater holiness of life. They are not ascetics in the ordinary sense, though they certainly remain apart from the turmoil and strife of our Western world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you ascribe to them supernatural powers?\u201d pressed Banerjee.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe in nothing supernatural,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cI have told you already. Had Edison lived and invented his phonograph two hundred years ago, he would most probably have been burnt along with it, and the whole attributed to the devil. The powers which they exercise are simply the development of potencies lying latent in every man and woman, and the existence of which even official science begins to recognize.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it true that many, if not all, of your Theosophical works were written under their dictation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome have. There are passages entirely dictated by them and verbatim, but in most cases, they only inspire the ideas and leave the literary form to the writers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is, in fact, a miracle. How can they do it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy dear, you are laboring under a great mistake, and it is science itself that will refute your arguments at no distant day. Why should it be a \u2018miracle,\u2019 as you call it? A miracle is supposed to mean some operation which is supernatural, whereas there is really nothing above or beyond Nature and Nature\u2019s laws. Among the many forms of the \u2018miracle\u2019 which have come under modern scientific recognition, there is Hypnotism, and one phase of its power is known as \u2018Suggestion,\u2019 a form of thought transference<\/em>, which has been successfully used in combating particular physical diseases.\u201d Blavatsky began moving her foot in the manner in which, to those who knew her, indicated she was deep in thought.[46]<\/a> \u201cThe time is not far distant,\u201d Blavatsky continued, \u201cwhen the World of Science will be forced to acknowledge that there exists as much interaction between one mind and another, no matter at what distance, as between one body and another in closest contact. When two minds are sympathetically related, and the instruments through which they function are tuned to respond magnetically and electrically to one another, there is nothing which will prevent the transmission of thoughts from one to the other, at will. Since the mind is not of a tangible nature, that distance can divide it from the subject of its contemplation, it follows that the only difference that can exist between two minds is a difference of state<\/em>. So if this latter hindrance is overcome, where is the \u2018miracle\u2019 of thought transference, at whatever distance.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely,\u201d said Banerjee, \u201cyou will admit that Hypnotism does nothing so miraculous or wonderful as that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a well-established fact that a Hypnotist can affect the brain of his subject so far as to produce an expression of his own thoughts, and even his words, through the organism of his subject. Although the phenomena attaching to this method of actual thought transference are as yet few in number, no one, I presume, will undertake to say how far their action may extend in the future, when the laws that govern their production are more scientifically established. And so, if such results can be produced by the knowledge of the mere rudiments of Hypnotism, what can prevent the Adept in Psychic and Spiritual powers from producing results which, with your present limited knowledge of their laws, you are inclined to call \u2018miraculous\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why do not our physicians experiment and try if they could not do as much?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they are not Adepts with a thorough understanding of the secrets and laws of psychic and spiritual realms. They are materialists, afraid to step outside the narrow groove of matter\u2014they must fail at present until they are brought to acknowledge that such powers are attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould they be taught?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot unless they were first of all prepared, by having the materialistic dross they have accumulated in their brains swept away to the very last atom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting,\u201d said Banerjee. \u201cTell me, have the Adepts thus inspired or dictated to many of your Theosophists?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, on the contrary, only to a very few. Such operations require special conditions. Unscrupulous Dugpas<\/a> from the Black Lodge<\/a>\u2014\u201d[47]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cDugpa?\u201d interrupted Vittoria. \u201cBlack Lodge?\u201d Being new to occultism, these words were very strange to her.[48]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBlack Magicians,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cThey are the lost souls of K\u00e2ma Loka<\/a>. In the East they are known as the \u2018Brothers of the Shadow<\/em>.\u2019 Cunning, low, vindictive, and seeking to retaliate their sufferings upon humanity, Dugpas are devoid of physical bodies, save in rare cases. They become, until final annihilation, vampires, ghouls, and other such prominent fiends. They are bad souls who have lived long in the other realm and work for no other end than evil until they are finally annihilated. Having no laws of the Spiritual kind to trammel their actions, a Dugpa will most unceremoniously obtain control over any mind, and subject it entirely<\/em> to their evil powers. But our Masters will never do that. They have no right to obtain full mastery over anyone\u2019s immortal Ego and can therefore only act on the physical and psychic nature of the subject, leaving the free will of the latter wholly undisturbed. Hence, unless a person has been brought into psychic relationship with the Masters and is assisted by virtue of his full faith in, and devotion to, his Teachers, the latter, whenever transmitting their thoughts to one with whom these conditions are not fulfilled, experience great difficulties in penetrating into the cloudy chaos of that person\u2019s sphere. But this is no place to treat of a subject of this nature. Suffice it to say, that if the power exists, then there are Intelligences\u2014embodied or disembodied\u2014which guide this power and living conscious instruments through whom it is transmitted and by whom it is received. We have only to beware of black magic.\u201d[49]<\/a><\/p>\n There were those present, besides Blavatsky, who experienced the phenomena of the Masters firsthand. In 1882, during an even that Theosophists regarded as \u2018The Vega Incident<\/a>,\u2019 one of the Masters, Kut Humi<\/a>, visited the Spiritualist William Eglinton<\/a> on board the ship S. S. Vega.\u00a0 <\/em>Following a conversation between Eglinton and Kut Humi, an exchange of letters between the S.S. Vega<\/em> and a group of Theosophists at Calcutta occurred by phenomenal means. Skeptics were hard-pressed to pin fraud on Blavatsky, who was in India at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cColonel Olcott, Colonel Gordon, and myself\u2014sat in the room which had been occupied by Mr. Eglinton,\u201d said Alice Gordon. \u201cWe had a good light and sat with our chairs placed to form a triangle, of which the apex was to the north. In a few minutes Colonel Olcott saw outside the open window the two \u2018Brothers\u2019 and told us so. He saw them pass to another window, the glass doors of which were closed. He saw one of them point his hand towards the air over my head, and I felt something at the same moment fall straight down from above me and onto my shoulder\u2014I saw it fall at my feet in the direction towards the two gentlemen. I knew it would be the letter, but for the moment I was so anxious to see the \u2018Brothers\u2019 that I did not pick up what had fallen. Colonel Gordon and Colonel Olcott both saw and heard the letter fall. Colonel Olcott turned his head from the window for a moment to see what the \u2018Brother\u2019 was pointing at, and so noticed the letter falling from a point about two feet from the ceiling. When he looked again the two \u2018Brothers\u2019 had vanished.\u201d<\/p>\n Diya Banerjee was visibly skeptical.<\/p>\n \u201cMind you, there was no verandah outside,\u201d said Alice. \u201cThe window was several feet from the ground. I turned and picked up what had fallen on me and found a letter in Mr. Eglinton\u2019s handwriting. We opened the letter carefully, by slitting up one side, and we saw that someone had made on the flap in pencil three Latin crosses. The letter from Eglinton said substantially this, \u2018After the many battles we have had at the breakfast-table regarding Kut Humi\u2019s existence, I have been forced to a complete belief in their being living distinct persons. I am not allowed to tell you all I know, but Kut Humi appeared to me in person two days ago, and what he told me dumbfounded me.\u2019<\/em>\u201c[50]<\/a><\/p>\n Diya with a subtle irony in his sing-song voice, casually spoke. \u201cWhat convincing proof can be given for the existence of spirit after death?\u201d He squinted his eyes like a cat and reclined his heavy body into the back of his chair with a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you trouble yourself with western Secularism\u2014a modern mushroom? You have secularism among yourselves. The Charvakas<\/a> were Atheists, but they were not able to stand. You can find truth nowhere but in the teachings of the Aryan Rishis<\/a>. I advise you to study the Upanishads<\/a> day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n The displeasure with Banerjee\u2019s attitude was palpable among his countrymen, so, to save face, the atheist Indian courteously took his leave.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly,\u201d said Colonel Gordon, \u201cMr. Banerjee displayed an all-too-common trait found among the colonized peoples who have strayed from their own beliefs, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch a trait did not exist in the Hindus of former years,\u201d said Mull, interrupting Colonel Gordon. \u201cIf they have now changed for the worse, as you say, it is not their fault. All the shame falls on us English\u2014their teachers and reformers. In my time drunkenness was unheard of outside the big cities\u2014which were already corrupted by the East India Company. And now, now I hear, there is not a village in all of India where a tavern could not be found.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the first actions undertaken by Steuart Bayley, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, when taking office in 1887, was the restructuring of distillery practices of outstill and sadr distilleries, and their taxation. As the papers that summer stated, the previous year saw a decrease in the revenue derived from the sale of country spirits in the Chittagong Division. [More on Bayley and Chittagong here<\/a>.] Some believed that it was, to some degree at least, due to the visit of Colonel Olcott. Others speculated that the people took to \u201cganja<\/a> and opium<\/a> instead of in country liquor, for the excise revenue from these two sources has increased.\u201d[51]<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYes!\u201d said the Svoboda. \u201cThey write to me that drunkenness, patronized by the government, is strongly spreading not only in India, but also in Ceylon, where before strong drinks were unheard of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps the government encourages the distribution of gin and whisky, which you Englishmen cannot do without. Why don\u2019t you see what happens when you elevate the natives in power to a high rank in the government on par with that of a British official. Perhaps they might solve the problem.\u201d Blavatsky then burst out laughing. Then all the Indians burst out laughing too. \u201cWho ever heard of a Hindu government person?\u201d Blavatsky continued. \u201cWould the government of Queen Victoria allow such a humiliation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, such Russian naivete,\u201d said Colonel Gordon. \u201cDo you not rule over an empire of foreign subjects? Are not their policies the same as ours? Do Buddhists and Mohammedans reach high ranks in the Russian military?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not, if they serve? There are many Tatars<\/a>, Kalmyks<\/a> and Nogais<\/a> who are generals of the Russian military.\u201d[52]<\/a><\/p>\n The Indians opened their eyes in astonishment, doubting their own ears.<\/p>\n \u201cOur \u2018barbaric\u2019 country is far more generous than your \u2018humane\u2019 Great Britain,\u201d Blavatsky retorted. \u201cWe have special military orders, and insignia even, for non-Christians in the military. We have an abyss of Mohammedans in our service, especially in the military!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there are a lot of Buddhists!\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cThe Nogais and Kalmyks are<\/em> Buddhists after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they can reach the generalship?\u201d one of the Indians asked incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a doubt,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cThey can, and do, achieve promotion absolutely on a par with the Christians.\u201d She deftly rolled another cigarette and continued. \u201cDo not think that Russian subjects of other faiths are oppressed in Russia!\u201d said Blavatsky, who, as always, took particular relish in displaying the advantages and freedoms of her abandoned homeland over other countries. \u201cWe have full religious tolerance, not just in words like the English! And, by the grace of God, the missionaries do not put a knife to anyone\u2019s throat\u2014as in your colonies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d said one of the Indians, \u201csuch facts are rare, special exceptions, perhaps?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all!\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cWe all know dozens of Mohammedan generals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably only by rank?\u201d said Colonel Gordon. \u201cThey are given the generalship as a distinction\u2014as a special encouragement!<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Caucasus,\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cmany generals from the Tatars command separate units. During the last war with Turkey, my son, Rostya, served in a regiment commanded by a Mohammedan!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd your government is not afraid to give its regiments at the disposal of Mohammedans?\u201d asked Colonel Gordon. \u201cDo Christian soldiers and officers obey non-Christians?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, even in the war with their co-religionists, the Turks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is extremely risky!\u201d said Colonel Gordon. \u201cDo you recall the name of this regiment and its Tatar commander?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiuetenant-Colonel Firudin bey Vazirov<\/a>,\u201d said Vera Petrovna. \u201cHe was the commander of the 4th Squadron of 15th Dragoon Regiment, of the Caucasus Cavalry Division.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ~<\/strong><\/h2>\n Vittoria felt light-headed. She glanced nervously at Vera Petrovna. To her relief, Vera Petrovna, it seemed, either did not know her past, or did not let on that she knew her past. Born Vittoria Cassini to a British nobleman and Italian mother in 1860, \u00a0the stern, square-faced, woman with short black hair and piercing hazel eyes, immigrated to America in 1875. Settling in New York, she would eventually establish, and edit, the theatre magazine, The Stage Gazette<\/em>.[53]<\/a> In November 1886, Vittoria married the dashing Baron Louis Cremers, a lieutenant in Russia\u2019s aristocratic cavalry regiment, the 15th Hussars\u2014a unit which, like the Rostya\u2019s 15th Dragoon Regiment, belonged to the 15th Cavalry Division<\/a>. The scandal surrounding this relationship, or rather, the ending of this relationship, was the catalyst that made her uproot her life in America, and work among the Theosophists.<\/p>\n Vittoria met Baron Cremers in the Fall of 1886, and proposed marriage within a few weeks of meeting. Baron Cremers, fascinated by Vittoria, took pity on her financial embarrassments (for she was practically deserted by her friends.) They were only a married a few weeks when Vittoria revealed to him that she \u201ccould not possibly love any man.\u201d Baron Cremers \u201cassured her that if she was a true and loyal wife,\u201d he \u201cwould condone the past and trust [his] future in her hands.\u201d He allowed her good income, and they lived for some time at The Belvedere, and other costly hotels on 48th Street. Cremers very quickly became \u201cexceedingly friendly\u201d with her shoemaker, James Jewell, \u201ca Socialist, a Theosophist, and swelled up with all sorts of theories.\u201d She frequently called on him and remained in his company for 7 hours a day on some days, as well as taking him to the theatres where they socialized with notable performers, like Sarah Bernhardt<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jewell exercised a very potent, and \u201canything but beneficial influence on the conduct of the Baroness, to such an extent that she adopted in their entirety his fierce and bloodthirsty \u2018Anarchistic\u2019 and \u2018Socialistic\u2019 theories,\u201d all of which were repugnant to Baron Cremers, which he objected to with a good deal of emphasis. Vittoria disobeyed his wishes, \u201cdeclaring that Jewell was a man who might well be taken for a model of humanity\u2014in fact, her ideal of the modern civilized man.\u201d Through her new exposure to Theosophy, Vittoria was introduced to Mabel Collins\u2019 Light on the Path<\/em>, and was captivated by the book and the author\u2014especially the author. It was at this time that Baron Cremers learned that prior to their marriage Vittoria \u201cdisplayed extraordinary infatuation for actresses,\u201d and \u201chad the habit of going out in boy\u2019s clothing to see the town.\u201d Vittoria then disclosed other previously unknown biographical information. \u201cShe was a bastard,\u201d and that \u201cshe had had many love affairs with women.\u201d The only reason she married Baron Cremers, claimed Vittoria, was to win a bet regarding whether or not she could have sexual relations with a man.<\/p>\n Finding it impossible to induce Vittoria to give up the acquaintance of Jewell and seeking to put an end to the source of never-ending irritation, Baron Cremers consented to meet Jewell. He found the shoemaker \u201cmalodorous individual,\u201d in a state of abject poverty. Nevertheless, Baron Cremers, hoping to mitigate \u201can evil [he] could not wholly get rid of,\u201d assiduously cultivated Jewell\u2019s acquaintance; this he did by giving him orders for shoes, and recommending his service to his friends. The doomed-to-failure marriage finally ended at the end of the first year. At the same time, Jewell was thrown in jail for abusing his own 13-year-old daughter. Jewell wrote a lengthy note to Vittoria from prison claiming that it was Baron Cremers who actually \u201cbetrayed his daughter.\u201d Vittoria and Jewell, conspiring together, convinced the girl to prefer charges against Baron Cremers over her father. Though the girl retracted her accusation against Baron Cremers the following day, and admitted her father was to blame, the humiliation of such a dishonor was too much for Baron Cremers to accept (as evidenced in the scars he bore from the dueling arena.) On December 10th, 1887, Baron Cremers filed a libel suit against the papers which defamed him, and fully ventilated the story of his relationship with Vittoria.[54]<\/a> In an effort to flee from spotlight, Vittoria joined the Theosophical Society on Christmas Eve, 1887, and fled to England in early 1888, where she lived 17 Lansdowne, and quietly worked on editing Lucifer<\/em>.[55]<\/a><\/p>\n Cremers subtly shook her head, and the conversation came back into focus.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ~<\/strong><\/h2>\n*************************** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cCould you also name your non-Christian generals?\u201d asked one of the Indian students.<\/p>\n ** The exclamations and questions of the Europeans and Indians rained down on the Russian ladies, who endeavored to answer to everyone\u2019s satisfaction. Several Indians took out their notebooks and diligently wrote down the names of non-Christian colonels and generals who were in the Russian service.<\/p>\n ** \u201cWe will tell our people about it!\u201d they repeated thoughtfully.<\/p>\n ** ***************************\u201cThey tell us that the Russians are ruthless tyrants,\u201d one of the Indians whispered to Vera Petrovna, while the rest of the company carried on a noisy conversation about the same subject. \u201cThey say that the British dominion over us is a light feather compared to the iron-vice imposed by the Russian government on their subjects!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me,\u201d asked Bhaskaranand Saraswati, who only just arrived to study for the bar.[56]<\/a> \u201cHow do Russian rulers respect alien religions, in general?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I know the rulers and, in general, the educated people of Russia, respect every faith and every temple, be it a mosque or a synagogue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome now,\u201d said another Englishman present. \u201cThe East End is filled to the brim with people subjected to Russian barbarity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFanaticism and prejudices cannot but exist among the masses,\u201d Saraswati interrupted. \u201cBut are insults to the beliefs of people who do not belong to the dominant religion encouraged by the government in your country? Will, for example, some merchant firm in Russia be allowed to register a trademark of a religious symbol\u2014say, the image of Mohammed?\u201d<\/p>\n Blavatsky and Vera Petrovna rose with one voice. \u201cNeither our thoughts, nor merchant councils, would ever approve such a mark.\u201d<\/p>\n Saraswati turned sadly to Gordon, Mull, and the other English members. \u201cHow can you English gentlemen talk so readily about the barbarism and despotism of the Russians? So highly you exalt your liberalism and your humanity, all the while you encourage such insults to our beliefs, and our national feelings!\u201d Saraswati took from his pocket a clipping from The Ceylon Times<\/em>. \u201cLook!\u201d he said. \u201cGo ahead and look.\u201d He handed the clipping to Blavatsky.<\/p>\n Blavatsky studied the clipping, while all the guests present bent over her for a glimpse. \u201cBut what is it?\u201d they asked. \u201cWhat does it say\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you like me to read to you the scandal?\u201d asked Saraswati. Blavatsky handed the clipping back to Saraswati, who read the following:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n "\n*************************** ** The Ceylon Times<\/em><\/p>\n ** June 14, 1888.<\/p>\n ** ***************************\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the many devices adopted as a designation for Ceylon Tea, but few bid fair to become so widely known as that of the \u201cBuddha Brand,\u201d if the Buddhists really intend to maintain their alleged objection to the use of an image of Buddha with one hand uplifted as a Trademark! It appears that Mr. Rowland Boustead, of Wattegama, has entered into an arrangement with a firm at house (Messrs. Austen and Payne, of Banbury,) for the sale of his tea, and has adopted a figure of Buddha for his trademark, viz., the \u201cBuddha Brand.\u201d Mr. Boustead is now having a figure engraved by Messrs. Cave and Co., (of Colombo,) and that firm has just received a letter from one of the Buddhist High Priests, intimating that a knowledge of this had come to his ears, and begged in the name of his community to protest against the proceeding as being likely to bring Buddha and Buddhism into contempt. As the device has already been registered at home, of course, nothing can touch Mr. Boustead, and as the teas are to be sold in England, we do not quite see the force of the High Priest\u2019s contention, as we should not be surprised if the Buddhists petition the Governor on the subject and make such a fuss over the matter as possible, which is likely to act as a splendid advertisement to the brand and the tea too.[57]<\/a>\u2019[58]<\/a><\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cThe English tea merchants took it upon themselves to register a trademark of the image of a great reformer honored by 500 million people,\u201d said Saraswati. His face was now distorted with such malice, that it positively frightened Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cBritish prestige would be bad there,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cFortunately for Queen Victoria, there are not many Buddhists there. The Mohammedan population is more capable of rebelling than these poor people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut of cowardice?\u201d asked Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n \u201cPartly,\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cBut no! Rather, it is because of a fanaticism which cannot be eradicated. Every Buddhist firmly believes that he is living in a fatal period\u2014that the Latter Day of the Dharma<\/a>\u00a0has come\u2014the \u2018black age<\/em>,\u2019 during which trials and sorrows are destined for everyone, which the great Para Brahman<\/a> himself is unable to avert. \u2018We must reconcile ourselves and endure everything,<\/em>\u2018 they say\u2014and endure!\u201d<\/p>\n Mull glanced to the Indians, and then toward the Russian sisters who were now speaking to each other in Russian. Mull, who seemed to understand the meaning of their conversation, suddenly leaned towards Blavatsky and Vera Petrovna. \u201cYes, exactly!\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re right! We don\u2019t have a place in London for such a young man. A stay in England will not reconcile him with us, rather it will turn him away even more. People like him and Dharma Chandra Bagaruswami of Chandernagore would be far better off staying at home than driving around European universities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes!\u201d said Blavatsky. \u201cWhat is he doing, Dharma Chandra? I haven\u2019t seen him in a long time. Do you know if he still sings? He has such a nice voice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRarely!\u201d said Mull, shaking his head and pursing his lips into frown. \u201cHe rarely sings. Where did his former gaiety go! It is as though he is a completely different person. All the same, he will soon return to India where he will have more fun! Presently all he can think of is finishing his last meal at the Inns of Court<\/a> and going back home.\u201d[59]<\/a><\/p>\n The Gordons and Svobodas got up to leave. \u201cI promise to bring \u201cThe Harem Dancer<\/em>,\u201d and \u201cLe Puit Dans le D\u00e9sert<\/em>,\u201d\u00a0next time,\u201d said Svoboda as he collected his photographs.<\/p>\n Mull turned to Verochka and Vera Petrovna. \u201cI would be delighted if you ladies could join us for a small f\u00eate tomorrow evening. After all, you love original spectacles, and tomorrow I have a national Indian evening. You will not see such a gathering anywhere! All of these gentlemen will be wearing their national costumes. The gentlemen will sing, dance their dances, and play their musical instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe would be delighted,\u201d said Vera Petrovna.<\/p>\n Mull then extended the request to Blavatsky, who was seeing off her guests. \u201cIt would be a pleasure to myself, and to all of my guests, if you should pay us a visit tomorrow evening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would be very glad, but I cannot promise,\u201d said Blavatsky, unsure of her health. \u201cWhat is the nature of the occasion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a farewell party for Mr. Russell and myself,\u201d said Mull. \u201cMany of the Indian students are returning home, and they have conspired to give us a farewell performance. They said that we could invite any outsiders we pleased. Mr. Russell also wanted to ask you. He will be reciting poetry. Dharma Chandra also promised to be there, and we will beg him to sing \u201cBrother<\/em>.\u201d Do you remember how he sang it to us under the lianas in a palm forest? It was spectacular\u2014a splendid time!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery happy time, indeed,\u201d said Blavatsky with a sigh.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n**<\/h1>\n** \u2190\u00a0<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2192<\/a><\/h1>\n***************************** ** *****************************\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n THE AGONISED WOMB OF CONSCIOUSNESS SECTIONS:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n INTRO: CHARLEY<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n I. WITCH TALES<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n II. CARELESS WHENCE COMES YOUR GOLD<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n III. THE TIMES ARE CHANGED<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n IV. DENIZEN OF ETERNITY<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n V. DOMOVOY<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n VI. WITH LOW AND NEVER LIFTED HEAD<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n VII. IMPERIAL GOTHIC<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n VIII. THE SERVANT OF THE QUEEN<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n IX. THE DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n X. INDO-GOTHIC YOGA<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n XI. INTENDED FROM ABOVE<\/a>.<\/p>\n XII. THE S\u00c9ANCE ON CHEYNE ROW<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n XIII. EVEN IN NEW ROOMS<\/a>.<\/p>\n XIV. RUSSIA\u2019S LEGENDARY LORE<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n [APPENDICES]\n<\/p> <\/a><\/p>\n A SWASTIKA WITHIN A CIRCLE<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n THE ENGLISH IN INDIA I<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n THE ENGLISH IN INDIA II<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n THE ENGLISH IN INDIA III<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n***************************** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** SOURCES:<\/p>\n ** *****************************\u00a0<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Descriptions about 17 Lansdowne are from: [Stead, W.T. \u201cA \u2018Perpetual Peacock\u2019 Story.\u201d The Pall Mall Gazette<\/em>. (London, England) October 8, 1889; \u201cA Visit To Madame Blavatsky.\u201d The Cincinnati Gazette<\/em>. (Cincinnati, Ohio) October 13, 1889; Judge, William Quan. \u201cHabitations Of H.P.B.\u201d The Path<\/em>. Vol. VII, No. 2. (May 1892): 36-39.]\n<\/p> [2]<\/a> \u201cThe Presidency Of Princeton College.\u201d The Ross-shire Journal<\/em> (Ross and Cromarty, Scotland) August 3, 1888.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. \u201cThe Babel of Modern Thought.\u201d Lucifer<\/em>. Vol. VII, No. 41. (January 15, 1891): 353-360.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Sanburn, Frederic (compiler.) A Delsartean Scrap-Book<\/em>. John W. Lovell Company. New York, New York (1890): Cover.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Descriptions of Russell are from: [Ariel. \u201cEdmund Russell.\u201d The Theatre Magazine<\/em>. Vol. VI, No. 6 (December 7, 1889): 124; Figaro. \u201cFigaro En Masque.\u201d Figaro<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 11 (May 14, 1891): 209-212; Lezinsky, David Lesser. \u201cDelsarteism.\u201d The Californian<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 2 (January 1893): 279-285.] Russell\u2019s reminiscences of Blavatsky and his involvement with the Theosophical Society are from: [Russell, Edmund. \u201cEdmund Russell On The Art Of Dress.\u201d The American Illustrated Magazine<\/em>. Vol. XXIX, No. 6 (June 1890): 737-738; Russell, Edmund. \u201cMme. Blavatsky.\u201d The St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/em>. (St. Louis, Missouri) May 13, 1891; Russell, Edmund. \u201cAs I Knew Her.\u201d The Herald Of The Star<\/em>. Vol. V, No. 5. (May 11, 1916): 197-205; Russell, Edmund. \u201cMore Recollections of Madame Blavatsky.\u201d The Herald Of The Star<\/em>. Vol. VI, No. 1. (January 1917): 17-21; Russell, Edmund. \u201cThe Secret Doctrine: Personal Recollections Of Madame Blavatsky.\u201d The Occult Review<\/em>. Vol. XXXI, No. 6. (June 1920): 332-340.]\n<\/p> [6]<\/a> Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at http:\/\/tsmembers.org\/. See book 1, entry 4672. (website file: 1B: 1885-1890) Edmund Russell. (Joined 11\/12\/88). [Edmund Russell, 10 Chepstow Place, Pembridge Square, joined Blavatsky Lodge.]\n<\/p> [7]<\/a> \u201cHunting Down The Mahatmas.\u201d The Sun<\/em>. (New York, New York,) November 25, 1894; Garrett, Fydell Edmund. Isis Very Much Unveiled<\/em>. Westminster Gazette Office. London, England. (1894): 39-40.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Stevens, Thomas. Through Russia On A Mustang<\/em>. Cassell Publishing Company. New York, New York. (1891): 293.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> \u201cHeartless Zoila\u201d was an insult used by H.P. Blavatsky. [Johnston, Vera (trans.) \u201cLetters Of H.P. Blavatsky Pt. XI.\u201d The Path<\/em>. Vol. X, No. 8 (November 1895): 235-240.]\n<\/p> [10]<\/a> Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine. Russian Identities: A Historical Survey<\/em>. Oxford University Press. Oxford, England. (2011): 28.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Speech delivered by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in honor of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin on 20 June 1880 at the unveiling of the Pushkin Monument in Moscow. Published August 1st, 1880.<\/p>\n [12]<\/a> \u201cAn American Oscar.\u201d The Pall Mall Gazette<\/em>. (London, England) February 4, 1886.<\/p>\n [13]<\/a> Zhelihovsky, Vera Petrovna. \u201cLetters From Abroad.\u201d Novorossiysk Telegraph<\/em>. No. 2789 (June 6, 1884); Page, Norman. An Oscar Wilde Chronology<\/em>. Springer. New York, New York. (1991): 28.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at http:\/\/tsmembers.org\/. See book 1, entry 153. (website file: 1A: 1875-1885) Capt. Richard F. Burton.<\/p>\n [15]<\/a> \u201cA Lady\u2019s London Letter.\u201d The Cheltenham Examiner<\/em>. (Gloucestershire, England.) July 7, 1886.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a> \u201cTheosophist Conclave.\u201d The New York Tribune<\/em>. (New York, New York) April 19, 1896.<\/p>\n [17]<\/a> [Alexander Falls Wright] Place: Westminster, London, England;<\/em> Collection: St James; -; Date Range: 1847-1853<\/em>; Film Number: 1042322; <\/em>{Elizabeth Adams]The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; General Register Office: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths Surrendered to the Non-Parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857;<\/em> Class Number: RG 5<\/em>; Piece Number: 146; <\/em>[Mary Ann Paine] Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538\u20131973<\/em> [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.Mary Ann Pain was married to William Salkeld Adams.<\/p>\n [18]<\/a> \u201cNotes By The Way.\u201d The Social Review<\/em>. (Dublin, Ireland) August 8, 1896.<\/p>\n [19]<\/a> \u201cFaces Of Friends: Claude Falls Wright.\u201d The Path.<\/em> Vol. VIII No. 11. (February 1894): 351-352.<\/p>\n [20]<\/a> Mitchell, Henry Bedinger. \u201cCharles Johnston.\u201d The Theosophical Quarterly<\/em>. Vol. XXIX, No. 3 (January 1932): 206-211.<\/p>\n [21]<\/a> \u201cThe Indian Civil Service.\u201d The Daily News<\/em>. (London, England) August 22, 1888.<\/p>\n [22]<\/a> \u201cTheosophist Conclave.\u201d The New York Tribune.<\/em> (New York , New York) April 19, 1896.<\/p>\n [23]<\/a> Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. Helena Blavatsky<\/em>. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, California. (2004): 1-23<\/p>\n [24]<\/a> Hiebert, Ray Eldon; Hiebert, Roselyn. Atomic Pioneers: From ancient Greece to the 19th Century<\/em>. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Division of Technical Information. Washington, D.C. (1975):\u00a025.<\/p>\n [25]<\/a> Neff, Mary K. Personal Memoirs of H.P. Blavatsky<\/em>. Rider & Company. London, England. (1937): 27-28.<\/p>\n [26]<\/a> Ralston, W. R.S. The Songs of the Russian People: As Illustrative of Slavonic Mythology and Russian Social Life<\/em>. Ellis & Green. London, England. (1872): 117.<\/p>\n [27]<\/a> Johnston, Charles.\u201cThe Poems Of W. B. Yeats.\u201d The North American Review<\/em>. Vol. CLXXXVII, No. 629 (April 1908): 614-618.<\/p>\n [28]<\/a> Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. \u201c\u2018Voice\u2019 From Beyond.\u201d Tiflis Bulletin.<\/em> (Tbilisi, Georgia) September 13, 1878.<\/p>\n [29]<\/a> Hovey, Henrietta. Yawning<\/em>. John W. Lovell Company. New York, New York. (1891): 171-172.<\/p>\n [30]<\/a> Yeats, William Butler. Letters To Katharine Tynan<\/em>. McMullen Books, Inc. New York, New York (1953): 119; Yeats, William Butler. The Collected Letters Of W.B. Yeats: Vol. I 1865-1895<\/em>. Edited by John Kelly and Eric Domville. Clarendon Press. Oxford, England. (1986): 212.<\/p>\n [31]<\/a> Racovita, Elena (von D\u00f6nniges.) Princess Helene Von Racowitza: An Autobiography<\/em>. The Macmillan Company. New York, New York (1911): 352.<\/p>\n [32]<\/a> Zhelikhovsky, Vera Petrovna. \u201cAt The London Theosophical Circle.\u201d [Bakhmut Roerich Society<\/a>.]\n<\/p> [33]<\/a> Tanner, Beatrice Rose Stella. (Mrs. Patrick Campbell.) My Life And Some Letters<\/em>. Dodd, Mead And Company. New York, New York. (1922): 7, 342; [Marianne Blanche Tricon Svoboda] Archives D\u00e9partementales De La Somme; Amiens, France; Etat Civil 1793-1912.<\/em><\/p>\n [34]<\/a> Lowe, Charles. Four National Exhibitions In London<\/em>. T. Fisher Unwin. London, England. (1892): 163. [Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at http:\/\/tsmembers.org\/. See book 1, entry 3459. (website file: 1B:1885-1890) Michele Tedesco. (9\/30\/1885); Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at http:\/\/tsmembers.org\/. See book 1, entry 3460. (website file: 1B:1885-1890) Julia Hoffman Tedesco. (9\/30\/1885.)]\n<\/p> [35]<\/a> \u201cEdmund Russell Abroad.\u201d The Tribune<\/em>. (Holton, Kansas.) November 22, 1890.<\/p>\n [36]<\/a> Johnston, Vera Vladimirovna. \u201cFrom the Letters of Vera Vladimirovna Johnston.\u201d [October 25, 1891 entry.]\n<\/p> [37]<\/a> \u201cView of the triple-headed bust of Shiva (also known as the Mahesvara, the Mahesa-murti and the Sadashiva), Main Shrine, Cave No. 1 (also known as the Mahadeva Temple, the Shiva Cave and the Great Cave), Elephanta Caves, Elephanta Island, India.\u201d (c\/o Canadian Centre for Architecture<\/a>.)<\/p>\n [38]<\/a> \u201cInterior view of the Main Shrine showing the Linga Shrine, Cave No. 1 (also known as the Mahadeva Temple, the Shiva Cave and the Great Cave), Elephanta Caves, Elephanta Island, India.\u201d (c\/o Canadian Centre for Architecture<\/a>.)<\/p>\n [39]<\/a> Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna; Johnston, Vera (tr.) From The Caves And Jungles Of Hindostan<\/em>. Theosophical Publishing society. London England (1892): iii, 72-73.<\/p>\n [40]<\/a> \u201cReviews: Emendations Of Hamlet.\u201d Lucifer.<\/em> Vol. III, No. 12 (August 15, 1888): 487-490; Mull, M. \u201cThe Emendations Of Hamlet.\u201d Lucifer<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 13 (September 15, 1888): 73-74; \u201cReviews: Emendations Of Paradise Lost.\u201d Lucifer<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 14 (October 15, 1888): 152-156.<\/p>\n [41]<\/a> \u201cThe Death Of Mr. Matthias Mull.\u201d The Hendon & Finchley Times<\/em>. (London, England) October 6, 1893; \u201cSixty Years Of The \u2018Times Of India.'\u201d The Calcutta Review<\/em>. Vol. CVIII, No. 215 (January 1899): 86-104.<\/p>\n [42]<\/a> [Mull\u2019s House.] The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12<\/em>; Piece: 25<\/em>; Folio: 154<\/em>; Page: 16<\/em>; GSU roll: 6095135<\/em>.; [Sarah Ann Mull] Ancestry.com. India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947<\/em> [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.<\/p>\n [43]<\/a> The description and dialogue of Mull\u2019s visit can be found in: Zhelikhovsky, Vera Petrovna. \u201cTwo Evenings With London Hindus: Pt. I.\u201d Novosti I Birzhevaya Gazeta<\/em>. No. 231 (August 23, 1889); Zhelikhovsky, Vera Petrovna. \u201cTwo Evenings With London Hindus: Pt. II.\u201d Novosti I Birzhevaya<\/em>. No. 237 (August 29, 1889); Zhelikhovsky, Vera Petrovna. \u201cTwo Evenings With London Hindus: Pt. III.\u201d Novosti I Birzhevaya<\/em>. No. 247 (September 3, 1889.)<\/p>\n [44]<\/a> \u201cOccasional Notes.\u201d The Englishman\u2019s Overland Mail<\/em>. (London, England.) August 25, 1888; \u201cThe President\u2019s Tour.\u201d Supplement To The Theosophist<\/em>. Vol. X, No. 1 (October 1888): xvii-xviii.<\/p>\n [45]<\/a> Vera Petrovna does not record what exactly Blavatsky said re: atheism, but does state that it was antagonistic. The dialogue used in this comes from a conversation along similar lines which she had with Rangampalli Jagannathiah. [Jagannathiah, Rangampalli. \u201cThe Great Teacher H.P.B. As I Saw Her.\u201d The Adyar Bulletin<\/em>. (May 1909.)] Jagannathiah, Rangampalli. \u201cThe Great Teacher H.P.B. As I Saw Her.\u201d The Adyar Bulletin<\/em>. (May 1909.)<\/p>\n [46]<\/a> Cooper, Laura M. \u201cHow She Left Us.\u201d Lucifer<\/em>. Vol. VIII, No. 46. (June 15, 1891): 267- 271.<\/p>\n [47]<\/a> Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. The Key to Theosophy<\/em>. The Theosophical Publishing Company. New York, New York. (1896): 244-249.<\/p>\n [48]<\/a> Spiro, Dimolianis. Jack the Ripper and Black Magic, Victorian Conspiracy Theories, Secret Societies and the Supernatural Mystique of the Whitechapel Murders<\/em>. McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. Jefferson, North Carolina. (2011): 98-113.<\/p>\n [49]<\/a> Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna.\u00a0 Isis Unveiled: Vol. I.\u00a0 <\/em>J.W. Bouton. New York, New York. (1877): 319.<\/p>\n [50]<\/a> Caldwell, Daniel. The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky<\/em>. Quest Books. Wheaton, Illinois. (2000): 174-178.<\/p>\n [51]<\/a> Buckland, C.E. Bengal Under The Lieutenant-Governors Vol. II<\/em>. S.K. Lahiri & Co. Calcutta, India. (1901): 857-862; Johnston, Charles. \u201cKandi Subdivision: Helping To Govern India.\u201d The Atlantic Monthly.<\/em> Vol. 109, No. 2 (February 1912): 265-273<\/p>\n [52]<\/a> See: [Jinarajadasa, C. H.P.B. Speaks: Vol. II<\/em>. Theosophical Publishing House. Adyar, India:, (1986): 62.]\n<\/p> [53]<\/a> Ryan, Hugh. When Brooklyn Was Queer<\/em>. St. Martin\u2019s Publishing Group. New York, New York. (2019): 65-66.<\/p>\n [54]<\/a> \u201cA Russian Nobleman\u2019s Trouble.\u201d The Memphis Avalanche<\/em>. (Memphis, Tennessee) February 2, 1888; Casal, Mary. Stone Wall: An Autobiography<\/em>. Eyncourt Press. Chicago, Illinois. (1930): 178-180; Crowley, Aleister. [Edited by Kenneth Grant & John Symonds.] The Confessions of Aleister Crowley<\/em>. Arkana\/Penguin. London, England. (1988): 690-692; Harris, Melvin. The True Face Of Jack The Ripper<\/em>. Michael O\u2019Mara Books Limited. London, England. (1994): 46-47; Ryan, Hugh. When Brooklyn Was Queer<\/em>. St. Martin\u2019s Publishing Group. New York, New York. (2019): 65-66.<\/p>\n [55]<\/a> Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at http:\/\/tsmembers.org\/. See book 1, entry 4297. (website file: 1B:1885-1890) Vittoria Cremers. (12\/24\/1887.)<\/p>\n [56]<\/a> \u201cPersonal Intelligence.\u201d The Indian Magazine<\/em>. No. 218. (January 1889): 56.<\/p>\n [57]<\/a> Buckley, Edmund. \u201cOn The Need Of Systematic Study Of Religion.\u201d The Biblical World<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 1 (January 1894): 119-127.<\/p>\n [58]<\/a> Boustead ultimately abandoned the \u201cBuddha Brand\u201d marketing which involved an image of Buddha. This was done at the request of the Buddhist Defence Committee of Ceylon, and organization established by Olcott in 1884. [Buckley, Edmund. \u201cOn The Need Of Systematic Study Of Religion.\u201d The Biblical World<\/em>. Vol. III, No. 1 (January 1894): 119-127; Olcott, Henry Steel. \u201cOld Diary Leaves: Second Oriental Series, Chapter XXV.\u201d The Theosophist<\/em>. Vol. XX, No. 8. (May 1899): 449-460.]\n<\/p> [59]<\/a> The Compendium of English and Scotch Law<\/em> states: Barristers-at-law must have been entered as members of one of the four Inns of Court, viz., the Inner Temple<\/em>, the Middle Temple<\/em>, Lincoln\u2019s Inn<\/em>, Gray\u2019s Inn<\/em>. The student must keep his terms, i.e<\/em>., eat a certain number of dinners in the hall of his inn at certain times and seasons during twelve terms, there being four terms in each year, and he must attend certain lectures on legal subjects, or produce some evidence of professional studies, and it is now also compulsory upon him before admission to undergo an examination as to general learning, unless he is a graduate of a British university. When the twelve terms have been duly kept, a petition is presented to the benchers, who have the exclusive management of the inn, for leave to be called to the bar, and on payment of the fees and stamp duties, etc., the student is admitted and takes the oaths of the office. [Paterson, James. A Compendium of English and Scotch Law<\/em>. Adam And Charles Black. Edinburgh, Scotland. (1865): 425]; Gandhi, M.K. The Story Of My Experiments With Truth<\/em>. Navajivan Press. Ahmedabad, India. (1927): 169.<\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DOMOVOY V. \u2e3b Blavatsky sat at her desk facing a large window looking which looked into the green leafy trees of Holland Park. Before her, and all around her, were heaps of papers, pamphlets, books, manuscripts, and a small bible for reference.[1] She knew her Bible well, though to her it was only one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4831,"featured_media":4797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9,52,1902,18,12,681],"class_list":["post-3843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blavatsky","tag-charles-johnston","tag-domovoy","tag-esotericism","tag-theosophy","tag-w-b-yeats"],"yoast_head":"\nDomovoy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"DOMOVOY V. \u2e3b Blavatsky sat at her desk facing a large window looking which looked into the green leafy trees of Holland Park. 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Higgins","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67fbb05a812133232bf6da4ddef01944?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67fbb05a812133232bf6da4ddef01944?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Shawn F. Higgins"},"description":"Shawn F. Higgins is an independent scholar and historian specializing in nineteenth-century esoteric and religious movements, and a leading expert in the history of the Theosophical Society and its American development. With an undergraduate degree in History of Religion from the New School University and an MTs degree in Religion, Literature, and Culture from Harvard Divinity School, his published academic work includes contributions to Theosophical History and Dewey Studies, alongside critical editions, archival recoveries, and studies of key figures and regional histories within early Theosophy. As a longtime contributor to Patheos, he has developed a substantial archive examining the intersections of mysticism, philosophy, literature, reform, and occult currents in the Gilded Age and surrounding decades.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thegothamtheosophist\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/shawn-higgins-193840253\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/@ColdCocinar"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/author\/shiggins\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4831"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} " " "