desires the opportunity to accompany us on our journey, the Society must of necessity retain the right to drop those who pull against its course and who oppose its aims".

"It should not be forgotten", interjected the Scientist, "that a nucleus is formed by a process of elimination as well as by accretion. These English members seem to have paid no attention to the word 'nucleus', or to its significance, but seem, instead, to have been carried away by the idea of a meaningless, purposeless, characterless conglomerate of human beings, the sole function of which is to carry a banner labelled Brotherhood. You would not wish me to contribute a dissertation on the subject of nuclei, but it would be well at least to remember that a structural difference between the nucleus and the rest of the cell-protoplasm is indicated by its greater resistance to powerful reagents, and that a nucleus is composed of (1) a nuclear membrane, (2) nuclear network, and (3) nucleoplasm, and containing nucleoli, which are the nucleus of a nucleus. That a true nucleus controls the character and function of the cell, is vital, as I see it, to our entire discussion. The Theosophical Society owes it to its Founders and to mankind, to prevent the use of its forces for purposes which are antagonistic to its own".

"That even one of the English members should have failed England is profoundly to be regretted", said the Engineer. "England did so splendidly during the war, that her moral collapse, due to reaction, is more tragic than all the deaths of her bravest. She needs help sorely, and she deserves it. Apart from the hosts of her dead, who have won age-long blessings for her, she ought to have found in the British branch of The Theosophical Society, her guiding 'nucleus' and strongest spiritual impulse. More than that, she ought to have found intellectual clarity and sure grasp of principle".

"There is, I think, yet another way of approaching this subject", the Scholar suggested finally; "and while our discussion, so far, should remove the haze which in many minds still surrounds it, we must remember that, while it seemed to have been thrashed out at the general Convention in New York, the result, in England, proved that enough had not been said.

"I can imagine that a superficial student of Theosophy might argue that because 'all souls are identical with the Oversoul', therefore Brotherhood is a fact in nature. Consequently, the function of The Theosophical Society is simply to recognize that fact. Consequently, all who recognize Brotherhood as a fact, or who say they do, are worthy of membership in the Society.

"The fallacies packed into such a chain of reasoning are innumerable. First, not all men have souls. Second, while a Brotherhood of souls already exists in the spiritual world, it does not follow, unfortunately, that it already exists in this world. We know, on the contrary, that the very opposite of Brotherhood exists, for there are many who fight consciously against the purposes of the soul, and there are

many more who fight against those purposes unconsciously. Third, instead of the function of The Theosophical Society being simply to recognize an existing order, its function is to educate its members into a realization, not only in understanding but in action, of a spiritual truth, and thus to introduce into this world, or to make manifest in this world, an ideal as a reality. Fourth, to be a worthy member of the Society involves much more than the intellectual and theoretical acceptance of a belief in Brotherhood.

"Suppose, for instance, that a man joins the Society, stating that he believes in the principle of Brotherhood. Suppose that he then commits a murder, or several murders, and that he advocates murder,— perhaps on the ground that people are in his way, and that, as they are happier in heaven, his understanding of brotherhood obliges him to send them there. Question: Would such a man be a worthy member of the Society, or would it be the duty of the Society to expel him?

"Suppose that another man, who says he is devoted to the cause of Brotherhood, does not actually commit murder, but admires the man who does; avowedly approves the first man's reasons for 'sending people to heaven', and declares that any condemnation of murder is unbrotherly and untheosophical. Is he worthy of membership in the Society, or ought he to be expelled?

"Suppose, now, that a man is in no sense a murderer, but is either incapable of seeing a moral principle, so that murder leaves him indifferent, or has wilfully closed his eyes because of personal or racial prejudice, refusing to see murder as murder, and condoning crime by phrases such as, 'Why make such a fuss?' 'Don't be disagreeable', 'Don't be vindictive', 'We must be brotherly'. Speaking for myself, I have more respect for the man who murders, than for the man who thus condones crime, or the condoners of crime, under a cloak of charity and brotherhood. When, in addition, the cloak of Theosophy is used, I feel that not only the Society itself is dishonored, but that every member is compromised, and is entitled, therefore, to such protection and vindication as the Executive Committee is in a position to afford. The offender has a perfect right, of course, to declare that his 'charity' is the only genuine expression of Theosophy. In nearly every case, that is exactly what he does declare. But if his so-called charity is discreditable to the Society, discreditable to its Founders, and discreditable to its members; if his charity is a caricature of Theosophy and brings its ideals into contempt, then, in my opinion, it is grossly unfair to all concerned that they,—and, above all, Theosophy itself,—should be obliged to suffer for his self-gratification. To pretend that freedom of speech requires it, is to confuse freedom with license, and license, actually, is just what such people mean when they talk about freedom. They forget that freedom is impossible without law and order, and without a large element, also, of that sort of decency which leads a man to retire from an association (in this case, The Theosophical Society as last assembled in

Convention) with which he finds himself completely out of harmony." "Might we not add", asked the Student, "when it is intimated that his presence has become offensive'?"

"One more question," the Student added: "What did this meeting of English members at Newcastle represent?"

"It was a meeting, or convention," said the Ancient, "of the British national branch of The Theosophical Society. It is a branch of the parent Society. If there were a branch in Chicago with as many members as there are in England, both the Chicago branch and the British national branch would be entitled to the same number of delegates, and of votes, at the annual Convention of The Theosophical Society, such as was held in New York last April. All branches are represented, either in person or by proxy, at such Conventions, and it is only then, and in that way, that the Society can express itself. At the last Convention, the Society did express itself, unanimously and emphatically. All that has happened is that a few English members— very few, I believe-declare themselves, and are declared, to be radically alien to the Society as a whole." T.

As a strong antiseptic prevents the growth of the germs of disease, so suffering checks the taint of base and selfish feelings, which so easily insinuate themselves into our hearts, and impair the purity of our motives and intentions. Suffering chastens the soul and its aspirations, the mind and its views, the heart and its affections. Whatever tends to free us from selfish motives must help to increase the merit of our thoughts, words, and actions. Suffering increases merit by insuring not only greater purity, but also greater earnestness of motive. It has a bracing influence upon the will, and gives tone and vigour to its exercise. Difficulties and sufferings bring out manliness, and strength of will, and nobility of soul. They are earnestness of purpose. They are an unmistakable test of solid virtue. There is beauty and merit in each least aspiration of virtue breathed on the playful wing of joy, but there is greater and more solid merit in the depth and vigour of determination evinced in the practice of virtue under difficulties, temptations and trials. There is no trial, temptation, or suffering which cannot be turned into a blessing by the will of a conscious sufferer.-GOD AND HUMAN Suffering.

DEAR

July 14th, 1912.

I also take for granted that you devote at least half an hour daily to meditation and to self-examination. This is absolutely essential, for it is during this period that we really grow, that we get the sustenance that is necessary for growth. While it is hard to keep this rule fully and conscientiously, you will learn to look forward to this time as the best part of each day. There is no limit to our organization. Even the oldest members, the member who has made the most progress, and many have made very great progress indeed, tell us that the way opens up beyond in an unlimited vista of further heights to be scaled, with those standing by who have scaled these further heights, and who stand ready to do everything they can to help.

So make your own ideal high. "Hitch your wagon to a star." We cannot hope to reach our goal at once, but at least let us have a great goal and not a little one. There is no limit to the progress which you can make in just the circumstances that you are in. You may feel that it is not so, and that if you had more leisure, or did not have to work so hard, or could read and study more, or if circumstances were different in some way or other, you could go further and faster; but it is not so. It is just the circumstances which we are in that are the very best possible for us, and which will produce the conditions we need to surmount and to conquer, so bringing out the new qualities which we need.

Of course it is hard, but we are trying to do a great thing, nothing less than to anticipate by scores of thousands of years the general evolution of the rest of humanity. We must force ourselves ahead, because the soul calls us, the Masters call, and are waiting for us to grow, so that we can help them help others. It is a great task which we have ahead of us, and it has its great rewards.

I shall be glad to hear from you frequently, and to try to answer any questions which you may want to ask.

Fraternally,

C. A. GRISCOM.

DEAR

October 15th, 1912.

Your letter came while I was in Europe; I returned a week ago, and am taking the first opportunity to thank you for your letter and for the straightforward way in which you have written. That is most necessary if this correspondence is to be really helpful to you as I earnestly desire.

Answering first your question about meditation, for that is the most important subject for us all to understand. Yes, I think it is very desirable to select some one hour for meditation, and to keep the time zealously for it, allowing nothing but an urgent duty to interfere with the half hour or more given to it. There are several reasons for this counsel; for one, we thus take advantage of the law of habit, or to put it in a different way, the law of periodicity. In this connection, one of our members recently cited experiments in which large masses of metal were moved by finger pressure constantly and rhythmically applied. Think this out and you will see how it applies.

Most of us have found that it is more important to choose an hour that can be kept every day, than to consider whether it shall be early or late. In many ways the early morning hours are the most favourable for people who are living outwardly in the whirl of things, for in the early morning the cares and distractions of the day are less in our thoughts, our minds are not so distinctly dominant. .. Our private meditations should spring out of our lives, should in fact be our lives. Too many times we are inclined to think of meditation as a formal exercise to be gone through with because we are told to do it, just as listless children may go through an exercise in calisthenics and get no good from it. We are told that we get our real knowledge through meditation; so evidently one fruitful subject for meditation will be the thing or things that we truly want to know.

There are many steps to be taken before we reach meditation as the Great Ones know it, and they have to be passed one by one. With our Western habits of thought, it is often easier to learn to pray than to learn to meditate; both lead in the end to the same goal. Why not try the experiment of giving the first part of every meditation period to prayer? Pray to the Master, imagine that he is near you (for it is only in your imagination that he is far away from you!), tell him very simply about your desire to draw close to him, ask his guidance in any problems that you have to meet, resign your will absolutely to him, longing only to find out his way that you may do it. Then try to centre your heart on him, compel your mind to keep still, and instead of talking to him, "meditate" on him. This is only one of many ways; but try it and let me know whether you find any help in it.

As you study, the light will come; here a little, there a little. Unless you have a considerable amount of time to give to study, I think you would do better to reserve the reading of the Secret Doctrine until later. It contains an enormous mass of very valuable material, which is to be had by mining, as one digs information out of an encyclopædia; but you do not appear to need that kind of reading at present.

Now about "practical work"; that is a most sacred obligation, and chances to meet it will come, as you look for them. Many of our members are actively engaged in church work, not talking Theosophy