THEOSOPHY IN INDIA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1212, 22 August 1911, Page 8

THEOSOPHY IN INDIA.

A'CRITIC A XI) A REPLY. (By Telegraph— Special CorreSDonflent.l Auckland, August.2l. In the course of an address 011 Theosophy at the Y.M.C.A. on Sunday afternoon the Rev. W. Powell, of South India, advanced reasons' why he could not embrace that faith. He explained that he lwd spent nearly twe.yty:fivo,,years, pf his. life in India and specially amongst' the lepers of South India. "Theosophy," ho continued, 'has. its headquarters seven miles outside the city of Madras, and lirs. Bcsant, v who hap held manv varying beliefs dunug her life, is now'looked upon as the. high priestess of the cult., I have .heard her state that three foundation principles ot theosophy were the {Mfcfethooit 01 <;>,??• the brotiicrboil of man, and the nobility of service lor mankind, lliese aie beautiful ideals, but they are not practised bv the Theosophists in India. fheosophy tolerates the practice of caste, that great, evil ivhioli is paramount in the. hindrance of progress among the millions 'if Inula. It not' onlv tolerated, but encouraged c.a=to, allowing those of the lowest class to suffer and perish at the expense ot tho*e more highly favoured. Ihcosophy Iras done nothing to improve the condition of the 10,(100.000 women in the zenanas of India, allowing tlicm to live shut up in st|ualour, filth, and disease la habitations not fit tor cattle, whilst the men of tlic household live 111 sumptuous maufiotis' surrounded by every luxury. Theosophv has done nothing to ameliorate tho condition of the 25,000,000. young widow"* in India, who, although in tne great, niaioritv of cases but mere children, never having known wifehood because of Ino death of their husbands, were with a curso and treated with shameless indignities. Thooiopby allcws without protest obscene images and' pictures to bo retained in , the temples. Tt uas done nothing to alleviate the 7,000,000 lepers ot Inda, the outcasts of all society." At tho Theosophioul Society s llall last evening the Rev. W. Powell's objections to Thecsophy were discussed and it was pointed out tliat the society, as a society, inculcates ideals generally, and leaves its individual members free to express thesf in their own way. It was stated that it« work is not to interfere with effects, but to deal.with fundamental principles. To associate Hinduism with the Thooso-phic-al Society was a mistake, as the latter was no more responsible for the abuses of Hinduism than those of Christianity. Its members have inaugurated and maintain a. number of free schools for the outcasts of India, whlie in its central Hindu College 110 married youths are admitted, and the same applies to tho girls in Hindu colleges. In Ceylon alono the result of tlieosophical activity has been the building of between 200 and 300 schools. In India its membership is only <1000, with a population of 300,000,000.