“THE HELPERS OF MANKIND.”

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 1026, 20 October 1903, Page 3

“THE HELPERS OF MANKIND.”

Miss Lilian Edger gave her second locture on theosophy in the Theatre Royal last evening to a somewhat moagre but earnest audience. The subject was “ The Helpers of Mankind.” Miss Edger prefaced her remarks by an account of the legends which have been discovered in dif* ferent races having do connection with one another, such as tho Mexicans and the ancient Greeks, legends bearing the same account of tho Great Ones, Divine Teachers, who have come to help mankind from time to time. These Great Teachers have all taught the same truth of the evolution of man’s soul through life after life towards tho Supreme, the unity with the Father of all things. The teachings all reveal reincarnation as the basis of life. If people to day caonot accept it at once, by taking it as a working hypothesis they find that it has tho most beautiful solution of the system of existence ever given to man. Man does

not find out his imperfection until ho has desires to help fellows. His imperfections crowd upon him as he begins to live the lifo of help. Tho great ones who have transcended human limitations, and who bavo realised that oneneßs with God, have from timo to time lived amoDg men to show the beauty and glory of God. It is only becauso tho world is so material that the great teachers do not appear to-day to the multitude; they would again bo despised and rejected as of old. They help humanity on a highor plane of existence. Modern science has now proved that our consciousness is always more at any given moment than we actually express in thought, and modern psychologists, as Professor James in his “Varieties of Religious Experience," talks of the sub-consciousness being impressed by unseen agencies unknown and not sensed by the ordinary consciousness. The subtler currents of thought do not affect us amid the hubbub and roar of daily life; these escape our notice. But in the case of the inspiratiou of genius wo find much evidence of the invisible helpers of man. Inventors offen say with Edison, who, when puzzled over a problem bavo, when not thinking of it, suddenly received a flash of thought whioh has illumined and solved their difficulty. Humanity is being constantly watched and guided—we know of the King Rama who represents to man the ideal of rulerßhip, the East Teaoher, Shri Krishna, who radiatod joy to tho Eastern World, of the love manifested through Jesus tho Christ of the West — the same God revealing himself through different toachers. We find one form used for the love of God to manifest in the East, another in the West. To us in the West the teachings of Jesus of Nazaroth are for us to follow. We see in Jesus tho ideal of perfection —the man who has evolved through human limitations to divinity, and wo see in Jesus the manifestation of God, and see in Him as much of God as we can comprehend. Tho Christian Teacher taught purification first, or tho preparation for service, and then the

life of sorviee. The great sacrifice of Christ was to bo viewed, not for the death, but for the life. Death would be no trial to the Christ: but tho real trial made by all the teaehors was the leaving tho presence of tho Father, to come down to live among men in order to help them to tako the way they have taken. Miss Edger will be glad to receive inquiries at Mrs Siovwright’s this afternoon, and at Mr Townloy’sHall in the evening.