THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1908. TEACHING THE NATURAL LIFE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3008, 3 October 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1908. TEACHING THE NATURAL LIFE.

There is probably no more remarkable institution in the world than the Raja Yoga Academy at Point Loma, California. It is the headquarters of the Universal Brotherhood' and Theosophical Society, and carries on its work on a phenomenally large scale, and, it is claimed, with an equally phenomenal decree of success. Its founders believe that it is destined to prove "a temple of living light, lighting up the dark places of the earth." Its pupils will learn to Ijve in harmony with nature, and thus" realise t v e object of their being. They will be taught the laws of physical life, and the laws of physical, moral, and mental health and spiritual unfoldment. They will grow strong in an understanding of themselves, and as they gain strength they will learn to use it for the good of the whole world. The fundamental aim is to inculcate a general spirit of universal brotherhood, and to subserve this end the pupils are resident and grouped in companies whose curriculum includes instruction in callisthenics, music, and many

methods of drill by no means common in the ordinary school, but well calculated to produce harmony of movement. A higher home life is called for so that the children may have examples of right action to guide them. A recent visitor to the Mecca of this remarkable movement has given us (says the "Weekly Scotsman") some of his impressions of the place, its work, and its founder. Some eight or ten years ago, he says, Mrs Tingley, who had spent much of her life in working for the benefit of suffering and oppressed humanity, aiding unfortunate women, and helping those in and out of prison I to better lives, conceived the idea of tounding a world headquarters for the Theosophical organisation, and to that end succeeded in raising money for the purchase of several hundred acres on the promontory that separates the Bay of San Diego from the Pacific Ocean. Splendid buildii.gs were erected at the highest point. There are various other buildings, all comprising a vast community peopled by more than 1,000 souls. In the sensd that it is an experiment in Socialism, Quakerism, Communism, or anything of a similar nature, the Theosophic humestaad is not a "community," but the central office of an international organisation where the business of the same is carried on and where the teachings of theosophy are demonstrated. Nearly two hundred children were observed in the auditorium of the Academy. The girls wore simple gowns of creamy white, white stockings, and delicate sandals, and tfye head of each was adorned with/a wreath of pretty flowers; each wore her hair "down," and in the larger girls the effect was one of noticeable beauty. The male pupils wore woollen khaki suits, leggings, and black shoes—military in every respect, each one, no difference whether child or youth, looking every part the soldier. The visitors all noted and remarked the look of composure on each pupil's face. The charm of aweet innocence rested in every countenance; not a line as of pain, sin, disease, perverted conscience or evil thought. There was the bronzed look of health on every cheek and vigour-in every body.- A boys' band and orchestra of some thirty or forty pieces played with perfect skill a number of the classic overtures, and one selection had been composed by one of the talented pupils. Sixteen tot 3 of from seven to nine years did a figure dance that was perfect in every detail, and, responding to a deafening encore, performed a Maypole d<ance that puzzled the observers but seemed entirely too easy for the liittle ones, who missed not a single step in the fifteen minutes of tripping through the maze of figures. Five two-year-olds sang, and one of them was called before a map on the stage and given a poirter, with which he did many remarkable feats, pointing out almost any country or river his teacher in geography mentioned. Girls from eight to eleven read from the dead languages, and translated perfectly. The visitors were all amazed at some wonderful demonstrations in mental arithmetic. Little girls between eight and twelve, fifteen or twenty of them in a class performed feats that would put an expert accountant or even an up-to-date computing machine to shame. The teacher would suddenly fire off a problem something like this:--"37 times 8, times 9, divided by 21, times 46, square, cube root, subtract 19, subtract 5 times 29 what?" If there could be a possible to the combination here proposed, no less thai: half of the members of the class would immediately have raised their hands and have been ready to give it; occasionally one of them would have it wrong, whereupon the others would shoot up their hands, and when called upon, give the correct answer. There were many other feats of mental skill that the young people performed. A suspicion was suggested to Mrs Tingley, that, while the evidences the children gave of expertness spoke volumes for the methods employed, only those specially prepared were called up in; whereupon she speaker tof select anyone from among the pupils for any kind of a test he might wish, .so with his love for the beautiful governing him, he called upon a very charming dark-haired ::iiss of sixteen years, whom they were told was a native of Cuba; he asked her to make a speech, and gave her as a subject "The Progress of Cuba." The young girl, perfectly self-pos-aessed, looked to the floor for half a minute in deepest thought, and then, with a smile, greeted her audience, and for ten minutes talked about the advancement of Cuba since the American invasion of a decade ago; of the schools; the higher thought and of the happiness that has come to all Cuba with the introduction of American ideas and American intelligence. There was a test! One that satisfied the most sceptical listener that even the children taught under the Theosophical system of training won become superior in intellect to moat men and women.