was Movement. While he rivaled Michel Angelo in form, Titian and
Giorgione in color, and Raphael in composition, his greatest efforts
were concentrated upon the true rendering of life and action. His
brilliant effects of light and shade, for which he was particularly
noted, were skilfully used to emphasize the impression of vital energy
which he felt to be the principal object of the true painter's art.
Dr. Sirén has most carefully weighed the evidence concerning the rival
claims of the two or three replicas of the _Virgin among the Rocks_,
one of which is in London and the others in Paris and Copenhagen,
and he conclusively establishes the authenticity of the one in the
Louvre, Paris. That one, the famous _Vierge aux Rochers_, is by far
the most satisfactory in composition, and the faces and figures of the
children are much more beautiful than those of the others. The one in
the National Gallery, London, is by Ambrogio Preda, who was a close
imitator of Leonardo. The figures have nimbuses in that one, but not in
Leonardo's. Dr. Sirén illustrates his argument with a large number of
plates.
With respect to _The Last Supper_ at Milan, it is satisfactory to learn
that Professor Cavenaghi, who has just finished a long and extremely
careful scientific examination of the work, has proved that it is far
better preserved than was believed. It turns out that very little
indeed has been repainted; the heads are quite untouched, and though
greatly damaged and obscured in places, we really are able to look at
the actual work of the master. This has been a great surprise to the
artistic world.
The third part of the book deals with Leonardo's personality, and
several good portraits of him are given. It is to be regretted that
there is not one surviving that was taken when he was young, for it
is related of him that he was almost divinely beautiful. In his old
age his countenance is very impressive. Dr. Sirén discusses the moot
question of Leonardo's alleged visit to Oriental countries, and he
throws the weight of his opinion in favor of the journey. Certainly
it is difficult to see how Leonardo could have given such accurate
descriptions unless he had been to the places and undergone certain
experiences. There are many gaps in his life which are yet unfilled by
reliable evidence. When one reflects upon the extraordinary character
and knowledge of the great man it seems not unlikely that he spent some
time in the East receiving instruction which it was impossible to get
in Europe.
The fourth part consists of a translation into Swedish of his _Treatise
on Painting_, and it gives, as Dr. Sirén says:
a glimpse of a section through a soul-life filled with all that is
possible or thinkable for a human being, of observation of nature, of
experience of the world, of search for truth, and passion for beauty.
One lays the treatise down with the grateful and humble feeling that
one has stood before one of the greatest of our race, has met his eye
and heard him speak.
We may learn almost more about him from this work and from his sketches
than from his pictures, for as Dr. Sirén says:
What Leonardo painted and carved constitutes only a small part of his
creative activity, a fragment of that great soul's universality....
Many of his designed works never reached expression ... others were
left half done, and those which were carried out, have, moreover, in
no small degree, had the misfortune to be destroyed or corroded and
defaced by time. Many of Leonardo's most important works which are
spoken of by the old writers, seem to have disappeared without leaving
a trace. The great work of his prime, _The Last Supper_, is little
more than a shadow of what it once was, and the powerful monumental
composition of his old age, _The Battle of the Standard_, was only
carried out in paint to a partial degree, and now can only be studied
through imperfect copies. The stately equestrian statues which truly
denoted the culminating point of that branch of art did not reach
final material expression either, and only live in rough sketches and
sundry imitations, while of the noble architectural projects for domed
cathedrals, for mausoleums and palaces, for entire towns, not even one
has come to anything.... The art historian has to trust to preparatory
studies, to copies or imitations, to reports, in order to get an idea
of the appearance and quality of the works of the master.... For
analysis we have to lean on sketches when the finished work fails us.
It cannot indeed be denied that herein lies a deplorable limitation
and a special difficulty in the way of popularizing his work, but
perhaps the limitation is not so great as many are inclined to assume.
A great musical composer's preludes and fantasias may contain the
beautiful motives of the entire symphony, even if the instrumentation
is incomplete and the execution imperfect.... Leonardo has been placed
before us as an ideal man, because his life and work are stamped by
a sovereign balance which in our time is so greatly coveted and so
rarely obtained.
To the degree that the author has succeeded in letting Leonardo
express himself, free from all fanciful embellishments and arbitrary
hypotheses--speaking to the reader through his own words and art--he
will consider his mission fulfilled and his work to possess something
more than temporary value.
There is no doubt that Dr. Sirén has done this and more than this,
and we must heartily congratulate him upon the production of a most
valuable contribution to the literature of art. It may interest our
readers to know that engrossed as he is in his labors for the cause of
the higher intellectual education, Dr. Sirén is able to find time to
work strenuously for the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society
of which he is a very active member.
Note. Just as this is going to press the startling news has arrived
that Leonardo's great masterpiece, the so-called _Mona Lisa_, has been
stolen from the Louvre, an almost unprecedented event. Its recovery
will be anxiously awaited by the whole art-loving world of the two
continents.
The Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society
Founded at New York City in 1875 by H. P. Blavatsky, William Q. Judge
and others
Reorganized in 1898 by Katherine Tingley
Central Office, Point Loma, California
The Headquarters of the Society at Point Loma with the buildings and
grounds, are no "Community" "Settlement" or "Colony." They form no
experiment in Socialism, Communism, or anything of similar nature,
but are the Central Executive Office of an international organization
where the business of the same is carried on, and where the teachings
of Theosophy are being demonstrated. Midway 'twixt East and West,
where the rising Sun of Progress and Enlightenment shall one day
stand at full meridian, the Headquarters of the Society unite the
philosophic Orient with the practical West.
MEMBERSHIP
in the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society may be
either "at large" or in a local Branch. Adhesion to the principle
of Universal Brotherhood is the only pre-requisite to membership.
The Organization represents no particular creed; it is entirely
unsectarian, and includes professors of all faiths, only exacting from
each member that large toleration of the beliefs of others which he
desires them to exhibit towards his own.
Applications for membership in a Branch should be addressed to
the local Director; for membership "at large" to G. de Purucker,
Membership Secretary, International Theosophical Headquarters, Point
Loma, California.
OBJECTS
This brotherhood is a part of a great and universal movement which has
been active in all ages.
This Organization declares that Brotherhood is a fact in Nature. Its
principal purpose is to teach Brotherhood, demonstrate that it is a
fact in Nature, and make it a living power in the life of humanity.
Its subsidiary purpose is to study ancient and modern religions,
science, philosophy, and art; to investigate the laws of Nature and the
divine powers in man.
H. P. BLAVATSKY, FOUNDRESS AND TEACHER
The present Theosophical Movement was inaugurated by Helena Petrovna
Blavatsky in New York in 1875. The original name was "The Theosophical
Society." Associated with her were William Q. Judge and others. Madame
Blavatsky for a time preferred not to hold any outer official position
except that of Corresponding Secretary. But all true students know that
Madame Blavatsky held the highest authority, the only real authority
which comes of wisdom and power, the authority of Teacher and Leader,
the real head, heart, and inspiration of the whole Theosophical
Movement. It was through her that the teachings of Theosophy were given
to the world, and without her the Theosophical Movement could not have
been.
BRANCH SOCIETIES IN EUROPE AND INDIA
In 1878 Madame Blavatsky left the United States, first visiting
Great Britain and then India, in both of which countries she founded
branch societies. The parent body in New York became later the Aryan
Theosophical Society and HAS ALWAYS HAD ITS HEADQUARTERS IN AMERICA;
and of this, William Q. Judge was President until his death in 1896.
It is important to note the following:
In response to the statement published by a then prominent member in
India that Madame Blavatsky is "loyal to the Theosophical Society and
to Adyar," Madame Blavatsky wrote:
It is pure nonsense to say that "H. P. B. ... is loyal to the
Theosophical Society and to Adyar" (!?). _H. P. B. is loyal to death
to the Theosophical_ CAUSE _and those Great Teachers whose philosophy
can alone bind the whole of Humanity into one Brotherhood_.... The
degree of her sympathies with the Theosophical Society and Adyar
depends upon the degree of the loyalty of that Society to the CAUSE.
Let it break away from the original lines and show disloyalty in its
policy to the cause and the original program of the Society, and H. P.
B., calling the T. S. disloyal, will shake it off like dust from her
feet.
To one who accepts the teachings of Theosophy it is plain to see that
although Theosophy is of no nationality or country but for all, yet
it has a peculiar relationship with America. Not only was the United
States the birthplace of the Theosophical Society, and the home of the
Parent Body up to the present time, but H. P. Blavatsky, the Foundress
of the Society, although a Russian by birth, became an American
citizen; William Q. Judge, of Irish parentage and birth, also became
an American citizen; and Katherine Tingley is American born. America
therefore not only has played a unique part in the history of the
present Theosophical Movement, but it is plain to see that its destiny
is closely interwoven with that of Theosophy; and by America is meant
not only the United States or even the North American continent, but
also the South American continent, and, as repeatedly declared by
Madame Blavatsky, it is in this great Western Hemisphere as a whole,
North and South, that the next great Race of humanity is to be born.
MADAME BLAVATSKY FOUNDS THE ESOTERIC SCHOOL; HER LIFE-LONG TRUST IN
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE
In 1888, H. P. Blavatsky, then in London, on the suggestion and at the
request of her Colleague, William Q. Judge, founded the Esoteric School
of Theosophy, a body for students, of which H. P. Blavatsky wrote
that it was "the heart of the Theosophical Movement," and of which
she appointed William Q. Judge as her sole representative in America.
Further, writing officially to the Convention of the American Societies
held in Chicago, 1888, she wrote as follows:
To William Q. Judge, General Secretary of the American Section of the
Theosophical Society:
My dearest Brother and Co-Founder of the Theosophical Society:
In addressing to you this letter, which I request you to read to the
Convention, summoned for April 22nd, I must first present my hearty
congratulations and most cordial good wishes to the Society and
yourself--the heart and soul of that body in America. We were several
to call it to life in 1875. Since then you have remained alone to
preserve that life through good and evil report. It is to you chiefly,
if not entirely, that the Theosophical Society owes its existence in
1888. Let me thank you for it, for the first, and perhaps for the
last time publicly, and from the bottom of my heart, which beats only
for the cause you represent so well and serve so faithfully. I ask
you also to remember that on this important occasion, my voice is but
the feeble echo of other more sacred voices, and the transmitter of
the approval of Those whose presence is alive in more than one true
Theosophical heart, and lives, as I know, pre-eminently in yours.
This regard that Madame Blavatsky had for her colleague William Q.
Judge continued undiminished until her death in 1891, when he became
her successor.
Madame Blavatsky, in 1889, writing in her Theosophical magazine
published in London, said that the purpose of the magazine was not
only to promulgate Theosophy, but also and as a consequence of such
promulgation, "to bring to light the hidden things of darkness." She
further says:
As to the "weak-minded Theosophists"--if any--they can take care of
themselves in the way they please. IF THE "FALSE PROPHETS OF
THEOSOPHY" ARE TO BE LEFT UNTOUCHED, THE TRUE PROPHETS WILL
BE VERY SOON--AS THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN--CONFUSED WITH THE FALSE. IT
IS HIGH TIME TO WINNOW OUR CORN AND CAST AWAY THE CHAFF. The
Theosophical Society is becoming enormous in its numbers, and if the
_false_ prophets, the pretenders, or even the weak-minded dupes, are
left alone, then the Society threatens to become very soon a fanatical
body split into three hundred sects--like Protestantism--each
hating the other, and all bent on destroying the truth by monstrous
exaggerations and idiotic schemes and shams.
We do not believe in allowing the presence of _sham_ elements in
Theosophy, because of the fear, forsooth, that if even "a false
element in the faith" is _ridiculed_, the latter is "apt to shake the
confidence" in the whole.
... What _true_ Christians shall see their co-religionists making
fools of themselves, or disgrace their faith, and still abstain from
rebuking them publicly as privately, for fear lest this _false_
element should throw out of Christianity the rest of the believers?
THE WISE MAN COURTS TRUTH; THE FOOL, FLATTERY.
However it may be, let rather our ranks be made thinner, than the
Theosophical Society go on being made a spectacle to the world through
the exaggerations of some fanatics, and the attempt of various
_charlatans_ to profit by a ready-made program. These, by disfiguring
and adapting Occultism to their own filthy and immoral ends, bring
disgrace upon the whole movement.--_Lucifer_, Vol. iv, pp. 2 & 3.
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE ELECTED PRESIDENT FOR LIFE
In 1893 there openly began what had been going on beneath the surface
for some time, a bitter attack ostensibly against William Q. Judge, but
in reality also against H. P. Blavatsky. This bitter attack threatened
to disrupt the whole Society and to thwart the main purpose of its
existence, which was to further the cause of Universal Brotherhood.
Finally the American members decided to take action, and at the annual
convention of the Society held in Boston in 1895, by a vote of 191
delegates to 10, re-asserted the principle of Theosophy as laid down
by H. P. Blavatsky, and elected William Q. Judge President for life.
Similar action was almost immediately taken by members in Europe,
Australia, and other countries, in each case William Q. Judge being
elected President for life. In this action the great majority of the
active members throughout the world concurred, and thus the Society
was relieved of those who had joined it for other purposes than the
furtherance of Universal Brotherhood, the carrying out of the Society's
other objects, and the spiritual freedom and upliftment of Humanity.
A few of these in order to curry favor with the public and attract a
following, continued among themselves to use the name of Theosophy,
but it should be understood that they _are not connected with the
Theosophical Movement_.
KATHERINE TINGLEY SUCCEEDS WILLIAM Q. JUDGE
One year later, in March 1896, William Q. Judge died, leaving as his
successor Katherine Tingley, who for several years had been associated
with him in the work of the Society. This Teacher not only began
immediately to put into actual practice the ideals of Theosophy as had
been the hope and aim of both H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge, and
for which they had laid the foundations, thus honoring and illustrating
the work of her illustrious predecessors, but she also struck a new
keynote, introducing new and broader plans for uplifting humanity.
For each of the Teachers, while continuing the work and building upon
the foundations of his predecessor, adds a new link, and has his own
distinctive work to do, and teachings to give, belonging to his own
time and position.
No sooner had Katherine Tingley begun her work as successor, than
further attacks, some most insidious, from the same source as those
made against H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge, as well as from
other sources, were inaugurated against her. Most prominent among
those thus attacking Katherine Tingley were some referred to by Madame
Blavatsky in the article above-quoted (pp. 159-60), who by their own
actions had removed themselves from the ranks of the Society. There
were also a few others who still remained in the Society who had not
joined hands with the disintegrators at the time the latter were
repudiated in 1895. These now thought it to their personal advantage
to oppose the Leader and sought to gain control of the Society and
use it for political purposes. These ambitious agitators, seeking to
exploit the Society for their own ends, used every means to overthrow
Katherine Tingley, realizing that she was the greatest obstacle to
the accomplishment of their desires, for if she could be removed they
expected to gain control. They worked day and night, stooping almost to
any means to carry out their projects. Yet it seemed that by these very
acts, i. e., the more they attacked, the more were honest and earnest
members attracted to the ranks of the Society under Katherine Tingley's
leadership.
KATHERINE TINGLEY GIVES SOCIETY NEW CONSTITUTION
SOCIETY MERGES INTO BROADER FIELD
To eliminate these menacing features and to safeguard the work of
the Theosophical Movement for all time, Katherine Tingley presented
to a number of the oldest members gathered at her home in New York
on the night of January 13th, 1898, a new Constitution which she had
formulated for the more permanent and broader work of the Theosophical
Movement, opening up a wider field of endeavor than had heretofore been
possible to students of Theosophy. One month later, at the Convention
of the Society, held in Chicago, February 18th, 1898, this Constitution
was accepted by an almost unanimous vote, and the Theosophical Society
merged itself into the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society.
In this new step forward, she had the heartiest co-operation and
support of the vast majority of the members throughout the world.
THEOSOPHY IN PRACTICE
It is of interest here to quote our Teacher's own words regarding this
time. In an article published in _The Metropolitan Magazine_, New York,
October, 1909, she says:
Later, I found myself the successor of William Q. Judge, and I began
my heart work, the inspiration of which is partly due to him.
In all my writings and associations with the members of the
Theosophical Society, I emphasized the necessity of putting Theosophy
into daily practice, and in such a way that it would continuously
demonstrate that it was the redeeming power of man. More familiarity
with the organization and its workers brought home to me the fact that
there was a certain number of students who had in the early days begun
the wrong way to study Theosophy, and that it was becoming in their
lives a death-like sleep. I noticed that those who followed this line
of action were always alarmed at my humanitarian tendencies. WHENEVER
I REMINDED THEM THAT THEY WERE BUILDING A COLOSSAL EGOTISM INSTEAD
OF A POWER TO DO GOOD, THEY SUBTLY OPPOSED ME. AS I INSISTED ON THE
PRACTICAL LIFE OF THEOSOPHY, THEY OPPOSED STILL MORE. They later
exerted personal influence which affected certain members throughout
the world. It was this condition which then menaced the Theosophical
Movement, and which forced me to the point of taking such action as
would fully protect the pure teachings of Theosophy and make possible
a broader path for unselfish students to follow. Thus the faithful
members of the Theosophical Movement would be able to exemplify the
charge which Helena Petrovna Blavatsky gave to her pupils, as follows:
"Real Theosophy is altruism, and we cannot repeat it too often. It is
brotherly love, mutual help, unswerving devotion to truth. If once men
do but realize that in these alone can true happiness be found, and
never in wealth, possession or any selfish gratification, then the
dark cloud will roll away, and a new humanity will be born upon the
earth. Then the Golden Age will be there indeed."
Here we find William Q. Judge accentuating the same spirit, the
practical Theosophical life:
"The power to know does not come from book-study alone, nor from mere
philosophy, but mostly from the actual practice of altruism in deed,
word, and thought; for that practice purifies the covers of the soul
and permits the divine light to shine down into the brain-mind."
THE PARTING OF THE WAYS
On February 18, 1898, at the Convention of the Theosophical Society
in America, held at Chicago, Ill., the Society resolved, through its
delegates from all parts of the world, to enter a larger arena, to
widen its scope and to further protect the teachings of Theosophy.
Amid most intense enthusiasm the Theosophical Society was expanded
into the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, and I found
myself recognized as its leader and official head. The Theosophical
Society in Europe also resolved to merge itself into the Universal
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, and the example was quickly
followed by Theosophical Societies in other parts of the world. The
expansion of the original Theosophical Society, which Madame Blavatsky
founded and which William Q. Judge so ably sustained, now called the
Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, gave birth to a new
life, and the membership trebled the first year, and ever since that
time a rapid increase has followed.
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS AT POINT LOMA, CALIFORNIA
In 1900 the Headquarters of the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical
Society were removed from New York to Point Loma, California, which
is now the International Center of the Theosophical Movement. This
Organization is unsectarian and non-political; none of its officers or
workers receives any salary or financial recompense.
In her article in _The Metropolitan Magazine_ above referred to,
Katherine Tingley further says:
The knowledge that Point Loma was to be the World-center of the
Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, which has for its
supreme object the elevation of the race, created great enthusiasm
among its members throughout the world. The further fact that the
government of the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society rests
entirely with the leader and official head, who holds her office for
life and who has the privilege of appointing her successor, gave
me the power to carry out some of the plans I had long cherished.
Among these was the erecting of the great Homestead Building. This I
carefully designed that it might not stand apart from the beautiful
nature about it, but in a sense harmonize with the sky, the distant
mountains, the broad blue Pacific, and the glorious light of the sun.