posed that one would wilfully harm himself, or another; yet we know that the injuring of another is very frequently wilfully planned and carried out.

Supposing, of course, that one would injure oneself, there are two things to be considered: The thinking and planning of the thing, and deliberately working out those plans. If the plan were carried out it would result in injury to another, as well as oneself, since it would necessitate concentration along a line of thought which is not of the best. This would attract to the thinker those forces which seem to be more active and powerful on this plane than the spiritual forces. These thoughts, unless they were at once checked, would create a habit which would be found very hard to break; the matter would take fixed shape in the brain and then the carrying out of the plan would be comparatively easy; just a little deadening of the conscience, or the voice of the Self, and it is so easy to work an injury.

We are taught that all thought is creative; and in the perfecting of any plan, whether good or bad, the personality takes on an intensity which is manifest to others and which acts upon the mentality of those about us to a greater or less degree. In the case of one whose thought is bent in a certain direction, not of the best, the result is that other minds will receive impressions which are not good. The carrying out of an injurious idea results in an apparent change in the personality. There is a shrinking within the self, a tendency to aloofness and a decided feeling of guilt. This change is noticeable to others of keen perceptions and in time we are tempted to take the man at his own rating, his very evident estimate of his own worth.

We who know of the great law of Unity of Being cannot help but realize how this injury to oneself leaves its mark on others. We know that we are all members of one great family, children of the same Divine parent; we know that by injuring one member of that family, the whole suffers. It is just as if one were to injure a finger, and expect the hand or arm or brain to know nothing of it; while in reality the reverse is true. The brain is very much concerned and telegraphs its sympathy; the mind is turned from its customary groove and must give more or less thought to the injury.

In the case of an injury to oneself, the harmony of the Karmic law is broken, and the result is a conflicting element comes in; and that which disturbs the center of the whole body, cannot help but disturb its members. B. L. G.

ANSWER. NO! Certainly not. Being an individual associated with individuals under social and moral customs and laws, any injury, wilful or otherwise, done to him injures others, in the sense that it makes of him a center of attraction or attention of those around him, disturbing the tranquility and equilibrium of these same customs and laws which they are striving to live up to and maintain. G. M.

ANSWER. This question takes us into the heart of the first fundamental proposition of the Divine Science-the essential oneness of all living things. The great evolving of God's plan on our little mud ball may be likened to the unrolling of a vast fabric at which we all stand weaving, and no man can weave for himself alone. His place at the great loom may often be marred by tangled threads, knots, and sometimes rents, but the shuttle moves unceasingly, over and under, forward and back, while mighty Karma works undeviatingly towards smoothness and equilibrium. But the individual weaver breaks his thread (injures himself most) when he turns to wrong his fellow, for just as he can save for himself only that which he freely gives to others; so by guilty, inattentive weaving he injures and weakens the whole fabric.

No, a man cannot injure himself without injury to others, for in the perfect pattern "there is no separateness at all." E. M.

ANSWER.-No. A man is not only himself, he is also "others." Whatever a man does to others will either react upon him directly or will do the same indirectly through other persons.

There should be no doubt upon this point, and were it not for our western system of education and training there would be no question at all. As it is, however, we develop in a conflict of imagined "rights" and "interests" which necessitates the adjustment called the law of the land, and under such conditions we readily acquire the notion that we are each ourselves and nobody else.

Looking deeper into the question, there appears to be the implicit idea that we are possessed of elemental entities that belong to a lower order of evolution than ourselves, yet which together constitute much of what we take ourselves to be.

These tend to gravitate back to the condition from which they have been raised, and to carry with them the consciousness we have imparted to them. Our consciousness thus snared, we lose sight of the truth that we ourselves are Gods, proceeding from God and returning to God-to a reunion of all things in the Divine, from which all things have come. If we realize the truth we will realize that in literal fact we are all one. Being here from God and for God's purposes, we therefore have no right to use the opportunities given us by Him, indifferently or improperly, as this will surely lead to injury, not only of ourselves, but to every one else. A. R.

ANSWER. On this plane of illusion and separateness it would seem that one might be so destitute of human ties, so detached, that he could even destroy himself and injure no one; but one who believes in the Unity of Being knows well the fallacy of this. No prodigal can wander so far on the outskirts of being that the One Great Soul is not wounded by his hurt. God's children all; and "no man lives unto himself and no man dies unto himself."

J. C. M.

QUESTION 80.-What is the Theosophical teaching regarding Heredity?

ANSWER-According to the Dictionary, heredity means the tendency manifested by an organism to develop in the likeness of its progenitor, or the transmission of physical and mental characteristics from parent to offspring, regarded as the conservative factor in evolution, opposing the tendency to variation under conditions of environment. The Theosophical teaching is in accord with that of Prof. Weissmann who "shows one infinitesimal cell out of millions of others at work in the formation of an organism, alone and unaided determining, by means of constant segmentation and multiplication, the correct image of the future man, or animal, in its physical, mental and psychic characteristics. It is this cell which impresses on the face and form of the new individual the features of the parents or of some distant ancestor. It is this cell, again, which transmits to him the intellectual and mental idiosyncracies of his sires, and so on. This Plasm is the immortal portion of our bodies developing by means of a process of successive assimilations." Darwin's theory is incapable of accounting for hereditary transmission. "There are but two ways of explaining," says H. P. B., in the Secret Doctrine, "the mystery of Heredity: either the substance of the germinal cell is endowed with the faculty of crossing the whole cycle of transformations that lead to the construction of a separate organism, and then to the reproduction of identical germinal cells; or, these germinal cells do not have their genesis at all in the body of the individual, but proceed directly from the ancestral germinal cell passed from father to son through long generations. *** Complete the Physical Plasm mentioned above, the germinal cell of man with all its material potentialities, with the Spiritual Plasm, so as to say, or the fluid that contains the five lower principles of the Six-principled Dhyani-and you have the secret, if you are spiritual enough to understand it." (S. D. 1, 244).

"In the case of human incarnations, the law of Karma, racial or individual overrides the subordinate tendencies of Heredity, its servant." "Hereditary Karma can," we are told, "reach the child before the seventh year, but no individual Karma can come into play till Manas takes control."

For further information on this subject, see references under "Heredity," in the Index of the Secret Doctrine, and Five Years of Theosophy. M. W. D.

ANSWER. The theosophical teaching is against the ordinary doctrine of heredity, believing rather that the Ego at the moment of reincarnation selects that family for itself, in which it can find the best instrument for the uses of the soul about to return to life. Not the happiest surroundings and the most perfect physical body, but that body and those surroundings which the Ego, at that moment of clear sight, recognizes as best fitted to further its spiritual growth, and teach it whatever lesson it needs to learn. As like naturally seeks like, the resemblances between child and parent are more a matter of coincidence than heredity, in the ordinary sense of the term, except in the case of purely physical heredity, which is one of the forces-like the environment, climate, etc.-which help to mould the physical body. K. H.

In New York the winter season of outer work has opened most auspiciously. The membership of the local society has largely increased, and its meetings are being attended by a steadily widening circle of inquirers and students.

For many years this Branch has endeavored to make its meetings genuinely representative of the open platform the Theosophical Society was intended to furnish. It has sought, by every means in its power, to eradicate the dogmatic and sectarian tendencies which are so contrary to the spirit of Theosophy, yet which so often cloak themselves in its name. It has striven to preserve that openness of mind which is as ready to listen and receive as it is to give; and it has welcomed others to its meetings, not as auditors to be instructed, but as fellow seekers for the truth and co-laborers in its service.

One result of this persistent effort has been that the New York Branch has always been able to secure the co-operation of non-members of the Society, and much of the value and interest of its activities is due to this fact. Clergymen and scientists, professors of philosophy and of many different branches of learning, have found themselves in sympathy with the Society's ideals and have both addressed its meetings and taken something of its spirit back into their own work. In like manner the members of the Society have entered into the religious, educational, and philanthropic movements of the city, seeking to express in these the spirit of brotherhood for which the Society stands. By these means and others, the informal activities and influence of the Society have widely ramified.

A second result has been to demonstrate the great efficiency of what may be called, for lack of a better name, the theosophic method of discussion and study. This method is founded upon the belief in universal brotherhood; and the realization that one's own truth is not alone that fragment of the truth which is contained in one's own mind, but is the synthesis of this with the other fragments contained in all other minds-or rather is the unity lying behind this synthesis. This implies that the views of others, whether ignorant or learned, are of vital meaning and importance to us as reflections of different and supplementary aspects of our own truth-which, as is said in Light on the Path, "must be possessed therefore by all pure souls equally, and thus be the especial property of the whole only when united." This view of truth, and the synthetic method of discussion based upon it, render impossible the conflict of personal opinion and feeling which usually stultify collective inquiry.

The Branch has continued all its activities of the past years, with the exception of the Secret Doctrine class, which has been replaced by meetings in another part of the city and reaching a different group of people. During October and November four important topics have been treated, each as introductory to a special line of study.

Ist. "The Parable of the Prodigal Son," as the key to all The Parables of the Kingdom, each of which is to be considered separately and in the light of the Mystery teaching of Egypt and India.

2d. Mysticism in early American Philosophy. This was an address given before the Society by Prof. I. Woodbridge Riley (author of the History of American Philosophy, recently published by Dodd, Mead & Co.), and is introductory to the study of Mysticism in America, particularly as exemplified by Emerson and the New England transcendentalists.

3rd. The Theosophical Movement and the Theosophical Method. This was the first of a series to cover the main principles of theosophy, the second being

upon the doctrine of reincarnation and the teaching regarding this doctrine in various religions.

4th. The New Catholic Movement in Italy, being introductory to a study of the significance and meaning of contemporary religious movements.

THE CINCINNATI THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

In addition to the regular public meetings held weekly in the Vine Street Congregational Church, the Cincinnati Branch has inaugurated a study class, open only to members of the Society. The success which this class has met, and the admirable method by which it is conducted, make it well worthy of consideration by other Branches of the Society.

The class lasts an hour-beginning promptly and closing promptly-so that there is none of the loss of time which too often taxes the patience of busy people. The meeting opens with the reading of some passage from Light on the Path or the Bhagavad Gita, and closes with one or two minutes' silence before the adjournment. The position of chairman is held by each member in succession-the term of office being for four consecutive meetings. This has the advantage of practising each member in conducting a meeting and synthesising the views expressed, while it avoids the discontinuity and inconsecutiveness that sometimes results from a weekly rotation of office. The class has the double object of drilling its members in public speaking, and of finding as concise answers as possible to the questions which arise in the public meetings. Each member is therefore required to speak, for from three to five minutes, upon the topic set for the meeting. These topics are of such character as: "What is Theosophy," "Why is There a Theosophical Society," "What a Theosophist ought not to do," "How can we help the T. S." The class has proved not only helpful and effective but thoroughly enjoyable. We append the Syllabus sent us by the Cincinnati Branch of its public lectures for the season:

From Los Angeles we have received a very attractively printed folder setting forth the aims of the Branch and containing a syllabus of its public lectures. The cover page gives the name and objects of the Society, and on the back is printed a definition of Theosophy taken from the writings of Madame Blavatsky. We reproduce herewith as much of the inner pages as our space permits.

"The Path is one for all, the means to reach the goal must vary with the Pilgrims." LOS ANGELENOS BRANCH

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Sunday evening talks and lectures announced on the following page are offered by members of the Los Angelenos Branch of the Theosophical Society in America as a contribution to the study and solution of life's problems. And, al

though one must needs strike deep when trying to probe the mysteries of human nature, these are not learned dissertations or profound discourses; they are but plain, outspoken utterances, the appeal of thinking men and women to thinking men and women.

While accepting the broad general principles of brotherhood, held in common by all members, some believe in a greater divine unity; that ultimate spiritual perfectibility and final freedom of soul are possible for the whole human race; and that a better understanding of the deeper truths of religion and of the laws that govern the universe and man's being, together with the exercise of his soul powers, will hasten that end.

Yet it should be clearly understood that members are not bound in any way by one another's beliefs; whatever is said in these talks and lectures is the outcome of the individual thought and experience or personal convictions of those who take part.

The Society is wholly unsectarian, it has neither creed, doctrine, dogma, nor personal authority whatsoever to impose; every member is free to believe or disbelieve in any religion or system of philosophy. It stands for free, tolerant, and brotherly enquiry; for perfect individual freedom of mind and conscience; for truth by whomsoever expressed and wherever it may be found.

Applications for membership to the society should be addressed to the Secretary, T. S. A., 159 Warren Street, Brooklyn, New York, or to the Secretary, Los Angelenos Branch, T. S. A., 142 South Broadway.

1907-8.

SUNDAY EVENING TALKS AND LECTURES

Room 117-142 South Broadway

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Commencing at 8

Subjects with no personal name attached

are those of the General Talks.

Oct. 6-Theosophical Societies and Theosophy, Mr. Robert Crosbie.

Oct. 13-The greater Theosophical Movement, active in all times and among all

peoples.

Oct. 20-Theosophy, a Scientific Basis for Ethics, Mr. Robert Crosbie.

Oct. 17-Advantages and disadvantages in life of the rich and the poor.
Nov. 3-The self-conscious Self, Mr. Alfred L. Leonard.

Nov. 10-Man's pre-existence and re-birth and the eternal pilgrimage of the Soul.
Nov. 17-Art and Life, Mrs. Jowett.

Nov. 24-Our greater work in the world, and the place and powers assigned to us. Dec. I-The true Atonement, Mrs. M. Ella Paterson.

Dec. 8-The origin of religious worship, and the nature of the earliest aspirations of primitive mankind.

Dec. 15-"As a man soweth, so shall he also reap," Miss Beth Cist.

Dec. 22-The efforts of World-Saviors, and the power of Humanity to redeem itself.

Dec. 29-The Science of Life, Mr. James A. Jowett.

Jan. 5-Can sorrow and pain be avoided?

Jan. 12-Live to learn to live, Mr. Alfred L. Leonard.

Jan. 19-Is it the kind of food we eat or the tenor of our thoughts and lives that

makes for progress?

Jan. 26-Our knowledge and ignorance of divine law, William E. Routt.
Feb.

2-Karma and Reincarnation, the scientific and self-impelling basis for right
living and thinking.

Feb. 9-The Theosophical Society from a member's point of view,

Mrs. M. Ella Paterson. Feb. 16-A consideration of the physical, intellectual and spiritual natures of man, and the laws that govern their relation and being.

Feb. 23-"Evolution" in pulpit and on platform, Mr. Walter H. Box. Mar. I-Life after death; do we reap in the next world the fruit of that which we have sown in this?

Mar. 8 Reincarnation as taught by the ancients, Miss Beth Cist.

Mar. 15-The Solace of Religion, and the Sanctuary of man's own nature.

Mar. 22-Theosophy, Mr. James A. Jowett.

Mar. 29-The Work of the Theosophical Society in the 20th Century.