THE SOKRATIC CLUB.By SOLON.(Continued.)

THE SOKRATIC CLUB.By SOLON.(Continued.)

So much interest had been aroused by the conversation on Art and the Drama as an Educative Factor which I have already recorded, that there was a larger attendance than usual at the next meeting of the Club. Everyone was glad to see Madam Purple who it was known to all had established a school to revive the ancient wisdom and to teach the laws of physical, moral and mental health and of spiritual development and for the purpose of accentuating the importance of Music and Drama as vital educative factors had already reproduced one of the old Greek Tragedies in such a way as to arouse the attention of the public and astonish the critics, touching a new chord and awakening new possibilities for the influence of the stage on the lives and characters of the people.

Dr. Roberts had evidently not yet been convinced of the importance of this work though he had seen and even praised the production of Æschylus’ Eumenides, for he still reiterated his old objections. The discussion so far had been on general lines, but now it turned more particularly on the Drama.

Dr. Roberts.—“I cannot see how the performance of Eumenides or any play you may take from the ancients can have any such effect that you claim it will have. The people who attend will see no more in it than in any other play. Of course it will have its own characteristics and no doubt its classical beauty, but will not these peculiar features appeal only to the very few? How will you make it a factor in the education of the masses?”

The Professor.—“I do not think you understand the real character of the ancient drama, Doctor. Probably, also with the exception of the recent production, you base your ideas of the attractiveness of Greek Plays upon the presentations which are occasionally given at one of the Universities. Classical these may be in a sense, I admit, but certainly they are severe.”

Dr. Roberts.—“How can they help but be severe. I remember when at college that one of these plays was acted by some of the students, but for my part I saw nothing particular in it.”

Mme. Purple.-“Was not that possibly because those who produced the play and enacted the parts, themselves saw nothing in it beyond the mere incident as told in so many words?

“The most beautiful things remain invisible to those who have not eyes to see. Look at the hundreds and thousands in every large city and, strange to say, more particularly in country districts, who know nothing of the beauty and sublimity of the heavens and nature around them. Many a farmer looks at the sky simply to note the changes of the weather. The magnificence of cloud effect, the glory of the sunrise and the quivering of the eternal stars, he never sees. And even those who profess to be lovers of nature, how little more than external beauty do they see? Do they indeed see any deeper than the surface of things and but rarely pierce the veil to behold with awe and wonderment the reality?”

Dr. Roberts.—“But, Madam Purple,....”

The Professor.—“Ah! Doctor, it is always, ‘but’. Isn’t it all true, with no ‘but’?”

Dr. Roberts.—“Yes, I grant you thatwhat Madam Purple said about the appreciation of nature is true, and even that the same thing applies to the appreciation of art and music and the drama. But—I was going to say—it seems to me your illustration is too lofty for the case under consideration. It is true one may rise to the greatest heights of consciousness under the influence of music and poetry and the contemplation of high ideals and if I understand you aright, Madam Purple, you hold these are the same high feelings that may be aroused by the grand harmonies of nature and by what perhaps is meant by the music of the spheres. Do I catch your meaning?”

Madam Purple.—“Yes, Doctor, you have caught the idea in part, but music and poetry and the harmonies of nature too often exercise only what I might call an unconscious and transitory influence—not deep-seated in any sense—because men will not open their eyes and lend their ears. The great anthem of nature is ever being sung; life is joy and harmony; but alas, there are so many who will not open their hearts to the song and the sunshine. But I see you wish to say something more, Doctor.”

Dr. Roberts.—“Yes, I grant this may be true, no doubt it is true, but to return to the old Greek tragedies, although there may be lofty ideas in them, I fail to see that they will produce the effect you anticipate. There is no music in them and they are altogether too cold and bare. Besides, what meaning do they hold, deeper than that which may be seen by the ordinary reader?”

The Professor.—“A meaning that the mere student of languages and literature will never find, but one that to the student of life, to one who recognizes that there is an inner life, will ever unfold more and more and reveal such beauties and harmonies that will thrill the very soul.”

Dr. Roberts.—“I do not see it, though I grant that high moral lessons may be contained in the old Greek poetry and tragedies, but at the same time there is so much that is mere fancy. We have passed the age of the childhood of the race when the mythological tales of the gods and goddesses were seriously taken. I do not deny that there may be many valuable lessons in these, but I certainly think that you are reading into them a great deal that is not there. Pardon my frankness, but I really wish to understand your position.”

The Professor.—“It is not a question of reading a meaning into them, but of being able to draw the meaning out, and to do this requires a master-hand. No modern scholar who is not a mystic will find it, and it is no wonder it has been lost to the ordinary reader.”

Madam Purple.—“Doctor, you thought my illustration of the beauties of nature too high, but after all the beauties which we see in nature are but the reflection of the beauties in the soul, and do not exist save to him who has developed some beauty of soul. The old Greek tragedies, and particularly those of Æschylus, are portrayals of the life and struggles of the soul.”

Just then Dr. Wyld came into the room. He had been present at the performance of the Play, and had expressed himself so pleased with it that the Professor had asked him to visit the Club.

The Doctor came over immediately to where Madam Purple and the Professor were sitting, and these meetings being more or less informal, the conversation was interrupted for the exchange of greetings.

Dr. Wyld is a very tall, broad-shouldered, spare man, I should judge about seventy years old, but carrying his age gracefully. He is one of the best known Greek scholars, of a keen and vigorous intellect. Dignified, yet with a keen appreciation of humor and fond of a good story as well as able to tell one. Not only is he a profound scholar of Greek and Neo-platonic literature, but of the world’sliterature, ancient and modern. He is at once a mystic and a keen observer of men, and had led a very active life, especially in the literary world, as an author, and had also written for some of the leading newspapers of the metropolis. In this way he had met very many of the prominent public men, both literary and political, of the past half-century. It had been my privilege to spend many a delightful hour with him and in that way I have gained a clearer conception of the history of the United States than from any reading I have done, and also of the beauties of the writings of the old philosophers, especially the Neo-platonists.

His tall figure and dignified bearing would attract attention in any gathering, and as he entered the room with his long stride, all eyes were turned towards him.

The Professor rose to receive him. The room was beautifully yet simply decorated with hangings of harmonious colors, and the Doctor noticed these immediately and addressing Madam Purple:

Dr. Wyld.—“What a pleasure it is to come into a room where there is such harmony of tone and color. I can well understand what the Professor told me that your meetings here are always delightful. The very atmosphere seems conducive to harmony of feeling and the awakening of high thought.”

Madam Purple.—“That is true, Doctor, I hold that color ought to be made a very important factor in life, and that the harmonies of sound and color are essential features of true education.”

Dr. Wyld.—“And I think you have already struck the key-note of this in your production of the Eumenides, and I wish to tell you of the rare treat it was to me to witness it and the opportunity it gave me of really judging what a Greek play is like—such as could never be gained from reading. It had all the aroma of ancient Athens. One of my friends remarked that it had the beauty of a Greek statue, but I would go further, for it had also the grace and beauty of life. I do not mean that the performance was perfect but it was the spirit that pervaded it that gave it this great charm. And after seeing it I do not wonder in coming here that you also carry out your ideas of harmony in the decoration of your Club-room. It is a further carrying out of what you teach and which I fully agree with, that what is most needed in our educational system and in life generally is a sense of harmony and of the due proportion of things.”

Here the Rev. Alex. Fulsom, who had come in a short time before Dr. Wyld, and had listened more attentively than usual (without going to sleep) to the conversation, moved his chair a little forward as if to speak, but waited a moment. Although he always expressed himself as most sensitive to harmonious shades of color and adored—as he expressed it—Greek statuary, though he equally adored a pretty bonnet, nevertheless did not in any way support Madam Purple in her revival of the ancient Drama.

The Professor.—“Well, Alec, what is it now? Another objection? I’m beginning to think you belong to some objection society, whose main purpose is to object to everything on principle and for the sake of objecting. Come, tell us now, haven’t you pledged yourself to the following:—‘I pledge myself to always object to everything that may be proposed by anybody?’ But for once, Alec, put your objections on one side and enter into the spirit of the subject.”

Rev. Alex. Fulsom.—“No, Professor, I am not to be turned aside from my opinion by any method of badinage or ratiocination. And what is more, I think it my duty to express my views. As I have said before, it appears to me altogether beneath the dignity of a Leader and Teacher in such a cause as ours to be concerned in the production of a play—whether Greek or not—or tospend so much time and the energies of the Club in mere philanthropic work. The latter, doubtless, is laudable enough but the Club has other aims to pursue, and it seems to me to have departed from its time-honored methods of study. Indeed, the study of the philosophy seems to be almost completely overlooked nowadays.”

The Professor.—“Having delivered yourself of your objection, I trust you feel a little relieved, my friend, but you have not hit the nail on the head, Alec. Study is not overlooked, but on the contrary, our students are learning how to study and the true value of study as the precursor of right action. Thanks to Madam Purple, the study of philosophy is no longer looked upon as the end and aim of life. Theoretical study is good and necessary, but our students realize that Brotherhood is more than a theory, that it is an actual fact to be consciously realized and that they must seek to make Theosophy a living power in their lives.

“You know well the scriptural saying which I will slightly paraphrase, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works will glorify the higher law and follow it.’ It behooves us to practice Brotherhood as well as to profess it. But it is the things they don’t like that the objectors see but they fail to see that the study which they are crying out for is still pursued though on higher and broader lines than heretofore, become possible by the advance made by the whole Movement. The inner work and the real study have never ceased but have taken on a deeper meaning. Thank the gods, instead of the members seeking to have or to become specialgurusand imagining themselves better than others, the whole organization moves along in touch with the life of the world, all striving ever to put into practice that which they preach. The time-honored methods of which you speak were fast becoming time-honored ruts and you ought to thank your stars, that here is an opportunity to get out of the ruts and enter upon a broader field of life and activity as well as of study. And so far as the Play is concerned you seemed to have missed entirely its purpose and the wide influence which can thus be exerted in the world.”

Rev. Alex. Fulsom.—“There may be some good in it no doubt, but there are so many other things that are needed in the world. I certainly think a teacher would have a higher work to do. There are enough philanthropists and elevators of the drama, whereas our philosophy is unique, and surely we ought to carry out the original plans of the Founder.”

The Professor.—“And you assume, I might say,presume, to know what those original plans were, but your conception of them admits of no growth, but only stagnation or the continuing in ruts which so many have formed for themselves through their misconception and limited knowledge of, if not deliberate indifference to those plans.”

I often wondered how it was the Professor did not lose patience completely with the Rev. Alec., always so pessimistic, trying to tear down. But then we all knew that his moods depended on his digestion, and upon that subtle disease—the love of approbation and prominence.

Madam Purple.—“Mr. Fulsom, do, I beg of you, try to rise a little above your pessimistic fears and let a little of the sunshine of hope and trust come into your heart. Students of Theosophy above all others ought to be able to take a larger grasp of the problems of life and perceive that the greatest truths which will ultimately bring the grandest results and happiness to all mankind must necessarily be often at first obscured; that to help the masses we must begin where they can appreciate the work, and so move out gradually along the lines of least resistance. Thus will all those who seek the Light be attracted and helped, whatevertheir development. Our grand philosophy must be presented in various ways if the many different minds are to be touched, for you well know that all men are not built alike—to use a common expression. Babes need to be fed as well as strong men. For some the teaching must be given in parables and there are some truths that but few can bear to hear. As for the original plan of the work,H. P. B., the great artist, spread the canvas and sketched the outline with a bold hand, then the second Helper put in the colors of the background thus making clearer the design upon the trestle board, but do you think you have been able to see the whole of the grand design and have grasped the harmonious proportions of the noble edifice in all their beauty and grace.”

Then turning her head for a moment with her wonderful smile, Madam Purple continued after a short pause.

“Imagine for one moment that whenH. P. B.began her work in the world she could have shown what is now being done, or that it could be shown to you what will be the outcome of her efforts two hundred years hence, would it not be entirely beyond belief, can you even imagine it? There must be agradualgrowth and unfoldment suited to the comprehension of the people. How then dare anyone say that the present activities are contrary to the plan of H. P. B. Ah! Mr. Fulsom, is not such a position evidence of retrogression and not of growth?

“But, pardon me, Dr. Wyld, this is somewhat of a digression from the subject of the Greek play which you were discussing. Let us come back in thought to the old Greek Drama. There, at least, the gods wait for us and call to us to rise above thisXIXthCentury materialism into the realm of the beautiful, the ideal and the true.”

Dr. Wyld.—“An almost unknown land to so many, but I hail with joy the prospects that once more the geography of that celestial country shall form part of the education of the race and lead us further back in the history of humanity into that greater and more ancient land of the pyramids and the silent sphinx.”

Madam Purple.—“And from there further back still to prehistoric America, which was in the early days the ancient Land of Light when Egypt was yet young and whence Egypt derived her wisdom and her science.”

Dr. Wyld.—“That is indeed interesting, though to me it is not difficult to believe. It opens out a new chapter in the life of humanity and I doubt not that if it can be shown to be so, it will solve many problems in the history of man’s development. But will you not tell us further on this subject.”

Madam Purple.—“Time would not permit of going into it at any length, Doctor, but I will say this. Time will bring the proof of what I say. Archæological research started at the right time, which is not far distant, in this country and in Central America will supply clear evidence of the truth of this statement.” She paused a moment, then continued:

“My friends, with all these grand possibilities in view, when such momentous questions are involved that will bring such priceless knowledge to the human race, can you wonder that the real workers find time all too precious to be frittered away in useless argument. It is work, work, work, that our glorious cause demands of us.”

Madam Purple spoke with so much earnestness, that it stirred one’s heart to its very depths, old memories of the long forgotten past seemed about to awaken, pictures of the ancient times flitted across the vision, and of the future when the glories of the past should be revived. One young lady of slight figure and pale face, an enthusiastic worker, always present at the meetings, but who never ventured to say a word, now exclaimed:

“The very thought of it brings newlife, new hope. Surely we haven’t any time to sit and mope over the little frictions that beset our paths. Surely we should keep on working and trusting that we may be a part of this new life and each of us become individually a hope and a light to those who would walk this broad path of knowledge towards the glorious future that awaits us.”

Dr. Wyld.—“One can see even now indications that the world is advancing to a broader field of thought. The revival of the ancient drama and the way the ‘Eumenides’ was received show this clearly and show that the links with the mighty past exist in the hearts of men—albeit unconsciously to most, but ready to be awakened into responsive action when again the picture of that long forgotten life is presented before them. I heard with much interest that in one city where the play was given, the notices of the performance were given out in almost every church in the city. And one prominent minister said it was the finest study of conscience scourging for sin and of the Divine Power to pardon and transform, he ever saw. He said such plays are better than sermons.”

Madam Purple.—“It is indeed gratifying that there are so many interested in almost every line of work that will benefit humanity and who are naturally drawn to help along educative lines. All work to be of real benefit must be educative.”

Dr. Wyld.—“Let me go back to what I said just after I came into the room, it comes upon me with greater and greater force, and I felt it too while watching the performance that somehow it moved one right away from this grasping, money-making world to a new-old world near to the silence and peace of things where words are not needed.”

Madam Purple.—“May it not be that by taking up this Drama in the right spirit and reviving the ancient life and consciousness by going back in thought to old Athens, we have started anew the vibrations which resulted in the beauty of Greek art and life. Then here in the Club where but rarely any discordant note arises, but where we come together in harmony there comes an indescribable something that leaves its impress on the heart, of peace and joy and at the same time a sense of courage and unconquerable energy to carry on this work that our belovedH. P. B.and the Chief began. This is a peculiar time at the end of the century, of such vast importance that is scarcely realized by any.”

The Professor.—“It has been a century of unrest, and nothing is more needed than that this keynote of harmony should be struck at this time, it is in this that lies the hope of the future, and it is in this spirit of harmony that actuates the workers to-day that lies the guarantee that the work will be carried into the next century, though one here and there, unable to go forward in the new age, must be left behind.”

Dr. Wyld.—“Madam Purple, will you not tell us more about Æschylus’ purpose in writing his plays, for, like Shakespeare’s, I would declare them to be ‘not of an age, but for all time.’”

Madam Purple.—“Yes, I think Æschylus and Shakespeare may well be compared, for each taught the truths of life, though each veiled them in forms suited to the times in which they wrote. It is perfectly evident to the deep student that there is an inner meaning to the plays of Æschylus, and it may be that in his earnestness and endeavor to instruct the people and bring out these truths he became so enthused that he introduced some features of the Inner Mysteries, and although these could only be recognized and interpreted by Initiates, yet the story is he was condemned to death for this. It is true the inner meaning had to be clothed in a form adapted to the tastes of the people. In those days Greece had begun to retrograde,and the true idea of religion had become obscured in the minds of the masses. It had begun to take on a gruesome aspect, and that which had the greatest hold upon them was fear and the dread of punishment. Æschylus, like all great teachers, adapted his teachings to the mind of his hearers. Instead of taking them so high that they could find no foothold, he used their ordinary conception of religion and took them forward one step at a time. To have brought out the teaching in all its power and grandeur would perhaps have dazzled them, and being beyond their grasp would have seemed to them to be a tearing down of their present conceptions and ideals, and thus have thrown them back and into rebellion.”

The Professor.—“There are plenty of evidences of this in modern life, of would-be teachers who, ignorant of the laws of growth and development, seek to tear down and at the same time to dazzle their hearers with knowledge which they themselves have not half-digested, and instead of bringing light and freedom, they but imprison and fetter the mind more closely. It is just as though to hasten the growth of a tender plant a gardener would bring it out of a cool and shady spot into the full glare of the sun. Its life would be burned out by that which is the very source of its life.”

Madam Purple.—“But in Æschylus the teaching is there, though veiled. The wise teacher does not tear down until a new foothold has been found. He builds, constructs and educates, thus slowly leading to a higher level, disengaging the minds gradually from error by instilling a higher conception of truth. The inner teaching runs through it all like a golden thread in a many colored tapestry, now appearing, now apparently lost, but in reality only hidden from the casual observer yet present still to him who has eyes to see.

“A great effort was made by the Initiates at about the time of Æschylus to revive in the heart of the Greeks a love for the ancient wisdom which they had received originally from Egypt. Æschylus himself had been instructed by teachers not known to the world and had been prepared to take part in this work long before he appeared openly as a teacher and a writer. Those who had the best interests of the people at heart and who were ‘called’ to serve as spiritual teachers were ever seeking to educate them not according to what the people demanded of them but according to their needs. Among these was Æschylus. He made no great claims for himself but was a stranger to fear, and so deeply was he imbued with the love of humanity and his desire to serve it that he became indifferent to criticism, and dared to step out into the arena of life with a boldness that to those who see only through the small glasses of vanity and ambition and who could not understand him, may have seemed egotism. But those who can follow the inner meaning of his writings and can see his great purpose, recognize him as a true servant and lover of humanity. What cared he for the hatred and opposition of those who loved personal power and sought to keep the people in ignorance, who saw that his grand work for helping humanity would thwart their designs and block their selfish paths. It was these who persecuted him and caused him to be condemned—not his fellow-initiates and comrades or those who truly loved wisdom and freedom.

“The chief of the persecutors of Æschylus was one who had the ambition to hold the place that he had in the hearts of the people and not succeeding in this sought to destroy him. Yet in spite of his many trials and persecutions his works and memory still live as a monument to his aspirations and noble efforts. Yet even to-day he is only partly understood and like many other teachers will have to wait for the revolutionsof the times and the further evolution of man before the grander meaning of his great work is made manifest.

“But it has ever been so in the history of man. History but repeated herself in the case of Æschylus, in the case ofH. P. B.and many another. Those who would help humanity know of a surety what to expect, yet they falter not, nay, they even gain new courage and endurance under the persecution, for is there not in their hearts the Light of Truth and the love of all true comrades of the Ages to cheer their path? The devotion of one faithful heart outweighs in the balance a multitude of persecutors.”

[In future accounts of the Sokratic Club some of the characters will appear under other names, but some of our readers who are interested will doubtless be able to tell the identity.—Solon.]

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