to whom she introduced Mr. Sinnett, she corrected two errors into which she said he had fallen, i.e., respecting Devachan and our companion planets. It is a perfectly unthinkable proposition to say that she was not advised by the Masters when writing the Secret Doctrine. I who saw many of the Masters' letters in 1888 in reference to the Secret Doctrine certainly cannot give up the evidence of my inner and outer senses. I know as surely as I know any fact that the same teachers were giving her in 1887 and 1888, as before, information for that book, in black upon white, and I am certain they dictated the corrections given in Secret Doctrine upon the points now before us. Evidence, eye-sight, and tradition confirm it, for in 1876 to 1878 I was given by her the same theories and the clue to the misunderstanding which a desire for consistency as to mere words has now aroused.

Even in 1888 it was not the time to make the point precisely clear to the public. Times have rule in occult teaching more than most readers—or writers-of theosophical books suspect. But the clue was given, a broad hint was thrown out. It is now the time when what I was told in 1876 and 1878 by the Masters through H. P. B. may be told, since the prohibition put personally upon me has been withdrawn.

The questions repecting Mars and Mercury-and I might add those which might have been but were not put about Venus—did touch upon other questions on the outskirts of higher initiations and which never are and never will be answered before the right time. The statement in the Master's letter to Mr. Sinnett that the questions put by the latter approached too near to secrets of higher initiations did not, it is true, refer directly to these questions about Mars and Mercury, but that does not alter the fact that all the questions then propounded on this planetary subject touched the delicate area; and whether Mr. Sinnett or anyone else liked it or not, attention had to be drawn off even at the risk of creating a temporary confusion on the topic. But in 1888 time had rolled on further, and now it is 1893 and nearer and nearer to another cycle. The clue may now be given. It may be noticed, if readers will observe, that the many questions raised in reference to Mars and Mercury served the additional purpose of so distracting the attention of questioners that hardly any queries were raised about the subject of "Cycles" on which the Masters had the completest information but about which the Lodge is more careful to remain silent than in respect to other points-yet the cycles are more important and have more bearing on life than Mars and Mercury.

Mars, Mercury, and Venus have a special and direct relation to this earth and its invisible companions. Those three visible spheres have to do with certain cosmic principles and lines of influence in and on the earth, while the remaining visible planets of the Solar System have not the same relation. Read it thus, as taught before Mr. Sinnett was in the T. S., and as repeated in the Secret Doctrine:

The unseen companions of your earth are united with it in mass, though different as to quality of substance. The visible planets of your Solar System which have a relation special and peculiar to Earth are Mars, Mercury, and Venus. But what that peculiar-nay wonderful-relation is do not ask, for we will not tell you. If while the current is open you persist in the question, you will arouse in yourselves a perplexity which the answer obtained will not relieve. Is there not a spirit of irritation, of rage, and another of wisdom and active judgment in man and Nature which may relate to visible planets which are not an actual part of earth's own special family? This is as far as we will now go.

The whole misunderstanding hinges on the word "relation". It was a word which led up to many things. The presence of Mars and Mercury in the sky presents a relation to the earth, yet they have another relation to it which Saturn, Jupiter, and so on have not, while the latter bear the same relation to us of proximity as do the first. Admit the proposed construction above given, and at once there is complete concordance between Esoteric Buddhism and Secret Doctrine as to esoteric divulgements. But continue the controversy to try and show that Esoteric Buddhism had not a single blunder, and perplexities of all sorts impossible to relieve will spring up on every hand. The Masters have commended the book, and well so, as it is made up from their letters. But that does not prevent one making slight mistakes, as, for instance, the one that all men stay in devachan for 1500 years. This is not the fact, nor is it according to reason. And I make bold to say that it is not 1500 years since I was last in devachan, but much less; and this assertion is made on personal knowledge supported by confirmatory statement from the same Masters. But it is true that the general run of the human race stays in devachan for the average time of 1500 years of mortal time.

Mars, Mercury, Venus, then, are a part of our system in the sense of having an extremely important relation and influence. with the human race and its planets, and having that in mind it was quite permissible for the teacher to reply that Mars and Mertury belong to our system. WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

Ask not about a person's descent, but ask about his conduct.Sundarikabharadvajasutta, v. 9.

As

ON THE FUNCTIONS OF A DOORMAT.

SI paused on the threshold of Headquarters one day, I found myself sympathetically regarding the doormat at my feet. What position could be lowlier than it held? Not even permitted to enter the house, but having the humble duty assigned it of cleaning the feet of those more favored ones who were admitted to the sanctum. It did not utter a word of complaint; I think no one ever knew it to remonstrate; and as to thinking that it was shamefully neglected, and that it had as good a right as the stair-carpet to climb to the innermost offices of the PATH, and even to repose beneath the Editor's desk,-I doubt if such a notion ever occurred to it.

Instead of complaining, of bewailing its unfortunate destiny, of accusing the powers that be of favoritism, or of trying to blazon its own virtues to the world, it remains with a divine patience where it was put, and does what it can to make the ways of others pleasant. It preserves the halls and stairways from the dust and mud of the street, and it lies there to be trampled upon, day after day and month after month, by the busy feet of those who never give a thought to the patient service it renders them. Talk about recognition! it never has any, it would not know the meaning of the word. Much less does it claim the reward of gratitude for what it has done, a gratitude expressed in smiles and pleasant words, as a circus horse expects lumps of sugar after he has gone through his tricks. Once in a while it suffers a furious beating, for no fault of its own, but simply to free it from the impurities heaped upon it by others, and this too it undergoes in silence and without even a murmur. To remonstrate never occurs to it, much less to rise up in rebellion and oppose the hand that strikes it or the heel that grinds it into the dust.

So perfect is its humility, so absolute its patience, that I set myself to learn the lessons that it taught; and what higher ones. could be studied by a scholar than those of trust, submission, humility, and patience? It is hard sometimes to be content with a place upon the threshold, where we feel ourself trodden under the feet of those who "go up higher ", but if we can help those feet, we too have part and lot in their advancement. And if we have really learned the lesson of trust, we know that the place

assigned us is the place where we belong, and where we can do the most good, if we will only consent to work with our own tools and not grasp at another's. What says the Gita? "It is better to do one's own duty, even though it be devoid of excellence, than to perform another's duty well." But one of the most insidious. forms of that ambition against which we are so strenuously warned, is what we call emulation, the desire to distinguish ourselves as we have seen others distinguish themselves, the feeling that, given the chance, we could do great things. But the greatest thing is to use the chance we have, for "to him who hath shall be given", and to learn the lesson of trust in those great Powers that have set us in our places and know better than we can what we are fitted to do.

This lesson of trust springs out of humility, for it is only when we recognize our own feebleness that we learn to confide in the strength and wisdom of others. In Letters that have Helped Me we are told, "The Karma of your present life is the higher patience", and this is explained by the compiler to mean "the fine line between pride and humility". The doormat does not fling itself into the gutter in a foolish fit of self-abasement, but it remains. at the top of the steps, in a place of its own, which is "the place. neither too high nor too low", on which Krishna told Arjuna to sit.

Submission does not imply grovelling, or even self-depreciation, but only the consent to do a lower duty that someone else may the better perform a higher, for which he has a better equipment. than ourselves. A private holds as honorable a position as a captain, and without privates there could be no captains. In the army of the Lodge promotion never goes by favor or by seniority, and when we are fit to be captains we shall find ourselves marching at the head of our regiments. Till then, let us trust in our commanding officer and obey his orders as we would like to have our own obeyed.

And

The doormat was never known to complain that it was not appreciated, nor even to be despondent because it had to lie there alone with no one to help it, even to recognize its efforts. when we have learned this lesson of silent devotion, we shall learn to know all that the Masters meant when they wrote, "Ingratitude is not one of our failings. The humblest worker is seen and helped ".

The crowning grace of service is joy, and verily this is its own reward. KATHARINE HILLARD.