rosicrucian digest, april 1937

8/12/2019 Rosicrucian Digest, April 1937

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THE ROSY CROSS

For Menand

WomenFilied-goid cross for men,

with safety-catch pin, price

only #2.25

Filled-gold cross for women,including a long-lasting gold-filled chain 18 inches in length

only #2.75

xzrj- dVziv,'IxtjidiLtz. [J >ELgn

The simple cross consisting of a vertical staff intersected by ahorizontal one is the oldest symbol in which man expresses his knowl-edge of a divine principle of nature. I he first great natural law dis-covered by man was the law of duality; that is, that all living thingswere in pairs or eventually divided into phases or aspects ol the samething. Closer observation determined that the unity of these phasesof phenomena produced a third or new entity. I he mind soon con-cluded the divine formula as l plus l equals not just two, but three,for the two separate aspects in unity did not lose their identity andbecome one, but in reality produced a third in which were incorpo-rated their characteristics. The cross became, then, the symbol of thisformula. Each of its bars represented a different polarity of thisuniversal duality, and the place of their unity, where the manifesta-tion occurred, was usually indicated by a beautiful gem or later ared rose. To wear such a significant symbol today is not only in-dicative of Rosicrucian membership, but reveals the wearers apprecia-tion of this inspiring mystical law.

We have just designed a new, graceful, very small Rosy Cross emblem of heavy, long lasting, grained gold surmounted wi th a syn-thetic ruby which will be the pride of every wearer. It is only an inch in length, therefore not conspicuous. Women can wear it with achain and men can use the pin type as a watch fob or fasten it to theirvests as an emblem of the Order. One tenth of the entire weight ofthis handsome cross is GOLD, assuring long life, livery membershould be a proud possessor of this emblem. Order yours from:

T h e R O S I C R U C I A N S U P P L Y B U R E A UR O S I C R U C I A N P A R K S A N J O S E . C A L I F O R N I A


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TEMPLE-TOMB OF QUEEN HATSHEPSUTIn the awe-inspiring Val ley of the Queens, sur rounded by age-old, gnarled and worn cliffs, is the temple and tomb of Egypt s

most powerful queen. Hatshepsut. wife of Amenhotep III. had her tomb constructed beneath the imposing precipice shown in thephotograph. In the foreground are the remains of her majestic temple, under process of reconstruction. On the left, at the foot ofthe long ramp, there has been excavated a partly petrified portion of a gr eat tree which was planted there a t the order of Hat-shepsut thousands of years ago, and which was brought from Equatorial Africa by one of her expeditions.

(Filmed by AMORC Camera Expedition.)


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You Cannot See Them!

TheRosicrucian

Teachings

Will Reveal

These Things

to Y O U in

A Convincing

Manner

Regardless of your inability to see them with your physical, objective eyes, the fact re-mains that certain Cosmic powers and potential forces are in every faculty ofour beings.

The metaphysical, psychic centers in the human body are as truly present asthe physical ones. I hey are God s gill to the human ego at birth, but remaindormant, inactive, and of little value until YOU awaken them and apply them toMaster your life and raise your real being to Divine Creative Action.

The Rosicrucians have been the Master Ieachers of the Art ol Self Realization andSelf Mastership for hundreds of years. They are the pioneers and leaders o I all other mys-tical. metaphysical, and psychic schools, movements and systems ol study. Iheir teachingscontain all that is to be found in any other study. You need the help of the loaders, not thosewho follow.

A NEW, FREE, FASCINATING BOOK

Let us send you a copy o f T lIE SECRET HERIT AGE in which the ideals, princi pies andtranscendental processes of personal, psychic development are explained. It will explain to the sin-cere seeker how he may receive in the privacy of his home the Rosicrucian teachings for PersonalMastership in life. Just write a letter (not a postcard) saying that you are really interested am I thebook will be sent to you without obligation. AddressScribe S. P. C.

The ROSICRUCIANS( A M O R C )

ROSICRUC IAN PA RK SAN JOSE, CA LIFO RN IA, U. S. A.

(Those Who Are Members Do Not Need I his Booh)


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Subscription to The Rosicrucian Digest, Three Dollars per year. Single copies twenty- five cents each.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Po3t Office at San Jose, California, under the Act of August 24th. 1912.

Changes of address must reach us by the tenth of the monthpreceding date of issue.

Statements made in this publication are not the official expressions of the organization or it3 officers unless stated tobe official communications.

r Published Monthly by the Supreme Council of T H E R O S I C R U C I A N O R D E R A M O R C

ROSICRUCIAN PA RK SAN JOSE, CALIF ORN IA

1 1

K E P L E R

ROSICRUCIAN

DIGESTC O V E R S T H E W O R L D TH E O F FI CIA L IN TE R N ATIO N AL ROSICRUCIA N MAG AZINE O F T H E WORLD-WIDE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

Vol. XV. APRIL, 1937 No. 3

ARISTOTLE

C O N T E N T S Page

Temple Tomb of Queen Hatshepsuf (Frontispiece).. 81

The Thought of the Month: Quickening Nature 84 Along Civilization's Trail (Part lil) 86Cathedral Contacts: A Faith to Live By 94Getting Along in Life ....... 96Pages from the Past: Montaigne 100The Holy Guide: The Pillar of Li g h t. ........ ....... 103Sanctum Musings: Science Within Religion 108Summaries of Science: The Part Health Plays I 13 For a Thousand Generations (Illustration) ................. I 17 B l !E


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"Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is overand gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing birds is come, and the voice of

the turtle is heard in our land." (Psalms II, 10 12.)

OW beautiful is thespringtime; whathope and promisedoes it not bring!When life removesthe mask of trag-edy she reveals acountenance radi-ant with love and

joy and b eau ty .All nature teachesus to rejoice. Weare witnessing anew birth in na-

ture, in the incarnation of trees andflowersa new promise.

Life is forever encouraging us. Thefact that life is encouraging proves thatthe universe is friendly. Friendly? Youquery in astonishment as you think ofthe revolution in Spain, concentrationcamps in Germany, militant dictators inItaly and Russia, starving millions inChina and India. Yes, I repeat, the uni-

verse is friendly because it is ours tomaster. It can be mastered. The lawsthat govern it are immutable. The re-sponse is invariable. It is like a beauti-ful high powered car or piece of intri-cate equipment that will give us won-derful service when once we have

The learned to work it properly and care for Rnsicrucian it; adequately. It is like our bodies.

What supreme joy a beautiful, supple,healthy body can give us. But whatknowledge and effort are required tocultivate and maintain grace, vigor, and

Digest A pril 1937

strength. The world is more than amere machine. It is a part of beautyand a source of joy and inspiration for-ever. In the words of Goethe, it is thegarment of the Jiving God woven uponthe loom of time. At natures broadbreast the artist, the poet, the scientist,find perpetual nourishment. She soothesthe weary and disconsolate; she healsthe sick; she provides a living stage andbackground for life's panorama.

The foremost gift of life is that thelaw of love is the supreme law in theuniverse. There is nothing more glori-ous in the world than love. Because loveexists, life is always worth living. Loveis transfiguring. The most menial choresbecome sublime when love sets the task.The mother, wrapped in love for herchild, forgets the hours of back break-ing toil. Love has prompted everyachievement, every heroic deed. He whohas not experienced love is poor indeed.What matter is the poverty of the pres-

ent! What matter the trials and tribu-lations of the past. Love like the rain-bow of light casts beauty over all.

The love of David and Jonathan hasbecome immortal in literature. For four-teen years did Jacob serve Laban forhis daughter Rachel. Emily Sedgwickwaited twenty years for the poet,Tennyson. Charles Lamb, the greatEnglish essayist, devoted his life to hissister, Mary, when she became subjectto attacks of insanity. Interest brightensthe eye when we hear the names of

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Romeo and Juliet, Tristam and Isolde,Paolo and Francescafamous lovers ofthe world. Love! Ah, sweet mysteryof life, at last Ive found thee .............Tis love and love alone the world is

seeking. It costs no money. It cannotbe commanded. It is an attribute ofGod. When life has such a gloriousgift to bestow, can it ever lose its zestand glamour? This gift that is free forthe askingis anyone deprived of it?No, my friends. You have only to openyour hearts and God will pour somighty a stream through you that youwill touch Heavens heights in the divinest bliss and ecstacy. W e need not sighfor loves young dream because friend-ship may be ours for the seeking. Itmay be a very trite remark to make, buta great friendship is achieved, not wonlike a prize in a lottery. I speak of the joys that all may attain.

Even more sublime than love offriends is the love that one pours outinto service for the world. It is the lovethat you, yourself, experience, not thelove of which you are the recipient, thattransforms your personality. As SarahTeasdale, our American poet, has soaptly put it:

What do I owe to you,Who loved me deep and long?Who never gave my spirit wingsNor gave my heart a song.

But, Oh, to him I loved,Who loved me not at all,I owe the little gateThat led through Heavens wall.

Each and everyone of us lacking lovein life can find a lonely, frustrated soul

on whom to pour our love unstintingly,god like, without thought of return orrecompense. Do not for a moment thinkthat your love is lost. He who lovesdivinely has made God his debtor.

What greater prize can the universeoffer? Each and every one of us canfind a task, a cause to serve in high ded-ication of the soul to serve becausewe want to, because we believe in it,because we want to be one stone in theconstruction of the temple, one moresoldier in the glorious army of ourdreams.

In this glorious season I do want,with all my heart, to share with you thelove and joy that fills my being. I wantyou to feel your hearts lighter, yoursouls at peace, your desire for lifestronger, your determination to do anddare firmer, your confidence in your-selves and in the work of our belovedOrder unshaken. In the Bhagavad Gita,Krishna says to the trembling Arjuna,shrinking from the battle fray, Whydo you fear? The victory is yours.Enter and fight.

It is said that the darkest hour is justbefore the dawn. You may be standingat that very turning point in your lives.Your faces are toward the West and itis very dark. All that you see are thestorms of the winter that is past. Justturn around and face the East and thelight of the rising sun may almost blindyou with its glory. Hope triumphantmay be in the offing. The lords of lifemay be standing at the very portalbearing gifts of love and peace and joy gifts that are the culmination of yourown efforts, thoughts, and desires anddreams. Tomorrow may bring the ful-fillment of your destiny.

rTAKE THE SPECIAL BUS TO THE ROSICRUCIAN

CONVENTION

We are arranging for an especially chartered bus to leave from two or three of theprincipal cities of the United States, to take all those who wish to travel by that meansto the Convention in San Jose and return, for an exceedingly economical fare. Th is buswill be used exclusively for Rosicrucians , and it will remain in San Jose during the entireConvention. It will travel one way West and another way East, in order to give alltravelling by it a splendid opportunity to see scenic spots of the nation. For full par-ticulars about the bus rates and places of leaving, address Convention Secretary, Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California.

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Along Civilizations TrailBy R a l p h M. L e w i s , K. R. C.

Editors Note:This is the third episode of a narrative by the Supreme Secretary relatingthe experiences he and his party had in visiting mystic shrines and places in Europe and theancient world.

PARISMEDIEVAL AND MODERN

HERE is a charmabout Paris that ispart i m a g i n a r yand part actual.Many Americansthink of Paris as

synonymous withEurope, and theirfirst trip abroad iscentered in andabout Paris. Actu-a l l y, h o w e v e r,Paris differs onlyslightly from many

of the other great cities of Europe. Ofcourse, its customs, language, and his-torical background are different, but inreality there is little more of interest tothe traveler or even to the tourist thanone would find in London, Berlin, orRome for example.

France, it is said, is a nation that de-sires to live in the past, in the glory ofpast achievements and accomplishments,the romantic settings of previous cen-turies, to dwell upon her great person

The alities of yore, and thus she turns reRosicruciar, lat en tly to * e present, and to the

future. It has also been said that theaverage Frenchman devotes himself tothe things of the day and to modernaffairs by necessity, but prefers living

DigestApril1937

in the memories and glory of the Franceof the past. And since France has beena battle ground for centuries, and aprize which various powers of Europeat different times sought, the Frenchpeople are instinctively on their guard,

and one gathers the impression thatmany of them are suspicious. Th ey areconstantly, it seems, on the alert forthose who would take advantage ofthem. This suspicion affronts manyvisitors, though the effrontery is unin-tentional on the part of the Frenchman.

This suspicion is manifest in nationalaffairs. It casts a burden on her in-dustry, finance and full cooperationwith other powers. Tim e after timeFrance has been trampled upon, her na-tional honor insulted, her people en-slaved, her institutions destroyed by thegreed and avarice of hostile powers, andeach member of a family has taken anunexpressed oath that it shall neverhappen again, and this obligation colorstheir views. France is, therefore, a mili-taristic nation, not because of a desireto conquer or even to expand herself,but for self defense alone. She feelsthat if she can command the greatestair force and one of the best equippedand manned armies in Europe, as wellas having the most extensive fortifica-

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tions, she will be safe from the crush-ing blow which she feels other powersare waiting to give her to further theirown ends. The people as a whole areextremely emotional, but this emotional-

ism is not evidenced except in emer-gencies, in crises. There are otherpeoples of Europe as emotional andthey display their emotion more fre-quently in the commonplace affairs ofthe day. The average Frenchman isquiet, peace loving, even tempered, ex-cept when extraordinarily provoked.Then the emotions, like pent-up furies, break loose, and perforce they sweepaway the usual very logical reasoningof the people.

The impression the visitor gets is that

Paris is a city of two classes only: thosewho are wealthyor at least have avery substantial income and are able toenjoy the better and finer things of life,the luxuriesand a great multitude whoare struggling along, barely able to pro-vide the necessities of life. There doesnot seem to be that dominant classwhich we, in America, say is the great middle class, or the bourgeoisie. This isparticularly noticeable in the materialaspects of the city. On the great boule-vards we find every evidence of wealthand prosperity, large buildings withmarble and tile fronts and chromiumplating, modernistic lighting effects anddecorations, broad streets and side-walks, shops displaying articles of everyconceivable type, exquisite jewelry,clothesboth mens and womensofthe latest fashion, rare perfumes, gems,restaurants and cafes whose cuisinecaters to the epicurean. The passersbyare well dressed, alert, cultured, refined,but if one steps off the boulevard, inmany of the side streets he findssqualor, dust and dirt, congestion, old

buildings with old plumbing and electriclight fixtures, crowds, suggestions ofpoverty or at least want. There is notthe same sparkle of life, and hope, inthe faces one sees. There is more of anindication of drudgery and life withoutthe light of culture. Of course, thereare many sections of Paris which havebeautiful apartment houses, and privatehomes, but these again represent theopposite class, the other extreme. Thereis, apparently, no intermediate class, orat least a dearth of it.

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One is also impressed by the com-paratively few Frenchmen that speakEnglish, or in fact any other languagethan French. Th is is noticeable in con-trast to London, Berlin and Rome, for

the people of those cities almost allspeak another language in addition totheir own. It is not that Frenchmencannot be linguists, because many ofthem speak several languages, but theFrenchman has an exceptional pride inhis language, a traditional pride, andmany feel it beneath their national dig-nity to express themselves in any otherlanguage than their own, except whenobliged to by commercial reasons orsome other equal necessity. Thus wefind that in the French colonies, themandated territories of France, theFrenchman does not make it his busi-ness to learn the language of the nativebut attempts to oblige the native to learnFrench. England, on the other hand,takes a distinctly different position. Shefeels it is her duty and obligation to be-come thoroughly conversant with thelanguage of the people of her colonies,and every public servant is obliged todo so. Thus we find that England hasa better understanding, generally speak-ing, of the problems of the peoples ofher colonies than has France.

* * * *W e had arrived in Paris early in the

afternoon. The day was bright andwarm, the sort of a day one looks for-ward to experiencing in Paris. Weloaded our luggage in three taxis (andI might add that in the last few yearsParis has done away with her tradi-tional taxis which seemed like relics ofthe past, and has adopted a style of taxiwhich is more like the American onethan any others to be found in Europe)and were soon on our way. Visitors to

Paris five years ago know it was thecustom for taxicabs to have mounted onthem the early type rubber bulb horn inaddition to their modern electric horns.Taxis were forbidden to operate theirelectric horns within the city limits, and were consequently obliged to con-tinually blow the bulb horn at least twoor three times in each block, and eachone had a different pitch or note. Atfirst the visitor would find it amusing,and finally extremely annoying and ir-ritating. With the increase of motor


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cars and taxis, the noise became amenace and finally was done away with.Actually the visitor senses a quietudewhich is unnatural for Paris. After ashort winding trip through the streetsof Paris from the Gare de Lyon, thenalong the Rue de Rivoli, we pulled upat our hotel opposite the famous Tuileries Gardens, which were palacegrounds for centuries and now form abeautiful park.

The balance of that day and part ofthe next day were to be free. W e wereto devote them to our own interests be-fore we began again filming historicalsites and continuing interviews with of-ficials of the Rosicrucian Order andallied organizations in Paris. W e hur-ried from our rooms after arranging ourluggage, and decided at the curb thatwe would visit the majestic Notre DameCathedral on the little island in theSeine River which flows through theheart of Paris. As we rode toward theSeine, I recalled how this little islandin the heart of Paris, according to tra-ditional history, was at one time allthere was to Paris; that the Romangenerals in their accounts to Rome,when they occupied France, told of atribe of people, barbarians, who livedon the island in the Seine. Then again

I thought of that medieval philosopher,Abelard, who had numerous contro-versies with the Roman Church duringthe eleventh century and who, becauseof his advanced ideas, jeopardized hislife, and how he went to Paris to studylogic and rhetoric and finally his teacher,William of Champeaux, admitted tohim that he could teach him no more.Abelard then established his own school,and it is said that from the nucleus ofhis school, which he also established onthe island of the Seine, later went forthstudents who took part in what laterwas the establishment of the famed Ox-ford University.

It is said that everything we see,every scene or place or thing, leaves acolor impression on our minds, suggestseither two or three pronounced colorsor combination of them; that aside fromthe details of the thing we have a mem-ory of it in color; that it suggests coloror light shading to us aside from itsform. W e all agreed that the grey stone

TheRosicrucianDigestApril1937

walls along the Seine with their pontsor bridges of stone which have beenthere for several centuries, and the otherstone, grey, cold uninviting buildings oneither side, gave us an impression notof form particularly, but of just blackand white. W e later seemed to havethe memory impression of our experi-ence as darkness with just patches oflight representing the blue sky and thesun's rays which found their way be-tween the mass of buildings and wallsand were reflected on the muddy watersof the Seine.

Mans works are mighty when theycan instill within him the same feelingof awe as do the great things of nature.The Notre Dame Cathedral does that.Its great height, rising hundreds of feetover the Seine, the massive stones, theheight of the center nave, the diffusedlighting caused by the beautiful stainedglass windows, the great flagging, thegrotesque gargoyles looking as thoughthey were leering down at you, leaveone feeling small, insignificant. And yetthe greatness of the structure, the sta-bility and beauty of it, causes one torealize that with all that we are able toaccomplish today, we can not greatlyimprove upon this beautiful example ofGothic architecture. When one realizes

that this great edifice was built withoutthe use of steel or girders and that thegreat arches reaching from the centralcolumns of the nave to the side wallare all of stone, and the only thingwhich prevents the walls from crumblingunder the tremendous pressure of thesearches which press against them are theflying buttresses or oblique, separateouter walls supporting the inner ones,one marvels at the ingenuity of theseearly builders. Everywhere there are,in this great edifice, suggestions ofwealth, power, and strength. The earlychurch had need of such lavish display,for strung about these great cathedralsin Europe in the Middle Ages were thesqualid shacks, one might call them, ofthe populace. In them people led asordid life; gloom, dirt, filth, fear andsuperstition existed in them. Th e aver-age persons clothes were not muchmore than just what were necessary tocover his body. There was nothing thatrepresented beauty. People had nobeautiful furniture or jewels or paint-

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ings. They had no musical instrumentsexcept a few of the very crudest kind.Everything in life was dull and unin-spiring. Life itself seemed to be hardlyworth living. There was nothing that

could awaken within people who livedat that time an appreciation of the mag-nificence of God, of the beauty andsplendor of the things which He hadcreated. Naturally before they couldappreciate the divine, they had to rea-lize something which suggested, by itsvery nature and difference from theirordinary life, that it was divine. There-fore, the church, collecting the pennies,the coppers, the sous of these people,was able to build in their midst a templeof such splendor and magnificence andmajesty as depicted the God to whichit was devoted. And on religious holi-days or when the people gathered inthese big temples for worship they trulyfelt that they were in a sacred sanctumof God. for the world of the church wasso different from theirs. There wasbeautiful music, like they never heardelsewhere, magnificent paintings andmurals like they could not see anywhereelse; there was a structure, stable,strong, representing eternity, and thereliability and dependability of GodHimself in contrast to their frail struc-

tures which were like unto the life ofman. And so, though we may condemn,on the one hand, the early church, fortaking the few miserable coins that thesepeople had and using them to buildsuch lavish structures, yet these receivedin return more spiritual benefit and moreof an awakening of their inner naturesthrough that means than they couldhave through the expending of theirpennies, their coppers, in any other way.So we can say that the church was justi-fied in its expenditures for these beau-tiful cathedrals.

The hour was late before we re-turned to our hotel, and we were gladto retire.

The next day was not so pleasant aone. The skies were leaden, and thesmoke of the city was more visibleagainst them than the day before. Therewas a slow rain, one that seemed cease-less, and it had a depressing effect uponthe mood. However, we determined tovisit another historical site. This was

the so called Temple of Justice on theopposite side of the Seine. Again weset out in a taxi. The taxi is the mostdependable means of transportation inParis with the exception of the subway,

and as taxi fare is so cheap, the averagevisitor prefers it to traveling in the con-gested subways, which, like most sub-ways. usually do not have terminals orstations within the vicinity of the placeyou wish to visit.

The Temple of Justice is visible forquite some distance before you arriveat it. It is a large, imposing building.Each corner of it is flanked with atower like turret so that it looks like amedieval castle. It apparently has neverbeen cleaned by sand blasting as are

many of our old stone buildings in thiscountry for its walls are extremelyblack, as though they had been coatedor painted with a black pigment. Onegets a chill in looking at it, a sort ofdread feeling. In the center of thesquare building between the two largeturrets or towers is a great gateway,massive, composed of an iron grill. Thebottom of the grill has spikes, and thewhole gate itself is studded with boltswhich are apparently hand riveted.This Temple of Justice, as it is nowcalled, was used during the FrenchRevolution as the place where royaltywas confined, where aristocrats wereimprisoned, before their trials or, as wemight say, mock trials, and beforethey were led to the guillotine. As youapproach the large gateway, you feelyour spirits ebbing; whether it is thesuggestion of the building itself, its coldatmosphere, or whether it is knowledgeof the fact that thousands were confinedthere before they lost their lives throughpolitical upheaval. Many were torturedthere. Most all were led from there to

their deaths. Political prisoners duringthe French Revolution who were ledinto that gateway knew it meant theend of freedom and the end of life. Itwas like crossing the threshold fromthis life to another.

W e passed through the gateway intothe courtyard. The courtyard consistedof cobblestones irregularly laid, and noteven uniform in height. About the smallquadrangle were the four walls of thestructure, all of the same cold appear

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ing stone. One felt oppressed, asthough it were even difficult to breathe,though of course the courtyard wasopen above. The only openings in thewalls of the building were long narrowapertures about three feet in length andperhaps eight or ten inches in width.Behind these apertures were little al-coves in which a man could stand andlook out through the narrow slit, andshoot through it if necessary withoutexposing himself too greatly. If onelooked up at these apertures which weredark, because of the shadows of the in-terior, one almost felt as if eyes werepiercing him, as if he were beingscanned by an invisible person. W equickly crossed the cobblestone court-yard to a low arched doorway typical

of Gothic architecture. We steppeddown three well worn steps and pushedheavily against a plank door with itsstrap iron braces, which creaked on itsrusty hinges as it opened. W e lookedinto what seemed to be an enormoussubterranean chamber with a vaultedceiling, with many squatty columns ofenormous circumference. These columnssupported the entire structure in themanner of Gothic buildings. The col-umns were joined at their tops by archesforming a series of pockets or vaultsin the ceiling. It was very dark, exceptfor yellow light of a small gas jet. Onecould easily see that the gas light hadbeen added some time later for the pipewas strung along and fastened to thecolumns. The flame was flickering con-siderably because of the drafts thatcame down from this great undergroundarea. W e closed the door behind us,which left us alone in this great cham-ber.


For no reason whatsoever we spokein hushed voices as though we wereafraid of awakening someone or attract-ing attention to ourselves. Finally, rea-lizing that there must be an attendantin the place, I called out. The echo ofmy voice seemed to spring back towardus from every corner as it resoundedthroughout the stone chamber. It wasflung back at us from the vaulted ceil-ing, from the stone floor, from the manypillars. It was as though we had awak-ened a thousand demons who were jeer-ing at us. It was a startling effect. How-

ever, it had the desired result, for thereapproached us an attendant in a tat-tered uniform who, though he was therefor that purpose, and must have receivedvisitors frequently, seemed rather curi-ous because we were there. W e ex-plained the best way we could in rathercrude and broken French what we de-sired; that we wanted to be shownabout; particularly did we want to seethe famous cell of Marie Antoinette.He motioned us to follow him, which wedid, and we wended our way among theforest of massive columns to a circularstone staircase. At the bottom of thestone staircase was another heavy plankdoor with an enormous bolt and chain,crude but very substantial. In the uppercenter of the door was a grill or aper-

ture about ten inches square with threestout bars in it. They were so rustythat the metal was crystalizing or flak-ing away. Over the grill opening wasthe remains of a small shutter, so thatapparently it could be closed so that theprisoner in the cell could not see out.This, the attendant explained, was thecell of the famous and beautiful MarieAntoinette. She was confined for quitesome time before she was taken from thecell and led in a rough, high wooden-wheeled cart through the streets ofParis before the shouting, screamingthrongs to the guillotine. There washer stone couch, and the little shrine atwhich she prayed daily. The vibrationswere intense, acute. W e had engen-dered within us in that cell, mingledfeelings of fear, hatred, and of remorse.There in the cell also were big ironrings driven into the stones, to whichunruly prisoners could be chained. Thenwe were led to another cell, and stillanother, and finally again back into thegreat subterranean chamber, the dun-geon like vast hall. It was in this great

chamber that the aristocrats, the ladiesand gentlemen, the counts and thecountesses, sat about playing cards,talking in low voices, weeping, consol-ing each other, praying, hoping, whileseveral times a day the bolts and chainswould rattle on the outer gate and inwould come officers of the CitizensGuard who would read from a longscroll the names of those who were nextto be tried in a court composed of theRevolutionaries. When their names

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were read, shrieks would rend the stonechamber, for all knew that when theywere led before the tribunal they couldexpect no mercy and no justice, forthere was no trial. They were all con-

demned to death, and it was just theformality of passing in review beforethe judgesthe butcher, the baker, andthe candlestick makerand almost be-fore the name of a defendant left thelips of the clerk of the court a cry wouldarise from the court, Guiltythe guil-lotine.

There is a fascination about a grue-some place such as the Temple of Jus-tice. One would imagine that he or shewould be anxious to leave, flee from theplace, seek the fresh air outdoors, orthat even the rain would be welcomeand refreshing. But instead you aredrawn to investigate further. Th e hor-ror of it seems to grip the mind; drawyou on and on.

W e finally returned to our hotel, andFrater Brower and I prepared our pho-tography equipment, for the next daywas to be a busy one for us. Th e thirdday was in our favor, photographicallyspeaking. The sun shone bright and theatmosphere was unusually clear of thecustomary smoke. W e set out in searchof the quarters of the famed CountAlessandro Cagliostro, prominent in theannals of the Eighteenth Century. W ecould not describe to our driver that wewanted to go to the former residenceand garret laboratory of the renownedalchemist and mystic Cagliostro, forCagliostro is not even known to theaverage Frenchman except for thosewho have studied mysticism and phil-osophy and the history of that periodthoroughly. So we had to give him thename of the rue or street. It was quitea drive; it took us approximately half

an hour to reach there. W e found our-selves in the heart of bustling, noisyParis. It was a light wholesale district.The houses of the street were all onehundred to two hundred and fifty yearsold. Most of them had been convertedinto factories for manufacturing of fab-rics. It was now strictly a commercialdistrict. W e immediately found theplace we sought because of its unusualappearance. The building was recessed,surrounded by a high cement wall. Ontop of the cement wall, which was about

Ninety-one

twelve or fourteen feet in height, wasan iron railing, and back from that ironrailing we could see the upper two storiesof the building. The garret story wasquite eerie looking. It consisted of a

series of super imposed windows, thatlooked as though they were fastened orattached to the stone building, and ex-tended from the face of it. But whatprincipally caught our attention anddefinitely identified it as the place wesought was the garret balcony. It wasa little porch that extended out fromthe edge of the top story, and over thisporch which had a simple iron railingabout it was a low narrow roof, andprojecting from the edge of the roofwas a metal bar about four feet in lengthfrom which hung a pulley, and fromwhich dangled a strand of cable. Itwas from that balcony that Count Ales-sandro Cagliostro hoisted from the cob-blestone courtyard below his kegs ofchemicals and boxes of instruments usedin his secret alchemical experiments.

Cagliostro in his youth had gone tothe Orient and studied in the mysteryschools there, and became well versedin the secret laws of nature. Returningagain to Europe, he became renownedas a healer. He effected miraculouscures. He seemed always to be in pos-session of great wealth, jewels andgems, and he was lavish in his contri-butions to the poor and needy. Hisdemonstrations of natural law gainedfor him the reputation, on the one hand,of being an astute philosopher and al-chemist, and on the other hand he wasaccused by those who feared his powersof being a black magician and of prac-ticing the arts of Satan. From wherehis tremendous wealth came, whichseemed endless, no one quite knew. Itwas said that he had discovered the

means of transmuting the baser metalsinto gold and thus could make gold atwill. Because of the great cures he ef-fected, it was said that he had alsofound the elixir of life. Kings and po-tentates sought his counsel and his help,but as his fame spread, so did also jealousy and fear of him. It is said heentered Paris riding in a great goldcoach laden with gems, and with chestsof gold. He was charged with manycrimes and successfully defended him-self against them. Some of his greatest


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accusers were those who held high po-sitions in the church. The persecutionbecame more intense, and finally he wasdragged bodily from his garret homeand wrongly imprisoned for life. Fo ryears the only historical accounts werethose which came down to us fromprejudiced persons, declaring him to bea charlatan, a mountebank, a fraud, andan imposter. Since that time other factshave been found which reveal that hewas not a charlatan, not a fraud, but atrue mystic one who used his wealthfor the benefit of others and most cer-tainly had a mastery of natural lawwhich he sought to teach and whichcaused mingled feelings of respect andfear toward him.

With these thoughts in mind weentered the courtyard and looked about.Everything was disillusioning. Alongthe three sides of the courtyard weredoorways that originally had perhapsled into private chambers of his resi-dence. Now they were doorways lead-ing into shops, and over the doorwayshung either brass or wooden signs, andthrough some of the partly open doorswe could see women working at sewingmachines manufacturing garments. Fromsome of the windows overhead wearingapparel was hanging and modem house-

hold utensils were evident. Thereseemed to be no appreciation of thefact that they were living in what wasat one time the center of the greatestmystery of Europethe residence andthe garret laboratory of Cagliostro, theman who held the respect, fear and ad-miration of the crowned heads ofEurope. Most of them did not evenknow that this old building had beenthe property of Cagliostro. As we stoodlooking about, a man approached usfrom one of the shops. He appeared tobe the superintendent, and asked uswhat place we wished. W e explainedthat we were merely visitors and desiredto take a few photographs. He seemedpuzzled as to why we wished to photo-graph these small places of business orshops. W e explained that we were here

T he because of its historical interest; thatRosicrucian we knew, in act> t ia t was the

former residence of the mystic and al-chemist Cagliostro. He looked quiz-zically at us for a moment and repliedthat it was, but that no one except him

JDigestApril1937

self and one other of the attendantsknew anything about it, and they saidnothing about it as they did not wantto attract visitors who would interferewith the business activities. He said wecould not enter the garret because itwas occupied by a tailoring establish-ment and the tailor himself had neverheard of Cagliostro and did not, ofcourse, know that he was occupying thelaboratory of the alchemist. It seemedsuch a travesty, that nothing was doneto respect the memory of this character.At leastwe thoughta brass platecould have been erected to his memorysomewhere in the courtyard.

I had known from my studies andfrom our Rosicrucian archives that therewas a secret passageway and stairway

which led to the garret, and that thepassageway also led out from this courtfor several blocks to some other resi-dence in the city that Cagliostro woulduse when desiring to evade the curiousthrongs who used to collect about theouter wall either waiting to see him orto solicit his gold. My attention wasattracted to one of the doors in the cor-ner of the courtyard. It was a littlesmaller than the rest, but particularlywas it noticeable because it was notwooden like the others, but was allmetal, a solid sheet of metal. It lookedlike a fire exit, such as we use in build-ings today, with a metal door to pre-vent the spread of fire from one build-ing to another. I pointed to it. Andthat?" I said.

He seemed to sense what I thoughtand he said, That is not in use anylonger. It used to be a tunnel or pas-sageway that led out somewhere intothis district, but long ago a portion ofit caved in and so it has fallen into dis-use, and we keep the iron doorwayclosed so that it will not be used by

anyone, thus they will not be injured. Cagliostro's? I asked. He replied,Most likely, as no one rememberswhen it was constructed and apparentlyit was made at the time this buildingwas erected several centuries ago. W ehad all the information we needed andwe immediately took photographs. (Seephotograph in the January 1937 issueof The Rosicrucian Digest. )

On the final afternoon of our stay inParis I met Mademoiselle Guesdon at a

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pre arranged time. She accompanied meto an appointment with Frater B ,Sovereign Grand Master of the Orderof M into which I had been duly ini-tiated in Brussels. Frate r B holds a

prominent position in France. He isSecretary of the Archives of the FrenchGovernment, a department containingthe records, manuscripts, books andpapers, and documents of Statea mostresponsible and important position. TheLibrary of Archives is located in theChamber of Deputies Building in Paris,an historical place, once a palace. Aftera short ride we arrived at the Chamberof Deputies and Mademoiselle Guesdonand myself were escorted into the pri-vate office of Frater B .

Frater B is a very dynamic andforceful man, a man of approximatelyfifty years of age but with the vitality,stamina and energy of a much youngerman. He speaks quickly, he actsquickly, he thinks quickly. Life holdstwo principal interests for him besideshis familyhis work, the responsibleposition he has in the French Govern-ment, and his mystical philosophicalstudies and office in the Fudosi and theOrder of M . Our exchange of ideaswas a little difficult as Frater B spokeno English and I no French. So again

Mademoiselle Guesdon came to my aid.W e discussed at length the work of theAMORC in America, and the work ofthe Order of M in Europe. FraterB explained that he had conferredupon the Imperator of the RosicrucianOrder of AMORC certain authority toestablish in North and South Americathe Order of M, and that before Ileft France I, too, would receive au-thority to assist the Imperator in theestablishment of this Order.

Seeing my great interest in the Cham-ber of Deputies because of its historicalsignificance, and because it is one of theimportant departments of the FrenchGovernment, he personally escorted methroughout the old building into whatformerly were the ballrooms and libraryand music rooms of the royalty that oc-cupied it before the Revolution. Thenhe took me into one of the alcoves ofthe archives and there were great bound

volumes, scrolls, manuscripts, datingback for centuries. Many of these vol-umes and manuscripts are priceless be-cause of their historical value. For ex-ample, he showed me the handwrittencourt record of the trial of Marie An-toinette, whose cell we had visited buttwo days before. He pointed out in thisold manuscript how every time any de-fense was raised in her behalf, the jur-ists would cry out, "Guillotine, Guil-lotine, and there in black and whiteappears this blemish on justice. It wasa strange sensation to look upon such amanuscript and to visualize the scenethat took place when these events wererecorded. Things of the greatest his-torical importance seem commonplace toEuropeans, for there they have so muchthat is of the pastsurrounded withhistory. Any one of the things woulddemand considerable attention in ournew America. The very chair whichFrater B used as his personal officechair was an antique that would glad-den the heart of any dealer in Americaor elsewhere, and would have broughtan enormous sum. It was a chair thatcame from the private library of KingLouis VIII of France, yet Frater Bwas using it as just another office chair,and he smiled at my amazement at his

commonplace acceptance of this antique.When we finally left it was dusk, andwe were caught in the throngs return-ing to home from work. The jostling,pushing, scurrying crowds at 6:00 P. M.in Paris are no different in their anxietyto return home after routine affairs andenjoy their firesides and their personalinterest than the office and work a daycrowds one finds in any city in Americaor Canada or elsewhere. This night wecould not enjoy strolling along Parisianboulevards, up the Rue de Rivoli oralong the Madeleine, nor could we sitat the Cafe de la Paix where it is saidthe world passes by, and which, it isalso said, is the most cosmopolitan spotin Europe, for we had to pack and pre-pare for a long journey. W e were trulyto start Eastward on the morrowEgypt was beckoning. Our trek alongthe trail of civilization was to begin inearnest.

(To be continued)

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The Cathedral of the Soul is a Cosmic meeting place for all minds of themost advanced and highly developed spiritual members and workers of theRosicrucian Fraternity. It is a focal point of Cosmic radiations and thoughtwaves from which radiate vibrations of health, peace, happiness, and innerawakening. Various periods of the day are set aside when many thousandsof minds are attuned with the Cathedral of the Soul, and others attuning withthe Cathedral at this time will receive the benefit of the vibrations. Those whoare not members of the organization may share in the unusual benefits as wellas those who are members. The book called "Liber 777 describes the periodsfor various contacts with the Cathedral. Copies will be sent to persons whoare not members by addressing their request for this book to Friar S. P. C., careof AMORC Temple, San Jose, California, enclosing three cents in postagestamps, fPlease state whether member or notthis is important.)

A FAITH TO LIVE BY


AN HAS sought afaith to live bysince the light ofreason dawned inhis mind. As think-

ing m an evolveshe finds it all themore necessary toformulate a philos-ophy of life as aspringboard of ac-tion. Tod ay thedesire for harmonyof mind and soul

is just as insistent as it ever was, eventhough the effect has been complicatedby social, economic, and political factors.More than ever do we need a faith to

live by. W e need to know that Godexists. W e need to know that some-where there is rest and peace, that weare not merely grains of dust or a chem-ical conglomeration. W e need to know

that we are not doomed to exist for onlya short period of time during whichspan we suffer painful experiences andlearn costly lessons, only to have deathcome along and erase all signs of ourmoral and mental progress . W e needGod as we never did before, and weneed a philosophy of life, for that is ofthe utmost importance to health, happi-ness, and contentment.

A philosophy of life is as necessaryto thinking man as a chart to the marineror a blueprint to the engineer. Man to-

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day is desperately seeking a lamp bywhich to guide his feet, a light to il-lumine his path in life. Modern man isrestless, unhappy and maladjusted. Sex is not the solution of the problem, as

Freud would have us think. Political nostrums and social panaceas are notthe solution as the Communists andFascis ts would have us believe. Material prosperity does not make man happier.The return to orthodox religion that Dr.Henry C. Link advocates will not sat-isfy the man with a cosmopolitan out-look upon life. Philosophy , as its fore-most advocates admit, has no construc-tive program, no message of hope forthe generation of today. Science, withits kaleidoscopic change of basic ideas,

leaves the layman bewildered.If you try to be guided by the con-flicting theories of science, as AldousHuxley puts it, Ye shall know thetruth, and the truth shall make ye mad."In short, modern man has reached apoint where he wants a working plan oflife to which his reason can give fullassent.

Civilization advances in spiral form.While we may return to religion andfaith, we shall never return to orthodoxreligion with its cramped sectarianismand conflicting creeds. Mankind is readyfor a new revelation, and that revela-tion is the wisdom of the ages entrustedto a few from generation to generation.This beautiful and inspiring philosophythat we give our members, the intellectcan unreservedly accept and the heartcan warmly embrace. As Rosicrucianswe believe in that stately and majesticverse in Genesis 27: So God createdman in His own image, in the image ofGod created He him: male and femalecreated He them. W e do not only ac-cept these ideas, but if we are truly tobe Rosicrucians we must use them inour daily lives and manifest the under-standing of universal love and serviceunder the guidance of God, Creator ofHeaven and Earth. W e must make evi-dent that we are Sons of God andbrothers through divine parentage.

Despite the fact that every religionaccepts these precepts our understand-ing makes them revolutionary in theirimplications. If every parliament, everylegislature and judicial body, every hu-man being having authority over other Ninety-five

beings, were to act in this light what atremendous revolution would be ac-complished without shedding a drop ofblood. W e acknowledge in our beliefthat a true Son of God acts according

to the divine light within him. W e en-deavor to show in our conduct that welove and obey God and that such obedi-ence is evidence of our faith.

God is our Father and we are Hischildren. W e are co existent and coeternal with the Father. Each soul is atangible manifestation of divinity and apoint in which all forces and powers arecentered. Man is capable of infinite de-velopment. Each one of us is a tremen-dous mystery, all having unfathomabledepths and infinite heights. It is thework of ages to study our own soulsand the souls of our fellowmen. Whenwe have unlocked the secret of ourselveswe shall have penetrated the mysteriesof God.

God, the Absolute, is the source towhich our souls long to return. This isthe hidden desire of our hearts; this isthe pilgrimage of the ages although wemay not be consciously aware of thefact. This longing is achieved throughlove, and the Cathedral contact is onemedium through which we can get intoattunement with God and our fellowman. Love is the most sublime emotionof which we are capable. Love is thekey that opens the gates of Heaven.Love is the greatest light in theUniverse.

The mystics of the ages have felt thiscall of the soul and have expressed thislonging in beautiful verse:

The living God is my desire,It carries me on wings of fireBody and soul to Him aspire."

Solon ibn Gabiorol.

W e are all seeking God; we seekGod everywhere. W e seek God all thetime. W e seek God far away and yetHe is within. He is closer than breath-ing, and nearer than hands and feet.In nature, in everything, in everyone,God is manifested. By lifting our con-sciousness and our vision to God, to thehigher realm, through the Cathedralcontacts we see things in their real pro-portion and relationship. By entering


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the Cathedral of the Soul for rest, medi-tation and contemplation, we not onlygain that broader viewpoint but we alsocome into attunement with the Univer-sal mind and the Cosmic Consciousness.There is peace, health, and power.

If we make it a daily practice to de-vote a few minutes morning and nightin silent meditation, without disturbancefrom without, we thereby attune ourbodies and minds with the great andpowerful Cosmic force of health andharmony. At any of the Cathedralhours listed in the free book, "Liber777, there are thousands of persons allover the world sitting in silence and ex-tending their consciousnesses in the

thoughts of peace, power, health, andstrength toward this one Cosmic point.United effort in any direction is of un-told value and especially at this timewhen ail the world is sharpening theplowshares into death dealing instru-ments and greed and fear walk rampantin our midst.

W e need God as we never did be-fore. W e need faith and convictionthat love, truth, and justice shall pre-vail. W e need the universal harmonyand love attainable only in the attune-ment with the Absolute. Let us of theWhite Brotherhood lead the world ineliminating fear and greed from the hu-man consciousness.

V V V

Getting Along In LifeBy T h o r K h m a l e h t o , Sovereign Grand Master

INCE our membershave responded

favorably to thetype of practicaltalks that I havegiven, I shall con-tinue in the sameway today. I findthat many of ourmembers come tome with problemswhich reveal com-plete ignorance ofthe practical world

and its demands. They obviously needinstruction in how to manage their livesand affairs sensibly. They are powerfulsouls with high ideals, but unworldlyand impractical. They do not know howto translate their ideals into actualities,in the practical, everyday life. 1 believein ideals and I know that a life without

T he ideals is like a street without light. I beRosicrucian ieve too> that ^ e men dreams and

vision should influence the world, butthey must know how to exert an influ-ence. Th ey must master sufficientlytheir particular field of interest, and the

DigestApril1937

medium and technique of their particu-lar talent, to be able to express theirideals with maximum efficiency.

Three of our members came to meabout "writin g. One was interested increative writing. One wanted to enterthe field of journalism. One wanted toprepare a book for publication. The im-pulse in each case may have been genu-ine. It is quite possible that they didhave the gift of expression. It is alsopossible that they did have somethingworthwhile to offer the world. But thestrange thing in each case was that notone of these three young men was amaster of the English language. Con-sidering the fact that they were not na-tive born Americans, they spoke andwrote the English language very wellfor all practical purposes; but, from thepoint of view of a publisher or an editor,their knowledge of the language wasundeniably unsatisfactory. I had to tellthem that their first task was to perfecttheir knowedge of the language. Onlyin exceptional cases will the editor takethe trouble to have an article completelyrewritten by a proof reader. Their sec-

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ond task was to study the field of writ-ing that interested them most. Mostuniversities give extension courses inthese subjects, and for those who can-not attend in person there are corres-pondence courses. There are handbooksavailable which list the English period-icals and publishing houses of the worldwith exact information as to the type ofwork each firm publishes. Until youhave created your own public you mustsupply what the market demands. Writ-ing is a craft and must be studied likeany other art if you want to use it as away of earning a livelihood. To beunder the impression that the Cosmiccan bestow literary success upon you asa free gift is not sensible. The Cosmiccan inspire you with ideas but you musthave sufficient knowledge of the tech-nique of expression to translate theseideas into novels, plays, poems, oressays.

The first requirement, then, for suc-cess is a thorough knowledge of yourfield of work, whether a trade, an art,or a profession. Some people can puttheir hand to anything that turns up buthave made a special study of no onething. One member, a young man ofthe highest character and integrity, hasbeen content to do odd jobs for the lastfew years. He has never managed torise above the subsistence level ofexistence. Although a resident of NewYork City, he was completely unawareof the faculties of that great city to per-fect himself in a special trade or voca-tion at night without any cost. He didnot even read trade journals or booksto keep abreast of what was being donein the field of labor. He was veryanxious to get married, but was un-successful socially, too. How could heexpect the superior young woman,whom he wanted, to be interested insuch an unprogressive individual?

The second requirement for successin life is an effective personality. Youdo not need to be as handsome as theApollo of Belvedere or the Venus deMilo. You can achieve an effective per-sonality. The first step is immaculategrooming. I, for one, am not such afanatic and bigot as to take the point ofview that attention to neatness andcleanliness, and an eye for color har-

Ninety-seven

mony, necessarily implies lack of spir-ituality and unbecoming and excessiveinterest in this world. I love an as-semblage of healthy, well dressed menand women. As Shakespeare said,Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,but not expressed in fancy; rich, notgaudy, for the apparel oft proclaims theman.

I think a home, too, should be just asbeautiful as you can afford to make it.Your home expresses your personality just as much as your clothing. The de-sire of people for becoming clothes andcharming homes and artistic home dec-orations is an inspiration to our artistsand designers. William Morris, ofMorris Chair fame, one of the most ver-

satile geniuses of Victorian England,after years of activity as a writer andsocial reformer, came to the conclusionthat to uplift the populace it was es-sential to make people beauty conscious.Thereupon he established a printingpress to print beautiful books and open-ed a factory to design beautiful fabricsand create artistic, yet comfortable fur-niture. In ancient days beauty was re-served for the temples of the Gods andthe palaces and tombs of kings, and forthe mansions of the rich. Our ideal isdifferent. W e want to see beauty theheritage of the masses. As Emersonsaid, Beauty should be the birth rightof every man and woman born into thisworld. In a world where beauty reignspoverty must vanish.

The second step in making the per-sonality effective is good speech. Th eability to express ones self correctlyand fluently is an asset in the businessworld and in social life. Speech todayis considered a major subject in ourschools. Many of our members aresalesmen or are in charge of a staff ofmen. I do not have to tell them howvital it is for them to use speech as ameans of influencing people. I do nothave to tell our teachers how importantit is for them to express themselves withthe utmost simplicity and correctness.Think of the ministers of your commun-ity. Those who can get their messagesacross to their congregations exert thewidest influence. Everyone will admitthat our Presidents influence for goodis partly due to his skill in using the


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English language with telling effect.When you listen to our President onthe radio, or to well known speakerslike Harry Emerson Fosdick or Dr.Stephen S. Wise, or gifted actors likeGeorge Arliss, do not be ashamed to

imitate their speech. Imitation is amethod of learning. Robert Louis Stev-enson tells us that in his youth heplayed the sedulous ape . To knowthat you are speaking correctly will giveyou undreamed of poise and self con-fidence. One evening a week for aperiod of six months will accomplishwonders in self improvement. Do notbe discouraged because you were bomin another country. Joseph Conrad,one of the greatest novelists and stylistsin the English language was bom inPoland, and he did not learn Englishuntil he was eighteen years old. It issaid that he rewrote a chapter in one ofhis novels twenty one times. The titlepage of an insurance publication readsMillion Dollar Producers arent super-men; they are super workers.

While I am on the subject of speech,may I request those officers of Chapters,whose duty it is to read or speak, toperfect themselves f o r their tasksthrough study or practice? It is apleasure to listen to a thoroughly pre-pared speaker or to a reading that isclear, distinct, and easily heard no mat-ter where you may sit. It is an act ofconsideration for your audience to makeyourself easily understood and heardwithout difficulty.

The third factor in making for suc-cess in life is knowing how to get alongwith people. In this connection it is in-teresting to note that a recent publica-tion, How to Win Friends and In-fluence People, by Dale Carnegie, islisted as a best seller by leading book-shops of the country. People are be-

coming conscious of the fact that onecan develop in oneself the ability tomake friends. To make a child socialminded is one of the aims of moderneducation. The wider your circle offriends and acquaintances the pleasant-

r y er, if not easier, will be your progressRosicrueian t^rou9h life. Some people, of course,

can be happy alone, completely absorb-ed in their work or their interests, butmost people complain to me about nothaving enough friends. Many of our

DigestApril1937

membersmen and women of superiorcharacter and abilityhave been com-pelled to lead so restricted a personallife, or have had such limited humancontacts that they are ignorant of theelementary principles of human inter-

course. Many of them look only forpeople of their own intellectual andspiritual level. They do not think itworthwhile to bother with anyone else.Th is is a mistaken notion. While Iagree that you should be selective inthe choice of a mate, or a partner, or abosom friend, it is to your interest tohave as wide and as varied a circle ofacquaintances as possible, and evenmore to your interest to create goodwillin your community by being just asagreeable as you can to everyone.

In order to know how to handlepeople you must understand human na-ture. Such knowledge you can gainthrough experience and books. Youshould make a deliberate effort to in-crease your human contacts. Do not becontent with the few people that youknow. Do not be diffident about takingthe initiative when you are amongstrangers. The pleasure derived fromyour successful overtures will make upfor an occasional rebuff and lack of re-sponse. If you are alone in the worldthere is no other way of getting started.

Say a pleasant word to the elevatorman, the bell hop, the doorman, thetelephone operator, and the manicurist.Ask the waiter whether he is making aliving. The desire for the warmth of afriendly human contact is universal.Sometimes the people most difficult ofaccess long for it the most. In some un-fortunate way they have lost the abilityto communicate easily with their fellowmen. To use the language of the mys-tics, look upon each human being whom

you contact as an avenue to expressyour love of God and your desire to beof service to the world. As God is im-personal, so you should aim to be im-personal, showing no distinction in race,creed, social class, or color. You shouldspeak kindly words and do kindly deedsfor love of God and humanity and fromno ulterior motive. Nevertheless, thereward is rich and sure. The love that

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people bear you must reflect in your per-sonal life in many ways.

You can learn much from books. Ifeel that practical people are prone tounderestimate the knowledge to be de-rived from books. To think that allknowledge is derived from personal ex-perience in life is just as much an ex-aggeration as to believe that only theknowledge derived from books is im-portant. A balance must be struck.Experience in life will prove more valu-able and teach us more if we are primedwith the information that other peoplecan give us through the books they havewritten.

More than ever are people interestedin how the human mind works and howhuman nature reacts. People who havemade a study of human beings havemuch to offer us in the way of guidanceand practical information. Many of thebooks on the market today are definite-ly worthwhile and helpful. Those of ourmembers who feel the need in theirlives for a better knowledge of humanbeings should read these books and cor-relate what they read with their ownobservation and experience. Two ex-cellent books are About Ourselves,and Influencing Human Behavior," byProfessor Harry M. Overstreet, Head of

the Department of Philosophy of theCollege of the City of New York.

Psychology, in all of its branches, isnot only fascinating but practical andvaluable. Everybody needs psychology,particularly those of us who long tomake the world a better place to live in.As Professor Overstreet points out, Ifthere are effective ways of arousing theinterest of people, why shouldnt thesemethods be employed by those whowant to influence the public for good?

To summarize the main points of thistalk: We should try to make our dreamscome true by mastery of our particularfield of interest. To put our ideas acrossit is necessary to make our personalitieseffective through careful grooming, cor-rect speech, and ease of human contacts.Knowledge that we are above reproachin these respects will give us poise andself confidence. W e should learn allthat we can from life and books. Toconclude: It is perfectly legitimate for aRosicrucian to use every device that ex-perience has shown to be effective toimprove his personality and to increasehis success and happiness in life. In im-proving your own personality and yourown personal life you are thereby mak-ing yourself a more effective instrumentfor the purposes of the Cosmic.


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MONTAIGNEEach month we will present excerpts from the writings of famous thinkers and teachers

of the past. These will give our readers an opportunity of knowing their lives throughthe presentation of those writin gs which ty pify their thoughts. Occasionally such writing swill be presented through the translation or interpretation of other eminent authors ofthe past. This month we present the French essayist, Michel Eyquem de Montaigne.

Michel de Montatgne was born on February 28, 1533, at the ancestral chateau nearBordeaux. At thirteen he had completed his Academical course and undertaken the studyof law. At tw enty-one he became a councillor in the Bordeaux parliament, and when heresigned the postafter a number of yearshe lived at the French court for a time andwas a favorite with successive monarchs.

After 1571 he spent most of his time at his chateau, writing, publishing, and revisinghis Essays which were destined to influence the style and form of French prose in thesubsequent era.

He wrote upon many subjects, and often drew his inspiration from the Ancients whohad been brought so close to him through his schooling. But in one matter, at least, liewas far ahead of his time. We are quoting him on that subject, through excerpts from hisessay on education. It may be that these enlightened ideas were fostered by those of hisfather. At that time it was customary to whip students into an understanding of the dead languages and to eradicate all shortcomings by means of corporal punishment.Montaignes father engaged a tutor who spoke no French, and instructed that no one converse with his son in any tongue but Latin . As a result he spoke it fluent ly befo re he wassix, and had mastered it naturally without strain or punishment.

It is only within the last generation that civilized countries have begun to use the moreadvanced educational methods which Monta igne advocates in his essay: "O n the Educationof Children."

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The Tutor

IS TH E custom ofschoolmasters tobeeternally thunder-ing in their pupilsears, as they werepouring into a fun-ne l , whi l s t thebusiness of theseis only to repeatwhat the othershave said before.Now I would havea tutor to correctthis e r ro r ; and

that, at the very first outset, he should,according to the capacity he has to dealwith, put it to the test, permitting hispupil himself to taste and relish things,and of himself to choose and discern

them, sometimes opening the way tohim, and sometimes making him breakthe ice himself; that is, I would not havehim alone to invent and speak, but thathe should also hear his pupil speak inturn. Socrates, and, since him, Arcesilaus, made first their scholars speak,and then spoke to them. . . .

Let the tutor make his pupil examineand thoroughly sift every thing hereads, and lodge nothing in his headupon simple authority and upon trust.Let Aristotles Principles be no moreprinciples to him than those of Epicurusand the stoics; let the diversity of opin-ions be propounded to, and laid beforehim, he will himself choose, if he beable; if not, he will remain in doubt.

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For if he embrace the opinions ofXenophon and Plato, by the exercise ofhis reason they will no more be theirs,but become his own. Who follows an-other, follows nothing, finds nothing,

nay, seeks nothing. . . . Let him, at least,know that he does know. Tis for himto imbibe their knowledge, but not toadopt their dogmas; and no matter if heforgets where he had his learning, pro-vided he knows how to apply it to hisown use; truth and reason are commonto every one, and are no more his whospoke them first than his who spakethem after. 'Tis no more according toPlato than according to me, since bothhe and I equally see and understand inthe same manner. Bees cull their severalsweets from this flower and that blos-som, here and there where they findthem, but themselves after make thehoney which is all and purely their own,and no longer thyme and marjoram; sothe several fragments the pupil borrowsfrom others he will transform and blendtogether to compile a work that shall beabsolutely his own; that is to say, his

judgment, which his instruction, labour,and study should alone tend to form.He is not obliged to discover whence hehad his materials, but only to producewhat he has done with them.

. . . . Wh o ever asked his pupil whathe thought of grammar and rhetoric, orof such and such a sentence of Cicero.Our pedagogues stick them full feath-ered in our memories, and there estab-lish them like oracles, of which the veryletters and syllables are the substanceof the thing. To know by rote is noknowledge, 'tis no more than only to re-tain what one has intrusted to hismemory. That which a man rightlyknows and understands he is the freedisposer of at his own full liberty, with-out any regard to the author from whomhe had it, or fumbling over the leaves ofhis book.

. . . . But, withal, let my tutor remem-ber to what end his instructions areprincipally directed, and that he do notso much imprint in his pupils memorythe date of the ruin of Carthage, as themanners of Hannibal and Scipio; nor somuch where Marcellus died as why itwas unworthy of his duty that he diedthere. Let him read history, not as an

amusing narrative, but as a discipline of One hundred one

the judgment. 'Tis this study to which,in my opinion, of all others, we applyourselves with the most differing anduncertain measures. I have read anhundred things in Livy, that another has

not, or not taken notice of, at least; andPlutarch has read a hundred more thanI could find, or than peradventure theauthor ever writ.

The Pupil

Let conscience and virtue be eminent-ly manifest in his speech, and have onlyreason for their guide. Make him under-stand that to acknowledge the error heshall discover in his own argument,though only found out by himself, it isan effect of judgment and sincerity,which are the principal things he is toseek after. That obstinacy and con-tention are common qualities, most ap-pearing in and best becoming a meansoul. Th at to recollect and correct him-self, and to forsake a bad argument inthe heights and heat of dispute, aregreat and rare philosophical qualities.Let him be directed, being in company,to have his eye and ear in every cornerof the room; for I find that the places ofgreatest honour are commonly possessedby men that have least in them, and thatthe greatest fortunes are not always ac-companied with the ablest parts. I havebeen present when, whilst they at theupper end of the table have been onlycommending the beauty of the arras, orthe flavour of the wine, many fine thingshave been lost or thrown away at thelower end of the table. Let him examineevery mans talent; a peasant, a brick-layer, or any casual passenger, a manmay learn something from every one ofthese in their several capacities, andsomething will be picked out of theirdiscourse, whereof some use may bemade at one time or another; nay, eventhe folly and weakness of others willcontribute to his instruction. By ob-serving the graces and manners of allhe sees, he will create to himself anemulation of the good, and a contemptof the bad.

Since philosophy is that which in-structs us to live, and that infancy hasthere its lessons as well as other ages,why is it not communicated to children

betimes? . . . Philosophy has discourses


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equally proper for childhood as for oldage. . . .

But to our young friend, a closet, agarden, the table, his bed, solitude, andcompany, morning and evening, allhours shall be the same, and all placesto him a study; for philosophy, who asthe formatrix of judgment and mannersshall be his principal lesson, has thatprivilege to have a hand in everything. . . . By which method of instruction,my young pupil will be much more andbetter employed than those of the col-lege are. But as the steps we take inwalking to and fro in a gallery, thoughthree times as many, do not tire a manso much as those we employ in a formal

journey; so our lesson, concurring as itwere accidentally, without any set obli-

gation of time or place, and fallingnaturally in with every action, will in-sensibly insinuate itself. Our very exer-cises and recreations, running, wrestling,music, dancing, hunting, riding, andfencing, will prove to be a good part of

our study. I would have his outwardbehaviour and mien, and the dispositionof his limbs, formed at the same timewith his mind. It is not a soul, it is nota body, that we are training up; it is aman, and we ought not to divide himinto two parts; and, as Plato says, weare not to fashion one without the other,but make them draw together like twohorses harnessed to a coach. . . .

As to the rest, this method of educa-tion ought to be carried on with a firmgentleness, quite contrary to the prac-tice of our pedants, who instead oftempting and alluring children to letters,present nothing before them but rodsand ferules, horror and cruelty. Awaywith this violence! away with this com-pulsion; than which, I certainly believe

nothing more dulls and degenerates awell born nature. If you would havehim fear shame and chastisement, donot harden him to them. Inure him toheat and cold, to wind and sun, and todangers that he ought to despise.


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ROSICRUCLANS WIN UNUSUAL TRIBUTE FROM MUSSOLINI

Reception by Benito Mussolini, last week, of the Imperator, D. H. Spencer Lewis andother Rosicrucians now on tour with him in Europe, was said to be the first time suchan honor has been accorded representatives of an American fraternity or philosophicalorder, according to word received at Rosicrucian headquarters yesterday.

Mussolini has generally disapproved of fraternal orders, Grand Master Thor Kiimalehtosaid at the headquarters here, but after Mussolini discussed the Rosicrucian Order s his-tory and general purpose with Dr. Lewis, he praised the movement and posed for aphotograph with Dr. Lewis and family. The audience took place in the office of theItalian leader, in what was the former Austrian Em bassy. It is from the balcony of thisbuilding that he makes his famed addresses to the Black Shirts.

Kiimalehto also announced that Dr. Lewis, before leaving Egypt, on his present pil-grimage, was decorated with a medal of the Prince of the Nile, an honor conferred bythe knighthood of Egypt upon distinguished visitors who have aided in perpetuatingEg yp ts ancient traditions and accomplishments. The Order, he adds, is composed ofdignitaries of the Egyptian government and those whose families descended from Egyp-tian nobles and kings of antiquity. The Rosicrucian party, numbering nearly two hun-dred persons, is now in Venice, Italy.

* * * The above is a news article which appeared in several newspapers based upon an

Associated Press dispatch from Europe and cabled reports to the Grand Lodge from theRosicrucian par ty abroad. It was indeed an unusual event, for the audience Dr. Lewishad with the Italian Premier may result, from the nature of the conversation, in theoutward re establishment of the Rosicrucian activities in Italy, which have been, up tothe present, suppressed.

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The Holy GuideA ROSICRUCIAN MYSTIC LEGEND FROM THE ORIGINAL

1662 EDITION BY JOHN HEYDONP a r t II.

THE PILLAR OF LIGHT

HE morrow aftero u r t h r e e d a y swere past, therecame to us a newman whom we hadnot seen before,clothed in azure,as the former was,except that histurban was white,with a small redcross on the top.He had also a robeo f f i n e l i n e n .

When he entered he bowed and ex-tended his arms. W e all saluted him ina very lowly and submissive manner, asthough from him we should receivesentence of life or death. He desired tospeak with a few of us; therefore six ofus stayed and the rest left the room.

He said: I am, by office, governor ofthis house of strangers, and by vocationI am a Christian priest, and of the orderof the Rosie Crosse; and therefore Icome to you to offer my service, both asstrangers, and chiefly as Christians.Some things I may tell you, which Ithink you will not be unwilling to hear.The state has given you license to stayon land for the period of six weeks; andlet it not trouble you if you should re-quire further time, for the law in thisOne hundred three

point is not precise. I do not doubt, butthat I myself shall be able to obtain foryou such further time as may be needed.Ye shall also understand that theStrangers House is at this time rich, forit has laid up revenue these 36,000years; for so long it is since any strang-er arrived in this part. And thereforetake ye no care; the state will defrayyour expenses all the time you stay,neither shall you stay one day the lessbecause of this. As for any merchandiseye have brought, ye shall have consid-eration, and have your return either inmerchandise or in gold and silver; forto us it is all one. And if you have anyother requests to make, hide it not. Forye shall find we will not make yourcountenance to fall, by the answer yeshall receive. Only this I must tell you,that none of you must go above a Julo,or Karan (that is about a mile and ahalf) from the walls of the city, withoutspecial permission.

W e answered, after we had looked awhile one upon another, admiring thisgracious attitude, that we did not knowwhat to say; for we wanted words toexpress our thanks, and his noble, freeoffers left us nothing to ask. It seemedto us that we had before us a picture ofour salvation in Heaven; for we, thatwere but recently in the jaws of death,


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were now brought into a place wherewe found nothing but consolations. W ewould not fail to obey the command-ment required of us, though it was im-possible but that our hearts would de-sire to tread further upon this happyand holy ground. W e added that ourtongues should first cleave to the roofsof our mouths before we should forgeteither his Reverend person, or thiswhole nation, in our prayers. W e alsomost humbly asked him to accept of usas his true servants, by as just a rightas ever men on earth were bound, lay-ing and presenting both our persons andall we had at his feet.

He said that he was a Priest, andlooked for a priest's reward which wasour brotherly love, and the good of oursouls and bodies. So he went from us,not without tears of tenderness in hiseyes, and left us also confused with joyand kindness, saying among ourselvesthat we had come into a land of angels,who appeared to us daily and presentedus with comforts which we neitherthought of nor expected.

The next day, about ten oclock, thegovernor came to us again, and aftersalutation, said familiarly that he hadcome to visit us. and called for a chairand sat down. There were about ten ofus (the rest were not interested or elsehad gone out), and when we wereseated he began thus:

W e of this island of Apanua orShrifle in Arabia (for so they call it intheir language) have this, that by meansof our solitary situation and of the lawsof secrecy which we have for our travel-lers, and our rare admiration of strang-ers, we know well most parts of thehabitable world, and are ourselves un-known. Therefore, because he thatknows least is best fitted to ask ques-tions, it is better that you ask me ques-tions than that I ask you."

W e humbly thanked him for givingus the privilege to do so, saying that werealized, by the taste we had already,that there was no worldly thing on

The earth more worthy to be known thanRosicrucum the state of this happy land. But above

all (we said) since we came from theseveral ends of the world, and all hopedthat we should meet some day in thekingdom of heaven (for we were all

DigestApril1937

Christians) we desired to know (sincethis land was so remote, and so dividedby vast and unknown seas, from otherlands where our Saviour walked onearth) who was the apostle of that na-tion, and how it was converted to theFaith? It appeared in his face that hetook great contentment in this question,for it showed that we first sought theKingdom of Heaven. He told this storyin answer to our demand.

About twenty years after the ascen-sion of our Saviour, it came to pass thatthere was seen by the people of Damrar,a city upon the Eastern coast of our is-land. one night (the night was cloudyand calm), as if it might be a mile at sea,a great pillar of light. It was not sharp,but in form of a column, or cylinder,rising from the sea, a great way up to-wards the sky; and on the top of it wasseen a large cross of light, brighter andmore resplendent than the body of thepillar. Upon seeing so strange a spec-tacle the people of the city gathered to-gether on the sands to wonder; andlater went out in a number of smallboats to go nearer to this marveloussight. But when the boats came withinabout 60 yards of the pillar, they foundthemselves all bound, and could go nofurther. They might move about butmight not approach nearer. So the boatsall stood as in a theatre, beholding thislight as an Heavenly sign.

It so happened that there was in oneof the boats one of the wise men of theSociety of the Rosicrucians whosehouse or college, my good brethren, isthe very eye of this kingdomwho, hav-ing devoutly viewed and contemplatedthis Pillar and Cross, fell down upon hisface, and then raised himself upon hisknees, and lifting up his hands toHeaven, made his prayers in thismanner:

Lord God of Heaven and earth;Thou hast vouchsafed of Thy Grace, tothose of our Order, to know thy worksof Creation and the Secrets of them;and to discern (as far as appertainethto the Generation of Men) betweendivine Miracles, Works of Nature,Works of Art, and Impostures, and Il-lusions of all sorts. I do here acknowl-edge and testify before this people, thatthe Thing which we now see before our

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And yet, this was not really surpris-ing, due to the situation of the land insuch a vast sea. But then, that theyshould have knowledge of the lan-guages, books, and affairs of the landssuch a distance from them was a thingwe could not understand. Th is seemedto us a condition and propriety ofDivine powers and beings, to be hiddenand unseen to others, and yet to haveothers open, and as in a light to them.

At this speech the governor gave agracious smile and said that we did wellto ask pardon for this question we nowasked, for it inferred we thought thisland a Land of Magicians that sentforth Spirits of the Air into all parts, tobring them news and intelligence ofother countries. It was answered by usall in all possible humbleness that weknew he spake it but merrily; that wewere apt enough to think there wassomething supernatural in this island,but yet rather angelical than magical.But to let his Lordship know truly, whatit was that made us hesitant to ask thisquestion, it was not any such belief, butbecause we remembered he had men-tioned in his former speech, that thisland had laws of secrecy touchingstrangers.

To this he said: You remember itcorrectly. Therefore in what I shall sayto you, I must reserve some particularswhich it is not lawful for me to reveal,but there will be enough left to give yousatisfaction.

You shall understand, that whichperhaps you will scarce think credible,that about three thousand years ago,or somewhat more, the navigation of theworld (especially for distant voyages)was greater than it is today. Do notthink among yourselves that I know nothow much it is increased within theselast six score years. I know it well, andyet I say it was greater then than now.Whether it was that the example of theArk, that saved the remnant of menfrom the universal deluge, gave menconfidence to adventure upon the

T he waters; or what it was, we do not know,P n


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wise man, and a great warrior, knowingwell both his own strength and that ofhis enemies, handled the matter so thathe cut off their land forces from theirships; and snared both their navy and

their camp with a greater power thantheirs, both by sea and land, compellingthem to surrender themselves withoutbattle. After they were at his mercy,he contented himself only with theiroath, that they should no more beararms against him, and dismissed themall in safety.

But the Divine Revenge soon over-took those proud enterprises. For with-in less than the space of one hundredyears, the island was utterly lost anddestroyed; not by a great earthquake,

as your man says ( for that whole tractis little subject to earthquakes) but by aparticular deluge or inundation. Thosecountries hadat this day far greaterrivers and far higher mountains, to pourdown waters, than any part of the oldworld. But it is true that the same in-undation was not deep; (not past fortyfeet, in most places, from the ground)so that, although it destroyed man andbeast generally, yet some few wild in-habitants of the wood escaped. Birdsalso were saved by flying to the high

trees and woods. As for men, althoughthey had buildings in many placeshigher than the depth of the water; yetthat inundation, though shallow, had along continuance, whereby they of thevalley that were not drowned perishedfor want of food and other necessarythings.

"So, marvel not at the thin popula-tion of America, nor at the rudenessand ignorance of the people. You mustcount your inhabitants of America as ayoung people younger a thousand

years, at least, than the rest of theworld for there was so much time be-tween the Universal Flood and theirparticular inundation. The poor remnantof human seed, which remained in their

mountains, peopled the country againslowly, by little and little.

Being simple and

rosicrucian digest, april 1937

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