Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1894 — THE WHITE MAHATMA. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE WHITE MAHATMA.

WHAT PROF. BALDWIN DISCOVERED CONCERNING EASTERN MAGIC. By the Use of Natural Laws and Some Humbug He Mystified and Frightened Adepts in the Mystic Art. And what is a Mahatma! Prof. Baldwin explains it etymologically as meaning “a great soul.” In its technical sense in India and Thibet it designates a person who can do wonderful things that border upon the supernatural, and whois looked upon as an expert or adept in the occult sciences. It is not an official title, but is bestowed by general acclaim. In this a Mahatma differs from a Yogi, who is a priest by profession. A fakir is a lower order of religious mendicants, who impose on the public by mere sleight of hand. How did the Professor become a Mahatma? Starting in life as a public exposer of the frauds of spiritualism and the tricks of conjurers, he gradually became interested in mesmerism, hypnotism, telepathy and all kindred subjects. While he emphatically repudiates any belief in the supernatural, he yet holds that there are unseen forces in nature which can be utilized in a manner that seems supernatural to the vulgar, and are not within the mental powers of the race to explain on any known scientific basis. That that

basis exists he holds to be incontrovertible ; that with the growth of the human intelligence it Will be found to be within the limits of rational explanation, he holds as a matter of positive faith. He himself has found in his wife a clairvoyant of extraordinary’ powers, who, when she passes into the hypnotic state, can and does perform marvels of mind reading and of apparent vaticination. Naturally his mind yearned toward the dim and mysterious East, where the occult sciences are believed to have reached their highest development. He wished to pursue his studies into the region of the unknown. He held his mind open to accept it as the unknowable if it so appeared to him after examination.

At last the opportunity came. With his wife he went into the very home of mystery and magic. He met the Yogis and the Mahatmas face to face, and beat them on their own ground. He drew large audiences, and the rajahs and maharajahs who were familiar with the feats of the best native mystery men confessed themselves amazed and baffled by his performances. It was then that a native paper hailed him as the White Mahatma, and'the Maharajah Jotundra Motundra Tegoa of Calcutta said to him: “You must become one of ns,” and so.introduced him to the higher circles of the Brahmins, to circles where Mme. Blavatsky had never been able to penetrate, for Mme. Blavatsky was a woman, and woman in India is looked on as an inferior, and i.i denied admittance to the esoteric mysteries of the adepts. And after he had witnessed many of the performances of the Yogis he said to the Maharajah : “I see nothing wonderful in all these things. I can do them ail myself.” Then the Maharajah replied: “There are men who are greater than these. I will collect a number of the most famous Yogis in the city and invite you to a special seance. You will then be convinced.”

The private seance was given. The Yogis did their best to eclipse all the former bjethren whom the White Mahatma had seen. Some of their exploits were undoubtedly marvelous. Still the Professor refused to see anything in them save the operation of natural laws. He leaned over to the Maharajah and said: “I can scatter all these men with a mere wave of my hand.” “Do it,” replied the Maharajah, with an incredulous smile.

The Professor bade his interpreter address the Yogis as follows: “How dare you* come before me, who am the king of all supernatural workers, with such transparent tricks as these? With a wave of my hand, I can summon fire from heaven to burn you.” And then he brought his hands together and Instantly flames burst

forth from the linen garments that they wore around their loins and their back. Shrieking, they snatched off their garments, thrust them away and fled from the scene. This exploit earned him a great reputation. Ever after when any Yogis or fakirs met him on the street they would flee from the presence of the man who had hell fire at his command. The Professor explains that this is one of his own inventions in the way of conjuring tricks. Indeed, he acknowledges that in all his connection with the Hindoos he mixed up trick-

ery and chicanery with honest work and that he always found they were more interested in the chicanery. “Nd,” continued the Professor, “there is a coal of fire in all this occult business, but it is clouded over with an immense amount of smoke and rubbish. I have learned something in India, mostly in the way of thought reading and trance revelation. lam convinced that the Mahatmas possess secrets as to certain forces of nature which the unitiated

know nothing of. They can establish telepathic communication better than any people on earth. I have studied their methods. I am satisfied that under certain conditions of health and environment I can communicate with my wife half a mile off. Nay, when I am to be a hundred miles away from her, I simply agree that at a given hour every day we shall both shut up ourselves alone in a dark room, and I know that if any accident or harm befall her I shall feel the impact of a distinct mental impression. But in other respects, even the best work of the Yogis has been greatly exaggerated. It is the old story of the three crows. Stories pass from mouth to mouth, and are exaggerated at each successive repetition. Nay, even eye witnesses of unimpeachable character cannot be trusted. I met a fellow-countryman in India who was a firm believer. Among other wonderful things which he related was the following: A certain Mahatma, in his presence and that of numerous others, had thrown a ball of thin rope up into the air, after attaching one end of the rope to the ground. The ball soared upward until finally it disappeared into space. The rope was held taut. Then a child ran up the rope and also disappeared into space, where the Mahatma shortly followed him. Then ball, child and Mahatma all returnee} to solid ground. I said I could not believe this unless I had the evidence of my own eyes.

“Accordingly, we travelled a long distance to where the Mahatma lived. I had provided myself with a snapshot camera. A score df people pressed around the Mahatma while he performed the trick. For myself I had a theory that he merely mesmerised the entire crowd and made them believe what he chose. I therefore kept some thirty feet away, outside the influence of hypnotic influence. While the others were straining their necks to look upward, and were shouting with wonder and admiration, I saw nothing. Neither did my assistants. The camera reproduced the scene exactly as we saw it.

“When all was over my friend came back to me triumphant. “‘Now,’he said, ‘do you believe ? ’ “‘No,’ I replied, ‘I saw nothing.’ “In vain I appealed to my assistants. In vain I pointed to the negatives that I had taken. My friend turned upon me furiously and said ‘I think you are not telling the truth. I think you are a knave.’ “He turned on his heel and never spoke to me again.” Professor Baldwin emphatically disbelieves in the current stories of fakirs who bury themselves alive for months at a time, and are then resuscitated by their followers. He holds there is a trick here. The faker is buried, undoubtedly. Unprejudiced watchers are placed over his grave until the allotted time has expired. But in the interim the fakir has made his way through a subterranean passage to the outer air and does not return till the time when he is to be resurrected. As mementoes of his visit to India Professor Baldwin has a marvellous collection of jewelry—rubies from Burmah, green rubies, rose diamonds, sparkling • amethysts, opals and moonstones—as well as photographs of places and scenes, and of the Rajahs, Maharajahs and Sultans who entertained him and presented hint with royal gifts.—[New York Recorder.

MAHATMAS IN PRIESTLY COSTUME.

PROF. BALDWIN.