72 SKETCHES OF GEEAT TRUTHS

to share the result of their studies with others.
Their bond of union is not the profession of a
common belief, but a common search and aspir-
ation for Truth. They hold that Truth should
be sought by study, by reflection, by purity of
life, by devotion to high ideals, and they regard
Truth as a prize to be striven for, not as a dogma
to be imposed by authority. They consider that
belief should be the result of individual study,
or intuition, and not its antecedent, and should
rest on knowledge, not on assertion. They
extend tolerance to all, even to the intolerant^
not as a privilege they bestow, but as a duty
they perform, and they seek to remove ignor-
ance, not to punish it. They see every religion
as an expression of the Divine Wisdom, and
prefer its study to its condemnation, and its
practice to proselytism. Peace is their watch-
word, as Truth is their aim. Theosophy is the
body of truths which forms the basis of all
religions, and which cannot be claimed as the
exclusive possession of any. It offers a philo-
sophy which renders life intelligible, and which
demonstrates the justice and the love which
guides its evolution. It puts death in its
rightful place, as a recurring incident in
an endless life, opening the gateway of a fuller
and more radiant existence. It restores to the
world the science of the spirit, teaching man to
know the spirit as himself, and the mind and
body as his servants. It illuminates the
scriptures and doctrines of religions by unveiling
their hidden meanings, and thus justifying them
at the bar of intelligence, as they are ever
justified in the eyes of intuition. Members of