form popular cults.
They follow the examples of the ancients in this respect, preferring the
"few elect" to the curious general public who merely wish to "taste or
nibble" at the Truth. Many of these organizations are not known to the
public, as they studiously avoid publicity or advertisement, and trust
to the Law of Attraction to "bring their own to them--and them to their
own." The teachings of this class vary in interpretation, and as many of
them maintain secrecy by pledges or oaths, it is not possible to give
their teachings in detail.

But, generally speaking, they base their doctrines on the general
principle that Man's present condition is due to the "Descent of
Spirit," in the nature of "The Fall of Man," occurring some time in the
far distant past. They hold that Man was originally "Spirit Pure and
Free," from which blissful state he was enticed by the glamour of
Material Life, and he accordingly fell from his higher state, lower and
lower until he was sunken deep into the mire of Matter. From this lowly
state he then began to work up, or evolve, having in the dim recesses of
his soul a glimmer of remembrance of his former state, which dim light
is constantly urging him on and on, toward his former estate, in spite
of his frequent stumbling into the mire in his attempts to rise above
it. This teaching holds to a theory and doctrine very similar to that of
the "Spiritists" just mentioned, except that while the latter, in common
with the majority of Reincarnationists, hold that the evolution of the
Soul is in the direction of advancement and greater expression, similar
to the growth of a child, these "secret order" people hold forcibly and
earnestly to the idea that the evolution is merely a "Returning of the
Prodigal" to his "Father's Mansion"--the parable of the Prodigal Son,
and that of the Expulsion from Eden, being held as veiled allegories of
their teaching.

In the above view, the present state of existence--this Earthly Life--is
one of a series of Hells, in the great Hell of Matter, from which Man is
creeping up slowly but surely. According to this idea, the Earth is but
midway in the scale, there being depths of Materiality almost impossible
of belief, and on the other hand, heights of heavenly bliss equally
incapable of understanding. This is about all that we can say regarding
this form of the doctrine, without violating certain confidences that
have been reposed in us. We fear that we have said too