Whenever a new and higher vision of Truth is proclaimed to the world, human ignorance and prejudice invariably render contemporary impressions regarding its advent and meaning more or less hazy and inaccurate, even as a dense fog causes objects to appear abnormal and indistinct. A righteous estimate of any great spiritualizing movement can be acquired only as the germinal concept from which it springs is distinguished from the incidental and contingent features which appear in the course of its historical development and which constitute its mental and moral environment. Elemental disturbances of human consciousness, produced as an expanding ideal forces its way into the arena of thought and displaces decadent concepts,—the commotion in the mental atmosphere caused by the precipitation of the new issues, the agitation of moral sentiment by the recognition of a more spiritual standard,—may tend to confuse the perception or judgment of conservative critics and traditionalists.
Many of the most significant particulars in the career of every great spiritual leader, who by virtue of profound insight and broad comprehension is qualified to become the herald of a new dispensation, must from the very nature of the case elude the grasp of the historian or biographer of smaller caliber, who is satisfied merely to chronicle events as they appear on the surface currents of the world of affairs. Such a career can be rightly understood only as it is approached in the light of the logical development of purposes and tendencies which form the undercurrent of its activities and achievement. If, in the consideration of a character of such proportions, the peculiarities of the husk, or personality, are deemed worthy of attention, the moral and spiritual quality of the kernel, or genius, should command far more serious consideration. The life of every great exponent of the spiritual idea inevitably constitutes a storm-center around which the elements of inchoate thought and reckless impulse rage. Such a life challenges attention and acts as an incentive to the development of various phases of thought which are struggling to the surface and seeking channels for articulate expression. Quickened by its inspiration and gaining momentum from its impulse, numerous movements of a secondary and derivative order spring up to contest the supremacy.
To undertake to deal fairly and conclusively with complicated questions arising from the subtle interplay of intellectual and moral activities centering around such a character,—questions involving the profoundest human instincts and ideals, and the most momentous issues,—by mechanically dissecting and weighing data after the manner of the pedantic biographer, is as futile as it would be for one who is ignorant of the esthetic qualities and artistic effects of orchestral music to attempt to acquire an adequate appreciation of a Wagner music-drama by merely scanning the technical details of the composer's score. A botanist's understanding is requisite to enable one to determine the identity of an acorn sprout as it emerges from the ground amid a tangled environment of young shoots which, although they may at the particular stage in question bear a general resemblance to it, belong in fact to an entirely different order of plant life. Again, a proper sense of mental perspective is indispensable if we are to separate confusing details and gain a true sense of proportion when dealing with circumstances and occurrences belonging to the gestative period of a great spiritual movement. If viewed at too close range, many particulars of relatively minor consequence appear so magnified as to interfere with a clear apprehension of the all-important idea; even as, from a near point of view, a range of foot-hills has the effect of dwarfing the main summit beyond.
