Alice Bailey - Autobiography

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Autobiography of Alice A. Bailey - Chapter V

Given the right kind of home and given the right parental influence I know no better system than that of coeducation. The amazement of my own daughters when [187] they first arrived in England and found out how the English girls looked upon the English boys was almost funny. They found the English girls over-estimating the English boys, full of the mysteriousness of sex and not knowing in the least how to treat boys; whereas the American girl, brought up with boys every day, sitting in class with them, sharing luncheons, walking to and from school together, playing together on playing grounds had a much sounder and more wholesome attitude. I hope before long we shall see coeducation systems in every country in the world. But behind these systems must stand the home, complementing and off setting what the scholastic system lacks. Teaching boys and girls right relationship and responsibilities to each other, and giving them much freedom within the certain, mutually understood limits - a freedom based on trust - is essential.

The three girls started in the public school. I cannot say they ever distinguished themselves. Every year they made a grade but I do not remember their ever getting to the top of their class or getting honors. I do not regard this as any reflection on them. They all had fine minds and have proved to be highly intelligent citizens; but they just were not particularly interested. I remember Dorothy bringing me an editorial from the New York Times when she went into High School. The editorial was dealing with the modern educational system and pointing out its usefulness for the mass. It went on, however, to point out that the system broke down for the highly intelligent, creative or gifted child. "And that," said my daughter, "is us and that's why we don't make better grades at school." She was probably right but I took care not to let her know it. The trouble with mass coeducation is that the teachers have too large classes and no child can get proper attention. I remember asking Mildred one day why she was not doing her homework, "Well, mother," she said, "I have calculated [188] that as there are 60 children in my class it will be three weeks before the teacher gets around to me and I don't need to do anything at present." Anyway, they stewed away at school and got through each term and graduated normally and that was that. They were, however, great readers. They were constantly meeting interesting people, listening to interesting conversations and in touch, through Foster and myself with people all over the world, and their education, therefore, was really a very broad one.

All this time Foster was acting as secretary to the Theosophical Association of New York - an unofficial independent organization - and I was cooking, sewing, doing housekeeping and writing books at home. Every Monday morning Foster and I would get up at 5 o'clock and do the weekly wash including the sheets for there was little money coming in and it has been only within the last year or so of my life that I have been free of some of my housework.

Foster at this time organized the Committee of 1400 - a committee pledged to endeavor to swing the Theosophical Society to its original principles. This committee was in miniature a tiny replica of the major world cleavage which has climaxed since 1939 in the World War. It was essentially a fight between the reactionary, conservative forces in the Society and the new liberal forces which were working to see the original principles of the Society restored. It was a fight between a selective, isolationist, superior group who regarded themselves as wiser and more spiritual than the rest of the membership and those who loved their fellowmen, who believed in progress and the universality of truth. It was a fight between an exclusive faction and an inclusive group. It was not a fight of doctrines; it was a fight of principles and Foster spent much time organizing the fight. [189]

B.P.Wadia returned from India and we were at first hopeful that he would give strength to what we were trying to do. We found, however, that he planned to take over, if possible, the presidency of the T.S. in this country with the help of Foster and the Committee of 1400. Foster, however, had not organized in order to put into power a man who would represent the committee. The committee was organized to present the issues involved and the principles at stake to the membership of the T.S. When Wadia discovered that this was so he threatened to throw his interest and weight into the United Lodge of Theosophists, a rival and most sectarian organization. They represent the fundamentalist attitude in the T.S. along with one or two other Theosophical groups who represent the point of view of the orthodox theologian, holding that the last word was spoken by H.P.B., that there is nothing more to give out and that unless their interpretation of what H.P.B. said and meant was accepted one cannot be a good Theosophist. Perhaps this accounts for the fact that all these fundamentalist groups have remained very small.

The Committee of 1400 went ahead with its work. The next election took place, the membership named its choice (or rather the E.S. dictated its choice) and the work of the Committee, therefore, came to an end. Wadia threw his weight, as he had said he would, into the United Lodge of Theosophists, and eventually went back to India where he started one of the best magazines along occult lines extant today. It is called "The Aryan Path" and is exceedingly fine. The word Aryan here has nothing to do with Hitler's use of the word. It concerns the Aryan method of spiritual evaluation and the way in which people belonging to the Fifth Root Race make their approach to reality.

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