He who does the best he knows how and that he can do, does enough for us.

—A Master of Wisdom

Who deserves to be called a "great Theosophist"? Why is Mr. Judge so called? Perhaps if we can answer this satisfactorily we shall understand him and his place in the Theosophical Movement of all time.

One of the signs of his greatness was his attitude and behaviour after the passing of H.P.B. Whereas many thought and acted as though H.P.B. was dead and gone, he acted as though she were alive—as indeed she was, and is, through her writings. By studying what she wrote, we can contact her mind and draw near to her. Whether in a body or not, she remains a living, vital reality. Mr. Judge recognized this, while others acted as though with her passing they were free to do what they liked with her writings, or even to forget them if they wished. "Where thought can pass they can come" is true not only of the Masters but also of H.P.B. It should become for us a living fact that as we study—not merely read—her writings, we contact her dynamic mind.

The question arises: Why did Mr. Judge see this while many others did not? We have a clue in his repeated references to the continuity of the Movement. He has recorded that when he met H.P.B. in 1874, apparently for the first time, it seemed to him as if he were meeting an old friend, one whom he had known and worked with towards a common end in lives gone by, and with whom he was once again joined to carry on that work where it had been left off. Again we must note that thought binds; unity is possible only when there is similarity of Teachings and of Purpose. All other unions will prove unfruitful in time. Mr. Judge's bond with H.P.B. was based on similarity of Teachings—for he responded immediately to them—and of Purpose—to spread the Teachings. He had been a Theosophist in other lives, for he showed instant recognition of both Teacher and Teachings and was loyal to them till the very last, in word and deed. It is these facts that show him to be a great Theosophist.

We can become such if we remember that we are working for the morrow, for other lives, creating bonds with those having similar ideas and purpose. It is not enough to create bonds of love and affection, or to refuse to make enemies. This is good in its own way, but the vital necessity is to bind ourselves more and more firmly to those who have the same Teaching and Purpose as we have. Even today, those who are drawn to Theosophy and wish to further its work in the world must have contacted it and other students of the Philosophy in prior lives. How else could they be drawn to it and to one another in this life? For some, the attraction is like the awakening of a memory, the end of a search for understanding life's problems; it is a call to help the Purpose of the Movement by sacrifice and work, which brings its own thousandfold reward. Remembering this, we can bind ourselves to the Philosophy, to the Purpose, to Those who stood and stand behind the Movement, and to our fellow students now, so that we may in time become like Mr. Judge, and in another life take up the work where we left off.

One most important virtue that Mr. Judge possessed, and which we too must strive to possess, was—trust. Trust, first, in the Philosophy and Purpose of the Movement. From the Teachings to the Teacher is a good maxim to remember, for the Teacher is the embodiment of the Teaching. One common failing which hinders our progress and that of the Movement is that we are apt to follow others blindly, rather than follow the Teachings. Mr. Judge advises us to formulate to ourselves certain things as true that we feel to be true, and then increase our faith in them. The more we study the Teachings, the more full of trust and trustworthy shall we become. "I trust Judge more than anyone in the world," said H.P.B. In this, as in many other things, he has set a noble example for us to emulate.

All of Mr. Judge's actions and writings are what they are because he knew. He was no newcomer to Theosophy; he knew, and therefore he had the true faith. Let us try to qualify ourselves in a similar manner by impregnating our minds and hearts with that other quality of his—devotion.

Recognition of the value of that which we trust brings with it devotion to the Truth and its Teacher. This devotion brings us, as it brought Judge, to the realization that what matters is not what we want, or think, or what ideas we have. All that matters is that we love and trust, and that therefore we study and learn and promulgate. This underlies from one point of view the statement: "The power which the disciple shall covet is that which shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men." That which destroys faith, love and devotion is pride, and so right from the early stages we must learn not to push ourselves forward, as again Judge warns us. He had the great quality of jumility, and had no desire to shine. If something needed to be done and someone else did it, that was for him and occasion for rejoicing, even if it meant that he could not have the privilege of doing it himself. He always tried to bring others more closely into the work, thus helping them to grow. His pride was never hurt, not even during the great trials he had to face on account of pride in others. He felt no resentment in himself. But he did feel strongly when the Teacher and her Teachings were being neglected, and spoke out very firmly against this trend. It needed great courage to struggle to keep the Original Teachings and the Original Methods pure, and it is in a large measure because of him that we have with us today the unadulterated Teachings of H.P.B., for it was he who brought Mr. Crosbie forward and thus made possible the foundation of U.L.T.

Judge was utterly selfless and completely fearless, and these qualities were his because he was impersonal. With him it was "Theosophy first and Theosophy last" all the time.

His writings show that his power of absorption and of giving the essence of the Teachings was remarkable. The depths they explore indicate that he had realized the essence. He was what he wrote; he was sure because he had proved it all in his life. Therefore he could reiterate the Teachings with authority. He was a true "hander-on."

"What man has done, man can do." But we must follow the right path, that of humility and impersonality, devotion and love, faith and trust, while struggling to attain a deeper union with those devoted to the same Teachings and the same Purpose.

A little consideration of what takes place around us every day would show us, that a higher law than that of our will regulates events; that our painful labours are unnecessary, and fruitless; that only in our easy, simple, spontaneous action are we strong, and by contenting ourselves with obedience we become divine. Belief and love,—a believing love will relieve us of a vast load of care.

There is a soul at the centre of nature, and over the will of every man, so that none of us can wrong the universe.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson