bout matters of petty gossip, there is, after all, such a
thing as the honour of a gentleman, which, on that plane as on this,
would of course prevent him from contemplating for an instant the idea
of gratifying it; and thirdly, in case, by any unheard-of possibility,
one might encounter some variety of low-class pitri with whom the
above considerations would have no weight, full instructions are
always given to every pupil, as soon as he develops any sign of
faculty, as to the limitations which are placed upon its use.

Put briefly, these restrictions are that there shall be no prying, no
selfish use of the power, and no displaying of phenomena. That is to
say, that the same considerations which would govern the actions of a
man of right feeling upon the physical plane are expected to apply
upon the astral and mental planes also; that the pupil is never under
any circumstances to use the power which his additional knowledge
gives to him in order to promote his own worldly advantage, or indeed
in connection with gain in any way; and that he is never to give what
is called in spiritualistic circles "a test"--that is, to do anything
which will incontestably prove to sceptics on the physical plane that
he possesses what to them would appear to be an abnormal power.

With regard to this latter proviso people often say, "But why should
he not? it would be so easy to confute and convince your sceptic, and
it would do him good!" Such critics lose sight of the fact that, in
the first place, none of those who know anything _want_ to confute or
convince sceptics, or trouble themselves in the slightest degree about
the sceptic's attitude one way or the other; and in the second, they
fail to understand how much better it is for that sceptic that he
should gradually grow into an intellectual appreciation of the facts
of nature, instead of being suddenly introduced to them by a
knock-down blow, as it were. But the subject was fully considered
many years ago in Mr. Sinnet's _Occult World_, and it is needless to
repeat again the arguments there adduced.

It is very hard for some of our friends to realize that the silly
gossip and idle curiosity which so entirely fill the lives of the
brainless majority on earth can have no place in the more real life of
the disciple; and so they sometimes enquire whether, even without any
special wish to see, a clairvoyant might not casually observe some
secret which another person was trying to keep