"foolishness" to those who had not the "inner light" of the
physics, were the three divisions of the "astral" made known, and
the true distinction between the spirit of the three higher
planes and the matter of the four lower was kept out of the
metaphysics, or only vaguely alluded to.

There is no "oriental science" because the oriental does not
attach the same value to merely physical knowledge that we do.
But that must not be understood to imply that there is no
oriental physics. In all the matters that interest us now, as
far as principles are concerned, the oriental knew all that we
know. He knew it thousands of years ago, when our ancestors were
sleeping with the cave bears.

"That is all the good it did him," the scientist says. No. That
is not true. It is perfectly true that the oriental, the
Babylonian who carved on the Black Stone now in the British
Museum the five moons of Jupiter, exposing himself to the
derision of our astronomers prior to their own discovery of the
fifth moon in 1898, did not care particularly whether there were
four moons or five, and had no sale for any telescopes he might
make, for no one else cared particularly. But it was not true
that he did not care for any and all knowledge that would improve
his spiritual condition by giving him correct ideas of the
universe and of his own part in it. To him life was more than
meat and the body more than raiment. He was more afraid of sin
than of ignorance. We are more afraid of ignorance than of sin.
He preferred to better men's moral condition; we prefer to
better their physical condition.