Théosophie

1884 · 76074 — Madras: Madras Christian College Magazine 1884. First edition of this infamous report. Extracted from the November 1884 issue of the Madras Christian College Magazine one suspects that this article comprised the entirety of the issue. Octavo. 112 pp. entirely devoted to this report by Emma Coulomb which severely damaged the Theosophical movement. Contemporary ersatz binding of plain brown wrappers with lighter brown taped for spine front cover with a paper label bearing the title in manuscript. Hinges reinforced. With the bookplate of noted 20th century magician Stanley Collins.A very good copy of the exceedingly rare publication.Blavatsky met Emma and Alexis in 1871 in Cairo. They founded the short-lived Societe Spirite. In August 1879 Emma and Alexis contacted Blavatsky because they had financial problems. They were stranded in Sri Lanka and Blavatsky helped them to get to Bombay and tried to find a job for them. As she could not find a job for them she provided them with a position in the Theosophical Society where they did various chores such as cooking and gardening. In February 1884 Blavatsky and H. S. Olcott travelled to Europe. Prior to their departure Emma had occasion to see what she considered to be fraud on the part of Blavatsky. Blavatsky was rightly famous for introducing the concept of Hidden Masters and their importance in Mankind's crawl toward apotheosis. Traditionally celebrants would seek the advice of a revered Ascended Master through Blavatsky. When Blavatsky asked a question the illuminati would send an answer down apparently originating in midair. Emma claimed to have gone to the room above where Blavatsky was hosting a seeker and she said she saw Blavatsky's assistant in that room dropping little slips of paper through a crack in the ceiling. After their departure a conflict between the Coulombs and the Theosophical Society escalated. The Coulombs tried to blackmail and threaten Blavatsky whereupon Blavatsky dismissed them.After the Coulombs were dismissed they went to their Christian missionary friends of the Free Church of Scotland and gave them letters that were allegedly written by Blavatsky to Emma. These letters suggested that Blavatsky was a fraud. The chaplain George Patterson published extracts from these letters in the Madras Christian College Magazine presented here The incident became well known all over India and also in America and Europe. Blavatsky immediately published a reply in several newspapers. Blavatsky and Olcott then traveled back to India at the end of 1884. Soon afterwards the Hodgson Report was published which further damaged Blavatsky's reputation. The Hodgson Report was an 1885 report by the Society for Psychical Research SPR on Helena Blavatsky and purportedly fraudulent Mahatma Letters. According to OCLC there is not record for the copy here presented. After wading throuh a miasma of red tape we think that there was a report issued in London in 1885 with a title page reading "Some account of my Intercourse with Madam Blavatsky" that followed the original report issued by the Madras Christian College Magazine in 1884 an obvious extract with the title page reading "Some Account of My Association with Madame Blavatsky. In either case it is exceeding rare with no copy ever ever having come up at auction and none ever offered in the trade that we could find. Madras Christian College Magazine unknown