WHO WROTE THE MAHATMA LETTERS ?
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sra,—In his kindly review of our book Mr. S. K. Ratcliffe finds but a single fault, and this in the idea that Colonel Olcott was the " dupe " of Madame Blavatsky. Our view relies upon the production of the " Luxor Letters " in New York by means of which Colonel Olcott was led to give moral and financial support to the lady. The Luxor Letters were, in fact, a rehearsal of the Mahatma Letters of India and deceived Olcott in the same way as Sinnett was taken in. How long these two astute gentlemen remained innocent dupes is a matter of little importance.
Mrs. Iona Davey's letter in your issue of July 17th requires a brief reply. We have proved that the Letters were conceived in the mind and written by the hand of Madame Blavatsky, and we submit that this fact deprives her teaching of the celestial authority which she sought to claim for it. It is not necessary, therefore, for us to refute her philosophy, which must stand or fall by its own merits.
We have heard of no " thorough examination " of the Letters published in 1923 other than our own, nor is there any record of the documents having been carefully studied at the time of their reception by any one but Mr. Sinnett who swallowed them without question.
As to the four persons who are alleged to have seen the " Masters " we have no confidence in them. Colonel OlcOtt was the partner of Madame Blavatsky while Damodar and Babajee were her creatures.
The apologies for " precipitation " have been exposed in our book and cannot be repeated here. There is no use in appealing to psycho-physics when fraud is the only possible explanation.—Yours faithfully,
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