WHO WROTE THE MAHATMA LETTERS?
[To the Editirr of THE SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—With the advance of scientific knowledge, especially in the realms of psychology, the grounds on which Madame Blavatsky could be characterised as . a fraud or a charlatan are becoming fewer and fewer. Those who oppose what she stood for are, therefore, hard put to it to find, means for undermining the progressive influence of her writings.
The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, published thirteen years ago, has also had a large sale and has reached the sixth impression of the second edition. From the early days of the theosophical movement there have been speculatiOn and controversy about the letters received by various persons said to have been dictated, inspired or written by various " Masters." Here, then, is an opportunity for another " attack," as Madame Blavatsky. was the instrument through whom some of these letters were sent to Mr. Sinnett.
An elaborate thesis by the brothers H. E. and W. L. Hare on the subject has been published recently and- is described as " the first thorough examination of the communications alleged to have been received by the late A. P. Sinnett from the Tibetan (sic) Mahatmas." It is evidently the opinion of Messrs. Hare that neither Mr. Sinnett nor any of his colleagues in India or other countries made a thorough examination of these letters, or had ever met their authors ; for in Who Wrote the Mahatma Letters ? there is no " thorough examination " of the published statements that the writers of the Letters were known and seen by others than Madame Blavatsky, notably Colonel Olcott, Damodar Mavahinkar, Babajee and W. T. Brown.
It is a matter of common knowledge that at the time most of these letters were written Madame Blavatsky was busily engaged in theosophical work and was constantly surrounded in the close quarters of an Indian bungalow by visitors—sceptics as well as friends—at all hours. It is to be presumed that the individuals who then investigated this problem at first hand were as 'capable intellectually as any who have attempted to solve it during the last fifty years.
The personalities concerned and the circumstances involved at the time are much too complex to be explained by the superficial methods of Messrs. Hare. There is nothing in their book to indicate that the authors comprehend either the philosophy expounded by Madame Blavatsky or what is denoted by the scientific- term " precipitation " as used in physics and in psycho-physics, and they deal with it Mainly on analytical and dialectical lines, seeking to prove that Madame Blavatsky wrote all the letters.
In the manner of the old-time Schoolmen they lift sentences from their context in the " Letters " and in Madame Blavatsky's writings to suit their argument, and omit passages that tell against it. Consequently the book is ffill of contradictions by which the issue is confused. For example, on page 275 they state that " whether or not there are such orders of beings (Mahatmas) it has not been our purpose to enquire," although " we find that whoever wrote the ' Mahatma Letters ! the. Mahatmas did not " (page 18). But later on, referring to " fictional Mahatmas," they write, " their end cannot be tragical, for their career was a sort of comedy, and to be found out was their proper fate and sufficient punishment " (page 296).
To destroy such " illusions " appears to have been the object of the book, but Madame Illavatiky's explanation of evolution as including mental and spiritual development has been so widely accepted by now that the futility of the authors' laborious efforts seems a foregone conclusion.
Evolution and change proceed by interaction—the higher involved species and types stimulating the latent powers of the lower types. It is not for the lower to dictate the modus operandi, nor to describe or define what is still unrecog- nised by it.
The misuse of " Masters' " names by mediums and later officials of the . Theosophical Society does not invalidate Madame Blavatsky's position. In every. age the ideas of. reformers have been distorted,. even by their so-called,
followers.—Yours faithfully, " -TADNA DAVEY,
The Blavatsky Association, Hon. Secretary. 26 Bedford Gardens, London; W. 8.
Previous page
