Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00153)

In message <199611052349.QAA03790@mailhost.azstarnet.com>, Blavatsky
Foundation <blafoun@azstarnet.com> writes
>Dr. A.M.Bain or possibly someone else  wrote:
>>
>> The production of the letters has been discussed rather
>> extensively and much of the evidence points out to the non-authenticity
>> of the letters.  Many who have studied them suspect the direct hand of
>> HPB in the production of certainly some of them.
>
>Dr. Bain, could you please let us know your sources for these statements?
>What evidence are you talking about?  Could you give us one or two
>GOOD EXAMPLES.

You may have missed my saying that this controversy was something that I
had heard about - which was why I for one was interested in answers.  I
had hoped that theosphists on the list would be able to give *me* the
sources etc. that you are asking for.  I thus find myself in a position
which, to me, seems somewhat ludicrous, in that the response I hoped to
get from theos-l is *not* forthcoming, but local sources without
internet connectivity *are* forthcoming, and I begin to wonder about the
real value of this list as a theosophical forum.

Still, no matter, I have asked locally about the sources you ask for,
and am able to give you some provisional information.  Other data is in
the process of being xeroxed prior to scanning for upload, so that
readers can have chapter and verse.

So, provisional sources are:

~Who Wrote The Mahatma Letters~ by H.E. & W.L. Hare, published by
Williams & Norgate (London, UK) 1936.

Article(s) by William Hare in ~The Occult Review~ around the same
period.

Extensive correspondence in ~Light~ from 1881 onwards.

An article by Subba Row in (probably) Vol III of ~The Theosopist~ circa
1883.

"The Kiddle Letter" discussed also in ~The Theosophist~ a,d reproduced
by Arthur Lillie in ~Koot Hoomi Unveiled~ (recently reprited in England.

The above is from information supplied, but I shall be able to place the
quote from the Arthur Lillie booklet on the web and the information
concerning the letter itself on theos-l within 24 hours.

So far as I can tell from my informant, the majority of the work cited
is unfavorable to the authenticity of the letters, but I hope at least
to be able to quote parts of it on the list.  No doubt others will be
able to do the same on the other side of an interesting historical
matter.  Like yourself, I have no other interest in all of this except
to establish, so far as one can this far removed from the events
themselves, what the facts may be.  We proclaim that "There is no
Religion higher than Truth" so why should we not be able to ask
questions and get answers on subjects that clearly matter to many
people, and which also, it would seem, have a direct bearing on the
credibility of theosophical teachings themselves.

Personally, I would not be over-perturbed if it were established that
HPB wrote them all herself, as I believe some claim is the case.  The
content of the letters is certainly of some worthwhile value whoever
wrote them, and in the end, it is the message that counts, rather than
the messenger.

Anyhow, enough for now - more to follow.

Alan
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