Publications: The Daily Graphic, New York, Vol. V, October 30, 1874, p. 873
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29
H.P.B.’S SCRAPBOOKS
Beginning in 1874, and for about ten years, H.P.B. pasted a wide variety of cuttings from newspapers and magazines into Scrapbooks. There are twenty-four of them in the Archives of The Theosophical Society at Adyar, India. Every newspaper reference to the T.S. and its work, and any account thought to be of consequence for historical purposes, was pasted in these Scrapbooks. This included also cuttings of H.P.B.’s own articles and letters to Editors which had been published, and some of Col. Olcott’s contributions to various Journals of the day.
H.P.B. appended pen-and-ink and pencil remarks and comments to various statements in the text of these articles; many of these comments are humorous and are enhanced by cartoons, either drawn by herself or pasted in from some other magazine or paper, frequently with her own additions. Here and there appears some important statement of her own, not to be found anywhere else in her writings.
In the pages that follow, the reader will find all pertinent comments by H.P.B. introduced in their approximate chronological sequence, which at times is not easy to determine; some of H.P.B.’s annotations may have been added later than the time when any given article was published.—Compiler.
The first article definitely known to be from the pen of H.P.B. is the one in the New York Daily Graphic, entitled “Marvellous Spirit Manifestations,” with which the present Volume opens:
HPB's Scrapbook 1:5 (BCW 1:34-36)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, the above article is pasted on page 5, in three separate columns, together with the Press Cutting mentioning her arrival at the Eddy Homestead on Oct. 14, 1874, as may be seen on the accompanying illustration. H.P.B.’s comment at the top of the page reads:]
The curtain is raised. — H.S.O.’s acquaintance on October 14, 1874, with H.P.B. at Chittenden. H. S. Olcott is a — Rabid Spiritualist, and H. P. Blavatsky is an occultist — one who laughs at the supposed agency of Spirits! (but all the same pretends to be one herself).
[To the date of the article H.P.B. added in pen and ink: 1874; and she also wrote the following footnote under column 3:]
#They may be the portraits of the dead people then repro . . . . . (they certainly are not Spirits or Souls) yet a real . . . . . nomenon produced by the Elementaries. H.P.B.
[The sign introducing the footnote is missing in the actual article; there are, however, blue underlinings and quotation marks in connection with the word “spirits,” in the 4th and 5th paragraphs of the text, made by H.P.B., and to which her footnote may refer.]
HPB's Scrapbook 1:6-7 (BCW 1:44)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, pp. 6-7, where the above article is pasted, H.P.B. added in pen and ink under her signature:]
So much in defence of phenomena, as to whether these Spirits are ghosts is another question.
H.P.B.
HPB's Scrapbook 1:7-8 (BCW 1:44)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, pp. 7-8, there is a cutting from The Daily Graphic of November 1874, which deals with the visit of a Mr. Brown, the “mind reader,” to the Eddys’ Homestead. Mr. Brown relates how one of the “spirits” brought to H.P.B. one of the decorations which had belonged to her father, and says that “Madame was overwhelmed with gratitude.”
H.P.B. underlined the word overwhelmed and added at the end of the article in pen and ink:]
Overwhelmed—be switched! . . . . not my father’s pet, if you please. H. P. Blavatsky is never “overwhelmed.”
HPB's Scrapbook 1:8 (BCW 1:45)
[In Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 8, the account of Mr. Brown is followed immediately by an article entitled “Unpractical Spirits,” presumably also from The Daily Graphic. It is signed with the initials “I.F.F.” which obviously stand for Irvin Francis Fern. H.P.B. added the following remarks in pen and ink:]
Bravo! Irvin Francis Fern—a great Occultist. He IS RIGHT but we have to defend phenomena & prove it too before we teach them philosophy.
HPB's Scrapbook 1:11-12 (BCW 1:53)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, pp. 11-12, a cutting is pasted from The Spiritualist of January 1, 1875. It is entitled “Materialized Spirit Forms” and is an article written by Benjamin Coleman who deals with Robert Dale Owen’s opinion on the genuineness of the phenomena of materialization. The following parts were commented upon by H.P.B.: “The Countess’ presence at several of the Eddy séances led to most surprising manifestations, including the appearance of several spirits of persons known to her in foreign countries.” H.P.B. marked this sentence with blue pencil and added at the side in pen and ink:]
Yes; for I have called them out MYSELF.
H.P.B.
[The last sentence of the article: “These American facts, coupled with our own, should have an important bearing in correcting the errors of both science and theology”—w as continued by H.P.B. who added in pen and ink:]
—and—Spiritualism please add. Belief in the agency of “Spirits” or disembodied souls in these phenomena is as foolish & irrational as belief in the agency of the Holy Ghost in the fabrication of Jesus if the latter ever lived.
H. P. Blavatsky.
HPB's Scrapbook 1:20-21 (BCW 1:72)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 21, there is pasted a short printed announcement concerning the visit of Col. H. S. Olcott to Boston. H.P.B. added to it in her handwriting, the date of January 20, 1875. To the sentence which states that “Dr. Gardiner announced that Col. Olcott’s subjects next Sunday would be ‘Human and Elementary Spirits’ in the afternoon, and in the evening ‘Ancient Magic and Modern Spiritualism.’” H.P.B. added in pen and ink the following remarks:]
The “Spirits” wrote anonymous letters to Dr. Gardiner and threatened to kill—Col. Olcott if he lectured against them. They did not kill him though, — guess didn’t know how, the sweet “angels”! . . .
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, between pages 20 and 21, may be found the manuscript of the following “Important Note” in H.P.B.’s own handwriting. It is undated, but its last paragraph places it as being prior to the formation of The Theosophical Society. The accompanying illustration reproduces this “Note” just as it appears on two small separate sheets of paper in H.P.B.’s Scrapbook.
Her words show better than anything else the pathos of her situation, and the complex psychological and spiritual difficulties she was working under even at that early period in the history of the Movement. On what specific purpose she was sent to America is stated here beyond any doubt.]
HPB's Scrapbook 1:36 (BCW 1:90)
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 36, may be found another cutting from the Spiritual Scientist of May 27, 1875, the text of which is as follows:]
“It is rumoured that one or more Oriental Spiritualists of high rank have just arrived in this country. They are said to possess a profound knowledge of the mysteries of illumination, and it is not impossible that they will establish relations with those whom we are accustomed to regard as the leaders in Spiritualistic affairs. If the report be true, their coming may be regarded as a great blessing; for after a quarter century of phenomena, we are almost without a philosophy to account for them or control their occurrence. Welcome to the Wise Men of the East, if they have really come to worship at the cradle of our new Truth.”
[H.P.B. underlined in red pencil the word “Spiritualist,” and wrote on the margin, lengthwise up the page, also in red pencil:]
At . . . & Ill. . . . passed thro’ New York & Boston; thence thro’ California & Japan back. M . . . appearing in Kama-Rupa daily.
[The abbreviations most likely stand for Atrya and Illarion (or Hilarion), two of the Adept-Brothers.]