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A CARD TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
In compliance with the request of the Honourable Alexander Aksakoff, Counselor of State in the Imperial Chancellery at St. Petersburg, the undersigned hereby gives notice that they are prepared to receive applications from physical mediums who may be willing to go to Russia, for examination before the Committee of the Imperial University.
To avoid disappointment, it may be well to state, that the undersigned will recommend no mediums whose personal good character is not satisfactorily shown; nor any who will not submit themselves to a thorough scientific test of their mediumistic powers, in the city of New York, prior to sailing; nor any who cannot exhibit most of their phenomena in a lighted room, to be designated by the undersigned, and with such ordinary furniture as may be found therein.
Approved applications will be immediately forwarded to St. Petersburg, and upon receipt of orders thereon from the Scientific Commission or its representative, Mr. Aksakoff, proper certificates and instructions will be given to accepted applicants, and arrangements made for defraying expenses.
Address the undersigned, in care of E. Gerry Brown, Editor of the Spiritual Scientist, 18 Exchange Street, Boston, Mass, who is hereby authorized to receive personal applications from mediums in the New England States.
HENRY S. OLCOTT. HELENA P. BLAVATSKY.
[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 58, may be found at the bottom of the page the following important note written by H.P.B. in pen and ink:]
Orders received from India direct to establish a philosophico-religious Society and choose a name for it—also to choose Olcott. July 1875.
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[In H.P.B.’s Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 39, several cuttings are pasted consisting of articles by Col. H. S. Olcott written for the Spiritual Scientist about July 15, 1875. One of these, entitled “Mutterings of a Storm,” deals with the crisis of Spiritualism, and Col. Olcott ends it with the following remarks concerning the Journal: “Already some of the best and brightest minds among our psychologists have come to our assistance, and no paper in the world has a more talented corps of contributors. Already friends gather around us, send us money, exert themselves, without our solicitation, to get subscribers, and our young enterprise stands upon ‘rock bottom’.”]
[Along the side of this article, H.P.B. wrote in pen and ink:]
The Editor and Medium Gerry Brown has thanked us for our help. Between Col. Olcott & myself, H.P.B., we have spent over a 1000 dollars given him to pay his debts & support his paper. Six months later he became our mortal enemy, because only we declared our unbelief in Spirits. Oh grateful mankind . .
H.P.B.