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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
[Writing about Col. Henry S. Olcott’s visit to Tinnevelly, July 17-20, 1883, S. Ramaswamier says: “On the evening of the 20th he went to the pagoda to water with rose water the famous coconut tree he had planted there during his last visit, and about which certain persons set a canard before the public to the great amusement of the latter and to the profit of the newspaper editors.” To this H. P. B. appends the following footnote:]
Last year the Missionaries assured the public through the columns of the newspapers, instigated by Bishop Sergeant, who also wrote a letter to this effect himself, that this identical tree had been dug up, and great indignation expressed by the Brahmans at their having been persuaded even to plant it, allowing their sacred pagoda to be polluted by a foreigner. Of course this untruthful statement was denied by the Theosophists. Who now has told the truth—the heathen or the Christian? But then we must not forget that the good padris hold more than ever with St. Paul when they have anything to do with the Theosophists.—Vide Romans, chap. iii, v. 7, to which we draw our readers’ attention.—Ed.
