Quotes:Oliphant, Laurence

Zirkoff, Boris

Oliphant, Laurence (1829-1888). *The Land of Gilead, with Excursions in the Lebanon. Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1880. xxxvii, 538 pp. See Vol. VII, pp. 386-87, for biogr.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 3, p. 516

Oliphant, Laurence. British author, b. at Cape Town, 1829; d. at Twickenham, Dec. 23, 1888. Received a most desultory education. Accompanied his parents on a tour of Europe, 1848-49; soon after went to Ceylon where his father was app. chief-justice. Accomp. Jung Bahadur, from Colombo to Nepal, 1851, and found material for his first book, A Journey to Katmandu (New 387 York, D. Appleton & Co., 1852). From Nepal he went to Ceylon, thence to England and Russia. Between 1853 and 1861, he was secretary to Lord Elgin and the Duke of Newcastle, and acc. them to the U. S. A., Russia and China, writing pleasant books of travel. In 1861, he was app. first secretary in Japan and almost lost his life in an attack on the legation. He returned to England and was elected to parliament, 1865. Made a great success by his witty novel, Piccadilly, 1870. He fell under the influence of the spiritualistic prophet Thomas Lake Harris, and joined his community, the Brotherhood of the New Life, at Brocton on Lake Erie, where he worked for many years as a farm labourer. In 1879 he visited Palestine; in 1881 he went again to America, and on this visit finally broke with Harris. He then settled with his wife at Haifa, in Palestine, where they wrote together the curious book called Sympneumata; or, Evolutionary Forces now active in Man (Edinb. and London: Blackwood & Sons, 1885). He also wrote his novel Masollam embodying his latest views concerning Harris, and his Altiora peto (1883). After the death of his wife, 1886, he wrote his Scientific Religion, presumably under her influence. He then went to England and America, marrying the grand-daughter of the noted Spiritualist Robert Owen. He died just as they were starting for Haifa.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 7, pp. 386-387

Oliphant, Laurence (1829-1888). *Sympneumata; or, evolutionary forces now active in man. Edinburgh and London: Blackwood & Sons, 1885. 8vo. Vide Vol. VII, pp. 386-87, for biographical sketch of the author.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 9, p. 446

Oliphant, Laurence (1829-1888). *Scientific Religion, or higher possibilities of life and practice through the operation of natural forces....Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1888. 8vo. xiii, 473 pp. Vide Vol. VII pp. 386-87 for biogr. sketch of the author.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 10, p. 426