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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued|The Philadelphia “Fiasco,” or Who is Who?}} | {{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued|The Philadelphia “Fiasco,” or Who is Who?}} | ||
fact is demonstrated, it will go far against Mrs. White, for on that precise evening, and at the same hour, she was exhibiting herself as the ''bogus'' Katie at the mock séance. Something still more worthy of consideration is found in the most positive assertion of a gentleman, a Mr. Westcott, who on that evening of the 5th, on his way home from the real séance, met in the car Mr. Owen, Dr. Child and his wife, all three returning from the mock séance. Now it so happened that this gentleman mentioned to them about having just seen the spirit Katie come out of the cabinet, adding “he thought she never looked better”; upon hearing which Mr. Robert Dale Owen stared at him in amazement, and all the three looked greatly perplexed. | {{Style P-No indent|fact is demonstrated, it will go far against Mrs. White, for on that precise evening, and at the same hour, she was exhibiting herself as the ''bogus'' Katie at the mock séance. Something still more worthy of consideration is found in the most positive assertion of a gentleman, a Mr. Westcott, who on that evening of the 5th, on his way home from the real séance, met in the car Mr. Owen, Dr. Child and his wife, all three returning from the mock séance. Now it so happened that this gentleman mentioned to them about having just seen the spirit Katie come out of the cabinet, adding “he thought she never looked better”; upon hearing which Mr. Robert Dale Owen stared at him in amazement, and all the three looked greatly perplexed.}} | ||
And so I here but insist on the apparition of the spirit at the medium’s house on the evenings [of] the 2nd and 3rd of December, when I witnessed the phenomenon, together with Robert Dale Owen and other parties. It would be worse than useless to offer or accept the poor excuse that the confession of the woman White, her exposure of the fraud, the delivery to Mr. Leslie of all her dresses and presents received by her in the name of Katie King, the disclosure of the sad news by this devoted gentleman to Mr. Owen, and the preparation of the mock séance cabinet and other important matters, had all of them taken place on the 4th; the more so, as we are furnished with most positive proofs that Dr. Child at least, if not Mr. Owen knew all about Mr. Leslie’s success with Mrs. White several days beforehand. Knowing then of the fraud, how could Mr. Leslie allow it to be still carried on, as the fact of Katie’s apparition at the Holmeses’ on the 2nd and 3rd of December proves it to have been the case? Any gentleman, even with a very moderate degree of honour about him, would never allow the public to be fooled and defrauded any longer, unless he had the firm resolution of catching the ''bogus'' spirit on the spot and proving the imposition. But no such thing occurred; quite the contrary; for Dr. Child, who had constituted himself from the first not only chief superintendent of the séances, cabinet and materialization business, but also cashier and ticket-holder (paying the mediums at first ten dollars per séance, as he did, and subsequently fifteen dollars, and pocketing the rest of the proceeds), on that same evening of the 3rd ''took the admission money'' from every visitor as quietly as he ever did. I will add furthermore, that I, in “''propria persona”'' handed him on that very night a five-dollar bill, and that he (Dr. Child) kept the whole of it, remarking that the balance could be made good to us by ''future séances !'' | And so I here but insist on the apparition of the spirit at the medium’s house on the evenings [of] the 2nd and 3rd of December, when I witnessed the phenomenon, together with Robert Dale Owen and other parties. It would be worse than useless to offer or accept the poor excuse that the confession of the woman White, her exposure of the fraud, the delivery to Mr. Leslie of all her dresses and presents received by her in the name of Katie King, the disclosure of the sad news by this devoted gentleman to Mr. Owen, and the preparation of the mock séance cabinet and other important matters, had all of them taken place on the 4th; the more so, as we are furnished with most positive proofs that Dr. Child at least, if not Mr. Owen knew all about Mr. Leslie’s success with Mrs. White several days beforehand. Knowing then of the fraud, how could Mr. Leslie allow it to be still carried on, as the fact of Katie’s apparition at the Holmeses’ on the 2nd and 3rd of December proves it to have been the case? Any gentleman, even with a very moderate degree of honour about him, would never allow the public to be fooled and defrauded any longer, unless he had the firm resolution of catching the ''bogus'' spirit on the spot and proving the imposition. But no such thing occurred; quite the contrary; for Dr. Child, who had constituted himself from the first not only chief superintendent of the séances, cabinet and materialization business, but also cashier and ticket-holder (paying the mediums at first ten dollars per séance, as he did, and subsequently fifteen dollars, and pocketing the rest of the proceeds), on that same evening of the 3rd ''took the admission money'' from every visitor as quietly as he ever did. I will add furthermore, that I, in “''propria persona”'' handed him on that very night a five-dollar bill, and that he (Dr. Child) kept the whole of it, remarking that the balance could be made good to us by ''future séances !'' | ||
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{{HPB-SB-item | |||
| volume = 1 | |||
| page = 20 | |||
| item = 1 | |||
| type = article | |||
| status = proofread | |||
| continues = | |||
| author = Blavatsky, H. P. | |||
| title = Important note | |||
| subtitle = | |||
| untitled = | |||
| source title = | |||
| source details = | |||
| publication date = | |||
| original date = | |||
| notes = Inserted small page with handwrinig on both sides | |||
| categories = | |||
}} | |||
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[[File:SB-01-020.1.jpg|200px|thumb|right|SB, v. 1, p. 20, inlay, front]] | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|Yes. I am sorry to say that <u>I had</u> to identify myself during, that shameful exposure of the <u>mediums</u> Holmes with the Spiritualists. I had to save the situation, for I was sent from Paris on purpose to America to <u>prove</u> the phenomena and their reality and—show the fallacy of the Spiritualistic theories of “Spirits.” But how could I do it best? I did not want people at large to know that I could <u>produce the same thing at will</u>. I had received {{Style S-Double underline|orders}} to the contrary, and yet, I had to keep alive the reality, the genuineness and possibility of such phenomena in the hearts of those who from <u>Materialists</u> had turned <u>Spiritualists</u> and now, owing to the exposure of several mediums fell back again, returned to their skepticism. This is why, selecting a few of the faithful, I went to the Holmeses and helped by M∴ and <u>his power</u>, brought out the face of John King and Katie King in the astral light, produced the phenomena of materialization and—allowed the Spiritualists at large to believe it was done thro’ the mediumship of Mrs. Holmes. She was terribly frightened herself, for she knew that <u>this once</u> the apparition was real. Did I do wrong? The world is not prepared yet to understand the philosophy of Occult Sciences–}} | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|turn over|right}} | |||
{{Page||}} | |||
[[File:SB-01-020.2.jpg|200px|thumb|right|SB, v. 1, p. 20, inlay, back]] | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|turn {{Style S-Lost|this leaf}}|center}} | |||
{{Style P-No indent|{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|let them assure themselves first of all that there are beings in an invisible world, whether “Spirits” of the dead or <u>Elementals</u>; and that there are hidden powers in man, which are capable of making a God of him on earth.}}}} | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|When I am dead and gone people will, perhaps, appreciate my disinterested motives. I have pledged my word to help people on to <u>Truth</u> while living and—will keep my word. Let them abuse and revile me. Let some call me a <u>medium</u> and a Spiritualist, and others an <u>impostor</u>. The day will come when posterity will learn to know me better.}} | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|Oh poor, foolish, credulous, wicked <u>world</u>!}} | |||
{{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|M∴ brings orders to form a Society — a secret Society like the Rosicrucian Lodge. He promises to help.}} | |||
{{Style P-Align right| {{Style S-HPB SB. HPB note|H.P.B.}} }} | |||
{{HPB-SB-footer-footnotes}} | |||