William Gordon
Lt. Col. William Gordon (1831-1909)[1] and his wife, Mrs. Alice Gordon, became members of the Theosophical Society on August 6, 1879. He was in the Staff Corps of the British army in Mannbhoom, Bengal. In 1880, he was a member of the General Council of the Theosophical Society.[2]
According to Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett:
Gordon, Lt. Co. W. and Mrs. Alice, members of the TS, residents of Calcutta and friends of APS, AOH, and the Founders. They were primarily interested in spiritualism. Mrs. Gordon accompanied the Founders on their first trip to Simla in 1880. The Gordons were hosts to the medium, William Eglinton, in Calcutta in the spring of 1882, after his original host, Mr. Meugens, had left Calcutta. The Gordons were witnesses to the Vega phenomenon connected with Eglinton's trip back to England. ML index; LBS, p. 16.[3]
Friendship with H. P. Blavatsky
H. P. Blavatsky spent the summer at the Gordons' home, "The Retreat," in Ootacamund, in 1883. While there, HPB asked G. Soobiah Chetty to join her, in order to discuss how "men of position" could be attracted to the Theosophical Society. Following a visit from Mahatma Morya, that objective began to be realized, as several English people close to the Governor came to the Gordons' house to visit with HPB and Colonel Olcott. [4]
Contacts with the Mahatmas
In one of his letters to A. P. Sinnett, Master K.H. wrote about the Col. the following:
Pray, convey to Col. Gordon the expression of my sympathy and friendly esteem. He is indeed a loyal friend and trustworthy ally. Tell him that with every allowance for the motives given and his own quiet modesty I yet believe he may do much good in his own unassuming way.[5]
Notes
- ↑ Pandia letter to H. P. Blavatsky of July 27, 1879. Letter mentioned in footnote of John Cooper manuscript, page 336, on letter 204. John Algeo Papers. Records Series 08.12. Theosophical Society in America Archives.
- ↑ "The Theosophical Society," The Theosophist 1.8 (May, 1880), 214.
- ↑ George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 219.
- ↑ L. Davidge, "H. P. Blavatsky: An Unpublished Letter," The Theosophist 57.2 (November, 1935), 148. Part of this article was reprinted from "A Reminiscence of H.P.B." in The Theosophist (May 1924), 244-245.
- ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 107 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 366.