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'''Elbridge Gerry Brown''' was an American | '''Elbridge Gerry Brown''' was an American [[Spiritualism|Spiritualist]] and editor of the ''Spiritual Scientist'' of Boston, Mass. | ||
== Theosophical involvement == | == Theosophical involvement == | ||
From early letters | From early letters from Egyptian [[Masters of Wisdom]] to [[Henry Steel Olcott|Col. H. S. Olcott]], it is evident that they had originally chosen three people to form the nucleus of what would become the [[Theosophical Society]]. Two of them were the Colonel and [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]], the third one being young E. G. Brown, then editor of the ''Spiritual Scientist'' and interested in understanding the occult laws behind spiritualistic phenomena. [[Serapis|Master S.]] wrote: | ||
<blockquote>This cause—in your country—depends entirely on the closest unity between you three—our Lodge’s chosen Triad—you, verily so, you three so utterly dissimilar and yet so closely connected to be brought together and linked in one by the never-erring Wisdom of the Brotherhood.<ref>Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa, ''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom'' Second Series No. 6 (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 17.</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>This cause—in your country—depends entirely on the closest unity between you three—our Lodge’s chosen Triad—you, verily so, you three so utterly dissimilar and yet so closely connected to be brought together and linked in one by the never-erring Wisdom of the Brotherhood.<ref>Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa, ''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom'' Second Series No. 6 (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 17.</ref></blockquote> | ||
Mr. Brown | Mr. Brown was educated but very poor; for, to become a Spiritualist and editor of a spiritualistic paper, he had quarreled with his family.<ref>Josephine Ransom, ''A Short History of The Theosophical Society'' (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 68.</ref> At the beginning he worked with [[Founders#"The Founders"|the Founders]], who supported him and his paper financially. However, as they started striving to wean the public mind away from Spiritualism, Brown decided to keep his belief in [[Mediumship#Spirit_guides|"Spirits"]] and go his own way, eventually turning against the Founders.<ref>George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., ''Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 221-222.</ref></blockquote> Mme. Blavatsky's third scrapbook includes a bankruptcy notice for Brown summarized in this way by [[Mary K. Neff]]: | ||
<blockquote>Creditors list includes Col Olcott ($590), Mme. Blav. ($150), to which HPB has red pencilled a note: "And several hundred more given without asking for a note. HPB." Also: "A constant shower of abuse and sneering in his paper against us, and in other papers too, and bankruptcy to end the whole without a single line of acknowledgment, excuse or regret. Such is Gerry Elbridge Brown, the Spiritualist." (Total debt of Brown: $3710)<ref>Mary K. Neff, "H.P.B.'s Scrapbooks," a summary of the scrapbooks written about 1934. Quoted from Boris de Zirkoff Papers, Records Series 22, Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>Creditors list includes Col Olcott ($590), Mme. Blav. ($150), to which HPB has red pencilled a note: "And several hundred more given without asking for a note. HPB." Also: "A constant shower of abuse and sneering in his paper against us, and in other papers too, and bankruptcy to end the whole without a single line of acknowledgment, excuse or regret. Such is Gerry Elbridge Brown, the Spiritualist." (Total debt of Brown: $3710)<ref>Mary K. Neff, "H.P.B.'s Scrapbooks," a summary of the scrapbooks written about 1934. Quoted from Boris de Zirkoff Papers, Records Series 22, Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref></blockquote> | ||
Some time later HPB wrote in a personal note the following remark: | |||
<blockquote>Several hundred dollars out of our pockets were spent on behalf of the Editor, and he was made to pass through a minor "diksha" [initiation]. This proving of no avail — the Theosophical Society was established. . . . The man might have become a POWER, he preferred to remain an ASS. ''De gustibus non disputandum est''.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. I (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 888.</ref></blockquote> | |||
Other references to Brown exist in Blavatsky's letters to [[Hiram Corson]] and in Olcott's [[Old Diary Leaves (book)|''Old Diary Leaves'']]. | Other references to Brown exist in Blavatsky's letters to [[Hiram Corson]] and in Olcott's [[Old Diary Leaves (book)|''Old Diary Leaves'']]. | ||
Revision as of 22:15, 10 December 2014
Elbridge Gerry Brown was an American Spiritualist and editor of the Spiritual Scientist of Boston, Mass.
Theosophical involvement
From early letters from Egyptian Masters of Wisdom to Col. H. S. Olcott, it is evident that they had originally chosen three people to form the nucleus of what would become the Theosophical Society. Two of them were the Colonel and H. P. Blavatsky, the third one being young E. G. Brown, then editor of the Spiritual Scientist and interested in understanding the occult laws behind spiritualistic phenomena. Master S. wrote:
This cause—in your country—depends entirely on the closest unity between you three—our Lodge’s chosen Triad—you, verily so, you three so utterly dissimilar and yet so closely connected to be brought together and linked in one by the never-erring Wisdom of the Brotherhood.[1]
Mr. Brown was educated but very poor; for, to become a Spiritualist and editor of a spiritualistic paper, he had quarreled with his family.[2] At the beginning he worked with the Founders, who supported him and his paper financially. However, as they started striving to wean the public mind away from Spiritualism, Brown decided to keep his belief in "Spirits" and go his own way, eventually turning against the Founders.[3] Mme. Blavatsky's third scrapbook includes a bankruptcy notice for Brown summarized in this way by Mary K. Neff:
Creditors list includes Col Olcott ($590), Mme. Blav. ($150), to which HPB has red pencilled a note: "And several hundred more given without asking for a note. HPB." Also: "A constant shower of abuse and sneering in his paper against us, and in other papers too, and bankruptcy to end the whole without a single line of acknowledgment, excuse or regret. Such is Gerry Elbridge Brown, the Spiritualist." (Total debt of Brown: $3710)[4]
Some time later HPB wrote in a personal note the following remark:
Several hundred dollars out of our pockets were spent on behalf of the Editor, and he was made to pass through a minor "diksha" [initiation]. This proving of no avail — the Theosophical Society was established. . . . The man might have become a POWER, he preferred to remain an ASS. De gustibus non disputandum est.[5]
Other references to Brown exist in Blavatsky's letters to Hiram Corson and in Olcott's Old Diary Leaves.
Notes
- ↑ Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa, Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom Second Series No. 6 (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 17.
- ↑ Josephine Ransom, A Short History of The Theosophical Society (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 68.
- ↑ George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 221-222.
- ↑ Mary K. Neff, "H.P.B.'s Scrapbooks," a summary of the scrapbooks written about 1934. Quoted from Boris de Zirkoff Papers, Records Series 22, Theosophical Society in America Archives.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. I (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 888.