Charles Sotheran
Charles Sotheran (1847–1902) was present at the founding of the Theosophical Society in September, 1875, when he was elected Librarian of the new organization.[1] He was an antiquarian, bookseller, and journalist.
Historian Josephine Ransom said of him:
CHARLES SOTHERAN was a relative of the famous London booksellers of the same name. He was with Sabin and Sons, Book-sellers, New York, and connected in a literary way with their journal The American Bibliopolist. His temperament kept him and his friends in a turmoil. Three months after The Society was formed there was trouble, as Sotheran not only made inflammatory speeches at a political street meeting, to which H. P. B. objected, but he wrote bitterly in the newspapers against her and The Society. His resignation was accepted, and for the sake of protection, The Society was made into a secret body, with signs and passwords. Six months later Sotheran apologised and was taken back into membership. He gave useful help to H. P. B. in finding quotations and borrowing books for her during the writing of Isis Unveiled. Sotheran later published a small short-lived journal called The Echo. He became a considerable nuisance to H. P. B. and H. S. O., and after their departure to India was not again mentioned.[2]
Membership in other groups
According to an advertisement for his book on Cagliostro, Sotheran was active as a Freemason, in the English Brotherhood of the Rosie Cross, in Egyptian Rite masonry, and other organizations. See the illustration at the right.
Political activities
After leaving the Theosophical Society, Sotheran helped to organize the Socialist Labor Party and ran for Congress in 1894, in New York, on a populist ticket. He was expelled from the SLP and joined the Socialist Party.[3]
Writings
Sotheran wrote for New York papers including The Sun and The World. He also wrote books:
- Alessandro di Cagliostro: Impostor or Martyr? A paper read before the New York Liberal Club, May 28, 1875. New York: D. M Bennett, 1875. Pamphlet.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley as a Philosopher and Reformer. New York: C. P. Somerby, 1876.
- Horace Greeley and Other Pioneers of American Socialism. New York: Humboldt Publishing, 1892.
Other resources
- Letter to the editor, The Banner of Light, (January 15, 1876), 5. Sotheran explains his resignation from the Theosophical Society on January 5, 1976. Available at Blavatsky Archives website.
Notes
- ↑ Josephine Ransom, A Short History of The Theosophical Society (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1938), 82.
- ↑ Josephine Ransom, A Short History of The Theosophical Society (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1938), 114.
- ↑ Candace Falk, Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years Made for America, 1890-1901 (University of Illinois Press, 2008), 98.