Henry Steel Olcott
Colonel H.S.
Olcott. President-Founder, The Theosophical Society, 1875-1907.
Born 2 August 1832 at Orange, New Jersey, U.S.A. Gained international
renown at 23 for his work on the model farm of Scientific Agriculture
at Newark. Declined Chair of Agriculture in University of Athens
offered by Greek Government. Co-Founder of Westchester Farm School,
near Mount Vernon, New York, the first American Scientific School
of Agriculture. His first book Sorghum and Imphee became
a school textbook and brought him at 25 offers of a governmental
botanical mission to Caffraria, S. Africa, Directorship of Agricultural
Bureau at Washington, and managership of two immense properties,
all of which he declined. At 26 he toured Europe in the interests
of agriculture and his report was published in the American
Cyclopedia. Became American correspondent of Mark Lane
Express (London), Associate Agricultural Editor (1858-60)
of New York Tribune, and published two more books on agriculture.
For his public service in agricultural reform was voted two medals
of honour and a silver goblet.
As reporter for New York Tribune in 1859, Olcott was present
at hanging of John Brown, and though in considerable danger,
extricated himself under the seal of Masonic confidence. Joined
the Northern Army and fought through North Carolina Campaign,
invalided to New York (1862-5). Drafted as Special Commissioner
of the War Department and later Navy Department for the investigation
of frauds. Received high commendation for purifying the Public
Service and cleansing these departments in peril of life and
reputation. In 1868 admitted to the Bar. Practised till 1878,
specializing in customs, revenue and insurance cases. Published
valuable report on insurance while Secretary and Managing Director
of National Insurance Convention, a conference or league of State
officials to codify and simplify insurance laws. A statute drafted
by H.S.O. and another lawyer was passed in ten State Legislatures.
As Attorney he had such clients as New York City, N.Y. Stock
Exchange, Mutual Equitable Life and Continental Life Insurance
Companies, Gold Exchange Bank, Panama Railways, The United Steel
Manufacturers of Sheffield, England. Also Hon. Sec. to Citizens'
National Committee working with French Government for first International
Exposition of World Industries; also served on International
Italian Committee to erect statue to Mazzini in New York. Was
nominated by retiring Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and
listed by President Johnson to succeed in that office, but he
took sides with Congress against the President and lost the appointment.
Member of Lotos Club, and intimate friend of Mark Twain, and
other famous authors.
Interested in Spiritualism from the age of 19, he reported the
psychic phenomena at Eddy Farm in 1874 for New York Sun
and New York Graphic. Single copies sold at $1 and seven
publishers contended for book rights. Published as People
from the Other World, 1875, one of the earliest books on
psychical research, highly praised by Alfred Russel Wallace,
FRS and Sir William Crookes, FRS. At Eddy Homestead met Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky and together they threw themselves into defence
of reality of spiritualistic phenomena while attempting to purify
spiritualistic movement of its materialistic trend. Helped with
the preparation of her book, Isis Unveiled. Together they
founded The Theosophical Society at New York, 17 November 1875.
Organized the first public cremation in the U.S.A. in 1876. In
1878 the Co-Founders moved T.S. Headquarters to Bombay, India.
Before leaving, H.S.O. received from U.S. President autographed
letter of recommendation to all U.S. Ministers and Consuls; and
from Dept. of State a special diplomatic passport, and a commission
to report to Government upon the practicability of extending
the commercial interests of U.S. in Asia. Held first Swadeshi
Exhibition in Bombay, 1879. As President of the T.S., championed
in India, Ceylon, Japan and other oriental countries the revival
of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and other faiths.
Stimulated Sanskrit revival. United the sects of Ceylon in the
Buddhist Section of the Theosophical Society (1880); the 12 sects
of Japan into a Joint Committee for the promotion of Buddhism
(1889); Burma, Siam, and Ceylon into a Convention of Southern
Buddhists (1891); and finally Northern and Southern Buddhism
through joint signatures to his Fourteen Propositions of Buddhism
(1891). With delegation of Buddhists (1882) in a Hindu Temple
at Tinnevelly, planted "Tree of Friendship" as the
first act of fraternization for hundreds of years between Buddhists
and Hindus. Founded Adyar Library (1886) at which for the first
time in history the religious teachers of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism and Islam united to bless a common cause.
Though H.S.O.'s vision the principle of autonomous Sections with
an international Headquarters was developed. In one year (1882-83)
of mesmeric healing treated 6,000 cripples, deaf, dumb, blind
and insane with phenomenal success. Started Olcott Harijan Free
Schools for the education of the outcastes of India. Throughout
India founded Hindu schools, Boy's Aryan Leagues and libraries,
and sponsored and published Arya Bala Bodhini for Hindu
boys. In Ceylon established schools for Buddhist children. Secured
for Ceylon Buddhists freedom from religious persecution and Wesak
as public holiday. Sponsored informal conference 1891 on possibility
of Women's National Society in India. Planned institute of technological
education for the Maharaja of Baroda (1888).
Lectured and traveled for T.S. many thousands of miles yearly
by land and sea. Made Hon. Member of many famous clubs and learned
societies. Received official blessing of Pope Pio Nono; blessed
by the Buddhist High Priests of Ceylon, Burma, Siam and Japan,
for his work for Buddhism (he took Pancha Sheela as a Buddhist
in 1880); and adopted into the Brahmin caste for distinguished
services to Hinduism.
Publications: Editor The Theosophist after H.P.B. left
for Europe 1885; The Buddhist Catechism, 44 editions (1938),
translated into 20 languages, an internationally used textbook;
Old Diary Leaves, history of T.S. (in six volumes); and
many pamphlets and articles on Theosophy, religion, psychic phenomena,
etc. Died 17 February 1907, at Adyar, nominating as his successor
Annie Besant.
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Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky
Madame
Blavatsky, 'that extraordinary woman,' was co-founder, with Colonel
H.S. Olcott, of the Theosophical Society. She was born at Ekaterinoslav
in Russia at midnight between 30 and 31 July 1831. Her father,
Colonel Peter Hahn, came of a noble family originally of Mecklenburg,
Germany, but which had settled in Russia for some 300 years.
Her mother's family, also of noble lineage, traced its origins
to a ninth century ancestor.
H.P.B.'s clairvoyant faculty was such that, even as a child,
she was consulted by the nobility about their private affairs
and by the police regarding crimes committed. She was a talented
pianist, and as a young girl, played in London with Clara Schumann
and Arabelle Goddard.
In 1848 when she was seventeen, she married General Blavatsky,
a very elderly man, from whom she soon separated. During 1848
and 1849, she studied magic in Egypt with an aged Copt and joined
'The Druses of Lebanon,' a secret society. She was present with
Garibaldi at the battle of Mentana in 1849 and 'was picked out
of a ditch for dead with the left arm broken in two places, musket
balls embedded in right shoulder and leg, and a stiletto wound
in the heart.'
When walking with her father in London in 1851, she saw a tall
and stately Rajput whom she recognized as a Protector known in
her visions from childhood. He spoke to her of a future work
she was to do under His direction after preparation in the East.
In 1852-54 she attempted to enter Tibet, however she was not
successful until 1867-70. During the intervening period, she
made contact with spiritualism, learned to 'bring under her control
her marvelous power to produce phenomena at will,' and engaged
in 'several commercial enterprises' (a trade in high class woods,
head of an artificial flower factory, etc.). In Tibet, she learned,
we are told, to manipulate occult forces. In Cairo in 1871 she
made an unsuccessful attempt to found a spiritual society upon
the basis of phenomena. Then as 'Madame Laura,' she did concert
tours in Italy and Russia. In 1873 she lived with her brother
in Paris, painting and writing (in addition to her other accomplishments
she was a fine artist and a very clever caricaturist).
Whilst in Paris she received peremptory orders from 'the Brothers'
to go to New York to await instructions. She landed on 7 July
1873, without personal funds, having exchanged her first class
passage to steerage class (the cheapest) in order to buy steerage
class for a poor woman and children who had been swindled. Although
she had in her trunk 23,000 francs entrusted to her by her Master,
she earned her living by working for a maker of cravats. Still
acting under orders she finally took the money to town of Buffalo
and gave it to an unknown man just in time to prevent him from
committing suicide! An unsuccessful business venture in a Long
Island Farm, used up the 1,000 ruble legacy she had received
on the death of her father.
In 1874 she was ordered to go to the Eddy homestead in Chittenden.
This was the scene of various occult phenomena being investigated
by Colonel H.S. Olcott. With him in 1875, in New York, she founded
the Theosophical Society. Isis Unveiled, her magnificent
attack upon the materialism of religion and science, was published
in 1877. She sent the first proceeds together with money received
for her various articles published by Russian newspapers and
journals, to the Red Cross in Russia to help her compatriots
wounded in the Russo-Turkish war.
On 8 July 1878, she became an American citizen. Later that year,
acting 'under orders,' she and Olcott sailed for India; they
landed in Bombay in February 1879. In 1880 the two founders toured
Sri Lanka on behalf of Buddhism, themselves becoming Buddhists
on 19 May 1881. In 1882, the headquarters of the Society was
moved to its present site in Adyar, Madras. She made various
tours of India between her arrival in 1879 and her visit to Europe
in 1884. In the absence of the Founders, came the one sided report
of the Society for Psychical Research, in an attempt to show
her up as an impostor. Since then, the S.P.R. has retracted the
allegations against her. Despite the intervention of her Guru
to restore her health, it deteriorated and she was unable to
remain at Adyar for more than a short visit paid later that year.
In Wurzburg she worked at The Secret Doctrine, whose real
authors, according to Countess Wachtmeister, were the Adept Brothers.
As with Isis Unveiled, the Brothers collected the material
and passed it before the inner gaze of H.P.B. In 1887 at Ostend,
H.P.B. fell very ill but made another strange recovery explaining
that she had 'elected' to work for a few more years in her suffering
body. By invitation, she moved to London which then became the
centre of the Theosophical work in Europe. In this she was assisted
by occasional visits of the President-Founder (Colonel Olcott).
In 1888 the first two volumes of The Secret Doctrine were
published. She died on 8 May 1891 in London. Her ashes were divided
between New York, India, and London, and part of it is interred
under her statue in Adyar. In her will she requested that each
year, on the anniversary of her death, her friends should assemble
and read from The Light of Asia and the Bhagavad Gita.
By Colonel Olcott's wish, this anniversary came to be known as
'White Lotus Day.'
Colonel Olcott summed up the secret of H.P.B.'s remarkable power
in producing swift changes in the lives of those about her as
due to:
Her amazing occult knowledge and phenomena-working
powers, together with her relation to the hidden Masters.
Her sparkling talents, especially as
a conversationalist with her social accomplishments, wide travels,
and extraordinary adventures.
Her insight into problems of philology,
racial origins, fundamental bases of religions, and keys to old
mysteries and symbols.
Unflinching
self-consecration to the Great Ones irradiated the life of H.P.B.
and she will ever be known as the 'Light-Bringer' of the nineteenth
Century.
Some Publications: Editor, The Theosophist, The Secret
Doctrine (in three Volumes), Isis Unveiled, Practical
Occultism, The Voice of the Silence, two books of The
Stanzas of Dzyan, The Key to Theosophy, Original Programme of
the TS, Dynamics of the Psychic World, etc.
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