THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN EUROPE

In last month's issue we published a copy of the kindly and courteous letter of greeting from the Executive Committee of the Theosophical Society in America to the European Theosophists assembling in Convention on July 4th. We have now to inform our readers that by a majority vote of the delegates and proxies at that convention this letter was laid on the table, after a speech by Mrs. Annie Besant in which she declared it a personal attack on herself and an insult to those upholding her. While strongly deprecating such a unfortunate action, and lamenting deeply that in the name of "Theosophy" any gathering of persons should ever have permitted personality and suspicion thus to override justice and judgement, nevertheless, to all upholders of high theosophic principles, it must be a source of reassurance that the inspiration of the unseen powers behind the Movement has not been entirely clouded in some quarters, when we add that fully half the hall arose and protested against the purblind and fanatical attitude that had brought about the repudiation of a document intended to draw harmoniously together for the greater advancement of our cause all workers in the Movement. Step by step have those who sacrifice the highest theosophical principles to personal attacks on their fellow students, descended the scale or discernment; hour by hour their position has been made more fatally clear; and now finally, in an unguarded moment, they stand self-confessed, their attitude made plain that all who have eyes to see can perceive the unveiled truth. Further comment is out of place; we would fain have made workers of all, have united all in the work, and made this great Movement an undivided Power―differing for different places in external organization, yet one and undivided in Spirit. But some have temporarily placed themselves outside its pale; though members of the "Theosophical Society," by this very vote they account themselves non-Theosophists.

Path, August, 1895