The record-union., 1892-12-08
ANNIE BBsANT REPLIES
The T'heos0phical Leader Handles Mr.
Eoulke without Gloves.

| Eoulke Without Gloves.
| The RECoRD-U -UNIoN some time ago
published news article setting forth the
claims Of II. b. Foulke to the headship OF
/ the Theosophical Society. In the No
vember number Of L7gcifer, the theo-
sophical magazine, Annie Besant, its ed
/ itor, replies. Theosophists in Sacramento
ask publication of this reply, which is
done herewith, since the RECoRD-U MON
believes in fair play and equal opportu-
nifty in all such cases, though it has no
concern in the controversy. Annie Be-
SAINT says:
A most amusing comedy is being
played on the other side Of the At
lantlc by Henry B. FOulke, a whilom
real es,ate agent in Philadelphia, who
has taken it into his head to play the part
OF would-be head of the The0sophical So
clety, albeit he is not even q member
| thereof. He came over TO England
early in last summer and presented for
my Inspection a number OF very badly
panied pictures and some roughly
I scraWIed letters, which he declared We're
precipitated by Socrates, Plato and other
great men. The pictures-among them a
ghastly caricagure OF II. 2. Blavatsky-
were oil daubs OF the toughest and COM
monest kind, bearing paipable marks Of
the brushes and knives with which they
were executed, yet Mr.. Foulke had the
eHrontery TO present them as "precipita-
lions" Now, "preclpltatlOn' Is pecui-
lar process, very easily recognizable, and
TO present pictures OF the type of sign
| board, poorly executed, as samples OF
precipitation was an insult to ones intel
lgence only eXcusable on the supposi-
| ton that the person 50 presenting them
was not quite sane. Mir. FOulke also
claimed to possess some letters from II.
L. BIavatsky appointing HIM ther sue
! cessor" o. but these he refused to show
me. | thought the poor man was crazy,
but now see III American papers that he
Is actually pJttng forward claim-on
/ the strength of his prepost6rOus daubS-
! to be the head of the society and to repre-
sent our Tevered teacher, and that he
states that | withdrew from my support
OF Mr.. Judge as the future President OF
the I. ). and brought over to MIR. Foulke
many theOSophicai lodges, and that he
| has letters from me Withdrawing from
some attempted scheme" not explained
By him. This appears to be delibecat
! knavery rather than mere lunacy, Tor
there is not Il word of truth in it. Mr..
Judge is chosen by the 7. >. as Colonel
| Olcots successor in the Presidency, and
he has now. as he has had all along, my
hearty and full support | have with
drawn from no position, and MIR. Foulke's
absurd statements were to me mere mat
ters of plying compassion until he
emerged in the character Of a deliberate
teller of ialsehOods, trying to trouble a
society with which he is III no way con-
nected. When he came to the London
headquarters he declared that he came to
take control OF affairs; naturally we
laughed IT him and supposed he was mad.
\ crazy girl had come in similar fashion
once before and had demanded that
everything should be given over to her.
Mr.. Fouike, however, stated that we
should receive phenomenal proofs of his
claim, and in the presence Of half a dozen
Of us he pledged himself that if such
proofs were not given before certain
date he would make no further claim.
The date passed, nothing happened, and
Mr.. Foulke persists! The whole pro
ceeding is so crazy that it would not de-
serve word OF notice We're it not that
some American papers actually give pub
licity to it. And when | am announced
in capitals as converted by Mr.. Foulke's
pictures, and as accepting his leadership,
/ may, perhaps, be permitted a mild pro-
test against such unwarranted use of my
name. l have read many funny things
in connection with myself, bur never
anything funnier than that l indorsed
Mr.. Foulke and his pictures. What a
queer world it is