The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-12-24
PROBES
!. (('(NNT
ORDER Of
STUDENTS

Philadelphia. Pa, Dec Pal Dlsclos
ure is made that Dr. Edgar f. Smith,
vice provost Of the University Of Penn.
sylvania has begun an investigation
Of The Order OF Fifteen an .ccult
Organization, the founder and leader
Of which is f. Homer Curtis, a seulcr
in the medical school Of the university.
Colncident with the discovery that
tle organization OF which students in
the university and men and women not
connected with the university are
members came the announcement ly
DR.. Charlotte Abbey that she had re-
signed from The Order OF the F.f-
teen because of the teachings whicl.
she said, had been promulgated by
Curtis.
Members Make penials.
Members OF the inner circle in C. e
organization at a meeting held At
Spring Garden street and Ridge ave
nue., in the apartments Of Miss Harriet
Brown, declared that DR. Abbey had
made charges against she c nduet Of
individuals in the organization which
could net be substantiated.
The members of this inner circle. the
highest degree in the order, are said
TO be Curtis, the founder; Mrs. Waller e
Mountain, a private teacher, of 725
East Woodlawn avenue. Germantown:
DR.. Rockwell X. II binson q dentist (
1921 Chestnut street: Mrs Marion
Van Ness, 400 Springfield avenue, ard
Miss Brown.
Tells Of Inquiry.
IN confirming the report that the uni.
ve.sity authorities had begun an IN.
dury, Dr. Smith vice provost. said
Il have assigned two investigators
to sift the thing to the bott m Dr.
Abbey. who was formerly an associate
member OF the Order of the Fifteen.
has placed In my hands all the CORE
spondence tFat passed between her
and Curtis.
Literature Of the Order Of Fifteen
has been given me, and ! am not afraid
TO say that pc.tlons Of this literature
have shocked me. understand that
Il has gone into universities and cC /
leges in the West. and my investiea
tions viii extend to those institutions.
Curtis came to the University OF Penn
sylvania from the University Of Texas.
Before ing 10 the University of Tex.
as he attended Purdue University Ia
! Indiana
Curtis Meets Only Four.
Curtis said today that he made It a
rule to meet none of the members of
the organization except the four with
whom he Is IN conference each Sunday
night. The correspondence which pass
ed between Curtis and Dr. Abb y
shows that he addressed her as Dear
Sister aud she addressed him as
Pear BrotherR
In all of Curtis letters and pam
phlets he speaks OF the teacher" un.
der whose orders, he says. he works
According to members of the organiza-
ton, the teacher" has only an occult
existence. That. Curtis says, is true.
Curtis Is 32 years old. He wears
heavy glasses and black Van Dyke
beard He is a member - the Phi
Kappa Psi fraternity and dimes each
day at the chapter house.
When DR.. Abbey withdrew from the
order she wrote Curtis this note ;
This is TO certify that ! resign my
membership in The Order OF Fifteen,
deeply regretting that the ultimate
teaching Is entirely opposed to normal
ideals OF. morality, In consequence
will hesitele to prevent the influ-
ence OF the order extending wherever
have opportunity TO do SO"
Titles Of the Pamphlets.
Dr. Abbey said she had found OBJ
jectionahle matter In one Of the pam.
phlets issued by the Order Of the
Fifteen" The titles tf these pam
phlets are "Celibacy," Purity,
Prayer" Prayer of Conservation
and The Memory of Past Lives
In a letter dated Aug "a, 1908, and
sent to Dr. Abbey, curtis wrote: I'VE
are not giving these teachings to babes
nor do we expect you to- We trust
to your discretion. We gave them to
you because you seemed capable of re.
ceiving aud grasping taem."
The teachings" referred to, as
shown bY the correspondence which
passed between Curtis and Dr. Abbey,
had TO do with "Affinitization and Per
/ T.