The London Reaction
This is the first printed reaction of the British Section to the events of
the Leadbeater Affair following upon Annie Besant's November letter mentioned
below. The "Enclosed reply" is a separately published pamphlet, and will be
reproduced next.
At first sight one supposes that the RESOLUTIONS are the same as those
printed in the link to "The London Consequences" - in fact there are many
differences.
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TO THE MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Especially to the Members of the British Section.
THE LEADBEATER CASE
Enclosed will be found a Reply to the President's recent Letter of November,
1908, to the Members of the Theosophical Society, in which she refuses to act in
accordance with the Resolution passed at the last Convention of this Section -
calling upon her to take such action as would make the repudiation by the
Society of the pernicious teachings given by Mr. Leadbeater to young boys,
unequivocal and final.
At a largely attended and representative Meeting of Members, held in London
on November 13th, it was decided, among other things, to ask for the cooperation
of all those Members who are opposed to the reinstatement of Mr. Leadbeater in
the Society, without public repudiation of the teaching which determined his
resignation, and for that purpose the accompanying RESOLUTIONS have been drawn
up. If, after reading our Reply to Mrs. Besant, you are in favour of these
Resolutions, please sign the perforated slip and return it at once to Mr. Mead.
A petitionfor the reinstatement of Mr. Leadbeater is being circulated by some of
his supporters. If you should have already signed that Petition, but now see
reason to alter your opinion, will you kindly write to its promoters and
withdraw your name? - and inform Mr. Mead of your having done so.
G.R.S. MEAD. HERBERT BURROWS. W. KINGSLAND. EDITH WARD.
16, SELWOOD PLACE, ONSLOW GARDENS, LONDON, S.W. November, 1908.
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RESOLUTIONS
THAT WHEREAS, at the last Convention of the British Section of the
Theosophical Society, a Resolution was passed calling upon the President and
General Council of the Society to take such action as would ensure "that the
repudiation by the Society of this pernicious teaching [the teaching which
determined the resignation of Mr. C.W. Leadbeater] may be unequivocal and
final":
AND WHEREAS the President has replied to this resolution in a printed Letter
to the members of the Theosophical Society, dated November, 1908:
AND WHEREAS, in that Letter, the President explicitly declines to take such
action, stating that she herself only disagrees with the teaching, but that her
"condemnation no longer applies to Mr. Leadbeater's advice":
AND WHEREAS, in that Letter, the President fully admits that Mr. Leadbeater
did give the said teaching (a) previous to his connection with the Theosophical
Society, "when a priest of the English Church," (b) to boys not yet addicted to
the practice, but in whom "certain symptoms had already shown themselves either
on the physical plane or in the aura," and (c) that "even though in one or two
instances this may have taken place before what is commonly called puberty":
AND WHEREAS the President declines to put an end to the scandalous state of
affairs involved in the identification of this teaching with the Theosophical
Society - through the acclaiming of the man who stands self-convicted of it, as
one worthy to he placed in the highest rank as a Theosophical teacher and guide,
and also through an explicit statement by a member of the General Council that
"no mistake was made by Mr. Leadbeater in the nature of the advice he gave to
his boys":
AND WHEREAS, further, the President declares that she will rejoice to welcome
Mr. Leadbeater back to actual membership, and ignores the condition of public
repudiation by him of his teaching:
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED -
1 That we, the undersigned members of the Theosophical Society, reaffirm the
opinion expressed by the British Section at its last Convention, and embodied in
the following resolution, which was carried nem. con., that. "This Convention
looks on the teaching given by C.W. Leadbeater to certain boys as wholly evil,
and hereby expresses its judgment on this matter"
2 That we, the undersigned, record our opinion that no person who has given
such teaching should be a member of the Theosophical Society, so long as that
person has not absolutely, unequivocally, and publicly repudiated the said
teaching and practice.
3 That we, the undersigned, call upon the President to adhere to the pledge
given at the time of her election to the Presidency, that she would not readmit
Mr. Leadbeater to membership till two years after his public repudiation of the
said teaching, and then only on a large majority request of the whole Society.
(Our copy lacks the perforated slip referred to, as presumably, the recipient
completed it and sent it to Mr. Mead.}
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