The Letters of Helen Dennis (7)
This is the last of the presently available handwritten letters from Helen
Dennis to Miss Gosse. The "first page of my letter begun so long ago" may in
fact be the text uploaded as Letter number 6 - this will need to be verified if
possible, but would account for it's incompleteness.
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5474 East End Ave, Chicago January 24th 1912
My dear Friend,
I received the dainty little book and am so glad it is from your hand and
pen. I have read only half of it and I marvel at man's inhumanity to man. Think
of those horrid days of Inquisition! Surely the world is getting better, for
that kind of thing never could happen now, altho there are subtler tortures
going on I fancy in many places that we know anything about. I fancy too that
you didn't publish a hundredth part of the loathsome awful things that happened
during the exposure and persecution of the Knights Templar. I wonder how old the
race must become before its occult bodies can keep themselves decently clean!
The U.S. is riddled with occult bodies and at the core of each is some rank sex
rottenness and books printed that are not fit to travel in the mails. Ah well -
if I hadn't gone through what I did in the T.S. I wouldn't believe possible the
things of hearsay now. And now I can see that the worst is probably true.
I wrote you a long letter some months ago and before I realized what I was
doing - there had dropped off my pen and trailed into words the many things I
have thought and believe about the T.S. today - X and A.B. and so I did not send
the letter as it could not but have hurt you while you give your respect and
allegiance to the Society of which they are the head and stand before the world
as spokesmen of the great mysteries as tho' they really represented
righteousness and true moral and spiritual verities. Ah well, I seldom think of
them anymore except as I think of those friends who like yourself I made while
in the T.S. and under the glamour of A.B. or rather with my confidence in her
moral integrity unshaken. However my gratitude for the blessed truths of
Theosophy will always be alive and fortunately can go where respect cannot. So I
trust the time may sometime come when I can show my appreciation wherever it is
due.
I am enclosing the first page of my letter begun so long ago just to save
rewriting its message of the first page. Do you count the cost of over-working
your woman's head for the next half of your life? It is the worst part of a
woman to overstrain at this time and recuperates the most slowly.
I am now reading James S. Pryse on the Apocalypse - Have you seen it? I
suspect his symbolism & yours will parallel each other & I shall look
for it as I read them. At present I have read only the historical part of yours.
I belong to a few civic and philanthropic bodies in which I am not active as
my health is not good, but some day I hope to be able to help clean up some
small spot on this little ball of earth, and I try to begin at home. My family
is well and the boys are men of 22 and 25 - both great joys to us. Please give
my regards to Mrs. Betts and I wish you both a happy New Year.
I thank you so much for the book and I am so glad you wrote my name in it - I
may be asking the wise lady some questions about it and shall hope to understand
most of it.
+Do you know the name of Lucy Bartlett since she married? I met her in
Chicago some years ago.
This must be all for now and may all the good you desire come to you.
Ever Sincerely,
Helen ID+
[+ This last section was written in the small space above the address and
date on the first page]
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Transcribed and uploaded by Alan Bain, 2 July 1996