A Letter from Australia
This printed document came to light among the many papers found during 1995
in London, England, and made temporarily available to me in Bristol. Its
importance lies in its date and its location (Australia) plus charges made
against Wedgwood, together with charges of "compounding a felony" by certain
T.S. members. As readers will see from the final line of the document, it was
clearly printed and circulated in America, from Washington D.C., yet it supports
the claims and evidence gathered by Tillet in The Elder Brother that
CWL's activities continued when he went to Australia. It is also the prelude to
yet another crisis in the T.S. - especially in England - over the connections
with the T.S., the Liberal Catholic Church, and Co-freemasonry, which once again
caused the loss of large numbers of members.
The document as printed follows:
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LETTER FROM MR. T.H.MARTYN TO MRS. ANNIE BESANT
Note. - The writer of the following letter, Mr. T H. Martyn, of Sydney,
Australia, has been a member of the Theosophical Society for thirty years, has
recently been President of Sydney Lodge, the largest T.S. lodge in the world,
General Secretary of the Australian Section T.S., Corresponding Secretary of the
Australian E.S. and a close associate of Mrs. Besant and Mr. Leadbeater. No one
person has done as much to build up the Society In that part of the world.
Private and Confidential
Dear Mrs. Besant:
May 20th, 1921.
Yours of April 4th asking me to hand over the office of Corres. Sec. E.S. to
Mr. Leadbeater duly received. I have carried out your wishes and he is now in
charge.
Though in your circular to members giving as your reason for this change the
high occult rank of Mr. Leadbeater, in your letter to me you indicate that you
make the change because questions have arisen in which you and I are on opposite
sides. Much as I dislike putting you to any trouble I think I am entitled to ask
you why you say this, for I do not know of any differences. You have complained
of none, indeed there has been no correspondence (except on formal business)
since we met in England and then we seemed to be working and thinking on almost
identical lines.
I wrote you on March 14th on some difficulties of the T.S. work here but you
would hardly have had that letter by April 4th or if you had it I cannot read
into it any motive for what you now do. Is it quite fair of you to arrive at
such conclusions condemning me on I presume statements of other persons without
affording me an opportunity to state my own case? That does not seem quite like
the Mrs. Besant I have pictured for the last 30 years. However I am glad enough
to be relieved of the E.S. Corresponding Secretaryship, and I could not have
held it much longer without a candid exchange of views in any case.
Now I want to ask you first one little favour and that is to try and help me
in the greatest perplexity of my life. For thirty years I have regarded you as
my spiritual leader, my soul's friend and am grateful for all I have gathered by
way of help from your writings and your advice but only on one occasion so far
as I remember have I sought your counsel because of my own difficulties and that
was at our first interview in London in Sept. 1919. I thought then you would
help me in my perplexity and began to explain it to you, but you cut me short
and we passed on to general topics. Will you dear Mrs. Besant now read with
patient sympathy what I have to say - it is all true as to fact - and then see
if you can help me to find a solution to my particular problem. You have taught
me to endeavor to seek truth, to think truth and to live truth and now after
long years of earnest effort its logic pursues me. I cannot evade it.
This is what I want to tell you. In 1906 I was in London fighting your cause
and Leadbeater's. Police proceedings against the latter were seriously
threatened. One of his boys in desperate trouble urged me to try and prevent
them being proceeded with and admitting that the only evidence he could give
confirmed Leadbeater's immoral practices. The police proceedings did not
eventuate. I went away to Africa soon after and on returning I tried to forget
what this confession involved, to explain it away: and succeeded. In 1914
Leadbeater came to live with us in Sydney. I took him at his own valuation and
yours, regarding him as an Arhat; permitted myself to come sympathetically under
his influence and gladly made effective all his plans. As time went on I
certainly got many little shocks. He would for instance explain in private that
you were deluded about your Indian work, and the belief that it was at the wish
of the Hierarchy that you should work for Home Rule. He did not hesitate to hint
that your actions in India and advice to Indians were disloyal to the Empire.
Mrs. Martyn could confirm this and many other things said in private, that
puzzled us, though always everything said in public was loyal and flattering to
you.
Meanwhile I was personally favoured and I suppose felt flattered. For many
years I had followed your E.S. training conscientiously and results had
followed. When you gave concrete expression to my experiences I tried to live up
to a still higher standard, but later on the casual way in which these overnight
ceremonies were regarded after the first occasion or two became very marked. As
an instance on a certain date in July 1917 five of us were told we had taken
various initiations. No one remembered anything In the morning - some had hardly
slept feeling rather excited. I do not remember at any time anyone remembering
any real experience or anything of what happened on any of these occasions. All
the same I took all that quite seriously. By this time (1917) Mrs. Martyn had
become intensely unhappy about C.W.L. in the house. She had seen naked boys in
his bed and other facts had come to her knowledge. I refused to sympathize with
her views and for my sake she kept her peace and I held things together. Later
(1918-19) scarlet fever in the house caused Leadbeater and his boys to move out
temporarily and all my persuasions were insufficient to induce Mrs. Martyn to
have him back again. She point-blank refused - though again in consideration for
my own feelings - she told me nothing of what she knew. I only learned that on
my return from America, 1919-20.
In 1919 I went to America. Young Van Hook was In New York. He talked freely
of CWL.'s immorality and about faking the "lives" of people. In your reviews of
some letters sent you by Raja which reached him from America things which Van
Hook says about the "lives" you credit me with - that by the way. Now here is
the evidence of two Leadbeater boys (my 1906 experience - I can give you the
name if you want it, - and young Van Hook) both subsequent to to the 1906
inquiry and subsequent both to the confessions of all the American boys and to
C.W.L.'s admissions at the enquiry of 1906. I have put these pieces of evidences
together and add to them the compromising facts of life in my house (I am only
touching the fringe of this in this letter) and find staring me in the face the
conclusion that Leadbeater is a sex pervert, his mania taking a particular form
which I have - though only lately - discovered, is a form well known and quite
common in the annals of sex-criminology. There are some I know who think C.W.L.
may have brought over old sex weaknesses and still be chosen by the Masters to
do certain work for them. I have found comfort in the possibility up to the time
of my last interview with you in London.
This brings me to 1919 and my visit to London. A week before you sent for me
and gave me your message in October 1919 I called on Mrs. St. John. She was in
great trouble because the police were taking action (so she told me) against
four L.C.C. priests. Wedgwood, King, Farrar and Clark. She wanted to warn
Wedgwood in Australia and did not know how to without incriminating herself by
compounding a felony. Farrar she told me she had got out of the country and she
was sure the police would not find him. King had decided to remain in London and
see it out as Farrar was out of the way etc. Mrs. St. John told me that though
Wedgwood seemed to be compromised she herself did not believe him to be guilty
of the charges.
Of course while in London I heard about charges of sodomy with boys being
made against Wedgwood (by Major Adams and others) and reports about him had also
reached me from Sydney, but what Mrs. St. John told me came as a complete
surprise. A week later Graham Pole sent me word to say you wished to see me
urgently and I called. You then told me that you wished to communicate with
Wedgwood in Sydney but by so doing directly you would be compounding a felony
and you gave me the message for Raja that Wedgwood must leave the E.S. and T.S.
etc. You explained that he had seriously compromised himself and you felt it
your duty to protect the good name of the Society. I happened to think of an
E.S. talk you had given on a previous Sunday about black magic and sexual excess
and asked you if you were referring to Wedgwood's case in that talk and you said
yes, that Krishna, who was very intuitive at times had in a comment suggested
the explanation. Now you will see that this went much further than implying that
Wedgwood had compromised himself - a good man may do that and be innocent of
evil. It meant to me that on your own evidence and that of Krishna, Wedgwood was
guilty of sex depravity. Then there cropped up the matter of Wedgwood's
initiation. You told me he was not an initiate. I could not be surprised at
that, naturally, if the other was true how could he be? The statement prompted
me to wonder to what extent you confirmed or otherwise all the many other
declarations of Leadbeater about various other people being disciples, initiates
etc. My notes (written down immediately after I left you) remind me that I asked
you what I was to do with regard to them and of your reply After my interview
with you I left London immediately for Australia via America, and for a couple
of months was busy readjusting my own ideas about things as well as I could. I
found comfort in certain help which I believed my Master (M) gave me. I
understood I was to do all I could to support you in a difficult crisis. To me
you had committed a distinct breach by discarding blind subservience to
Leadbeater's every word. It was easy for me to do this where in view of what I
am telling you it would be impossible to accept Leadbeater's infallibility in
all things. In America after leaving you certain people came to me and told me
they had heard that the truth about Wedgwood was coming out at last and
explained that he had in London admitted his trouble to one of them (or both I
am not sure); that great efforts were made to help him overcome it; that things
went on well for a time, but that later on he dropped back again into his evil
ways. I can give you names if you want them. When I reached Sydney Raja accepted
the message with evident reluctance, and rather foolishly I repeated bits of
your conversation in addition to the directions. The central point with Raja
became your denial of Wedgwood's initiation and I soon saw that the breakdown of
Wedgwood involved to him nothing short of the collapse of Leadbeater as an
Arhat; of the divine authority of the L.C. Church; and of all reliance on the
genuineness of reported initiations, discipleships, etc, in which great numbers
of people are supposed to have participated. From Raja's viewpoint this must not
be permitted at any cost for the sake of the peace of mind of members and of the
cause in general and he just became the politician pure and simple scheming to
maintain what to me was - on the evidence available - a falsehood; he showed no
desire at all to find the truth and follow it. I may have been a little unfair
in this conclusion because I afterwards found that Raja is an echo of C.W.L. and
that he takes his occultism directly from what the latter says without question.
For some time until I could no longer maintain faith without reason; I had done
the same so I can understand his attitude up to a certain point.
Then followed the cable to you from Raja explaining what your statement -
that Wedgwood was not an initiate - involved. He made no reference in the
message to the immorality - that was apparently unimportant and you replied
accepting Leadbeater's statement about the initiation as decisive and cancelled
your instructions. But I will repeat the cables to make this point clear.
Sydney Dec.17, 1919. to Besant, Adyar.
"Martyn reports you said Wedgwood not initiate. Leadbeater asserts you were
present at initiation. Am most anxious members sake there should be no
fundamental divergence between you and him on such important occult matter since
at same time. . . . and . . . took second. . . . and . . . . first. Do you mean
that since you have no recollection you cannot assert Wedgwood initiate but do
not wish to be quoted as saying that he is positively uninitiated."
Dec. 22, 20. Bombay.
"Brother's statement enough accept fact, cancel message sent."
Before Raja's cable was sent I had interviewed Leadbeater alone. He wanted to
hear all he could. I told him about the evidence thrust on me in America about
Wedgwood having confessed and he said "well we had better get rid of him then."
I have often since remembered this incident. If Leadbeater knew Wedgwood to be
innocent because he was an initiate why should he have said that? I am telling
you the truth without any exaggeration and if this or any other statement is
denied to you by. others involved as it might well be that cannot affect my
knowledge of its truth.
You told me in 1913 at Adyar about the Triangle. C.W.L. has never so far as I
know made any reference to this in private or public. You also told me then that
you knew C.W.L. to be a very high initiate. Your statement then - always
remembered by me - has done much to keep me constant when things have happened
in my house that I could not understand. Leadbeater has frequently stated that
you permanently cut yourself off from physical brain intercourse with the
Masters when you took up the Indian work. Raja has to some extent confirmed this
but at our Convention last Easter Leadbeater stated that you and he exchanged
notes by physical plane means when anything happened on the other planes
affecting the work. He stated then that when the directions about starting a
church were given you sent him word and he you, the communications crossing one
another or to use his precise words "I sent her (A.B.) that original
communication about the Three Activities: but she at the same time took down the
points and sent them to me. It was not done on my remembrance at all but on a
careful combination of the two." (Convention Number T. in A. May 1921, page 56).
Here is a contradiction of the other statement that you had broken the
superphysical line of communication and the real facts if known might make
things a little easier to understand. As it is I have been forced by mere
pressure of circumstances, to certain conclusions particularly in view of your
repudiating your own and Krishna's judgment about Wedgwood merely because
Leadbeater stated he was initiated in July 1917.
1. That Leadbeater is not always reliable.
2. That you have been relying upon C. W. L. as sole intermediary between the Hierarchy and yourself - for many years.
3. That you have not been kept fully acquainted by Leadbeater with what the Hierarchy is doing.
4. That C.W.L.'s word Is final, and his seership infallible to you.
This last is Raja's attitude I know. I never could however make it mine and
have always maintained my faith by regarding you as independently aware of
everything that the Masters did in connection with the E.S. etc. Like many of
the older members I have known how you and others for quite a long time regarded
Chakravarti as a Master in the flesh and later had to repudiate him when certain
facts indicate the mistake. Naturally one must leave a loophole in one's
consciousness for mistakes of this kind being made and that mistake has made no
difference to my attitude to you, nor to my appreciation of the splendid gifts
you have lavished upon the cause you serve: but all the same the incident has a
bearing in the case of Leadbeater.
Will you tell me where I have gone wrong - from your point of view. I can
with least difficulty regard the solution - already mentioned - that sexual
irregularity is a matter of the personality and does not prevent a person being
used by the Masters even as Their sole agent. That explanation would leave room
for the acceptance of both C.W.L. and Wedgwood. The order regarding the church I
should regard seriously if you independently received it but actually I have
never resisted that in any way, what I have struggled against is the dumping on
the T.S. of a host of priests designated by such addresses as "Father" etc. to
the bewilderment of people in and outside our non-sectarian movement. I can see
that an "Order" might have been genuinely given which did not necessarily
involve a foolish way of carrying it out. I really do want to maintain an open
mind on this and every subject (likewise an eager intellect and unveiled
spiritual perception) and I am sure you can help me if you will. Will you ? I
really do not want to have to think of Leadbeater and Wedgwood as monsters
veiling their illicit practices under the cloak of humanitarian Interests and
acting with the clever ingenuity and cunning sometimes met with in such cases.
That is the viewpoint of lots of people however. The last thing I want is to
have to join such critics and I will gladly catch at any straw which offers a
reasonable explanation of the facts on other lines.
Finally please my dear friend do not be so unjust to me as to believe I want
to make trouble between you and Leadbeater, you hint at something of this sort
in your Disciple talk. I have no grudge against Leadbeater, nor against
Wedgwood, nor against Raja, nor against any person mentioned in this letter, on
the other hand I want to believe in them all if facts will permit me. We have
been told over and over again that occultism is common sense and that Buddha
taught his disciples to believe nothing because He said it. My difficulties
summed up seem to arise because I am asked to put all evidence and all reason on
one side and believe because someone does say it. So I leave it to you in your
wisdom to show me the way out of the tangle and I will be everlastingly grateful
to you if you can. It is not easy to go back on the grooves formed by thirty
years of thinking and working.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Yours very sincerely,
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Copies of the above can be had on request from H.N. Stokes, 1007 Q Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C.
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Scanned by Alan Bain, July 6th 1996