Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00554)

Dear Dallas and all,

There were about 2 billion people on earth in 1930, and about 6 
billion in 2000. Over that 70 years, Theosophical membership shrank 
from about 50,000 to about 35,000 (roughly.) That means that 
Theosophists were .0025% of world population in 1930 and .00005% 
today. Sounds pretty bad, but some consolation can be found in the 
fact that HPB's popularity as an author has not declined at all, 
judging from recent sales figures. Kind of a reversal of people like 
Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, or Ellen G. White: no one except 
members of the churches they founded has any interest in their 
writings. In the cases of Smith and White, the denominations are 
booming but the literary respect is nil. HPB's "denomination" is 
barely surviving but her books are as alive as ever.

Cheers,

Paul