Theos-Talk Archives (February 2003 Message tt00010)

The "Esoteric and Science News" site is now publishing parts of the 
1885 Hodgson Report on Madame Blavatsky.

An editorial comment on the site about the Hodgson Report reads:

"Needless to say, this report, published in the Proceedings of the S. 
P R. in 1885, has always been the subject of scorn by Theosophists. 
For all their fulminations, though, it still stands on its own-the 
hyperemotionalism of their responses has left little room for 
substantive argument. In sixty pages, for instance, William 
Kingsland's Was She a Charlatan? manages to sandwich only one 
defensible point between his furious personal attacks on Hodgson's 
character."
Quoted from:
http://mailbox.univie.ac.at/~muehleb9/rhreport.html

These statements are misleading, to say the least.

The comment about the Kingsland defense is apparently taken from Tim 
Maroney's critique of HPB. In reality, Kingsland makes 
many "defensible points." Interested readers should read and study 
Kingsland's critique. 

Let us now consider the following comment:

"For all their fulminations, though, it still stands on its own-the 
hyperemotionalism of their responses has left little room for 
substantive argument."

In fact, there are NUMEROUS "substantive arguments" against the 
Hodgson Report. One need only read and study the following works to 
see how baseless the above comment is.

H. P. Blavatsky and The Society for Psychical Research 
by Grace F. Knoche
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/theos/th-sprgk.htm

The Coulomb Conspiracy Against Theosophy 
by Charles J. Ryan 
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/hpb-tm/hpbtm-13.htm

Carrithers, Jr., Walter A. 
Obituary: The "Hodgson Report" on Madame Blavatsky
http://blavatskyfoundation.org/obituary.htm

Harrison, Vernon. 
H. P. Blavatsky and the SPR: An Examination of the Hodgson Report of 
1885
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/hpb-spr/hpbspr-h.htm

There are other books (not online) which also deal with the Hodgson 
Report. See for example:

Beatrice Hastings. Defence of Madame Blavatsky, Volume II, 
The "Coulomb Pamphlet, 1937

K. F. Vania. Madame H. P. Blavatsky: Her Occult Phenomena and The 
Society for Psychical Research, 1951.

Furthermore, I have my own unpublished notes which show how 
misleading Richard Hodgson's statements are about Henry Olcott's 
testimony.

Also one finds the following comment at the "Esoteric and Science 
News" website curious:

"Because it has been suppressed by the TS for so many years, here 
then for the first time on the internet, the fourth authentic part of 
the Hodgson Report on Esoteric and Science News."

The Report has been available from the London SPR and was even 
reprinted in the mid-1970s by Arno Press. How did the TS "suppress" 
the Hodgson Report? 

Daniel H. Caldwell

Visit Blavatsky Archives at:
http://blavatskyarchives.com/introduction.htm

"...Contrast alone can enable us to appreciate things at
their right value; and unless a judge compares notes and
hears both sides he can hardly come to a correct decision."
H.P. Blavatsky. The Theosophist, July, 1881, p. 218.