Theos-Talk Archives (January 2007 Message tt00023)

HPB Letters:  Who is to determine which letters are false and which 
letters are true?

In a published collection of HPB's letters, WHO is to determine which 
letters are included or which letters should be totally removed and 
expurgated???  

Should readers, students, inquirers be allowed to read such "false" 
letters or to even know of their existence?

Furthermore, different editors of such collections might include or 
exclude different letters.

For example, Michael Gomes in his book THE DAWNING OF THE
THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT quotes from two of the Aksakoff letters now 
claimed to be false.

In each instance, Mr. Gomes attributes what is said in these two
letters to H.P.B.

For example, Mr. Gomes writes (p. 185):

"She wrote to Alexander Aksakov in October 1877..."

and goes on to give a quote from one of the letters which some 
students believe are false and forged.

Furthermore, nowhere when quoting H.P.B.'s words from this letter, 
does Mr. Gomes warn the reader of his book that he is quoting from 
false letters.

Boris de Zirkoff in his writings does the same thing. He quotes
H.P.B.'s words from various letters to Askakoff. The very letters
some students consider false. And no where does Mr. de Zirkoff in
these instances warn the reader that he is quoting fake HPB.

Sylvia Cranston also quotes from one of these supposed false
letters to Aksakoff in her HPB biography. She quotes as though the 
words in the letter are HPB's. And nowhere does she warn the reader 
to beware of this letter or the similar letters from Aksakoff as 
being false.

It would appear that these three well-known Theosophical writers 
believe the letters in question were written by Blavatsky.

So once again:

Who is to determine which letters are false and which letters are 
true?

In a published collection of HPB's letters, WHO is to determine which 
letters are included or which letters should be totally removed and 
expurgated???  

Should readers, students, inquirers be allowed to read such "false" 
letters or to even know of their existence?

Daniel
http://hpb.cc