116

should be carried out with

Mrs. Besant s decision to
all

possible

be made known

promptness and to them.

(Sd.)

ALBXANDAR FULLERTON,
General Secretary,

American

Section,

FRANK
Asst.

Theosophical Society. F. KNOTHE.

HELEN.
American

General Secretary. I. DENNIS.

Corresponding General Secretary,

Section, Esoteric Section.

ELIZABETH. M. CHIDESTER,
Asst.

Corresponding Secretary,
Section, Esoteric Section,

American

To

this

Mr. Leadbeater
:

at

once replied

in

the following terms

Shanti Kunja, Benares, India, February 27th 1906,

MY

DEAR FULLERTON,
I

have

received

the

document signed by you,

it

Knothe, Mrs. Dennis and Mrs. Chidester. Fortunately with Mrs. Besant, arrived while I was staying

room and discussed it came before hers. She concurs my copy with me in thinking it best for me to answer it by explaining to you the principle underlying my action and
and
I

at

once took into her

with her as

commenting upon the particular cases adduced. I hoped that my friends in America know me well enough not to attribute to an immoral motive anything that I do^
then

but since this

is

apparently not yet so

must write with

entire frankness

about some subjects which are not usually

discussed at the present day.

117

The

business of discovering and training

specially

hopeful and younger members and preparing them for Theosophical work has been pnt into my charge. Possibly
the fact that
I

have been associated with the

all

trainin g of

young men and boys

Christian lines)
is

my

life

(originally of course
this

on

one reason

for

because of the ex

perience
I

it

has given me.

As a

result of that experience,

whole question of sex feeling is the prin cipal difficulty in the path for boys and girls, and very much harm is done by the prevalent habit of ignoring the The subject and fearing to speak of it to yonng people. first information about it should come from parents or
that the
friends, not

know

always

from servants or bad companions. Therefore, speak of it quite frankly and naturally to those
trying to help,

whom I am

familiar with

me

to

make

it

when they become sufficiently The methods of possible.

dealing with the difficulty are two. A certain type of boy can be carried through his youth absolutely virgin and can pass through the stages of puberty without being

troubled at
few.
their

all

by sensual emotions

The

majority pass through minds are filled with such

but such boys are the stage when

matters and

con

of huge sequently most undesirable thought- f onus which perpetually react upon them and keep them in a condition of. emotional

surround

themselves

with

masses

ferment.
ling

These thought-forms are the vehicles of appal mischief since through them disembodied entities can

and constantly do act upon the child. The conventional idea that such thoughts do not matter so long as they do
not issue in overt acts the
is

reverse of the truth.

not only untrue, it is absolutely hundreds I have seen literally

of cases of
effect

this horrible condition,

it

and have

traced the

which

produces

in after-life.

In this country O

118
India the much-abused custom of early marriages prevents
.

all difficulty

on

this score.

(Mr.

Leadbeter here

enters into
for
it

details

of

"

This
for

^rouble

"

and

of his

remedy

which

are not

fit

publication)
I know this is not the conven Proceeding he says tional view but it is quite true for all that and there is no
:

comparison in the harm done in the two cases even at the time quite apart from the fact that the latter plan avoids
the

danger of
it

later on.

women or bad boys You may remember how St. Paul remarked
entanglement with
of all to

that while

was best

remain
possible,

celibate, in the

rare

cases

where

that
to

was

for

the rest

it

was

distinctly better

marry than to burn with

lust.

Brought down to the level of the boy, that is practically what 1 mean and although I know that many people do not agree with the view, I am at a loss to understand how
any one can consider it criminal especially when it is remembered that it is based upon the clearly visible results
of the
it,

two

lines of action.

A
.

doctor might advise against

principally on the ground that the habit might degene rate into unrestrained. but this danger can be readily
.

avoided by
that
effects

explanation and it must be remembered the average doctor cannot see the horrible astral
full

of perpetual
position,
let

desire.

Having thus explained the

to

general
cited.

me

turn

the

particular cases

Particulars concerning the two boys who had confess ed certain things to their mothers that they alleged to have taken place while they were in the charge of Mr. Leadbeater, are here given and these particulars are unfit
for publication. In

speaking of the

first

boy Mr. Leadbeater

119
admitted that he tried one experiment and only one and
that he did mention
to the

boy that physical growth

setting in

is

frequently promoted by the The second currents, but that they needed regulation. boy, he stated, had entered into undesirable relation with

motion of those

a person designated

"

"

before coming under his care,

to
try to

and
and
to

the

boy had promised

an
said that
;

to lead the life of

ascetic.

Later on

drop these relations this boy wrote

life,

him and

he could not lead the ascetic

and

asked for advice

tain

and then Mr. Leadbeater gave him cer advke which he considered under the circumstances

the best to meet the case.

Concluding Mr, Leadbeater says

as the
first

I
;

write this to you

signatory of

the

document

how much

of

it

you can repeat to the ladies concerned is for you to decide. shown it to Mrs. Besant as I shall do any other I have correspondence that may ensue, for I have no secrets
from her.
arisen
I

am. very
that

sorry indeed that this

act

trouble has

any intentioned, should have been

trust

and

of

mine,

however
j

well
I

the cause of
friends have

it.

can
this

only

that

when

ray

read

perfectly frank

statement they will at least acquit

their letter

me

of

the

criminality which
still

seems
guilty

to suggest,

even
in

though they may

think

me

of

an error

judgment
Mr. Dennis announces his intention of returning un opened any letter from me, which seems scarcely fair, as
I

believe even a criminal

is

usually allowed

to state, his

But since he prefers to close all communication with me, it is not for me to ask him to reconsider his If he later becomes willing to allow decision. correspon
cases.

dence with

his family to

be resumed

am

always ready on

120

my

side,

for nothing will

its

change
Yours

my

affectionate feeling

towardsjall

members.
erver

most

cordially,

(Sd.)

C.

W. LB*DBBATER.
in

P. S.
letter.

see thatjthere

is

one point

Mrs. Dennis

to a conversation

on which I^have not commented her reference on the necessity of fpurity for aspirants

development and to the fadl that (for a certain stage of it) one life without even a single lapse is required. It is of course obvious that the lapse mentioned meant
for occult

connection with a

woman or criminal

relations with a
is

man

and did not at

the

all

include such advice as

body

of

my

letter,
it

suggested in but [since there has been so much

better
for

misunderstanding

is

me

to

say this

in

so

many words, so please paste this slip at the foot of on the subject.

my

letter

Mrs.l Besant ^ent the following reply

to

Mrs. Dennis

SHANTY KUNJA, BENARES CITY.

Feb. 26th, 1906.

MY

DEAR MRS. DENNIS,

Your
think
best
I

letter

causes

me some

grief

and

anxiety,

and

shall serve you,

Mr, Leadbeatter and the Society

of speech.

by perfect plainness
Mr. Leadbeater
is

very intimately

known

to you,

and

you have had definite experiences in connection with him on super-physical planes you know something of his re
;

lations there,

and the

impossibility of the existence of such

relations with deliberate

wrong

doing.

All this
trial to

must not

be forgotten in the midst of the terrible

are subjected.

which you