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COPYRIGHT  DEPOSfT. 


TK 


AND 


THE  GREAT  WORK 


IN 


AMERICA 


A  DEFENSE  OF  THE  TRUE  AND  ANCIENT  SCHOOL  OF 
SPIRITUAL  LIGHT 


BY 


SYLVESTER  A.  WEST,  M.  D, 


"It  matters  not  who  the  individual  may  be,  or  what  are 
the  claims  he  makes.  His  actual  life  and  conduct  are  the  basis 
upon  which  he  must  be  judged." 

— TK. 

"The  man  and  his  work  must  agree,  thus  revealing  'con- 
sistency, coordination,  completeness  and  harmony. '  " 

—Dr.  J.  D.  Buck. 


CHICAGO 

DR.  S.  A.  WEST 

1918 


> 


^ 


^ 


FIRST    EDITION 
COPYRIGHTED,    1918 
BY    S.    A.    WEST,    M.    D, 


M&R  M  1918 


©CLA494094 


TK,  the  ''Sole  American  Representative"  of  the  "Great  School' 


T 


QH 


Dedicated 

0    Future    Generations 

and 
To  all  who  have  endured 
the  blighting  shadow  of 
unnecessary  sorrow 

and  to  those 


Whose  hearts  have  been  broken, 
Whose  lives  have  been  ruined. 
Who    have    suffered    and    died — 

As  a  result  of  the  activities  of  the 
School  of  Spiritual  Darkness. 


"All  injustice  is  to  be  first  examined, 
then  understood,  then  acknowledged,  then 
forgotten.  A  bad  deed  lives  within  us, 
or  within  others,  till  love  is  kindled  upon 
the  soul's  altar,  on  the  mount  of  wisdom, 
in  whose  flame  all  wrong  is  utterly  con- 
sumed. ' ' 

*     — Andrew  Jackson  Davis. 


0  the  Master  Masons  whose  primary 
consideration  has  been  the  protection 
of  the  Brethren  of  their  Order 
To  the  Chicago  Students  whose 
devotion  to  Truth  has  made  this  work  possible 
To  the  Host  of  Loyal  Friends  thruout  America 
and  in  distant  Lands  whose  appreciative  letters 

have  encouraged  and  sustained  our  efforts 

To   the  Kindly  Messengers  from  the*  Spiritual 

Realms   of  Light  who   have   assisted   with   our 

labors  these  many  months  and 

to 

Florence  Huntley 

The  author's  indebtedness 

is  herem  acknowledged. 


Note:  All  the  documents,  evidences,  etc.,  submitted  in  this 
volume,  together  with  a  great  amount  of  additional  data,  are 
now  in  the  possession  of  and  will  be  preserved  by  a  committee 
composed  of  members  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 


Let  ns  always  remember  that  where- 
ever  there  is  an  imitation,  a  sham,  or  a 
counterfeit,  there  necessarily  must  be  a 
genuine,  real  and  true  opposite,  and 
Nature  being  just,  we  are  bound  to  find 
it,  provided  we  do  our  part  by  living  the 
life  which  we  knoiv  will  lead  us  ever 
onward  and  upward  to  the  Land  of  Lib- 
erty and  Light.  — Selected. 


INDEX 


CHAPTER 

I 

II 

III 

IV 
V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 

IX 

X 

XI 

XII 

XIII 

XIV 

XV 

XVI 

XVII 

XVIII 

XIX 

XX 

XXI 

XXII 

XXIII 

XXIV 


PAGE 

For  Humanity's  Sake 9 

Quotations  From  Recent  Letters ...  15 

Fishers  of  Men 19 

The  Friendly  Light  of  Truth 25 

A  Brief   Sketch   of   TK's   Personal 

Life   38 

The  Skeptic  and  the  Believer 42 

TK's  Autobiography 51 

Masters  and  Masters 113 

What  is  This  "Great  School"? 119 

The  Indo-American  Book  Co 126 

The  League  of  Visible  Helpers 148 

The  Edgemoor  Sanitarium 161 

The  Department  of  Personal  Instruc- 
tion      172 

The  "Ethical  Section" 187 

The  "Technical  Work" 200 

"Doctor"  Richardson  and  the  Oxy- 

donor 217 

The  Sublime  Order  of  Tacks 239 

The  Illusory  $25.00 250 

The  Cat  Came  Back 262 

TK  Goes  to  India 267 

The  Attempts  on  TK's  Life 274 

Another  "Individual  Preference"..  278 
"Well,   Gentlemen,   What  Are  You 

Going  to  Do  About  It?" 283 

TK  Misses  $500.00  by  15  Minutes. .  287 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV  Uncle  John's  Hasty  Marriage 289 

XXVI  What   Had  Become  of  the   "  Great 

School"! 294 

XXVII  The  Explanations   298 

XXVIII  Concerning  the  Charges 311 

XXIX  The  Facts  Suppressed 327 

XXX  The  Truth  Shall  Make  You  Free. . .  331 

XXXI  Harmonics  of  Evolution 367 

XXXII  The  Great  Psychological  Crime 372 

XXXIII  The  Great  Work 378 

XXXIV  The  "Master"  Consults  a  Medium..  382 
XXXV  The  Philosophy  as  a  Whole 390 

XXXVI  Florence  Huntley 402 

XXXVII  The  Cost  to  One  Student 408 

XXXVIII  The  $40,000.00  Trust  Fund 413 

XXXIX  TK  and  Freemasonry 418 


CHAPTER  I 

For  Humanity  's  Sake 
a  foreword 

Was  it  ever  your  personal  experience  to  start  out 
somewhere,  not  knowing  just  the  way  to  take  in  order 
to  reach  your  destination? 

Was  it  ever  your  personal  experience  to  be  mis- 
directed or  sent  in  a  needlessly  roundabout  way — in  a 
direction  other  than  that  which  you  wished  to  travel! 

Were  you  ever  permitted  by  someone  who  knew  the 
circumstances,  to  pass  along  a  way  or  thru  a  country 
beset  with  dangers  of  which  you  had  no  knowledge? 
Or  permitted  to  take  an  unnecessarily  long  and  difficult 
path,  when  a  few  words  would  have  saved  you  from 
your  mistake  and  guided  you  into  a  better  way  ? 

Did  you  ever  take  a  journey  to  some  place  in  order 
to  see  someone  or  secure  some  thing,  and  find  upon 
your  arrival  that  the  person  or  thing  sought  was  gone 
or  had  never  been  there? 

If  you  have  ever  had  any  of  these  experiences,  there 
are  impressions  upon  your  mind  that  will  last  as  long 
as  you  live.  There  is  scarcely  any  impression  made 
upon  the  human  mind  that  lasts  and  outlasts  and 
remains  as  clear  and  definite  and  easily  recalled  as 
an  experience  of  this  kind.  Human  nature  is  so  con- 
stituted that  if  we  travel  to  some  place  under  the 
impression  and  joyous  expectation  of  obtaining  some- 
thing, only  to  find  at  the  end 'of  our  journey  that  we 
have  been  misled,  we  are  not  likely  soon  to  forget 
either  the  experience  or  the  SOURCE  of  those  mis- 
leading impressions. 


10  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Reversing  the  above  questions: 

Was  it  ever  your  personal  experience,  either  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  to  advise  anyone  to  take  a 
certain  road  or  to  go  in  a  certain  direction  that  they 
might  reach  a  certain  place — when  you  yourself  did 
not  know  the  way? 

Or  did  you  ever  permit  anyone  to  pass  along  a  road 
beset  with  dangers  of  which  they  had  no  knowledge? 
Or  to  take  a  needlessly  long  and  difficult  path  when  by 
a  few  words  of  advice  and  explanation  you  could  easily 
have  directed  them  into  a  shorter  and  better  way?  Did 
you  ever  permit  sl  person  to  travel  toward  some  place 
under  the  impression  they  would  secure  certain  things 
they  felt  to  be  essential  to  their  welfare  and  happiness, 
without  a  word  of  warning,  when  you  knew  positively 
their  journey  would  end  in  failure,  waste  of  time  and 
energy,  disappointment  and  possible  embarrassment 
and  discouragement? 

If  you  have  ever  had  any  of  these  personal  experi- 
ences, you  probably  still  have  distinct  recollections  and 
convictions  that  to  whatever  degree  you  misdirected  or 
failed  to  give  others  the  full  benefit  of  your  personal 
knoivledge,  in  just  that  degree  you  failed  to  do  your 
duty  by  a  fellow-traveler,  and  thereby  and  at  the  same 
time  forfeited  your  right  to  expect  the  helpful  service 
of  those  who  could  assist  and  guide  you  in  your 
journey  and  save  you  from  the  consequences  of  your 
own  possible  mistakes  and  false  impressions. 

To  fail  in  our  duty  to  a  fellow  traveler,  even  uncon- 
sciously, is  at  all  times  an  unfortunate  thing,  but  to 
do  so  consciously  and  intentionally  is  absolutely  inex- 
cusable, because  it  is  at  once  a  violation  of  Personal 


FOR  HUMANITY'S  SAKE  11 

Responsibility — a  mark  of  weakness,  selfishness,  cow- 
ardice and  dishonesty. 

Suppose  then,  you  become  aware  of  the  fact  that 
some  individual  or  association  of  individuals  are 
traveling  in  a  wrong  direction, — that  they  travel  under 
false  impressions, — that  they  expect  as  a  result  of  their 
journey  to  realize  certain  ideals  and  secure  certain 
benefits  which  will  in  turn  equip  them  for  benefiting 
others:  and  suppose  you  know  absolutely  that  they 
are  being  mislead  and  that  in  due  time,  if  they  pursue 
their  course,  they  will  meet  with  disappointment, — 
under  these  circumstances,  could  there  be  any  doubt 
or  question  as  to  your  own  personal  responsibility? 

If  we  know  an  individual  is  going  even  a  city  block 
out  of  his  course,  do  we  not  gladly  take  the  time  to 
draw  his  attention  to  his  mistake?  How  much  more 
important  it  is  to  save  a  man  or  woman  from  a  journey 
of  a  day  or  year  or  life-time  under  false  impressions, 
than  to  save  them  from  walking  a  few  blocks  out  of 
their  way. 


The  discoveries  which  led  so  quickly  and  directly 
to  TK's  withdrawal  from  the  " Great  School"  were 
known  to  a  Board  of  Trustees  composed  of  seven  men 
as  early  as  April  1,  1916.  Further  investigations  in 
May,  1916,  led  to  additional  and  unexpected  dis- 
coveries, and  from  that  time  on  it  is  our  opinion  that 
this  Board  of  Trustees  owed  a  solemn  and  imperative 
duty  to  every  student,  subscriber  and  "Friend"  of 
the  literature  of  the  "Great  School,"  to  formulate 
and  publish  those  facts  in  such  manner,  as  to  make  it 


12  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

perfectly  clear  and  definite  to  every  one  that  what 
had  for  so  many  years  been  given  out  by  TK  as  truth- 
ful accounts  of  his  personal  claims  and  experiences, 
were  NOT  founded  upon  facts  and  actual  demonstra- 
tion, and  were  therefore  absolutely  unreliable  and  mis- 
leading. 

This  opinion  of  the  writer  was  shared  also  by  practi- 
cally all  the  accredited  students,  both  in  and  outside 
of  Chicago,  who  knew  the  facts.  To  have  made  such 
a  statement  would  have  been  merely  the  commonest 
kind  of* courtesy,  and  expression  of  confidence  and 
friendship ;  but  under  the  circumstances,  it  would  have 
constituted,  at  the  same  time,  a  most  valuable  service 
to  the  student  body,  to  the  Masonic  Fraternity  and 
to  the  world  of  honest  inquiry  and  investigation. 

From  the  time  the  facts  were  known  to  the  Trustees, 
the  writer,  with  several  others  urged  at  every  oppor- 
tunity that  such  a  statement  be  published,  but  up  to 
the  present  time — nearly  two  years  after  the  disclos- 
ures— no  statement  has  been  issued  and  no  effort  made 
by  the  Trustees  to  counteract  the  far-reaching  effects 
of  vague  rumors  and  false,  misleading  influences  and 
impressions.  Had  the  Board  of  Trustees  seen  fit  to 
make  a  satisfactory  statement,  and  had  they  published 
what  they  know  to  be  the  facts,  in  such  manner  as  to 
make  it  an  authentic  and  reliable  record,  accessible  to 
humanity,  this  volume  would  not  need  to  have  been 
written. 

As  a  result  of  the  policy  of  silence  on  the  part  of  the 
Trustees,  a  great  many  people  have  for  the  past  twenty 
months  lived  under  a  terrible  apprehension  that  some 
dreadful  calamity  had  befallen,  what  they  had  been 


FOR  HUMANITY'S  SAKE  13 

led  to  imagine  and  think  of,  as  a  modern  holy  crusade 
of  spiritual  "science."  These  sincere  and  earnest 
men  and  women  could  have  easily  been  saved  from 
all  this  personal  anxiety  and  mental  torture,  had  the 
Board  of  Trustees  published  the  simple  Truth  right 
at  the  start,  instead  of  making  every  effort  to  suppress 
the  facts. 

The  truth  of  this  latter  statement  is  borne  out  from 
the  effect  of  the  early  information  and  knowledge 
given  to  all  Chicago  students.  Here  were  about  fifty 
men  and  women,  about  half  of  whom  had  been  accred- 
ited students  for  from  ten  to  fifteen  years.  All  of 
them  had  given  freely  and  liberally  of  their  time,  their 
services  and  means.  Each  of  them  had  accepted  TK 
and  his  " authority"  strictly  upon  his  own  valuation 
and  their  faith  in  his  word  and  honor  as  a  man.  They 
believed  in  his  honesty  because  they  themselves  were 
honest. 

It  would  be  natural  to  expect  that  any  information 
or  knowledge,  discoveries  or  disclosures  bringing  into 
question  either  the  "master"  or  his  "Work"  would 
be  to  all  these  students  an  experience,  a  trial  or  shock 
of  the  most  severe  kind.  But  these  men  and  women 
loved  Truth  above  all  else,  and  when  they  learned  the 
truth  they  immediately  accepted  the  facts,  and  set 
about  to  readjust  their  lives  to  the  new  order.  They 
cheerfully  met  the  new  situation,  and  not  one,  so  far 
as  I  know,  but  what  is  living  a  nobler,  better  and  wiser 
lie  than  ever  before. 

A  word  now  about  the  methods  employed  in  pre- 
senting the  facts  to  be  found  in  this  book.  In  talking 
with  a  great  many  friends  we  received  enuf  ideas 


14  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

to  cover  almost  every  phase  of  the  subject,  including 
a  large  and  small  book,  large,  medium  and  small  type, 
no  illustrations — a  few — many,  and  ' '  the  more  the  bet- 
ter/ ■  We  have,  of  course,  been  advised  to  treat  the 
whole  matter  seriously,  solemnly,  scientifically,  sadly, 
humorously,  thoroughly,  gingerly,  and  a  number  of 
other  ways.  In  every  instance  we  have  followed  all  of 
these  suggestions  to  the  very  best  of  our  ability. 

We  have  told  the  simple  truth  in  the  clearest  English 
at  our  command,  and  we  are  perfectly  satisfied  to 
let  the  facts  take  care  of  themselves.  We  are  person- 
ally taking  no  sides  and  no  chances,  one  way  or  the 
other.  We  are  for  the  simple  truth,  first,  last  and  al- 
ways. Our  own  personal  opinions  are  worth  no  more 
and  no  less  than  yours — when  you  have  all  the  data 
before  you.  You  are  to  be  the  judge  and  the  jury,  the 
first  and  final  Court  of  Appeals.  All  we  ask  is  that 
you  read  carefully  from  page  to  page  in  successive 
order,  and  restrain  yourself  from  any  expression  of 
surprise,  amazement  or  judgment  until  the  final  page 
is  turned,  the  evidence  is  all  in,  and  Reason  and  Con- 
science are  fully  satisfied. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  book,  we  have  thot  much 
of  all  those  who  have  come  in  contact  with  any  of  the 
literature  of  the  Great  School — so-called,  during  the 
past  fifteen  years.  But  we  have  thot  more  of  future 
generations,  and  we  wish  to  leave  with  you,  above 
every  other  thot,  the  necessity  of  getting  the  facts 
contained  in  this  book  squarely  and  quickly  before 
every  individual  who  has  ever  read  any  of  the  litera- 
ture published  by  TK. 


CHAPTER  II 

Quotations  From  Recent  Letters 

"I  have  been  a  i Friend  of  the  work,'  as  "IK?  puts 
it,  for  several  years,  and  if  anything  has  happened 
bearing  on  the  authenticity  of  the  teachings  set  forth 

in  this  work,  then  I  want  to  know  it." 

#  #     *     #     • 

"I  have  just  been  informed  in  a  roundabout  way 
that  TK  has  given  up  the  work. 

What  does  it  all  mean? 

Did  TK  give  out  any  statement  at  the  time  he  gave 
up  the  work,  as  to  his  plans  for  the  future  or  for  the 
best  interests  of  the  work? 

It  seems  to  me  that  there  ought  to  be  at  least  one 
more  copy  of  Life  and  Action  setting  forth  a  plain 
statement  of  the  facts  so  as  not  to  leave  us  all  in  the 

dark." 

#  #     #     *    * 

"I  was  amazed  and  disappointed  when  I  heard  of 
the  calamity.  I  heard  no  details,  and  so  concluded 
that  Ruffians  had  again  entered  the  Temple.  I  know 
there  were  people  who  had  obtained  the  Harmonic 
Series,  and  gained  power  therefrom  sufficient  to  over- 
come and  rob  his  fellowmen.     A  man  named  G 

from  Spokane,  who  was  the  best  posted  person  on  the 
philosophy  I  have  ever  met,  and  who  professed  to  be 

a  personal  friend  of  Brother  C ,  used  the  power 

and  influence  of  this  fact  to  swindle  a  bunch  of  us  out 
of  about  $15,000.00.  The  experience  is  extremely  val- 
uable. 

15 


16  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"My  letter  of  inquiry  and  application  brot  the  news 
that  the  school  had,  in  effect,  disintegrated. 

I  was  so  sincerely  in  earnest  about  the  whole  mat- 
ter that  the  news  was  a  profound  shock  to  me.  Now 
here  is  what  I  want  to  ask  you,  and  it  is  more  directly 
to  the  point: 

1.  To  the  best  of  your  knowledge  and  belief,  did 
TK  have  the  spiritual  powers  he  claimed  to  have, 
especially  as  set  forth  in  the  G.  W., — the  power  to 
use  his  spiritual  senses  to  communicate  with  ex-human 
beings  at  will? 

2.  If  so,  did  he  assist  others  to  develop  the  same 
powers,  at  least,  to  a  large  degree? 

3.  If  these  two  questions  can  be  answered  affirma- 
tively, then  can  I  probably  have  the  same  knowledge 
passed  on  to  me,  and  if  so,  by  whom?  To  have  that 
knowledge  is  to  me  now,  at  least,  the  greatest  thing 

in  the  whole  world." 

#  #     #     *     # 

* '  The  Great  World  conflict  may  have  had  something 
to  do  with  the  sad  ending  of  the  Great  Work  in 

America. ' ' 

#  #     #     #     # 

"I  am  hoping  your  book  will  tell  us  just  how  many 
of  the  TK's  class  of  Technical  Students  came  thru 
victorious  and  made  the  wonderful  demonstration  of 

the  future  life. '  * 

#  #     *    #    # 

"I  shall  never  be  able  to  express  my  gratitude  to 
those  who  are  responsible  for  thus  making  it  possible 
for  us  to  receive  the  information  some  of  us  so  greatly 
desire." 


QUOTATIONS  FROM  RECENT  LETTERS 17 

"I  was  interested  in  this  work  some  12  years  ago, 
and  made  application  to  the  TK  for  admittance  to  stu- 
dentship.   I  was  directed  to  a  Mr.  S ,  who  was  to 

pass  on  me.    After  relieving  me  of  $40.00,  he  passed 

me  on  to  a  Mr.  G who  in  turn  passed  me  on  to  a 

Mr.  P who  told  me  my  grammar  was  not  as  good 

as  it  should  be  to  gain  admittance  to  the  Great  School. 

#  #     #     *     # 

"I  am  again  knocking  for  admission  at  the  Door  of 
the  Great  School.  My  divorce  will  soon  be  granted,  and 
there  will  then  be  no  one  to  interfere  with  my  studies 
of  the  Harmonic  Philosophy  or  in  any  way  tamper  with 
the  important,  secret  correspondence  with  the  school. 
#     *     *    My  husband  and  the  children  have  gone  to 

live  with  his  people  in  0 ." 

#  #     #     #     # 

""I  have  speculated  many  times  regarding  this  mat- 
ter and  have  had  many  questions  asked  me  relative  to 
the  sudden  and  unexplained  suspension  of  the  publi- 
cation work." 

"I  hope  you  will  not  close  your  new  book  until  you 
are  enabled  to  publish,  all  the  facts  to  which  former 
friends  and  students  of  the  so-called  '  Great  School  * 
are  justly  entitled.  Please  tell  us  what  the  letters 
'TIT  and  'RA'  stand  for.     Was  Florence  Huntley 

TK 's  wife  ?    What  caused  her  death? ' ' 

#  #    #    #    # 

"I  would  give  many  years  of  my  life  if  I  were  back 
again  to  the  clear,  independent  thinking  that  was  mine 
before  I  came  in  contact  with  the  'School  of  Natural 
Science/  so-called." 


18  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Is  it  true  the  person  we  knew  as  TK  absconded 
with  the  funds  of  the  Great  School,  and  also  some 
woman? — and  is  TK  now  in  an  insane  asylum?    This 

is  what  I  have  just  heard.' ' 

#  #     #     #     # 

"What  of  the  philosophy,  even  if  the  personal 
claims  are  not  true?  Is  it  all  a  fraud,  and  had  he  no 
knowledge  whatever  of  a  future  life?  Was  the  pro- 
cess of  development  all  a  myth?  What  of  those  who 
claim  to  have  made  the  demonstration? 

"If  the  Trustees  do  nothing  to  counteract  the  fraud 
that  is  evident,  should  this  man  prove  to  be  a  cheat, 
then  it  appears  to  me  they  are  a  party  to  it,  for  silence 
can  never  clear  those  who  are  now  responsible  to  the 

readers  of  this  literature. ' ' 

#  #     #     #     # 

"I  wonder  what  the  Great  Brotherhood  over  in 
India  think  of  this  calamity?  Is  there  really  any- 
thing to  it,  or  have  we  been  hypnotized  by  all  this 
talk,  we  have  heard  about  it?  What  is  the  real  truth 
about  it?  There  has  been  so  muuh  mystery,  so  much 
air-tightness  that  it  is  all  a  mystery  tome  *  *  *  * 
However,  I  presume  I  will  get  about  as  much  from  this 
letter  as  I  have  been  able  to  get  heretofore;  a  veiled 
and  uncertain  reply,  that  only  makes  you  crave  more 
and  more  for  the  Whole  Truth, — for  there  is  nothing 
worth  a  copper  but  Truth" 


CHAPTER  III 

"Fishers  of  Men" 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  things  connected  with  the 
movement  known  as  the  "Great  School,"  or  "Great 
Work  in  America,"  is  the  fact  that  its  activities  dis- 
covered and  brot  into  spiritual  fellowship  as  splendid 
a  body  of  men  and  women  as  ever  exemplified  the 
genial  warmth  and  radiant  sunshine  of  Friendship. 
Not  that  these  Friends  were  privileged  to  meet 
and  become  acquainted  with  any  great  number  of 
other  students  or  readers,  but  where  a  friendship  was 
achieved  between  even  two  persons,  that  friendship 
was  founded  upon  a  mutual  loyalty  and  cordiality 
that  made  the  relationship  seem  somehow  unmistak- 
ably different  from  all  others. 

Of  these  Friends,  some  had  completed  what  was 
known  as  the  "Ethical  Section";  some  were  doing 
"Preliminary  Work";  others  were  studying  the  text 
books,  while  still  others  were  simply  readers.  All 
were  friendly  to  what  they  were  accustomed  to  hearing 
referred  to  as  the  "Great  Work,"  and  some  in  all 
these  classes  were  more  or  less  enthusiastic  propa- 
gandists among  their  relatives,  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, and  in  fact  wherever  an  opportunity  presented 
itself  for  introducing  the  philosophy  of  the  "Great 
School."  Most  of  them  were  subscribers  to  Life  and 
Action,  purchased  a  great  many  books  both  for  them- 
selves and  others ;  had  distributed  a  great  deal  of  ad- 
vertising matter  and  in  numerous  ways  actively  identi- 
fied themselves  with  the  movement,  generously  volun- 

19 


20  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

teering  their  sympathy,  time  and  means  toward  help- 
ing to  carry  on  what  they  sincerely  believed  to  be  and 
hoped  would  accomplish  a  really  grand  and  unselfish 
educational  work  for  mankind. 

So  far  as  these  Friends  had  come  to  accept  the 
moral  philosophy  presented  in  the  books,  most  of  them 
had  at  the  same  time  come  to  believe  in  and  accept 
the  personal  and  fundamental  claims  of  the  man, 
woman  or  whatever  it  was  who  from  under  a  seem- 
ingly impenetrable  cover  wrote  whatever  he  had  to 
say  over  the  nom  de  plume,  TK. 

They  accepted  him  upon  his  own  word  and  at  his 
own  valuation.  They  naturally  assumed  that  he  was 
essentially  honest,  that  his  personal  life  was  identical 
with  the  moral  philosophy  which  he  so  ably  preached, 
and  under  the  influence  of  this  centralizing  impression, 
in  time,  became  absorbed  in  the  fascinating  belief  that 
he  must  have  demonstrated  all  the  remarkable  results 
which  he  boldly  claims  to  have  accomplished.  This 
much  once  accepted,  the  next  natural  and  sequential 
step  was  to  believe  that  the  TK  was  really  and  right- 
fully all  that  he  so  positively  and  persistently  main- 
tains thruout  all  his  writings — a  Master. 

With  this  evolution  of  a  belief  there  is  no  fault  to 
find.  It  is  a  beautiful  thing  to  believe,  for  belief  is 
akin  to  faith,  and  Faith,  if  it  be  a  thing  of  fire  and  life, 
whether  founded  upon  fact  or  fiction  is  always  a 
veritable  Temple  of  Strength  to  the  human  soul. 

Every  Intelligence  when  stripped  naked,  unfettered 
and  unburdened  from  the  gross,  external,  earthly 
vanities  and  vexations  of  spirit,  is  by  nature  child-like 
and  pure,  and  being  child-like  delights  to  believe  in 


'FISHERS  OF  MEN"  21 


the  purity  and  honesty  of  other  souls.  Thus  when 
the  individual  reaches  a  certain  stage  in  his  or  her 
evolutionary  progress,  there  is  experienced  from 
within  a  gentle  drawing  and  tender  yearning  for 
something  which  it  later  on  comes  to  recognize  and 
name  and  love  as  Truth.  It  is  this  Light,  this  Truth 
and  this  love  of  Truth  that  so  satisfies  and  delights  the 
newly  born  spiritual  mind  and  inspires  to  belief  in 
the  essential  goodness  and  honesty  of  men. 

Nor  do  our  beliefs  seem  to  stop  at  the  estate  of  man. 
The  spirit  appears  always  to  reach  outward  or  inward 
to  an  estate  or  condition,  an  inheritance  or  realiza- 
tion of  potential  psychical  and  spiritual  possibilities 
which  seems  to  be  beyond  the  estate  of  man.  Not  only 
does  this  appear  to  be  an  actual,  living  and  universal 
experience  and  conviction  of  every  quickened  spirit, 
but  multiplied  thousands  of  teachers,  books  and  evi- 
dences in  Nature  the  world  over  bear  constant  testi- 
mony to  human  intelligence  that  such  an  estate  exists. 
And  this  testimony  is  to  the  effect  that  every  indi- 
vidual by  right  of  his  being  an  individual  will  sometime 
inherit  this  estate;  and  that  some  thru  a  perfectly 
natural,  legitimate  and  sure  process  have  done  so 
even  while  living  in  what  to  external  and  outward 
appearances  seemed  to  be  a  purely  physical  body. 

It  is  then  neither  strange  nor  unnatural  that  we 
should  believe  in  the  existence,  the  naturalness  and 
reality  of  an  estate,  or  state  of  being,  which  translates 
itself  to  our  minds  as  MASTERSHIP.  Such  an 
achievement  appeals  to  the  intelligence  as  reasonable, 
natural,  desirable,  probable  and  even  and  ever  neces- 
sary to  human  progress.     But  with  this  conviction, 


22  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

there  comes  from  the  great  world  of  mankind  a  uni- 
versal testimony  to  the  effect  that  all  who  have 
come  to  humanity  in  the  name  of  Truth,  announcing 
and  holding  themselves  forth  as  " masters/ '  were  not 
what  they  professed  to  be  nor  did  they  possess  the 
powers  which  they  claimed  to  possess. 

Thruout  religious  and  philosophic  history  there 
abound  an  almost  innumerable  number  of  instances  in 
which  by  one  means  or  another,  men  have  established 
themselves,  set  up  a  "movement"  and  drawn  about 
them  what  we  have  all  come  to  designate  as  "follow- 
ers." In  fact,  we  need  not  trouble  ourselves  to  delve 
into  the  pages  of  history,  for  not  one  of  us  but  this 
very  minute  can  name  from  one  to  a  half  dozen  widely 
advertised  "movements"  which  originated,  were  de- 
veloped and  made  to  run  their  course  right  here  in 
our  country  and  in  our  own  day.  I  speak  particularly 
of  religious  and  philosophic  cults,  societies  and  move- 
ments founded  upon  a  one-man  rule  and  revelation, 
and  which  become  inert  and  stagnant  when  the 
founder  dies  or  for  any  reason  ceases  to  be  the  active 
and  directing  head  of  the  organization. 

In  every  instance  these  movements  represented 
some  kind  of  new  interpretation  of  religion,  philos- 
ophy or  science. 

In  every  instance  they  attracted  "followers," — some 
more,  some  less. 

In  every  instance  the  majority  of  these  followers 
were  just  as  human,  just  as  intelligent,  just  as  earnest, 
sincere,  conscientious  and  honest  as  any  of  us. 

In  every  instance,  if  put  to  the  test,  these  followers 
would  help  the  unfortunate,  forgive  the  erring,  care 


•FISHERS  OF  MEN"  23 


for  the  sick  and  afflicted,  comfort  the  sorrowing  and 
pray  for  the  fallen — just  as  cheerfully  and  quickly  as 
you  or  I  should  do — in  their  own  way  and  to  the  best 
of  their  knowledge — just  as  you  or  I  would  do. 

In  every  instance  these  movements  had  some  one 
individual  at  their  head  who  posed  as  a  " master"  or 
its  equivalent,  who  was  believed  to  possess  and  exer- 
cise unusual  powers,  and  whose  authority  was  un- 
questioned— by  his  particular  and  devoted  followers. 

In  every  instance  these  disciples,  or  followers  looked 
upon  the  "masters"  of  other  than  their  own  move- 
ment as  false  prophets,  fakers  and  grafters. 

In  every  instance  they  quite  naturally  and  humanly 
looked  upon  their  own  organization,  by  whatever  name, 
as  being  fundamentally  true  and  far  superior  to  any- 
thing they  had  ever  experienced  up  to  the  time  of  their 
then  present  conviction.  At  the  same  time,  they  just 
as  naturally  and  humanly  looked  upon  all  movements 
or  organizations  other  than  their  own,  as  being  false, 
misleading,  ridiculous,  unreasonable,  unscriptural  or 
unscientific. 

In  every  instance,  without  a  single  exception,  so  far 
as  we  know,  these  "masters,"  no  matter  how  honest, 
intelligent  and  worthy  their  efforts  may  have  seemed 
in  the  beginning,  in  due  time  came  to  the  "parting  of 
the  ways."  Usually  either  an  affinity  scandal  or  some 
shady  money  transaction  brot  them  into  the  spot- 
light of  public  opinion ;  they  were  dragged  from  under 
their  cloak  of  "mastership,"  exposed  by  the  news- 
papers and  either  sent  away  to  prison  to  think  it  over 
or  were  permitted  to  resume  operations  in  other  and 


24  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

less  prosperous  pastures  and  under  less  favorable 
circumstances. 

And  these  propositions  apply  not  only  to  the  one- 
man  religious  movements  which  have  sprung  into  ex- 
istence, grown  up  and  died  with  the  demise,  disappear- 
ance, exposure  or  legal  prosecution  of  their  " master,' ' 
but  they  apply  with  equal  and  direct  force  to  every 
present  day  one-man  institution  of  the  type  named, 
operating  within  or  out  of  practically  every  city  of 
appreciable  size  in  these  United  States  of  America. 

Such  is  the  course  of  evolution  that  there  are  always 
those  individuals  who  are  graduating  upward  out  of 
previous  conditions  of  limited  light,  limited  experi- 
ence and  understanding.  Always  as  the  even,  silent 
flow  of  a  mighty  river,  the  evolutionary  wheel  of  life 
moves  on  its  way,  and  new  souls  are  daily  and  hourly 
being  born  out  of  the  conservative  and  old-fashioned 
religions.  For  these,  the  new  religious  and  philo- 
sophic movements  with  their  "new"  interpretations 
of  life  are  always  waiting,  and  no  matter  how  exact- 
ing, how  rational  or  scientific  any  individual  need 
may  be,  he  will  always  find  some  kind  of  new  philos- 
ophy or  science  that  will  meet  him  considerably  more 
than  half  way. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Friendly  Light  of  Truth 

Among  the  various  philosophic  movements  of  the 
past  twenty  years,  nothing  has  appealed  with  greater 
or  more  direct  and  definite  force  to  a  certain  analyti- 
cal, rational,  logical  and  moral  type  of  mind  than  the 
books  constituting  the  literature  of  what  came  to  be 
known  to  a  few  thousand  people  as  the  " Great  School" 
or  " Great  Work  in  America." 

If  you  ever  were  or  are  now  seriously  interested  in 
the  "Text  Books"  of  the  above  named  "School,"  you 
will  probably  be  able  to  recall  very  distinctly  the  first 
impression  these  books  made  upon  your  mind.  And 
as  time  went  on  and  you  had  opportunity  to  study  the 
literature  more  carefully  and  critically,  you  were  prob- 
ably aware  of  being  favorably  impressed  with  some 
one  or  more  of  the  following  definite  suggestions : 

1.  The  clear  appearance  of  honesty. 

2.  The  work  appeared  to  be  entirely  educational. 

3.  The  literary  style  and  command  of  the  English 
language  were  pleasing. 

4.  The  plainly  evident  and  positive  self  assurance 
of  the  authors. 

5.  The  clear,  concise  and  unmistakable  statements 
and  standards  of  morality. 

6.  The  constant  and  oft  repeated  references  to  cer- 
tain "work"  which  had  already  been  done,  and  other 
"work"  which  was  in  process  of  realization. 

7.  The  numerous  interesting  and  definite  promises 
and  prophecies  of  what  was  expected  to  be  accom- 
plished in  the  future. 

25 


26  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

8.  The  general  tone  of  the  movement,  and 

9.  The  most  definite  and  lasting  impression  of  all : 
The  clearly  apparent  cmd  emphasized  absence  of  graft 
of  any  and  every  description  from  the  entire  move- 
ment. Probably  not  a  single  man  or  woman  ever  read 
the  philosophy  seriously,  but  that  at  sometime  ex- 
pressed the  sentiment:  "Here  at  least  is  a  movement 
free  from  graft.' * 

On  the  face  of  it,  not  one  of  the  impressions  enum- 
erated but  what  appeals  naturally  and  strongly  to 
every  intelligence  interested  in  self -improvement  and 
the  betterment  of  conditions  for  humanity.  It  is  not 
strange  therefore  that  out  of  several  hundred  thousand 
readers  of  the  books,  some  men  and  women,  here  and 
there  felt  prompted  by  one  cause  or  another  to  make 
direct  inquiry  regarding  the  nature  of  the  secret  per- 
sonal instruction  so  frequently  referred  to  and  adver- 
tised all  thru  the  Harmonic  Series. 

It  was  perfectly  natural  and  to  be  expected  that 
some  should  wish  to  know  the  nature  of  this  "secret 
work"  and  the  terms  upon  which  it  could  be  obtained. 
And  just  as  natural  to  wonder  why  so  few  people  were 
ever  led  to  make  this  personal  inquiry;  why  a  less 
number  ever  made  formal  application,  and  why  a  still 
less  number  were  ever  admitted  to  studentship. 

This  latter  fact,  however,  may  be  accounted  for  on 
the  basis  that  no  matter  what  the  external  appearance 
of  honesty  may  be  concerning  any  particular  philos- 
ophy, there  is  always  and  inevitably  that  spiritual 
something  at  the  heart  of  every  movement,  every 
leader,  every  book  and  every  statement  that  is  felt, 
either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  on  every  plane  of 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  27 

public  opinion.  And  it  was  undoubtedly  this  spiritual 
something  that  influenced  the  possible  two  or  three 
hundred  thousand  readers  of  the  books  to  the  extent 
that  not  more  than  two  thousand  ever  even  applied 
for  the  " secret  work"  in  the  entire  nineteen  years  of 
the  " Great  School's"  activities. 

But  there  are  those  who  were  more  or  less  deeply 
and  vitally  impressed  with  the  apparent  honesty  of 
the  TK,  and  who  aligned  themselves  either  secretly 
or  openly  on  the  side  of  his  ' i  Great  Work. ' ' 

It  is  safe  to  say,  and  one  would  naturally  expect 
it  to  be  so,  that  practically  all  of  these  were  sub- 
scribers to  the  magazine,  "Life  and  Action."  When 
therefore  we  say  that  the  number  of  subscribers  never 
at  any  time  exceeded  4,000,  we  are  very  near  the  num- 
ber of  all  those  who  were  favorably  impressed  to  be- 
lieve or  at  least  to  consider  the  TK's  philosophy  in 
any  given  year.  When  on  top  of  this  we  add  the  very 
significant  statement  that  only  about  half  of  the  total 
number  of  subscribers  kept  their  subscriptions  re- 
newed from  year  to  year,  we  may  safely  reduce  the 
number  of  those  actually  and  deeply  converted  to  the 
philosophy,  to  about  2,000.  This  number  would  of 
course  include  all  students,  applicants,  those  doing 
preparatory  work  and  all  those  designated  merely  as 
"Friends." 

If  you  happen  to  be  one  of  the  4,000  readers  of  the 
former  "Life  and  Action"  magazine,  you  will  recall 
that  the  last  number  you  received  was  in  August,  1916. 
That  upon  inquiry  as  to  why  the  magazine  did  not 
reach  you  after  that  month,  you  learned  that  for  some 


28 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

reason  unexplained,  its  publication  had  been  for  the 
time  at  least  suspended. 

As  time  passed  and  neither  magazine  nor  explana- 
tion, apology  nor  refund  reached  you,  you  became  im- 
pressed that  something  was  wrong.  You  ordered 
books  only  to  be  told  without  explanation  of  any  kind 
that  they  were  out  of  print.  If  you  were  an  applicant 
for  the  ' '  secret  work, ' '  you  were  notified  that  all  work 
of  personal  instruction  had  been  discontinued — "for 
certain  reasons  which  cannot  now  be  explained.,,  If 
you  sent  contributions  to  the  "League  of  Visible 
Helpers, ' '  they  were  returned  to  you  with  thanks,  and 
the  information  that  no  contributions  were  then  being 
accepted — but  not  a  word  of  explanation  as  to  why. 
If  you  inquired  about  the  Edgemoor  Sanitarium,  you 
were  surprised  to  learn  that  that  institution  had  been 
legally  closed  on  July  1st,  1916,  but  not  a  word  of 
explanation  was  offered  or  to  be  had  as  to  why.  If 
you  tried  to  reach  the  TK,  your  letter  was  either 
answered  by  someone  else  or  returned  to  you  with  the 
information  that  he  had  withdrawn  from  the  "Great 
School"  and  was  no  longer  in  any  way  connected  with 
the  movement — but  not  a  single  sentence  as  to  the 
cause  of  this  new  and  unexpected  turn  of  affairs. 

With  the  passing  of  months,  hundreds  of  students 
and  readers  continued  to  write  asking :  Why  no  maga- 
zine? Why  no  books?  Why  no  personal  instruction? 
Why  no  replies  to  former  inquiries?  etc.,  etc.  Some  of 
these  letters  were  simple  requests  for  information, 
while  many  bore  indications  of  the  most  pitiful  mental 
suffering.  Almost  every  human  emotion  from  simple 
disappointment  thru  all  the  progressively  destructive 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  29 

stages  of  fear  up  to  and  including  the  most  frantic 
and  fanatical  appeals  for  the  Truth,  whatever  it  might 
be,  were  expressed  in  these  letters. 

Some  pleaded  for  light.  Some  threatened  to  appeal 
to  the  Government  for  investigation,  imagining  some- 
how that  TK  had  been  made  away  with  and  that 
those  in  charge  were  destroying  the  " Great  Work." 
Some  coaxed  and  wept,  entreated  and  demanded,  be- 
sought and  begged, — but  all  to  no  effect.  Those  in 
charge  had  fully  decided  to  make  no  reply  of  any  kind 
to  any  correspondence,  except  where  new  remittances 
had  to  be  returned,  in  which  case  it  was  merely  stated 
that  the  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  had  gone  out  of 
business.  "Say  absolutely  nothing,"  was  the  rule,  and 
so  closely  was  this  applied  to  everybody  and  every- 
thing that  as  time  passed,  it  began  to  look  as  if  abso- 
lute silence  was,  after  all,  one  way  of  successfully 
handling  the  situation. 

And  after  months  of  patient,  painful,  bitter  waiting 
for  some  measure  of  light  on  the  subject,  many  of  these 
splendid,  earnest,  honest,  loyal  Friends  are  still  writ- 
ing, evidently  still  believing  in  the  existence  of  those 
human  attributes  known  as  politeness,  courtesy,  kind- 
ness, and  the  final  triumph  of  Faith  and  Truth  over 
silence  and  darkness. 

Thus  for  nearly  two  years,  you  have  asked  ques- 
tions of  yourselves  which  no  man  without  data  could 
possibly  figure  out,  and  in  patience — waited.  You 
have  wondered  if  TK  is  dead,  if  the  "work"  had  failed 
for  lack  of  funds,  if  this  and  if  that,  until  hundreds 
of  possibilities  had  suggested  themselves  to  your  mind 
— but  out  of  it  all  came  nothing  definite  or  tangible  or 


30  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

satisfying.  Having  in  many  ways  proven  your  own 
confidence  in  the  movement,  you  very  naturally  ex- 
pected some  measure  of  confidence  in  return.  You 
felt  that  you  had  a  right  to  know  the  facts,  whatever 
they  might  be.  You  felt  yourself  in  a  kind  of  mental 
and  spiritual  bondage,  and  that  it  was  your  right  to 
demand  the  truth  from  those  who  had  a  knowledge 
of  the  facts.  ^ 

From  the  very  beginning  of  certain  disclosures  the 
writer  with  a  few  others  has  taken  the  open  stand 
that  not  only  every  student  and  subscriber  is  by  every 
possible  right  fully  entitled  to  the  TRUTH,  just  as  the 
facts  are  known  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  but  thai 
every  individual  who  has  ever  in  any  manner  or  degree 
come  in  contact  with  TK  or  his  literature  during  the 
past  nineteen  years  is  equally  entitled  to  the  truth 
Not  only  this,  but  there  is  absolutely  no  reason  why 
the  present  general  reading  public  should  not  have 
access  to  the  facts.  There  is  on  the  other  hand  every 
reason  in  the  world  why  the  facts  should  be  made 
accessible,  not  only  to  the  present  generation,  bul 
particularly  to  future  generations. 

To  this  end  I  have  endeavored  to  bring  together  ir 
this  book  a  sufficient  amount  of  "tangible  evidences ' 
and  known  and  proven  facts  to  enable  every  reader  tc 
judge  for  himself  or  herself  whether  or  not  the  TK 
and  his  movement  known  as  the  "Great  School* *  anc 
"Great  Work"  were  or  are  justly  entitled  to  the  con 
fidence,  sympathy  and  financial  support  heretofore 
placed  at  his  command. 

In  Life  and  Action,  Bound  Volume  No.  4,  page  252 
TK  states  that  his  "life  is  an  open  booh  to  all  thosi 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH 31 

who  have  a  right  to  read  its  pages."  This  is  a  per- 
fectly fair,  frank  and  admirable  position  to  take,  and 
to  my  mind,  there  is  no  one  in  the  world  who  has  a 
greater  right  to  read  the  pages  of  TK's  "open  book" 
and  know  the  facts,  than  those  who  have  already  come 
to  believe  in  his  honesty  or  who  may  sometime  be 
misled  by  any  statements  or  claims  he  has  made  or 
may  yet  make. 

Here  at  this  point,  we  may  profitably  remind  our- 
selves that  over  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years, 
TK  has  published  certain  remarkable  personal  claims, 
clearly  calculated  to  convey  the  impressions : 

1.  That  he  was  a  " master.' ' 

2.  That  he  was  sincere  and  honest. 

3.  That  by  a  secret,  scientific  process  of  develop- 
ment, he  had  demonstrated  the  continuity  of  life  after 
death. 

4.  That  he'  had  successfully  and  without  price 
taught  many  students  to  make  the  same  scientific 
demonstration  for  themselves. 

5.  That  he  possessed  absolute  and  unmistakable 
evidences  and  proofs  to  support  all  his  statements 
and  claims. 

6.  That  he  possessed  a  very  ancient,  secret  ethical 
formula,  the  working  out  of  which  would  give  the  fav- 
ored student  a  moral  code  as  definite  as  the  science  of 
mathematics. 

In  this  volume  it  shall  be  our  aim  to  carefully  con- 
sider, analyze,  formulate  and  present  such  facts  and 
observations  as  will  help  to  throw  a  searching  and 
final  light  upon  all  these  personal  claims,  and  in  doing 
this  it  will  become  necessary  to  take  into  consideration 


32  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

the  fact  that  for  a  great  number  of  years  TK  has,  as  it 
now  appears,  knowingly  and  intentionally  misrepre- 
sented a  great  many  accessory  facts  involving  the 
scope  of  his  " Great  School"  movement  and  the  extent 
of  its  actual  influence ;  the  number  of  students,  appli- 
cants and  readers  of  his  books ;  the  actual  amount  of 
real  " charity"  work  accomplished;  the  number  of 
free  books  and  magazines  distributed;  the  number  of 
" technical"  students;  his  assumed  knowledge  and 
treatment  of  insanity;  the  facts  as  to  his  living  in 
poverty  and  being  in  need  of  money  with  which  to 
carry  on  his  "work,"  etc.,  etc. 

These  are  plain,  frank  statements  of  fact,  but  made 
as  gently  as  I  can  find  English  in  which  to  convey  tiie 
literal  letter  and  spirit  of  truth.  I  anticipate  that  they 
may  come  to  some  of  you  in  something  of  the  nature 
of  a  shock,  but  let  me  assure  you  that  others  before 
you  have  passed  thru  the  same  experience,  and  have 
come  out  of  it  all,  better,  stronger,  nobler  men  and 
women  than  ever  before.  The  "accredited  students" 
especially  have  for  over  a  year  had  sufficient  data  so 
they  could  judge  for  themselves,  and  fully  90%  have 
long  since  virtually  forgotten  their  former  serious 
"beliefs"  in  TK,  and  now  enjoy  the  great  wide  world 
of  God's  free  sunshine,  as  should  all  Sons  and  Daugh- 
ters of  Universal  Light. 

In  handling  the  above  propositions  involving  a  con- 
sideration of  TK's  claims  and  the  evidence  for  or 
against  their  validity,  we  shall  endeavor  to  keep  strictly 
within  both  the  spirit  and  literal  letter  of  truth.  What- 
ever questions  are  raised  or  phases  of  the  situation 
are  discussed,  we  shall  endeavor  to  make  only  such 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  33 


statements  as  the  reader  himself  may,  from  the  evi- 
dences submitted,  judge  to  be  fully  established  beyond 
all  question  or  doubt.  To  achieve  this  desirable  end, 
let  it  here  be  impressed  indelibly  upon  your  mind  that 
the  observations,  testimonies,  evidences  and  proofs 
herein  presented  rest  upon  and  are  fully  sustained  by 

1.  Many  living  witnesses. 

2.  Sworn  testimony  of  eye  witnesses. 

3.  Newspapers  and  Public  Records,  such  as  City, 
County  and  State. 

4.  Records  of  various  Banks. 

5.  TK's  own  published  statements  in  books  and 
magazines. 

6.  TK's  personal  correspondence. 

7.  Carefully  kept  diaries  covering  a  period  of  over 
sixteen  years. 

8.  Photographic  reproductions  of  letters,  cancelled 
checks  and  other  documents. 

9.  TK's  own  failure  and  flat  refusal  to  make  any 
attempt  to  justify  his  record  or  disprove  the  things 
with  which  he  has  been  openly  and  fearlessly  charged. 

If,  from  the  evidences  submitted,  it  becomes  clear  to 
you  that  TK  is  not  and  never  was  what  he  claimed  to 
be,  a  "master";  that  his  personal  claims  are  false 
and  misleading;  that  his  "authority"  was  but 
assumed,  and  that  his  own  morality  is  but  empty  talk, 
— then  does  it  not  devolve  upon  each  and  every  one 
who  has  in  any  way  helped  to  advertise  this  "move- 
ment," to  come  out  in  a  clear,  calm,  cheerful,  manly 
and  womanly  spirit,  and  from  this  time  forward,  set 


34  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

himself  or  herself  the  task  of  spreading  a  knowledge 
of  the  facts? 

It  will  then  be  understood  from  this  that  the  writer 
feels  that  every  soul  in  search  of  Truth,  or  who  may 
in  the  course  of  time  set  out  upon  such  a  search,  is  en- 
titled to  as  much  evidence  as  may  be  needed  to  either 
prove  or  disprove  the  claims  made  by  TK  relative  to 
his  "mastership"  and  the  so-called  "Great  School" 
of  which  he  claimed  to  be  the  sole  American  repre- 
sentative and  head.  This  position  is  suggested  by  the 
following : 

1.  The  facts  should  be  established  in  the  interest 
of  Truth,  for  Truth's  sake. 

2.  This  alone  will  place  the  personal  responsibility 
for  the  movement  and  its  results  exactly  where  it  be- 
longs. 

3.  It  is  due  the  Order  of  Freemasonry,  because  of 
certain  definite  misrepresentations  made  by  TK  and 
because  of  his  personal  exploitation  of  many  members 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

4.  Publishing  the  facts  will  make  any  revival  or 
continuance  of  the  "Work"  difficult,  it  not  altogether 
impossible. 

5.  It  will  prevent  future  spiritual  worship  of  TK 
and  his  unscrupulous  spirit-guides  as  "masters"  and 
"Christs." 

6.  It  should  serve  as  a  basis  for  warning  the  gen- 
eral public  against  the  scheming  and  grafting  of  the 
always  more  or  less  numerous  "masters"  that  flourish 
in  all  our  large  cities. 

7.  It  would  seem  to  be  the  personal  responsibility 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  35 

of  all  who  come  to  know  the  facts  to  do  what  they  can 
to  let  these  facts  be  freely  known. 

8.  The  truth  is  due  other  movements  and  other 
teachers,  many  of  whom  are  doing  a  most  needed,  valu- 
able and  really  wonderful  educational  work  for  man- 
kind. 

9.  There  are  afloat  all  kinds  of  false  rumors  re- 
garding TK  himself;  to  the  effect  that  he  is  dead; 
that  he  has  gone  to  Europe  to  help  stop  the  war ;  that 
he  has  retired  to  renew  his  youth ;  that  he  is  now  in 
seclusion  and  poverty ;  that  he  has  a  new  affinity,  etc., 
etc.  It  is  therefore  due  him  as  an  individual  that  the 
truth  be  made  known,  tho  possibly  TK  personally 
would  just  as  leave  it  should  not  be  told. 

As  to  the  writer's  authority  for  compiling  and  edit- 
ing the  evidences  to  be  found  in  this  volume,  he  holds 
that  the  possession  of  even  one  fact  positively  disprov- 
ing any  one  of  the  false  impressions  and  personal 
claims  made  by  TK,  and  especially  to  the  effect  that 
he  is  or  ever  was  a  "master,"  would  constitute  suf- 
ficient authority  and  reason  for  this  volume. 

But  the  very  fact  that  the  evidences  submitted  for 
your  consideration  directly  controvert  not  only  one, 
but  literally  dozens  of  TK's  false  claims  and  impres- 
sions, makes  it  imperative  upon  the  writer  as  a  duty 
to  mankind,  to  bind  these  evidences  into  durable  form, 
that  they  may  stand  as  the  unimpeachable  testimony 
of  a  duly  qualified  witness  to  Truth  for  such  time  as 
the  facts  may  be  needed  by  humanity. 

Before  passing  on  to  a  consideration  of  the  various 
departments  and  phases  of  the  absorbingly  interesting 
story  that  awaits  us,  let  me  here  impress  upon  your 


36  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

mind  the  fact  that  it  shall  be  no  part  of  the  purpose 
or  mission  of  this  book  to  speak  in  other  than  the 
most  kindly  and  cordial  manner  of  the  ethical  philos- 
ophy set  forth  in  the  i '  Harmonic  Series. ' ' 

In  so  far  as  this  philosophy  can  be  successfully  sepa- 
rated from  the  personal  claims  of  TK,  so  that  no  part 
of  it  remains  as  a  lure  to  or  disguise  or  cloak  for  his 
system  of  deception  and  misrepresentation,  there  is 
neither  excuse  nor  reason  why  any  one  should  abandon 
the  principles  therein  set  forth.  If  these  principles 
are  principles, — as  many  of  us  know  from  personal 
experience  that  they  are — they  are  true.  And  if  they 
were  true  yesterday,  they  are  just  as  true  today,  and 
will  remain  true  tomorrow,  and  the  next  day  and  for- 
ever. 

If  in  your  search  for  truth  you  have  found  enlight- 
enment, satisfaction  and  food  for  your  mind  in  the 
ethical  teachings  of  these  books ;  if  you  are  convinced 
that  the  moral  philosophy  is  sound  and  true,  then 
there  is  every  reason  why  you  should  continue  in  this 
conviction  and  embody  these  principles  in  your  daily 
life  and  conduct.  For  principles  do  not  change  with 
the  coming  or  going  of  a  day,  and  whatever  was  true 
a  month  or  day  or  hour  ago  is  just  as  true  now  and  in 
this  blessed  assurance,  every  soul  is,  by  Nature,  pro- 
vided with  the  spiritual  and  psychical  "necessities  of 
life." 

If  by  personal  experience  we  know  how  insignificantly 
little  we  have  thus  far  been  able  to  make  use  of  from 
Nature's  great  store-house  of  Truth,  can  we  then  at 
all  imagine  that  this  daily  need  and  supply  of  the  soul 
can  ever  become  exhausted  or  even  interrupted?    To 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  37 

think  so  is  materialism.  Shall  we  not  rather  "live  by 
faith" — the  same  kind  of  faith  by  which  we  have  all 
lived  and  been  led  in  the  past?  Shall  we  not  see  the 
utter  impossibility  of  ever  confining  all  of  Truth  in  one 
book  or  even  all  the  books  in  the  world;  just  as  it  is 
impossible  to  confine  the  millions  and  billions  of  cubic 
miles  of  atmosphere  in  one  building  or  all  the  build- 
ings of  the  earth. 

In  this  broader  view  of  the  immensity  of  Truth,  the 
fact  that  our  individual  supply  must  be  renewed  daily 
and  that  this  supply  will  always  be  sufficient  unto  the 
day,  each  of  us  may  realize  the  wisdom  of  the  follow- 
ing condensed  statement  of  fact, 

"  Faith  steps  out  on  seeming  void, 
And  finds  the  solid  rock." 


CHAPTER  V 
A  Brief  Sketch  of  TK's  Life 

This  would  seem  to  be  the  time  and  place  to  give  the 
reader  a  brief  sketch  of  TK's  personal  life,  his  early 
childhood,  youth,  young  manhood,  middle  age  and  ad- 
vancing years ;  his  personal  '  *  sacrifices,  struggles  and 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  Great  School  and  Great  Work 
in  America." 

Because  of  the  nature  of  his  work  in  behalf  of 
humanity,  as  he  explains,  he  found  it  expedient  under 
differing  circumstances  to  assume  various  names  and 
noms  de  plumes.  Knowing  this,  you  will  no  doubt  wish 
first  of  all  to  know  TK's  real  name.  This  I  shall  give 
you  now,  and  later  on  I  shall  give  you  a  detailed  list 
of  the  names  and  initials  by  which  he  has  been  known 
to  his  more  intimate  students  and  friends. 

John  E.  Richardson,  or  TK,  was,  according  to  his 
autobiography,  born  July  20,  1853,  in  a  log  cabin  on 
the  South  bank  of  the  North  branch  of  " Skunk  River." 
Keokuk  County,  Iowa. 

He  remained  at  home  until  his  twentieth  year,  when 
he  entered  the  Iowa  State  University,  at  Iowa  City, 
Iowa.  Here  he  was  a  sub-freshman  for  three  years, 
leaving  school  at  the  close  of  his  freshman  year  in 
1878. 

He  was  married  in  S ,  Iowa,  May  19,  1880,  and 

a  few  months  later  went  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.  In  the 
autumn  of  1881  he  went  to  Stockton.  Here  he  worked 
as  a  County  Clerk,  read  law  in  his  spare  time,  and  was 

38 


A  BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  39 

admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  Nov.  10,  1885.  In  the 
spring  of  1886,  he  moved  to  Bismarck,  N.  D.  It  was 
here  on  May  7,  1887,  that  he  first  met  Mrs.  Florence 
Huntley. 

From  Bismarck,  Mr.  Eichardson  moved  to  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  in  1887.  Shortly  thereafter,  in  the  same 
year  Mrs.  Huntley  also  moved  to  Minneapolis. 

On  Dec.  1,  1888,  Mr.  Richardson  became  a  partner 
in  a  law  firm  of  three  members,  with  a  Mr.  J.  H.  R. 
and  a  Mr.  S.  B.  H.,  with  offices  at  740  Temple  Court. 
On  May  17, 1889,  the  third  partner,  J.  H.  R.,  withdrew, 
leaving  the  partnership  to  S.  B.  H.  and  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson. 

In  1889  or  early  1890,  TK  moved  to  Chicago.  With 
the  exception  of  about  a  year  (1895),  when  he  lived  in 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  Mr.  Richardson's  home  from 
1890  to  1908  was  in  Chicago. 

By  about  1898,  the  various  Masonic  ' 'Associations' ' 
of  which  Mr.  Richardson  had  been  secretary,  etc.,  hav- 
ing passed  into  liquidation  or  otherwise  ceased  to  be 
operable,  he  was  by  his  few  intimate  friends,  supposed 
to  be  in  straitened  financial  circumstances.  Anyway, 
both  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs.  Huntley,  in  1891,  went 
to  Iowa  City,  Iowa ;  he  to  take  a  position  with  a  manu- 
facturing jewelry  concern,  and  she  to  become  the  editor 
of  a  newspaper.  Here  they  remained  until  the  Spring 
of  1902,  when  together  they  returned  to  Chicago. 

At  this  time  Florence  Huntley  took  a  flat  at  what 
was  then  19  North  Kedzie  Ave.  "TK"  had  his  "of- 
fice" in  the  same  building  and  in  the  same  flat,  but 
lived  at  his  home  about  two  blocks  distant.  It  was 
under  these  circumstances,  and  with  Mrs.  Huntley  as 


40 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

his  collaborator  and  editor  of  his  work,  that  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson began  writing  "The  Great  Psychological 
Crime." 

This  work  continued  daily  for  nearly  two  years. 
TK's  only  income  during  this  time  was  supposed  to 
be  $45.00  per  month.  $40.00  of  this  was  paid  by  a 
student  for  his  "services"  as  a  " bookkeeper/ '  but  as 
the  total  time  required  on  the  books  did  not  exceed 
twelve  hours  a  month,  it  will  be  understood  that  the 
"business"  part  of  the  arrangement  was  merely  nomi- 
nal. The  truth  is  that  this  student  simply  assumed 
the  heavy  financial  burden  of  $480.00  a  year  in  order, 
as  she  was  impressed  to  believe,  to  make  it  possible 
for  the  "master"  to  be  free  to  "begin"  his  "great 
work. ' ' 

"Where  did  he  get  the  other  $5.00?"  This  was 
also  contributed  by  a  student  for  a  little  bookkeeping 
job — at  about  $4.50  more  than  the  labor  was  actually 
worth  to  the  student. 

At  the  time  TK  was  writing  the  G.  P.  C,  he  already 
had  one  book  in  print,  "Harmonics  of  Evolution/9 
written  by  Florence  Huntley  and  published  in  1899. 
With  the  publication,  therefore,  of  "The  Great  Psy- 
chological Crime"  in  1893,  TK's  "Great  School"  had 
two  authoritative  "text"  books.  These  two  volumes, 
with  a  general  list  of  "supplemental"  books  became 
the  nucleus  of  what  in  ten  years  grew  into  a  business 
paying  nearly  $25,000  annually,  and  possessing  assets 
which,  at  a  conservative  business  valuation,  would 
amount  to  several  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

In  1908  Mr.  Richardson  moved  his  family  to  215 
South  Kenilworth  Ave.,  Oak  Park,  111.,  into  a  beautiful 


A  BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  41 

home  bought  expressly  for  this  purpose  by  one  of  the 
then  "students." 

A  few  months  later,  at  TK's  request,  another  resi- 
dence was  purchased  by  the  same  student,  and  Mrs. 
Huntley  also  moved  from  Chicago  to  Oak  Park. 

On  Jan.  15,  1909,  TK's  legal  wife  died  in  Pasadena, 
Calif.,  and  on  Jan.  31,  1910,  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs. 
Huntley  were  married.  Two  years  later,  in  her  home 
in  Oak  Park,  on  Feb.  1,  1912,  Florence  Huntley  Rich- 
ardson died. 

TK  continued  to  live  in  Oak  Park,  until  in  Dec. 
1915,  when  as  "General  Superintendent,"  he  became 
a  resident  at  the  Edgemoor  Sanitarium,  near  Ocono- 
mowoc,  Wis.  It  was  while  here  and  following  certain 
disclosures  in  March,  1916,  that  he  withdrew  from  the 
"Great  Work"  and  severed  all  connections  with  what 
had  come  to  be  spoken  of  as  the  ' '  Great  School. ' ' 

Regarding  this  "Great  School"  or  TK's  "master- 
ship": as  you  read,  you  will  learn  that  in  not  a  single 
instance  did  any  accredited  student  seriously  question 
any  of  his  personal  claims  or  see  or  examine  any  of 
his  supposed  credentials,  evidences,  records,  proofs, 
etc. 

This  is  rather  remarkable  news,  but  in  time  you  find 
it  to  be  absolutely  true,  and  the  whole  story,  when 
heard,  sounds  more  like  a  tale  from  the  Arabian  Nights 
than  it  does  a  modern  occult  adventure  in  High 
Finance  and  Frenzied  Philanthropy. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Skeptic  and  the  Believer 

"You  say  you  believe  that  this  ' Great  School '  really 
exists?" 

"I  not  only  believe  it,  but  I  know  it." 

"Hoiv  do  you  know  it?" 

"Just  the  same  as  I  know  I  am  alive." 

"But  how?" 

"Because  I  have  some  of  their  books." 

"Would  that  be  proof?" 

"Well,  I  have  corresponded  with  them  too." 

"Whom  do  you  mean  by  'them'?" 

"Why,  the  Indo-American  Book  Co." 

"Is  the  Indo-American  Book  Co.  the  Great  School?" 

"No,  but  they  publish  the  books  of  the  Great 
School." 

"Do  you  have  any  other  proof  of  the  existence  of 
the  ' Great  School'?" 

"Yes,  I  know  a  man  who  has  known  about  the 
Great  School  for  years." 

"Has  known  about  it?" 

"Yes,  he  is  a  student  or  something." 

"But  what  does  he  know?" 

"He  went  to  Chicago  purposely  to  meet  some  of 
them.  He  investigated  the  whole  thing  thoroughly. 
He  says  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  what  there  is  a 
Great  School." 

"Did  they  give  him  any  real  proofs?" 

42 


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44  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

11  Yes.  He  met  some  of  the  students.  He  talked  with 
them  and  questioned  them  closely.' ' 

"And  what  did  they  say?" 

1  i  They  admitted  there  is  a  Great  School. ' ' 

"But  how  do  they  know  this?" 

"Why  they  themselves  are  members  of  it, — they  are 
accredited  students." 


"Is  this  all  the  evidence  they  have?" 

"0,  no.  The  Great  School  has  been  in  existence  for 
many  thousands  of  years.  They  possess  the  oldest  his- 
toric records  known  to  man. ' ' 

"Known  to  man?" 

"Yes— to  TK's  students,  I  mean." 

"How  do  you  know  this?" 

"One  of  their  students  told  me." 

"How  does  this  student  who  told  you,  know  that 
these  records  are  the  most  ancient  known  to  man — 
or  that  they  exist  at  all?" 

"Because  another  more  advanced  student  in  the 
Great  School,  told  him." 

"But  how  does  this  more  advanced  student  know?" 

"Because  it  is  generally  understood  by  all  the  stu- 
dents." 

"Do  you  know  of  amy  other  positive  evidences  of  the 
existence  of  the  Great  School  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  there  are  many  evidences.  Why,  they  have 
thousands  of  students  scattered  all  over  the  world." 

"How  do  you  know  this?" 

"0,  there  must  be  many  thousands  of  them." 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  45 

"Because  it  is  such  a  big  movement. ' ' 
"  About  how  many  students  would  you  judge  there 
to  be?" 

"I  should  say  at  least  50,000." 

*  *     #     #     # 

"What  other  positive  proofs  are  there ?" 

"They  have  an  ethical  course  of  personal  instruction 
that  is  just  as  exact  and  scientific  as  mathematics. ■ ' 

"Do  you  really  think  it  is  as  scientific  as  mathe- 
matics ?" 

"I  am  positive  of  it." 

"What  are  your  reasons  for  thinking  so?" 

*  *  I  know  students  who  are  taking  it. ' ' 

"Do  they  say  it  is  scientific ?" 

"Every  one  of  them.,, 

"How  do  they  determine  this?" 

"Why  every  student  is  required  to  get  the  same 
answer  to  each  problem  that  every  other  student  gets. ' ' 

"Who  decides  what  this  answer  must  be?" 

"Their  master.' ' 

"How  does  he  know  that  a  certain  answer  is  the 
true  and  only  answer?" 

"Because  he  received  it  from  his  master." 

"How  did  his  master  know  he  had  the  true  answer?" 

"Because  all  the  answers  are  supposed  to  be  thou- 
sands of  years  old,  with  the  exception  of  one  which 

TK  himself  is  supposed  to  have  changed. 

#  *     #     *     * 

"Do  you  have  any  other  proofs  that  the  School 
exists?" 
"Yes,  the  Technical  Work." 
"Do  you  think  there  is  such  a  thing?" 


46  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Yes,  positively." 
"How  do  you  know?"' 
"I  have  been  told  there  is." 
"By  anyone  who  knows?" 
"Yes,  by  students  themselves." 
"And  how  do  they  know?" 
"Some  of  them  have  taken  it." 
"And  can  they  talk  face  to  face  with  spirits?" 
"A  great  many  of  them  can." 
"How  many?" 

"I  can  only  judge  from  what  TK  himself  has  writ- 
ten.   My  impression  is  that  he  must  have  trained  at 

least  a  hundred." 

#  *     #     #     # 

"Do  you  know  any  more  proofs?" 

"Yes,  the  fact  that  there  is  a  real  master  at  the 
head  of  the  Great  School." 

"Do  you  think  he  is  a  real  master?" 

"Why  of  course  he  is  a  real  master." 

"How  do  you  know  he  is  genuine?" 

"Do  you  think  all  these  students  would  believe  in 
him  if  he  were  only  faking?" 

"But  do  they  actually  know  he  is  a  real  master?" 

"They  are  all  positively  sure  of  it." 

"What  makes  them  so  sure?" 

"Well,  some  of  them  know  it,  and  these  tell  the 
others." 

"Then  how  do  these  know,  who  tell  the  others?" 

"The  master  himself  has  told  them  so." 

#  #     #     #     * 

"Do  you  believe  this  Great  School  of  TK's  is  really 
the  Parent  of  Modern  Freemasonry?" 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  47 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"But  what  proof  have  you?" 

"Why,  it  stands  to  reason." 

"But  why  do  you  think  so?" 

"All  the  students  say  so." 

"How  do  they  know  that  what  they  say  is  true?" 

"Well,  Masonry  must  have  had  a  beginning  some- 
time, somewhere." 

"Have  any  of  TK's  students  ever  seen  and  exam- 
ined his  Great  School's  Masonic  records?" 

"Some  of  them  must  have  seen  the  original  records, 
otherwise  they  would  not  recommend  the  whole  thing 
as  they  have." 


"Do  you  have  any  more  proofs  that  this  Great 
School  exists?" 

"Yes,  many  of  them." 

"But  why  do  you  say  so?" 

"Because  all  the  students  say  so." 

"You  are  sure  there  is  no  graft  connected  with  the 
Great  School?" 

"There  couldn't  be  any." 

"Why?" 

"Because." 

"Because  why?" 

"They  do  not  take  money  for  their  teaching  or  any 
of  their  work." 

"Whom  do  you  mean  by  'they'?" 

"I  mean  TK,  of  course." 

"Perhaps  he  gets  it  just  the  same." 


48 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


^Official 

Four-FM 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  49 

" Impossible.  All  his  students  would  know  it  if  he 
did.  He  is  a  very  poor  man.  Once  he  wrote  30,000 
letters  in  about  ten  years,  and  scarcely  received  so 
much  as  a  postage  stamp  for  reply.  Would  not  this 
testimony  prove  that  there  is  no  graft  connected  with 
the  movement ?" 


"What  do  you  know  personally  of  the  reliability 
of  their  system  of  identifying  one's  affinity,  or  soul 
mate?" 

"Nothing,  personally.  But  their  very  first  Text 
book  is  entirely  devoted  to  this  subject.  It  is  not  a 
book  of  fiction  or  theories,  but  facts.  By  a  system 
of  triangles  the  Great  School  proves  conclusively 
that  there  is  one  mate — and  one  only  for  every  person 
born." 

"But  does  TK  himself  actually  know  that  Nature 
furnishes  one  affinity — and  one  only — for  every  per- 
son?' ' 

"Yes,  of  course  he  does." 

''Why  do  you  say  so?" 

"Because  in  order  to  become  a  master,  one  has  to 
accomplish  his  own  'individual  completion/  " 

"What  do  you  mean  by  ' individual  completion'?" 

"It  means  an  indissoluble  union  and  permanent  in- 
dividual association  with  one's  true  affinity  upon 
every  plane  of  being." 

"Would  this  'individual  completion'  once  accom- 
plished, be  permanent  thruout  all  eternity?" 

"Of  course." 

"And  has  TK  himself,  in  his  own  personal  life, 


50 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


actually  made  this  remarkable  scientific  demonstra- 
tion !" 

"0,  yes,  indeed  he  has — several  times" 

#     #     *     #     # 

Thereupon,  the  inquisitive  skeptic  was  properly  im- 
pressed, and  hastened  to  send  a  large  check  for  the 
good  of  a  "GREAT  CAUSE.' , 


CHAPTER  VII 

Autobiographical  Sketch  of  the  Life  and  Work  of 
John  E.  Richardson,  TK. 

Students  of  Natural  Science, 
Disciples  of  the  Great  School, 
Devotees  of  the  Harmonic  Philosophy, 
Friends  of  the  Great  Work, 
Neophites  in  "the  Order  of  Tacks," 
Members  of  the  League  of  Visible  Helpers, 

and 
Fellows  of  "The  Old  Group"; 

Beloved  Friends: 

I  am  writing  this  letter,  not  because  I  believe  its 
subject  matter  is  of  any  real  importance,  but  because 
some  of  you  have  repeatedly  asked  me,  and  urgently 
solicited  me  to  do  so — under  the  evident  impression 
and  earnest  conviction  that  my  identity  will  some  day, 
in  the  far-away  future,  be  a  matter  of  very  serious 
and  almost  vital  importance  to  the  success  of  The 
Great  Work — in  the  minds  of  future  generations. 

For  thirty  years — lacking  a  few  months,  I  have 
labored  incessantly,  under  assumed  names,  and  in  ob- 
scurity, as  the  sole,  living,  "Accredited  Representa- 
tive* *  of  The  Great  School  in  this  country. 

During  all  that  time  it  would  have  been  easily  pos- 
sible for  me  to  have  taken  the  public  into  my  confi- 
dence, and  thus  to  have  established  my  personal  iden- 
tity beyond  all  possible  question;  but  I  did  not  do  it 

51 


52 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

— and  the  question  "WHY?"  naturally  arises  in  the 
minds  of  a  good  many  of  those  who  have  not,  as  yet, 
been  in  position  to  study  the  subject  in  all  its  varied 
phases  and  from  all  its  different  angles. 

I  have  already  answered  the  question  a  good  many 
times  orally,  and  to  individual  Students  and  Friends 
who,  from  time  to  time,  have  asked  it;  but  I  do  not 
recall  having  ever  put  my  answer  in  writing,  nor  in 
such  form  that  it  might  be  accessible  for  future  refer- 
ence by  those  who  might  deem  it  a  matter  of  some 
importance.  For  this  reason  I  am  going  to  take  this 
occasion  to  express  it  in  writing  as  briefly  and  con- 
cisely as  possible: 

1.  When  I  first  came  into  conscious  touch  with  the 
Great  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  ranks  of  its  stu- 
dents, I  was  a  practicing  attorney  on  the  Pacifiic  coast 
As  such,  I  was  the  legal  representative  of  a  number  of 
the  most  important  business  and  financial  institutions 
and  interests  on  the  coast.  In  that  capacity  I  was 
brought  mto  close  personal  touch  with,  and  business 
relations,  as  well  as  intimate  social  acquaintance,  with 
the  important  men  of  the  political  as  well  as  the  busi- 
ness and  financial  world* 


•Comparing  this  with  the  third  paragraph  following,  we 
observe  that  Mr.  R.  was  a  "practicing  attorney,"  "represent- 
ing a  number  of  the  most  important  business  and  financial 
institutions  and  interests  on  the  coast,"  as  early  as  the  Sum- 
mer of  1883. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Attorneys'  Register  at  Stockton 
shows  that  he  was  not  even  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law 
until  November  10,  1885. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TICS  LIFE  53 

2. — As  a  public  lecturer  along  educational,  scientific, 
philosophic,  religious,  economic,  sociological,  civic  and 
political  lines  of  thought,  I  was  a  familiar  figure  and 
personality  from  Olympia  to  Old  Mexico;  and  BE- 
LIEVED that  I  had  many  loyal  and  warm  personal 
FRIENDS  in  almost  every  village  and  hamlet  on  the 
coast. 

3. — In  addition  to  these  avenues  of  approach  to  and 
touch  with  the  public,  my  ambitions  had  taken  me  ac- 
tively and  aggressively  into  the  current  of  political 
life  where,  although  young  in  years,  I  had  become  a 
conspicuous  figure. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  conditions  that  I  found 
myself  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  San  Joaquin  County, 
California,  in  the  summer  of  1883,  at  the  age  of  30 
years. 

Then  it  was  that  the  Great  Master,  H-N-K,  came  to 
me  and  identified  himself  as  a  "Master"  and  Inner 
Member  of  the  Great  School.  He  had  come  from  the 
Central  Temple  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  Himalayas, 
in  far-off  India. 

He  offered  to  instruct  me  in  the  knowledge  of  Nat- 
ural Science,  and  enable  me  to  demonstrate  the  con- 
tinuity of  individual  life  beyond  the  incident  of  physi- 
cal " death* ' — provided  I  could,  to  his  satisfaction, 
prove  that  I  possessed  the  Discretion  to  make  a  wise 
use  of  that  knowledge,  the  Loyalty  to  devote  my  life 
to  the  Cause  of  Truth,  and  the  Humility  of  Soul  to 
smk  my  personality  entirely  from  public  view,  and 
there,  in  obscurity,  carry  on  the  Great  Work,  alone 
and  undismayed,  the  balance  of  my  earthly  life,  if  the 
interests  of  the  Cause  demanded  this  abnegation. 


54 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

To  make  a  very  long  and  exceedingly  interesting 
and  fascinating  subject  as  brief  and  to  the  point  as 
possible,  I  accepted  this  offer,  proved  myself  qualified 
for  the  ordeal,  to  his  satisfaction,  took  up  the  Work 
and,  under  his  personal  instruction  for  thirteen  (13) 
months,  made  the  scientific  demonstration,  retired 
from  the  practice  of  Law,  went  "into  the  silence," 
and  obscurity  as  completely  as  possible  where  I  have 
remained  for  thirty  (30)  years — and  here  I  am,  tell- 
ing you  about  it. 

And  now  let  me  go  back  to  the  beginning  of  the 
story  of  my  identity  and,  as  best  I  can,  tell  it  in 
chronological  and  sequential  order.  The  beginning 
point  of  the  story  ought  to  be  my  birth,  but  that  im- 
portant event  falls  outside  the  limits  of  my  own  mem- 
ory, and  I  must  therefore,  go  to  the  only  available 
source  of  information,  which  is  the  family  bible. 

Therein  it  is  solemnly  recorded  that  I  was  born 
July  20th,  1853.  My  name  is  therein  said  to  be  "  John 
Richardson,"  and  by  that  name  I  was  known  through- 
out my  childhood  and  youth,  and  until  I  was  old 
enough  to  develop  a  dislike  of  so  short  a  name  as 
"John."  When  about  eighteen  (18)  years  old  I  took 
unto  myself  a  middle  name  "Emmett"  which  I  con- 
ceived to  be  an  euphonious  combination,  and  there- 
after, and  to  this  day,  I  have  signed  my  name  to  all 
legal  documents  as  "John  E.  Richardson";  and  by 
that  name  am  I  known  among  all  my  people  (brothers 
and  sisters). 

According  to  the  Bible  Record,  my  parents  reared 
fifteen  children— 7  boys  and  8  girls— of  which  family 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  55 


I  was  the  10th  child  in  regular  order,  and  the  6th  son 
— and  was  born  on  July  20,  1853. 

If  my  Father  and  Mother  correctly  understood 
their  lineage,  she  was  a  mixture  of  German  and 
Welch,  and  he  of  Scotch  and  English — with  a  strain 
of  American  Indian  on  my  Mother's  side. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  they  moved  at  once 
from  Indiana  to  Iowa — then  a  Territory,  and  inhab- 
ited almost  entirely  by  Indians — and  settled  on  a  sec- 
tion of  Government  land  and  immediately  began  the 
rearing  of  their  large  family,  the  cultivation  of  a 
farm  and  the  raising  of  stock. 

They  located  in  Keokuk  County,  near  the  village  of 
Lancaster — (then  the  County  Seat) — where  my  Father 
entered  upon  his  more  than  sixty  years  of  missionary 
labors  as  a  "Hard-Shelled"  Baptist  Minister— " Self- 
made J  '  in  every  sense  of  the  term. 

As  a  matter  of  principle  his  ministry  was  a  "Gift" 
to  his  people,  in  that  he  received  not  so  much  as  a 
penny  for  his  religious  labors  during  his  entire  life, — 
thus  exemplifying  the  Spirit  of  the  Great  Work. 

If  the  statements  of  the  older  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are  true  (and  I  have  no  reason  whatever  to  doubt 
them),  I  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  South  bank 
of  the  North  branch  of  "Skunk  River/ '  about  one 
mile  North  of  the  village  of  "  Lancaster/ '  Keokuk 
County,  Iowa. 

But  before  the  time  limit  of  my  memory,  the  family 
had  removed  from  there  to  a  farm,  some  three  miles 
South  of  the  "South  Skunk' '  River,  and  about  two 
miles  North  East  of  the  town  of  Martinsburg,  same 
County  and  State. 


56 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Here  it  was  that  the  experiences  of  my  life  first 
impressed  themselves  upon  my  Consciousness  with 
sufficient  emphasis  to  fix  them  in  my  memory.  It  was 
here  that  my  conscious  life  began,  and  memory  first 
registered. 

At  the  age  of  four  (4)  I  became  the  caretaker  of 
my  younger  brother  and  it  was  then,  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity, that  I  began  to  realize  the  meaning  of  Personal 
Responsibility. 

When  seven  (7)  years  old  the  family  removed  to 
a  "River-Bottom-Land"  farm  between  the  two 
14 Skunk  Rivers"  and  my  Father  (whose  Ministry 
brought  him  no  income)  had  to  depend  upon  other 
lines  of  labor  for  the  living  of  himself  and  family. 
As  rapidly  as  the  children  became  old  enough,  each 
was  fitted  into  some  occupation  and  became  a  "cog" 
in  the  family  "Wheel  of  Economics." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  57 

At  seven  (7)  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  become  "Sawyer" 
in  a  little  steam  saw-mill  owned  by  my  Father — 
chiefly  for  the  accommodation  of  his  neighbors — who 
brought  their  logs  from  a  distance  of  three  to  five 
miles  in  every  direction,  to  have  them  sawed  into 
lumber  of  all  kinds  for  the  building  of  houses,  barns, 
buildings  of  all  kinds,  and  fences,  in  the  heart  of  a 
pioneer  country. 

For  nine  (9)  years  I  almost  lived  in  the  little  "four- 
foot-pen"  that  constituted  the  station  or  "post"  of 
sawyer  and,  because  of  the  necessities  of  the  general 
situation,  I  was  depended  upon — and  was  able  to — 
perform  the  duties  of  a  grown  man,  and  that,  too,  in 
a  position  of  responsibility  much  greater  than  that  of 
the  average  man  of  mature  intelligence. 

When  I  was  sixteen  (16)  years  old — the  older  boys 
of  the  family — with  but  one  exception — had  either 
married  and  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  families 
of  their  own,  or  had  gone  "for  themselves"  into  the 
big  round  world  to  fight  their  own  battles  and  make 
for  themselves  places  of  their  own  choosing. 

This  made  it  possible  for  me  to  " escape' '  from  my 
11  sawyer's  four-foot  prison"  and  render  a  more  im- 
portant service  in  charge  of  the  farm,  where  I  labored 
for  the  next  two  years  with  my  older  brother  G.  until 
I  was  eighteen  (18)  years  old. 

Father  was  a  Baptist  minister — as  I  have  before 
stated — and  as  such,  a  firm  believer  in  the  "Doctrine 
of  Election,"  which  held  that  the  destiny  of  every 
individual  has  been  determined  in  advance — "before 
the  foundation  of  the  world" — by  Election.     Some 


58  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

are  " elected* '  to  "go  to  heaven"  and  "sit  at  the  right 
hand  of  God"  forever,  and  all  the  others  are  "elected" 
to  go  to  hell  and,  under  the  dominion  of  Satan,  burn 
forever. 

But  under  a  somewhat  more  generous  "doctrine" 
he  permitted  his  boys  to  "elect  whether  they  would 
leave  the  parental  roof  at  the  age  of  18,  or  remain 
until  21.  If  they  elected  to  go  at  18,  they  did  so 
empty  handed;  but  if  they  remained  until  21,  they 
received  from  him  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle  and  a 
suit  of  clothes.  These  were  the  reward  of  the  three 
years'  labor,  from  18  to  21. 

For  the  following  reasons  I  elected  to  leave  at  18: 

1.  Because  of  my  usefulness  in  the  economic  sys- 
tem of  the  home,  I  had  no  time  nor  opportunity  to 
obtain  the  kind  of  education  I  desired. 

2.  During  the  nine  years  in  the  saw-mill  and  two 
on  the  farm,  I  had  a  never-ending  day-dream  that 
some  time  I  would  go  to  college,  obtain  an  education 
and  become  a  writer,  a  journalist,  a  newspaper 
writer. 

3.  But  as  my  18th  birthday  drew  near,  I  realized 
that  Father  and  Mother  were  growing  old  and  that 
in  a  few  years  more  they  would  need  the  care  of  some 
one  of  us.  About  two  months  before  my  18th  birth- 
day, I  went  to  my  brother  G.  and  confided  to  him  my 
dream;  but  realizing  that  he  had  a  far  better  intelli- 
gence than  myself,  I  proposed  that  he  go  to  College 
and  finish  his  education  and  that  I  would  remain  and 
run  the  farm  and  help  him  through  and  at  the  same 
time  care  for  the  "old  folks  at  home." 


60 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

4.    But  if  he  did  not  wish  to  do  that,  then  I  pro- 
posed that  he  remain  and  let  me  go  unaided* 
After  due  consideration  it  was  decided  that  I  should 

go. 

The  day  of  my  emancipation  came — July  20th,  1871 
— without  a  word  to  anyone  but  brother  G. 

With  $2.50  in  my  pocket — and  a  borrowed  horse — 
I  rode  62  miles  due  north  into  the  wheat  fields  where 
there  was  a  great  demand  for  harvest  hands.  It  was 
the  happiest  day  of  my  life.  I  was  free — free  to  earn 
money  and  go  to  college  and  take  my  place  in  the 
world. 

I  found  a  man  who  needed  help  and  the  next  morn- 
ing went  to  work — binding  wheat  for  M.  L ,  in 

Iowa  County — at  $3  per  day. 

I  worked  17  days,  received  $51  cash — my  first  money 
as  a  "man" — rode  back  home,  went  to  district  school 
a  term,  applied  for  a  teacher's  certificate,  got  it, 
taught  school  a  year,  took  the  money  earned  (at  $40 
per  month),  went  to  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1873,  entered  the  State  University  as  a  "  Sub- 
Freshman.  ' ' 

My  college  work  was  along  the  lines  of  an  indepen- 
dent course  and  was  finished  in  1878  without  degrees 
of  any  kind,  but  with  a  certificate  from  the  President 

•From  what  has  recently  been  ascertained,  his  parents  mort- 
gaged their  farm  in  order  to  send  John  E.  to  school,  and 
thirty-five  years  later,  a  member  of  the  family  was  still  paying 
interest  as  a  result  of  this  debt — at  a  time  when  Mr.  Richard- 
son was  himself  receiving  a  monthly  interest  of  $130.00  from 
one  of  his  investments,  and  when  it  is  known  he  must  have 
been  handling  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  61 


giving  full  credit  for  all  the  work  done, — which  cov- 
ered most  of  the  curriculum  of  Law,  Medicine  and 
an  M.  A.* 
Passing  over  a  period  of  two  years '  desultory  work, 

I  was  married  in  S ,  Iowa,  May  19th,  1880,  to  Miss 

Pauline  8 (daughter  of  Owen  and  Ann  S , 

old  and  respected  citizens  of  Iowa),  a  young  and 
charming  woman  of  rare  musical  ability — a  pianist, 
vocalist,  and  teacher  of  music — and  a  woman  of  excel- 
lent mental  and  moral  fiber — a  Presbyterian  of  the 
Scotch  blood — who,  I  think,  had  hoped,  in  time,  to 
lead  me  into  the  "fold*' — but  failed. 

In  September  of  that  year  I  bade  her  a  temporary 
good-bye,  and  went  to  San  Francisco,  where,  in  the 
political  interests  of  General  Rosecrans,  I  directed  the 
editorial  policy  of  the  "Examiner" — Democratic  or- 
gan— for  one  year — 1880  and  1881  and  until  Rosecrans 
withdrew  from  the  race  for  the  nomination^ 


•The  records  of  the  Iowa  State  University  of  Iowa  City, 
Iowa,  show  that  he  not  only  entered  the  State  University  as  a 
"Sub-Freshman' '  in  1873,  but  he  remained  a  "Sub-Fresh- 
man" for  3  years :  1873-74,  1875-76,  1876-77.  He  registered 
again  in  1877-78  as  a  Freshman.  He  did  NOT  study  either 
Law  or  Medicine,  since  he  was  only  a  Freshman  in  the  philoso- 
phic course  of  the  Collegiate  Department,  and  he  certainly 
could  not  have  ' '  COVERED  most  of  the  curriculum  of  Law, 
Medicine  and  M.  A." 

tOn  the  following  page,  we  present  an  exact  photographic 
reproduction  of  a  letter  which  tells  its  own  story,  and  which 
flatly  contradicts  Mr.  Richardson's  claims  in  this  respect. 


62 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


I  then  resigned  my  position  on  the  "Examiner,"  in- 
tending to  go  direct  to  N.  Y.  City  and  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  managing  editor  for  the  N.  Y.  Times — which 
position  was  offered  me. 


rasittei? 


November  23,1916 


Dear  Sir: 

Acknowledging  your 3  of  the 
I8th  re  one  John  E. Richardson. 


the  writer  has  been  connected 
with  The  Examiner  ever  since  it  was 
changed  from  an  evening  to  a  morning 
paper,  October  4,1880,  and  the  party 
referred  to  in  your  letter  was  never 
connected  with  the  Editorial  Department 
of  thie  newspaper. 


Your 


Financial 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  63 

On  my  way  I  stopped  at  Stockton,  San  Joaquin 
County,  Cat.,  to  visit  a  few  days  with  Maj.  P.  V. 
B ,  then  buyer  for  the  large  firm  of  grain  mer- 
chants, Stewart  and  Smith,  of  that  town. 

While  there  I  had  occasion  to  look  up  a  point  of  law, 
concerning  the  probating  of  an  estate  and  appoint- 
ment of  a  guardian  for  minor  heirs — to  accommodate 
a  poor  fellow  whose  wife  had  just  died,  leaving  him 
the  care  of  three  little  children. 

I  stepped  into  a  prosperous  appearing  "law  office/ ' 
introduced  myself,  and  asked  a  fine  appearing  gentle- 
man of  45  years,  or,  so,  if  I  might  examine  his  copy 
of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  California. 

He  courteously  handed  me  the  volume,  and  went  on 
with  his  work,  while  I  was  looking  up  the  point  of  law 
I  had  in  mind. 

When  I  had  finished  I  returned  the  book  to  him, 
thanked  him  and  turned  to  leave  his  office,  when  he 
asked  me  if  I  was  a  stranger  to  Stockton,  to  which  I 
replied  in  the  affirmative.  He  asked  me  if  I  was  a 
lawyer,  and  I  replied  that  I  had  studied  law,  but  had 
never  practiced.  His  next  question  was  whether  I 
would  care  to  practice  if  a  good  opening  presented 
itself,  and  I  replied  that  it  would  "depend." 

He  then  told  me  with  the  utmost  frankness,  that  he 
wanted  a  partner,  a  young  man  of  intelligence  and 
ambition ;  that  he  liked  my  appearance  and  was  satis- 
fied that  I  was  the  man  for  the  place,  if  I  would  ac- 
cept it;  that  without  further  recommendation  than 
my  personal  appearance,  he  would  offer  me  an  equal 
partnership  with  him  in  an  established  practice  that 


64  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

netted  him  over  $25,000  annually;  and  closed  by  ask- 
ing me  to  consider  the  matter  and  call  on  him  again 
before  leaving  the  city.* 

I  told  him  I  had  never  contemplated  practicing  law ; 
that  his  offer  was  so  unexpected,  as  well  as  so  unpre- 
cedented, that  I  was  not  prepared  to  answer  him  off- 
hand; but  that  I  appreciated  deeply  the  compliment 
he  had  paid  me,  as  well  as  the  confidence  his  offer 
implied,  and  would  give  the  matter  careful  considera- 
tion and  see  him  again  before  leaving  Stockton. 

During  the  next  few  days  I  made  diligent  inquiry 
as  to  this  remarkable  man,  only  to  find  that  he  was  a 
man  of  unimpeachable  character,  and  one  of  the  best 
lawyers  on  the  Coast. 

Within  a  week  I  called  at  his  office  and  was  cor- 
dially greeted  with  the  inquiry:  "Well,  young  man, 
have  you  come  to  accept  my  offer?" 

I  replied,  "Yes,  if  it  is  still  open."  He  said  it  was, 
and  asked  when  I  would  be  ready  to  begin.  I  told 
him  right  away,  if  that  was  agreeable  to  him.  He 
replied:  "All  right,  so  much  the  better;  there  is  your 
desk  and  chair,  consider  yourself  installed,  and  to- 
morrow I  will  draw  up  formal  articles  of  co-partner- 
ship," which  he  did;  and  thus  I  became  a  practicing 
Attorney — something  I  had  never  contemplated  for 

*It  here  appears  quite  clear  that  handsome  young  men 
were  in  great  demand  in  law  offices  in  Stockton  at  that  time 
(1881).  Therefore  an  offer  of  an  equal  partnership  in  a  $25,- 
000  a  year  law  practice  was  not  an  unusual  inducement  to  be 
offered  to  a  total  stranger  solely  upon  the  recommendation  of 
his  good  looks.  Hence  the  truth  of  this  paragraph  is  per- 
fectly evident. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  65 


mrAit\  Psn-tim   Urol   offa-iZ    t»»t.  • 

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66  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

one  moment  until  my  first  meeting  with  him,  a  week 
before.* 

Our  relations,  both  business  and  personal,  were  of 
the  most  pleasant  and  cordial  nature  and  without  a 
jar  of  any  kind.  Two  years  later,  1883,  he  withdrew 
from  the  firm,  retired  from  active  business  life,  and 
left  me  in  full  posession  and  ownership  of  a  profes- 
sional practice  which  he  had  spent  many  years  in 
building  up  and  which  netted  me  over  $30,000  an- 
nually, f 

I  continued  in  the  active  practice  until  the  Autumn 
of  1886,  at  which  time,  for  reasons  which  I  will  ex- 
plain later,  I  moved — with  my  wife  and  two  little 
girls — to  Bismarck,  North  Dakota — the  Capital  of  the 
then  Territory — and  joined  a  former  University  class- 
mate in  the  practice  of  law.  J 

But  the  prospect  was  not  a  pleasing  one  to  me,  and 
at  the  end  of  a  year,  in  1887,  I  removed  to  Minneapo- 

*Observe  that  this  was  in  1881,  before  TK  had  even  com- 
menced the  study  of  law.  Also  that  he  very  significantly 
omits  the  full  name  of  his  generous  partner. 

fThis  shows  that  in  the  five  years  from  1881  to  1886,  TK 
imagines  he  made  something  like  $115,000.00 — which  was 
pretty  good  for  a  young  attorney's  first  year  in  actual 
practice. 

JThe  reasons  which  he  says  he  will  explain  later,  but  does 
not,  are  given  by  his  former  law  partner  in  Stockton,  that 
11  Richie "  was  not  satisfied  with  his  meager  earnings,  and 
decided  to  "try  his  luck"  in  Bismarck.  He  therefore  gave  up 
his  $30,000.00  a  year  law  practice  and  moved  to  the  new 
location. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  67 

lis,  Minn.,  and  there  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
another  college  classmate  and  did  a  good  business  un- 
til the  Autumn  of  1890,  when  I  came  to  Chicago,  and, 
with  three  of  the  good  business  men  of  Chicago, 
formed  a  business  association  with  which  I  remained 
connected  until  1900 ;  since  which  time  I  have  devoted 
my  whole  life  and  energies  to  the  writing  and  publi- 
cation of  books  and  other  literature  along  the  lines  of 
Natural  Science  and  the  "Harmonic  Philosophy," 
and  to  the  work  of  Personal  Instruction  in  the  Great 
School  and  Work. 

I  have,  thus  far,  given  but  a  very  brief  and  prosaic 
account  of  the  purely  business  and  materialistic  side 
of  my  life.  It  was,  however,  a  life  as  far  removed 
from  the  dull  or  prosy  as  that  of  any  man  of  all  my 
acquaintance.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  been  a  life  full 
of  the  most  intense  activity  and  interest  all  along  the 
way,  from  the  day  I  left  the  parental  home  and  rode 
away  into  the  big,  bright,  fascinating  world,  as  I  saw 
it  the  morning  of  my  18th  birthday,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent moment. 

For  instance,  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  years  of 
political  activities  and  ambitions  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  I  became  a  conspicuous  figure,  and  where  I  un- 
doubtedly could  and  would  have  become  governor  of 
the  great  commonwealth  of  California,  had  I  yielded 
to  the  solicitations  of  my  many  friends — and  had  I  not 
observed  the  "finger  of  destiny"  pointing  eastward; 
and  had  not  the  Great  Master  led  me  up  out  of  those 
vain-glorious  conditions  by  the  hand  of  love  and  taken 
me  to  the  mountain  top  whence  I  could  look  back, 


34  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

himself  or  herself  the  task  of  spreading  a  knowledge 
of  the  facts? 

It  will  then  be  understood  from  this  that  the  writer 
feels  that  every  soul  in  search  of  Truth,  or  who  may 
in  the  course  of  time  set  out  upon  such  a  search,  is  en- 
titled to  as  much  evidence  as  may  be  needed  to  either 
prove  or  disprove  the  claims  made  by  TK  relative  to 
his  "mastership"  and  the  so-called  "Great  School" 
of  which  he  claimed  to  be  the  sole  American  repre- 
sentative and  head.  This  position  is  suggested  by  the 
following : 

1.  The  facts  should  be  established  in  the  interest 
of  Truth,  for  Truth's  sake. 

2.  This  alone  will  place  the  personal  responsibility 
for  the  movement  and  its  results  exactly  where  it  be- 
longs. 

3.  It  is  due  the  Order  of  Freemasonry,  because  of 
certain  definite  misrepresentations  made  by  TK  and 
because  of  his  personal  exploitation  of  many  members 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

4.  Publishing  the  facts  will  make  any  revival  or 
continuance  of  the  "Work"  difficult,  it  not  altogether 
impossible. 

5.  It  will  prevent  future  spiritual  worship  of  TK 
and  his  unscrupulous  spirit-guides  as  "masters"  and 
"Christs." 

6.  It  should  serve  as  a  basis  for  warning  the  gen- 
eral public  against  the  scheming  and  grafting  of  the 
always  more  or  less  numerous  "masters"  that  flourish 
in  all  our  large  cities. 

7.  It  would  seem  to  be  the  personal  responsibility 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  35 

of  all  who  come  to  know  the  facts  to  do  what  they  can 
to  let  these  facts  be  freely  known. 

8.  The  truth  is  due  other  movements  and  other 
teachers,  many  of  whom  are  doing  a  most  needed,  valu- 
able and  really  wonderful  educational  work  for  man- 
kind. 

9.  There  are  afloat  all  kinds  of  false  rumors  re- 
garding TK  himself;  to  the  effect  that  he  is  dead; 
that  he  has  gone  to  Europe  to  help  stop  the  war ;  that 
he  has  retired  to  renew  his  youth;  that  he  is  now  in 
seclusion  and  poverty;  that  he  has  a  new  affinity,  etc., 
etc.  It  is  therefore  due  him  as  an  individual  that  the 
truth  be  made  known,  tho  possibly  TK  personally 
would  just  as  leave  it  should  not  be  told. 

As  to  the  writer's  authority  for  compiling  and  edit- 
ing the  evidences  to  be  found  in  this  volume,  he  holds 
that  the  possession  of  even  one  fact  positively  disprov- 
ing any  one  of  the  false  impressions  and  personal 
claims  made  by  TK,  and  especially  to  the  effect  that 
he  is  or  ever  was  a  "master,"  would  constitute  suf- 
ficient authority  and  reason  for  this  volume. 

But  the  very  fact  that  the  evidences  submitted  for 
your  consideration  directly  controvert  not  only  one, 
bat  literally  dozens  of  TK's  false  claims  and  impres- 
sions, makes  it  imperative  upon  the  writer  as  a  duty 
to  mankind,  to  bind  these  evidences  into  durable  form, 
that  they  may  stand  as  the  unimpeachable  testimony 
of  a  duly  qualified  witness  to  Truth  for  such  time  as 
the  facts  may  be  needed  by  humanity. 

Before  passing  on  to  a  consideration  of  the  various 
departments  and  phases  of  the  absorbingly  interesting 
story  that  awaits  us,  let  me  here  impress  upon  your 


36  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

mind  the  fact  that  it  shall  be  no  part  of  the  purpose 
or  mission  of  this  book  to  speak  in  other  than  the 
most  kindly  and  cordial  manner  of  the  ethical  philos- 
ophy set  forth  in  the  ' '  Harmonic  Series. ' ' 

In  so  far  as  this  philosophy  can  be  successfully  sepa- 
rated from  the  personal  claims  of  TK,  so  that  no  part 
of  it  remains  as  a  lure  to  or  disguise  or  cloak  for  his 
system  of  deception  and  misrepresentation,  there  is 
neither  excuse  nor  reason  why  any  one  should  abandon 
the  principles  therein  set  forth.  If  these  principles 
are  principles, — as  many  of  us  know  from  personal 
experience  that  they  are — they  are  true.  And  if  they 
were  true  yesterday,  they  are  just  as  true  today,  and 
will  remain  true  tomorrow,  and  the  next  day  and  for- 
ever. 

If  in  your  search  for  truth  you  have  found  enlight- 
enment, satisfaction  and  food  for  your  mind  in  the 
ethical  teachings  of  these  books ;  if  you  are  convinced 
that  the  moral  philosophy  is  sound  and  true,  then 
there  is  every  reason  why  you  should  continue  in  this 
conviction  and  embody  these  principles  in  your  daily 
life  and  conduct.  For  principles  do  not  change  with 
the  coming  or  going  of  a  day,  and  whatever  was  true 
a  month  or  day  or  hour  ago  is  just  as  true  now  and  in 
this  blessed  assurance,  every  soul  is,  by  Nature,  pro- 
vided with  the  spiritual  and  psychical  "necessities  of 
life." 

If  by  personal  experience  we  know  how  insignificantly 
little  we  have  thus  far  been  able  to  make  use  of  from 
Nature's  great  store-house  of  Truth,  can  we  then  at 
all  imagine  that  this  daily  need  and  supply  of  the  soul 
can  ever  become  exhausted  or  even  interrupted?    To 


THE  FRIENDLY  LIGHT  OF  TRUTH  37 

think  so  is  materialism.  Shall  we  not  rather  "live  by 
faith" — the  same  kind  of  faith  by  which  we  have  all 
lived  and  been  led  in  the  past?  Shall  we  not  see  the 
utter  impossibility  of  ever  confining  all  of  Truth  in  one 
book  or  even  all  the  books  in  the  world;  just  as  it  is 
impossible  to  confine  the  millions  and  billions  of  cubic 
miles  of  atmosphere  in  one  building  or  all  the  build- 
ings of  the  earth. 

In  this  broader  view  of  the  immensity  of  Truth,  the 
fact  that  our  individual  supply  must  be  renewed  daily 
and  that  this  supply  will  always  be  sufficient  unto  the 
day,  each  of  us  may  realize  the  wisdom  of  the  follow- 
ing condensed  statement  of  fact, 

"  Faith  steps  out  on  seeming  void, 
And  finds  the  solid  rock." 


CHAPTER  V 
A  Brief  Sketch  of  TK's  Life 

This  would  seem  to  be  the  time  and  place  to  give  the 
reader  a  brief  sketch  of  TK's  personal  life,  his  early 
childhood,  youth,  young  manhood,  middle  age  and  ad- 
vancing years ;  his  personal  * i  sacrifices,  struggles  and 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  Great  School  and  Great  Work 
in  America." 

Because  of  the  nature  of  his  work  in  behalf  of 
humanity,  as  he  explains,  he  found  it  expedient  under 
differing  circumstances  to  assume  various  names  and 
noms  de  plumes.  Knowing  this,  you  will  no  doubt  wish 
first  of  all  to  know  TK's  real  name.  This  I  shall  give 
you  now,  and  later  on  I  shall  give  you  a  detailed  list 
of  the  names  and  initials  by  which  he  has  been  known 
to  his  more  intimate  students  and  friends. 

John  E.  Richardson,  or  TK,  was,  according  to  his 
autobiography,  born  July  20,  1853,  in  a  log  cabin  on 
the  South  bank  of  the  North  branch  of  ' '  Skunk  River. ' ' 
Keokuk  County,  Iowa. 

He  remained  at  home  until  his  twentieth  year,  when 
he  entered  the  Iowa  State  University,  at  Iowa  City, 
Iowa.  Here  he  was  a  sub-freshman  for  three  years, 
leaving  school  at  the  close  of  his  freshman  year  in 
1878. 

He  was  married  in  S ,  Iowa,  May  19,  1880,  and 

a  few  months  later  went  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.  In  the 
autumn  of  1881  he  went  to  Stockton.  Here  he  worked 
as  a  County  Clerk,  read  law  in  his  spare  time,  and  was 

38 


A  BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  39 

admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  Nov.  10,  1885.  In  the 
spring  of  1886,  he  moved  to  Bismarck,  N.  D.  It  was 
here  on  May  7,  1887,  that  he  first  met  Mrs.  Florence 
Huntley. 

From  Bismarck,  Mr.  Eichardson  moved  to  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  in  1887.  Shortly  thereafter,  in  the  same 
year  Mrs.  Huntley  also  moved  to  Minneapolis. 

On  Dec.  1,  1888,  Mr.  Richardson  became  a  partner 
in  a  law  firm  of  three  members,  with  a  Mr.  J.  H.  R. 
and  a  Mr.  S.  B.  H.,  with  offices  at  740  Temple  Court. 
On  May  17, 1889,  the  third  partner,  J.  H.  R.,  withdrew, 
leaving  the  partnership  to  S.  B.  H.  and  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson. 

In  1889  or  early  1890,  TK  moved  to  Chicago.  With 
the  exception  of  about  a  year  (1895),  when  he  lived  in 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  Mr.  Richardson's  home  from 
1890  to  1908  was  in  Chicago. 

By  about  1898,  the  various  Masonic  " Associations' ■ 
of  which  Mr.  Richardson  had  been  secretary,  etc.,  hav- 
ing passed  into  liquidation  or  otherwise  ceased  to  be 
operable,  he  was  by  his  few  intimate  friends,  supposed 
to  be  in  straitened  financial  circumstances.  Anyway, 
both  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs.  Huntley,  in  1891,  went 
to  Iowa  City,  Iowa ;  he  to  take  a  position  with  a  manu- 
facturing jewelry  concern,  and  she  to  become  the  editor 
of  a  newspaper.  Here  they  remained  until  the  Spring 
of  1902,  when  together  they  returned  to  Chicago. 

At  this  time  Florence  Huntley  took  a  flat  at  what 
was  then  19  North  Kedzie  Ave.  "TK"  had  his  "of- 
fice" in  the  same  building  and  in  the  same  flat,  but 
lived  at  his  home  about  two  blocks  distant.  It  was 
under  these  circumstances,  and  with  Mrs.  Huntley  as 


40  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

his  collaborator  and  editor  of  his  work,  that  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson began  writing  "The  Great  Psychological 
Crime." 

This  work  continued  daily  for  nearly  two  years. 
TK's  only  income  during  this  time  was  supposed  to 
be  $45.00  per  month.  $40.00  of  this  was  paid  by  a 
student  for  his  "services"  as  a  " bookkeeper/ '  but  as 
the  total  time  required  on  the  books  did  not  exceed 
twelve  hours  a  month,  it  will  be  understood  that  the 
"business* '  part  of  the  arrangement  was  merely  nomi- 
nal. The  truth  is  that  this  student  simply  assumed 
the  heavy  financial  burden  of  $480.00  a  year  in  order, 
as  she  was  impressed  to  believe,  to  make  it  possible 
for  the  "master"  to  be  free  to  "begin"  his  "great 
work. ' ' 

"Where  did  he  get  the  other  $5.00?"  This  was 
also  contributed  by  a  student  for  a  little  bookkeeping 
job — at  about  $4.50  more  than  the  labor  was  actually 
worth  to  the  student. 

At  the  time  TK  was  writing  the  G.  P.  C,  he  already 
had  one  book  in  print,  "Harmonics  of  Evolution/9 
written  by  Florence  Huntley  and  published  in  1899. 
With  the  publication,  therefore,  of  "The  Great  Psy- 
chological Crime"  in  1893,  TK's  "Great  School"  had 
two  authoritative  "text"  books.  These  two  volumes, 
with  a  general  list  of  "supplemental"  books  became 
the  nucleus  of  what  in  ten  years  grew  into  a  business 
paying  nearly  $25,000  annually,  and  possessing  assets 
which,  at  a  conservative  business  valuation,  would 
amount  to  several  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

In  1908  Mr.  Eichardson  moved  his  family  to  215 
South  Kenilworth  Ave.,  Oak  Park,  111.,  into  a  beautiful 


A  BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  41 

home  bought  expressly  for  this  purpose  by  one  of  the 
then  " students.' ' 

A  few  months  later,  at  TK's  request,  another  resi- 
dence was  purchased  by  the  same  student,  and  Mrs. 
Huntley  also  moved  from  Chicago  to  Oak  Park. 

On  Jan.  15,  1909,  TK's  legal  wife  died  in  Pasadena, 
Calif.,  and  on  Jan.  31,  1910,  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs. 
Huntley  were  married.  Two  years  later,  in  her  home 
in  Oak  Park,  on  Feb.  1,  1912,  Florence  Huntley  Rich- 
ardson died. 

TK  continued  to  live  in  Oak  Park,  until  in  Dec. 
1915,  when  as  "General  Superintendent,' 9  he  became 
a  resident  at  the  Edgemoor  Sanitarium,  near  Ocono- 
mowoc,  Wis.  It  was  while  here  and  following  certain 
disclosures  in  March,  1916,  that  he  withdrew  from  the 
"Great  Work"  and  severed  all  connections  with  what 
had  come  to  be  spoken  of  as  the  "Great  School." 

Regarding  this  "Great  School"  or  TK's  "master- 
ship": as  you  read,  you  will  learn  that  in  not  a  single 
instance  did  any  accredited  student  seriously  question 
any  of  his  personal  claims  or  see  or  examine  any  of 
his  supposed  credentials,  evidences,  records,  proofs, 
etc. 

This  is  rather  remarkable  news,  but  in  time  you  find 
it  to  be  absolutely  true,  and  the  whole  story,  when 
heard,  sounds  more  like  a  tale  from  the  Arabian  Nights 
than  it  does  a  modern  occult  adventure  in  High 
Finance  and  Frenzied  Philanthropy. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Skeptic  and  the  Believer 

"You  say  you  believe  that  this  i Great  School '  really 
exists  ?" 

"I  not  only  believe  it,  but  I  know  it." 

"Hoiv  do  you  know  it?" 

"Just  the  same  as  I  know  I  am  alive." 

"But  how?" 

"Because  I  have  some  of  their  books." 

"Would  that  be  proof?" 

"Well,  I  have  corresponded  with  them  too." 

"Whom  do  you  mean  by  'them'?" 

"Why,  the  Indo-American  Book  Co." 

"Is  the  Indo-American  Book  Co.  the  Great  School?" 

"No,  but  they  publish  the  books  of  the  Great 
School." 

"Do  you  have  any  other  proof  of  the  existence  of 
the  < Great  School'*" 

"Yes,  I  know  a  man  who  has  known  about  the 
Great  School  for  years." 

"Has  known  about  it?" 

"Yes,  he  is  a  student  or  something." 

"But  what  does  he  know?" 

"He  went  to  Chicago  purposely  to  meet  some  of 
them.  He  investigated  the  whole  thing  thoroughly. 
He  says  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  what  there  is  a 
Great  School." 

"Did  they  give  him  any  real  proofs?" 

42 


e> 


A 


The  Terrors  on  thq>y 
Threshold.      Igji 


#/i 


44  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"  Yes.  He  met  some  of  the  students.  He  talked  with 
them  and  questioned  them  closely. ' ' 

"And  what  did  they  say?" 

"They  admitted  there  is  a  Great  School." 

"But  how  do  they  know  this?" 

"Why  they  themselves  are  members  of  it, — they  are 
accredited  students. ' ' 


"Is  this  all  the  evidence  they  have?" 

"0,  no.  The  Great  School  has  been  in  existence  for 
many  thousands  of  years.  They  possess  the  oldest  his- 
toric records  known  to  man. ' ' 

"Known  to  man?" 

"Yes— to  TK's  students,  I  mean." 

"How  do  you  know  this?" 

"One  of  their  students  told  me." 

"How  does  this  student  who  told  you,  know  that 
these  records  are  the  most  ancient  known  to  man — 
or  that  they  exist  at  all?" 

"Because  another  more  advanced  student  in  the 
Great  School,  told  him." 

"But  how  does  this  more  advanced  student  know?" 

"Because  it  is  generally  understood  by  all  the  stu- 
dents." 

"Do  you  know  of  any  other  positive  evidences  of  the 
existence  of  the  Great  School?" 

"Yes,  there  are  many  evidences.  Why,  they  have 
thousands  of  students  scattered  all  over  the  world." 

"How  do  you  know  this?" 

"O,  there  must  be  many  thousands  of  them." 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  45 

"Because  it  is  such  a  big  movement. ' ' 

"About  how  many  students  would  you  judge  there 

tobe?" 

"I  should  say  at  least  50,000.' ' 

*  *     *     #     # 

"What  other  positive  proofs  are  there fn 

"They  have  an  ethical  course  of  personal  instruction 
that  is  just  as  exact  and  scientific  as  mathematics." 

"Do  you  really  think  it  is  as  scientific  as  mathe- 
matics ?" 

"I  am  positive  of  it." 

"What  are  your  reasons  for  thinking  so?" 

1  *  I  know  students  who  are  taking  it. ' ' 

"Do  they  say  it  is  scientific ?" 

"Every  one  of  them." 

"How  do  they  determine  this!" 

"Why  every  student  is  required  to  get  the  same 
answer  to  each  problem  that  every  other  student  gets. ' ' 

"Who  decides  what  this  answer  must  be?" 

"Their  master." 

"How  does  he  know  that  a  certain  answer  is  the 
true  and  only  answer!" 

"Because  he  received  it  from  his  master." 

' '  How  did  his  master  know  he  had  the  true  answer ! ' ' 

"Because  all  the  answers  are  supposed  to  be  thou- 
sands of  years  old,  with  the  exception  of  one  which 

TK  himself  is  supposed  to  have  changed. 

#  *     #     *     * 

"Do  you  have  any  other  proofs  that  the  School 
exists?" 
"Yes,  the  Technical  Work." 
"Do  you  think  there  is  such  a  thing?" 


46  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Yes,  positively. ' ' 

"How  do  you  know?"* 

"I  have  been  told  there  is." 

"By  anyone  who  knows?" 

"Yes,  by  students  themselves." 

"And  how  do  they  know?" 

"Some  of  them  have  taken  it." 

"And  can  they  talk  face  to  face  with  spirits?" 

"A  great  many  of  them  can." 

"How  many?" 

"I  can  only  judge  from  what  TK  himself  has  writ- 
ten. My  impression  is  that  he  must  have  trained  at 
least  a  hundred." 

•f?  TT  ^P  tP  TT 

"Do  you  know  any  more  proofs?" 

"Yes,  the  fact  that  there  is  a  real  master  at  the 
head  of  the  Great  School." 

"Do  you  think  he  is  a  real  master?" 

"Why  of  course  he  is  a  real  master." 

"How  do  you  know  he  is  genuine?" 

"Do  you  think  all  these  students  would  believe  in 
him  if  he  were  only  faking?" 

"But  do  they  actually  know  he  is  a  real  master?" 

"They  are  all  positively  sure  of  it." 

"What  makes  them  so  sure?" 

"Well,  some  of  them  know  it,  and  these  tell  the 
others." 

"Then  how  do  these  know,  who  tell  the  others?" 

"The  master  himself  has  told  them  so." 

#     #     #     #     # 

"Do  you  believe  this  Great  School  of  TK's  is  really 
the  Parent  of  Modern  Freemasonry?" 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  47 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"But  what  proof  have  you?" 

"Why,  it  stands  to  reason." 

"But  why  do  you  think  so?" 

"All  the  students  say  so." 

"How  do  they  know  that  what  they  say  is  true?" 

"Well,  Masonry  must  have  had  a  beginning  some- 
time, somewhere." 

"Have  any  of  TK's  students  ever  seen  and  exam- 
ined his  Great  School's  Masonic  records?" 

"Some  of  them  must  have  seen  the  original  records, 
otherwise  they  would  not  recommend  the  whole  thing 
as  they  have." 


"Do  you  have  any  more  proofs  that  this  Great 
School  exists?" 

"Yes,  many  of  them." 

"But  why  do  you  say  so?" 

"Because  all  the  students  say  so." 

"You  are  sure  there  is  no  graft  connected  with  the 
Great  School?" 

"There  couldpi't  be  any." 

"Why?" 

"Because." 

"Because  why?" 

"They  do  not  take  money  for  their  teaching  or  any 
of  their  work." 

"Whom  do  you  mean  by  'they'?" 

"I  mean  TK,  of  course." 

"Perhaps  he  gets  it  just  the  same." 


iS 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


^Official 
Fbiir-Flusb 


THE  SKEPTIC  AND  THE  BELIEVER  49 

"Impossible.  All  his  students  would  know  it  if  he 
did.  He  is  a  very  poor  man.  Once  he  wrote  30,000 
letters  in  about  ten  years,  and  scarcely  received  so 
much  as  a  postage  stamp  for  reply.  Would  not  this 
testimony  prove  that  there  is  no  graft  connected  with 
the  movement  f" 


"What  do  you  know  personally  of  the  reliability 
of  their  system  of  identifying  one's  affinity,  or  soul 
mate?" 

"  Nothing,  personally.  But  their  very  first  Text 
book  is  entirely  devoted  to  this  subject.  It  is  not  a 
book  of  fiction  or  theories,  but  facts.  By  a  system 
of  triangles  the  Great  School  proves  conclusively 
that  there  is  one  mate — and  one  only  for  every  person 
born." 

"But  does  TK  himself  actually  know  that  Nature 
furnishes  one  affinity — and  one  only — for  every  per- 
son?" 

"Yes,  of  course  he  does." 

"Why  do  you  say  so?" 

"Because  in  order  to  become  a  master,  one  has  to 
accomplish  his  own  'individual  completion.'  " 

"What  do  you  mean  by  ' individual  completion'?" 

"It  means  an  indissoluble  union  and  permanent  in- 
dividual association  with  one's  true  affinity  upon 
every  plane  of  being." 

"Would  this  'individual  completion'  once  accom- 
plished, be  permanent  thruout  all  eternity?" 

"Of  course." 

"And  has  TK  himself,  in  his  own  personal  life, 


50 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


actually  made  this  remarkable  scientific  demonstra- 
tion ?" 

"0,  yes,  indeed  he  has — several  times" 

#     *     #     #     # 

Thereupon,  the  inquisitive  skeptic  was  properly  im- 
pressed, and  hastened  to  send  a  large  check  for  the 
good  of  a  " GREAT  CAUSE." 


CHAPTER  VII 

Autobiographical  Sketch  of  the  Life  and  Work  of 
John  E.  Richardson,  TK. 

Students  of  Natural  Science, 
Disciples  of  the  Great  School, 
Devotees  of  the  Harmonic  Philosophy, 
Friends  of  the  Great  Work, 
Neophites  in  "the  Order  of  Tacks,' ' 
Members  of  the  League  of  Visible  Helpers, 

and 
Fellows  of  "The  Old  Group,,; 

Beloved  Friends: 

I  am  writing  this  letter,  not  because  I  believe  its 
subject  matter  is  of  any  real  importance,  but  because 
some  of  you  have  repeatedly  asked  me,  and  urgently 
solicited  me  to  do  so — under  the  evident  impression 
and  earnest  conviction  that  my  identity  will  some  day, 
in  the  far-away  future,  be  a  matter  of  very  serious 
and  almost  vital  importance  to  the  success  of  The 
Great  Work — in  the  minds  of  future  generations. 

For  thirty  years — lacking  a  few  months,  I  have 
labored  incessantly,  under  assumed  names,  and  in  ob- 
scurity, as  the  sole,  living,  lt Accredited  Representa- 
tive" of  The  Great  School  in  this  country. 

During  all  that  time  it  would  have  been  easily  pos- 
sible for  me  to  have  taken  the  public  into  my  confi- 
dence, and  thus  to  have  established  my  personal  iden- 
tity beyond  all  possible  question;  but  I  did  not  do  it 

51 


52 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

— and  the  question  "WHY?"  naturally  arises  in  the 
minds  of  a  good  many  of  those  who  have  not,  as  yet, 
been  in  position  to  study  the  subject  in  all  its  varied 
phases  and  from  all  its  different  angles. 

I  have  already  answered  the  question  a  good  many 
times  orally,  and  to  individual  Students  and  Friends 
who,  from  time  to  time,  have  asked  it;  but  I  do  not 
recall  having  ever  put  my  answer  in  writing,  nor  in 
such  form  that  it  might  be  accessible  for  future  refer- 
ence by  those  who  might  deem  it  a  matter  of  some 
importance.  For  this  reason  I  am  going  to  take  this 
occasion  to  express  it  in  writing  as  briefly  and  con- 
cisely as  possible: 

1.  When  I  first  came  into  conscious  touch  with  the 
Great  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  ranks  of  its  stu- 
dents, I  was  a  practicing  attorney  on  the  Pacifiic  coast. 
As  such,  I  was  the  legal  representative  of  a  number  of 
the  most  important  business  and  financial  institutions 
and  interests  on  the  coast.  In  that  capacity  I  was 
brought  mto  close  personal  touch  with,  and  business 
relations,  as  well  as  intimate  social  acquaintance,  with 
the  important  men  of  the  political  as  well  as  the  busi- 
ness and  financial  world* 


•Comparing  this  with  the  third  paragraph  following,  we 
observe  that  Mr.  R.  was  a  "practicing  attorney,"  "represent- 
ing a  number  of  the  most  important  business  and  financial 
institutions  and  interests  on  the  coast/'  as  early  as  the  Sum- 
mer of  1883. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Attorneys'  Register  at  Stockton 
shows  that  he  was  not  even  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law 
until  November  10,  1885. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TICS  LIFE  53 

2. — As  a  public  lecturer  along  educational,  scientific, 
philosophic,  religious,  economic,  sociological,  civic  and 
political  limes  of  thought,  I  was  a  familiar  figure  and 
personality  from  Olympia  to  Old  Mexico;  and  BE- 
LIEVED that  I  had  many  loyal  and  warm  personal 
FRIENDS  in  almost  every  village  and  hamlet  on  the 
coast. 

3. — In  addition  to  these  avenues  of  approach  to  and 
touch  with  the  public,  my  ambitions  had  taken  me  ac- 
tively and  aggressively  into  the  current  of  political 
life  where,  although  young  in  years,  I  had  become  a 
conspicuous  figure. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  conditions  that  I  found 
myself  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  San  Joaquin  County, 
California,  in  the  summer  of  1883,  at  the  age  of  30 
years. 

Then  it  was  that  the  Great  Master,  H-N-K,  came  to 
me  and  identified  himself  as  a  "Master"  and  Inner 
Member  of  the  Great  School.  He  had  come  from  the 
Central  Temple  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  Himalayas, 
in  far-off  India. 

He  offered  to  instruct  me  in  the  knowledge  of  Nat- 
ural Science,  and  enable  me  to  demonstrate  the  con- 
tinuity of  individual  life  beyond  the  incident  of  physi- 
cal " death' ' — provided  I  could,  to  his  satisfaction, 
prove  that  I  possessed  the  Discretion  to  make  a  wise 
use  of  that  knowledge,  the  Loyalty  to  devote  my  life 
to  the  Cause  of  Truth,  and  the  Humility  of  Soul  to 
smk  my  personality  entirely  from  public  view,  and 
there,  in  obscurity,  carry  on  the  Great  Work,  alone 
and  undismayed,  the  balance  of  my  earthly  life,  if  the 
interests  of  the  Cause  demanded  this  abnegation. 


54 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

To  make  a  very  long  and  exceedingly  interesting 
and  fascinating  subject  as  brief  and  to  the  point  as 
possible,  I  accepted  this  offer,  proved  myself  qualified 
for  the  ordeal,  to  his  satisfaction,  took  up  the  Work 
and,  under  his  personal  instruction  for  thirteen  (13) 
months,  made  the  scientific  demonstration,  retired 
from  the  practice  of  Law,  went  "into  the  silence," 
and  obscurity  as  completely  as  possible  where  I  have 
remained  for  thirty  (30)  years — and  here  I  am,  tell- 
ing you  about  it. 

And  now  let  me  go  back  to  the  beginning  of  the 
story  of  my  identity  and,  as  best  I  can,  tell  it  in 
chronological  and  sequential  order.  The  beginning 
point  of  the  story  ought  to  be  my  birth,  but  that  im- 
portant event  falls  outside  the  limits  of  my  own  mem- 
ory, and  I  must  therefore,  go  to  the  only  available 
source  of  information,  which  is  the  family  bible. 

Therein  it  is  solemnly  recorded  that  I  was  born 
July  20th,  1853.  My  name  is  therein  said  to  be  "  John 
Richardson, ' '  and  by  that  name  I  was  known  through- 
out my  childhood  and  youth,  and  until  I  was  old 
enough  to  develop  a  dislike  of  so  short  a  name  as 
"John."  When  about  eighteen  (18)  years  old  I  took 
unto  myself  a  middle  name  "Emmett"  which  I  con- 
ceived to  be  an  euphonious  combination,  and  there- 
after, and  to  this  day,  I  have  signed  my  name  to  all 
legal  documents  as  "John  E.  Richardson";  and  by 
that  name  am  I  known  among  all  my  people  (brothers 
and  sisters). 

According  to  the  Bible  Record,  my  parents  reared 
fifteen  children— 7  boys  and  8  girls— of  which  family 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  55 


I  was  the  10th  child  in  regular  order,  and  the  6th  son 
— and  was  born  on  July  20,  1853. 

If  my  Father  and  Mother  correctly  understood 
their  lineage,  she  was  a  mixture  of  German  and 
Welch,  and  he  of  Scotch  and  English — with  a  strain 
of  American  Indian  on  my  Mother's  side. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  they  moved  at  once 
from  Indiana  to  Iowa — then  a  Territory,  and  inhab- 
ited almost  entirely  by  Indians — and  settled  on  a  sec- 
tion of  Government  land  and  immediately  began  the 
rearing  of  their  large  family,  the  cultivation  of  a 
farm  and  the  raising  of  stock. 

They  located  in  Keokuk  County,  near  the  village  of 
Lancaster — (then  the  County  Seat) — where  my  Father 
entered  upon  his  more  than  sixty  years  of  missionary 
labors  as  a  "  Hard-Shelled' '  Baptist  Minister— "  Self  - 
made"  in  every  sense  of  the  term. 

As  a  matter  of  principle  his  ministry  was  a  "Gift" 
to  his  people,  in  that  he  received  not  so  much  as  a 
penny  for  his  religious  labors  during  his  entire  life, — 
thus  exemplifying  the  Spirit  of  the  Great  Work. 

If  the  statements  of  the  older  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are  true  (and  I  have  no  reason  whatever  to  doubt 
them),  I  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  South  bank 
of  the  North  branch  of  " Skunk  River,"  about  one 
mile  North  of  the  village  of  " Lancaster,"  Keokuk 
County,  Iowa. 

But  before  the  time  limit  of  my  memory,  the  family 
had  removed  from  there  to  a  farm,  some  three  miles 
South  of  the  "  South  Skunk"  River,  and  about  two 
miles  North  East  of  the  town  of  Martinsburg,  same 
County  and  State. 


56 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Here  it  was  that  the  experiences  of  my  life  first 
impressed  themselves  upon  my  Consciousness  with 
sufficient  emphasis  to  fix  them  in  my  memory.  It  was 
here  that  my  conscious  life  began,  and  memory  first 
registered. 

At  the  age  of  four  (4)  I  became  the  caretaker  of 
my  younger  brother  and  it  was  then,  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity, that  I  began  to  realize  the  meaning  of  Personal 
Responsibility. 

When  seven  (7)  years  old  the  family  removed  to 
a  "River-Bottom-Land"  farm  between  the  two 
"Skunk  Rivers' '  and  my  Father  (whose  Ministry 
brought  him  no  income)  had  to  depend  upon  other 
lines  of  labor  for  the  living  of  himself  and  family. 
As  rapidly  as  the  children  became  old  enough,  each 
was  fitted  into  some  occupation  and  became  a  "cog" 
in  the  family  "Wheel  of  Economics" 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  57 

At  seven  (7)  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  become  "Sawyer" 
in  a  little  steam  saw-mill  owned  by  my  Father — 
chiefly  for  the  accommodation  of  his  neighbors — who 
brought  their  logs  from  a  distance  of  three  to  five 
miles  in  every  direction,  to  have  them  sawed  into 
lumber  of  all  kinds  for  the  building  of  houses,  barns, 
buildings  of  all  kinds,  and  fences,  in  the  heart  of  a 
pioneer  country. 

For  nine  (9)  years  I  almost  lived  in  the  little  "four- 
foot-pen"  that  constituted  the  station  or  "post"  of 
sawyer  and,  because  of  the  necessities  of  the  general 
situation,  I  was  depended  upon — and  was  able  to — 
perform  the  duties  of  a  grown  man,  and  that,  too,  in 
a  position  of  responsibility  much  greater  than  that  of 
the  average  man  of  mature  intelligence. 

When  I  was  sixteen  (16)  years  old — the  older  boys 
of  the  family — with  but  one  exception — had  either 
married  and  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  families 
of  their  own,  or  had  gone  "for  themselves"  into  the 
big  round  world  to  fight  their  own  battles  and  make 
for  themselves  places  of  their  own  choosing. 

This  made  it  possible  for  me  to  "escape"  from  my 
"sawyer's  four-foot  prison"  and  render  a  more  im- 
portant service  in  charge  of  the  farm,  where  I  labored 
for  the  next  two  years  with  my  older  brother  G.  until 
I  was  eighteen  (18)  years  old. 

Father  was  a  Baptist  minister — as  I  have  before 
stated — and  as  such,  a  firm  believer  in  the  "Doctrine 
of  Election,"  which  held  that  the  destiny  of  every 
individual  has  been  determined  in  advance — "before 
the  foundation  of  the  world"— -by  Election.     Some 


58 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  A  ME  RICA 

are  " elected' '  to  "go  to  heaven"  and  "sit  at  the  right 
hand  of  God"  forever,  and  all  the  others  are  "elected" 
to  go  to  hell  and,  under  the  dominion  of  Satan,  burn 
forever. 

But  under  a  somewhat  more  generous  "doctrine" 
he  permitted  his  boys  to  "elect  whether  they  would 
leave  the  parental  roof  at  the  age  of  18,  or  remain 
until  21.  If  they  elected  to  go  at  18,  they  did  so 
empty  handed;  but  if  they  remained  until  21,  they 
received  from  him  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle  and  a 
suit  of  clothes.  These  were  the  reward  of  the  three 
years'  labor,  from  18  to  21. 

For  the  following  reasons  I  elected  to  leave  at  18: 

1.  Because  of  my  usefulness  in  the  economic  sys- 
tem of  the  home,  I  had  no  time  nor  opportunity  to 
obtain  the  kind  of  education  I  desired. 

2.  During  the  nine  years  in  the  saw-mill  and  two 
on  the  farm,  I  had  a  never-ending  day-dream  that 
some  time  I  would  go  to  college,  obtain  an  education 
and  become  a  writer,  a  journalist,  a  newspaper 
writer. 

3.  But  as  my  18th  birthday  drew  near,  I  realized 
that  Father  and  Mother  were  growing  old  and  that 
in  a  few  years  more  they  would  need  the  care  of  some 
one  of  us.  About  two  months  before  my  18th  birth- 
day, I  went  to  my  brother  G.  and  confided  to  him  my 
dream;  but  realizing  that  he  had  a  far  better  intelli- 
gence than  myself,  I  proposed  that  he  go  to  College 
and  finish  his  education  and  that  I  would  remain  and 
run  the  farm  and  help  him  through  and  at  the  same 
time  care  for  the  "old  folks  at  home." 


60 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

4.    But  if  he  did  not  wish  to  do  that,  then  I  pro- 
posed that  he  remain  and  let  me  go  unaided* 
After  due  consideration  it  was  decided  that  I  should 

go. 

The  day  of  my  emancipation  came — July  20th,  1871 
— without  a  word  to  anyone  but  brother  G. 

With  $2.50  in  my  pocket — and  a  borrowed  horse — 
I  rode  62  miles  due  north  into  the  wheat  fields  where 
there  was  a  great  demand  for  harvest  hands.  It  was 
the  happiest  day  of  my  life.  I  was  free — free  to  earn 
money  and  go  to  college  and  take  my  place  in  the 
world. 

I  found  a  man  who  needed  help  and  the  next  morn- 
ing went  to  work — binding  wheat  for  M.  L ,  in 

Iowa  County — at  $3  per  day. 

I  worked  17  days,  received  $51  cash — my  first  money 
as  a  "man" — rode  back  home,  went  to  district  school 
a  term,  applied  for  a  teacher's  certificate,  got  it, 
taught  school  a  year,  took  the  money  earned  (at  $40 
per  month),  went  to  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1873,  entered  the  State  University  as  a  "Sub- 
Freshman." 

My  college  work  was  along  the  lines  of  an  indepen- 
dent course  and  was  finished  in  1878  without  degrees 
of  any  kind,  but  with  a  certificate  from  the  President 

•From  what  has  recently  been  ascertained,  his  parents  mort- 
gaged their  farm  in  order  to  send  John  E.  to  school,  and 
thirty-five  years  later,  a  member  of  the  family  was  still  paying 
interest  as  a  result  of  this  debt — at  a  time  when  Mr.  Richard- 
son was  himself  receiving  a  monthly  interest  of  $130.00  from 
one  of  his  investments,  and  when  it  is  known  he  must  have 
been  handling  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


A UTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  61 

giving  full  credit  for  all  the  work  done, — which  cov- 
ered most  of  the  curriculum  of  Law,  Medicine  and 
an  M.  A* 
Passing  over  a  period  of  two  years '  desultory  work, 

I  was  married  in  S ,  Iowa,  May  19th,  1880,  to  Miss 

Pauline  S (daughter  of  Owen  and  Ann  S , 

old  and  respected  citizens  of  Iowa),  a  young  and 
charming  woman  of  rare  musical  ability — a  pianist, 
vocalist,  and  teacher  of  music — and  a  woman  of  excel- 
lent mental  and  moral  fiber — a  Presbyterian  of  the 
Scotch  blood — who,  I  think,  had  hoped,  in  time,  to 
lead  me  into  the  "fold" — but  failed. 

In  September  of  that  year  I  bade  her  a  temporary 
good-bye,  and  went  to  San  Francisco,  where,  in  the 
political  interests  of  General  Rosecrans,  I  directed  the 
editorial  policy  of  the  "Examiner" — Democratic  or- 
gan— for  one  year — 1880  and  1881  and  until  Rosecrans 
ivithdrew  from  the  race  for  the  nomination^ 


•The  records  of  the  Iowa  State  University  of  Iowa  City, 
Iowa,  show  that  he  not  only  entered  the  State  University  as  a 
" Sub-Freshman' '  in  1873,  but  he  remained  a  " Sub-Fresh- 
man* '  for  3  years  x  1873-74,  1875-76,  1876-77.  He  registered 
again  in  1877-78  as  a  Freshman.  He  did  NOT  study  either 
Law  or  Medicine,  since  he  was  only  a  Freshman  in  the  philoso- 
phic course  of  the  Collegiate  Department,  and  he  certainly 
could  not  have  ' '  COVERED  most  of  the  curriculum  of  Law, 
Medicine  and  M.  A." 

tOn  the  following  page,  we  present  an  exact  photographic 
reproduction  of  a  letter  which  tells  its  own  story,  and  which 
flatly  contradicts  Mr.  Richardson's  claims  in  this  respect. 


62  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

I  then  resigned  my  position  on  the  "Examiner,"  in- 
tending to  go  direct  to  N.  Y.  City  and  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  managing  editor  for  the  N.  Y.  Times — which 
position  was  offered  me. 


November  33,1916 


Dear  Sir: 

Acknowledging  your 3  of  the 
J8th  re  one  John  E.Richardson. 

The  writer  has  been  connected 
with  The  Examiner  ever  since  it  was 
changed  from  an  evening  to  a  morning 
paper,  October  4,1880,  and  the  party 
referred  to  in  your  letter  was  never 
connected  with  the  Editorial  Department 
of  thie  newspaper . 


Financial  Manage 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  63 

On  my  way  I  stopped  at  Stockton,  San  Joaquin 
County,  Cal.,  to  visit  a  few  days  with  Maj.  P.  V. 
B ,  then  buyer  for  the  large  firm  of  grain  mer- 
chants, Stewart  and  Smith,  of  that  town. 

While  there  I  had  occasion  to  look  up  a  point  of  law, 
concerning  the  probating  of  an  estate  and  appoint- 
ment of  a  guardian  for  minor  heirs — to  accommodate 
a  poor  fellow  whose  wife  had  just  died,  leaving  him 
the  care  of  three  little  children. 

I  stepped  into  a  prosperous  appearing  "law  00106/ ' 
introduced  myself,  and  asked  a  fine  appearing  gentle- 
man of  45  years,  or,  so,  if  I  might  examine  his  copy 
of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  California. 

He  courteously  handed  me  the  volume,  and  went  on 
with  his  work,  while  I  was  looking  up  the  point  of  law 
I  had  in  mind. 

When  I  had  finished  I  returned  the  book  to  him, 
thanked  him  and  turned  to  leave  his  office,  when  he 
asked  me  if  I  was  a  stranger  to  Stockton,  to  which  I 
replied  in  the  affirmative.  He  asked  me  if  I  was  a 
lawyer,  and  I  replied  that  I  had  studied  law,  but  had 
never  practiced.  His  next  question  was  whether  I 
would  care  to  practice  if  a  good  opening  presented 
itself,  and  I  replied  that  it  would  "depend." 

He  then  told  me  with  the  utmost  frankness,  that  he 
wanted  a  partner,  a  young  man  of  intelligence  and 
ambition ;  that  he  liked  my  appearance  and  was  satis- 
fied that  I  was  the  man  for  the  place,  if  I  would  ac- 
cept it;  that  without  further  recommendation  than 
my  personal  appearance,  he  would  offer  me  an  equal 
partnership  with  him  in  an  established  practice  that 


64  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

netted  him  over  $25,000  annually;  and  closed  by  ask- 
ing me  to  consider  the  matter  and  call  on  him  again 
before  leaving  the  city.* 

I  told  him  I  had  never  contemplated  practicing  law ; 
that  his  offer  was  so  unexpected,  as  well  as  so  unpre- 
cedented, that  I  was  not  prepared  to  answer  him  off- 
hand; but  that  I  appreciated  deeply  the  compliment 
he  had  paid  me,  as  well  as  the  confidence  his  offer 
implied,  and  would  give  the  matter  careful  considera- 
tion and  see  him  again  before  leaving  Stockton. 

During  the  next  few  days  I  made  diligent  inquiry 
as  to  this  remarkable  man,  only  to  find  that  he  was  a 
man  of  unimpeachable  character,  and  one  of  the  best 
lawyers  on  the  Coast. 

Within  a  week  I  called  at  his  office  and  was  cor- 
dially greeted  with  the  inquiry:  "Well,  young  man, 
have  you  come  to  accept  my  offer?" 

I  replied,  "Yes,  if  it  is  still  open."  He  said  it  was, 
and  asked  when  I  would  be  ready  to  begin.  I  told 
him  right  away,  if  that  was  agreeable  to  him.  He 
replied :  ' i  All  right,  so  much  the  better ;  there  is  your 
desk  and  chair,  consider  yourself  installed,  and  to- 
morrow I  will  draw  up  formal  articles  of  co-partner- 
ship," which  he  did;  and  thus  I  became  a  practicing 
Attorney — something  I  had  never  contemplated  for 

•It  here  appears  quite  clear  that  handsome  young  men 
were  in  great  demand  in  law  offices  in  Stockton  at  that  time 
(1881).  Therefore  an  offer  of  an  equal  partnership  in  a  $25,- 
000  a  year  law  practice  was  not  an  unusual  inducement  to  be 
offered  to  a  total  stranger  solely  upon  the  recommendation  of 
his  good  looks.  Hence  the  truth  of  this  paragraph  is  per- 
fectly evident. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  65 


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%tXl  «ha  7imi    ocjaiit    btfvr*    lta.vtny    Ht    Cvfy 

^  Wi  7-.t,*  J  7,ot>  Htvki'  ■e<m,^t.'Hf)7o.tlt«]  ■^.ctciicv.g  7c.ii/,  fi«.t  7ii»  +fft~- 
WNI  ^o  \«MC*J?tc.l,'ei  cu  «%-«77  t»*  Jo  un  prtCto/lrvA-e)  /Acvt  3  wo*  "Mt/l  •^•r»J»ewr«>  "l« 
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1i«ii3  i"»  •»«  «*/t-W  c^j  fftt  rmf^iiut  TvtJ  *ff*«- vitfUt'td  }  Qn"a  w».l^  g.vt  r^ic  '««it*M- 
ovrf-1  e*«w^«VTn.Y.cn«   S>   /it  rttm  «3«m  ltjv>>.  7<clvlV.g  S*»c<<T»»*» 

J«n«8  ***  "M-Mif^tw  <*«yj  J  r«ci/.  «i;7.gr,vt  .'fi^u.ri,  M<o  t^  w  ,  v^eM+tfi, 
MM  «vi7if  tvjtnb  thcit  Tic  *vft«  «  »nn«»  «^  imim^f  «c7t»7»"It  cv/i  nrociii-  rtn^  ,^^  #/ 
*j»f  Z»i*V  7ni^g«*J    «m  nic  CcH»*-t* 

fV^H'.'rt  a  -rvr^  J   c«77tci  nt  7i«*  «^»««  '''"^  W,,J  c<rre<«c.17v  gnttii  u^A.    H*t 
,„«,<'•)     "J^«7?  ifwmfiitw    Ttnire  y»m  «#t«i  to   mccvfU  i«^  .^t*  7     J  refine/  * 
I.JJ.J    ^  it  >*  Jill  <rf,,tx  "      */«    *«&  &  """,    "'«>    «*»«3    vr^mJ  *f- ^7i  it  ri»e«>j/ 
'*«  1'5'«       -J   f^    '■""•    r'9]|'  »»•»)'/  ftrk'  a"*'  og^'o^t.  6,7,—v      */l    •>  OfiTi'.rf 
••  017  »-«gW,  *»-»»'iif7»  fttltt^M-J    Vtitrt  M  your   eltivrV  ''••I)  tv/.m-t-,   ftmcwBir  y****-**"*^ 
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ifot'rf  ,    •>««*   Hiii#  3  b«f«"n»   «  "proctietMy   ft.ll<rr*>tii,-   svmftttfj   3  7iw»«.  iitin«-«««" 
*  *.«»7oV«>  fr»"   •**    •»*•»•»  nU     UI.-&7    .My  f,»i     TlietX«>9   «^-'l"*k.  «  «^t«*   4t,ftnrt, 


66  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

one  moment  until  my  first  meeting  with  him,  a  week 
before.* 

Our  relations,  both  business  and  personal,  were  of 
the  most  pleasant  and  cordial  nature  and  without  a 
jar  of  any  kind.  Two  years  later,  1883,  he  withdrew 
from  the  firm,  retired  from  active  business  life,  and 
left  me  in  full  posession  and  ownership  of  a  profes- 
sional practice  which  he  had  spent  many  years  in 
building  up  and  which  netted  me  over  $30,000  an- 
nually.! 

I  continued  in  the  active  practice  until  the  Autumn 
of  1886,  at  which  time,  for  reasons  which  I  will  ex- 
plain later,  I  moved — with  my  wife  and  two  little 
girls — to  Bismarck,  North  Dakota — the  Capital  of  the 
then  Territory — and  joined  a  former  University  class- 
mate in  the  practice  of  law.j: 

But  the  prospect  was  not  a  pleasing  one  to  me,  and 
at  the  end  of  a  year,  in  1887,  I  removed  to  Minneapo- 

*Observe  that  this  was  in  1881,  before  TK  had  even  com- 
menced the  study  of  law.  Also  that  he  very  significantly 
omits  the  full  name  of  his  generous  partner. 

fThis  shows  that  in  the  five  years  from  1881  to  1886,  TK 
imagines  he  made  something  like  $115,000.00 — which  was 
pretty  good  for  a  young  attorney's  first  year  in  actual 
practice. 

$The  reasons  which  he  says  he  will  explain  later,  but  does 
not,  are  given  by  his  former  law  partner  in  Stockton,  that 
'  'Richie"  was  not  satisfied  with  his  meager  earnings,  and 
decided  to  "try  his  luck"  in  Bismarck.  He  therefore  gave  up 
his  $30,000.00  a  year  law  practice  and  moved  to  the  new 
location. 


r  AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  67 

lis,  Minn.,  and  there  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
another  college  classmate  and  did  a  good  business  un- 
til the  Autumn  of  1890,  when  I  came  to  Chicago,  and, 
with  three  of  the  good  business  men  of  Chicago, 
formed  a  business  association  with  which  I  remained 
connected  until  1900;  since  which  time  I  have  devoted 
my  whole  life  and  energies  to  the  writing  and  publi- 
cation of  books  and  other  literature  along  the  lines  of 
Natural  Science  and  the  "Harmonic  Philosophy," 
and  to  the  work  of  Personal  Instruction  in  the  Great 
School  and  Work. 

I  have,  thus  far,  given  but  a  very  brief  and  prosaic 
account  of  the  purely  business  and  materialistic  side 
of  my  life.  It  was,  however,  a  life  as  far  removed 
from  the  dull  or  prosy  as  that  of  any  man  of  all  my 
acquaintance.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  been  a  life  full 
of  the  most  intense  activity  and  interest  all  along  the 
way,  from  the  day  I  left  the  parental  home  and  rode 
away  into  the  big,  bright,  fascinating  world,  as  I  saw 
it  the  morning  of  my  18th  birthday,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent moment. 

For  instance,  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  years  of 
political  activities  and  ambitions  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  I  became  a  conspicuous  figure,  and  where  I  un- 
doubtedly could  and  would  have  become  governor  of 
the  great  commonwealth  of  California,  had  I  yielded 
to  the  solicitations  of  my  many  friends — and  had  I  not 
observed  the  i( finger  of  destiny"  pointing  eastward; 
and  had  not  the  Great  Master  led  me  up  out  of  those 
vain-glorious  conditions  by  the  hand  of  love  and  taken 
me  to  the  mountain  top  ivhence  I  could  look  back, 


68 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

down,  upon  the  littleness,  the  pettiness,  the  selfishness 
and  unworthiness  of  it  all. 

Nor  have  I  told  of  the  fascinating  experiences  of  the 
lecture  field  and  platform  wherein  and  whereon  I  spent 
much  time  and  effort  along  educational  lines  during 
the  years  of  my  life  on  the  Pacific  coast;  nor  of  the 
wide  range  of  interesting  acquaintances  among  the 
great  educators  of  that  time. 

Nor  yet  have  I  mentioned  my  touch  with  the  musical 
world,  wherein  I  made  for  myself  a  place  and  a  name 
as  a  dramatic  tenor  of  unusual  range,  quality  of  tone 
and  carrying  power;  nor  of  the  temptations  that  lead 
men  to  seek  fame  upon  the  grand  opera  stage  nor  of 
my  experiences  as  a  solo  violinist. 

These  and  many  other  experiences,  all  of  which 
added  color  and  interest  to  an  intense  life  of  activity 
and  variety,  have  been  omitted  because  of  the  time, 
effort  and  space  necessary  to  their  narration. 

My  wife,  who  remained  behind  with  her  Father  and 
Mother  when  I  first  went  to  the  Coast,  joined  me  in 
the  Spring  of  1881. 

In  the  summer  of  1907 — after  a  severe  spell  of 
pleurisy,  it  was  discovered  that  she  was  afflicted  with 
tuberculosis.    After  some  months  of  the  most  careful 

treatment  under  our  own  beloved  "Dr.  E.  M.  W ," 

a  change  of  climate  was  recommended  and  she  went 
to  Arizona,  where  she  had  the  very  best  care — and 
improved  somewhat.  But  on  the  advice  of  her  physi- 
cian she  went  on  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  stopped  near 
Pasadena,  at  a  small  private  Sanitarium. 

In  the  face  of  her  own  letters  telling  me  of  her 
steady  improvement  I  became  impressed  with  the  con- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE 


viction  that  she  was  not  in  a  good  environment,  and 
when  I  could  resist  the  feeling  no  longer,  I  took  the 
train,  and  in  August,  1908, 1  went  to  her.  I  found  my 
conviction  fully  verified  and  although  an  improvement 
over  her  condition  when  she  left  home — I  took  her  at 
once  to  the  noted  specialist,  Dr.  N.  B ,  in  Los  An- 
geles, who — after  a  most  careful  examination — found 
only  about  one-fourth  of  the  left  lung  only  affected. 
He  unhesitatingly  said  "She  ought  to  get  well.,,  * 

I  placed  her  in  the  New  Pasadena  Hospital  under 
his  personal  care,  from  which  date  she  improved  rap- 
idly and  steadily. 

On  Jan.  1st,  1909,  Dr.  B. —  reported  that  she  was 
virtually  well — so  'far  as  he  could  determine.  She 
had  ceased  entirely  to  cough  or  expectorate,  had 
gained  in  weight  until  she  was  heavier  than  she  had 
been  since  we  were  married,  felt  well  and  strong  and 
believed  herself  entirely  restored  to  health.  She  was 
planning  to  come  home — to  us  in  Oak  Park,  111. — the 
following  June. 

On  the  evening  of  Jan.  15,  1909,  she  went  to  bed 
in  the  best  of  spirits  and  was  feeling  well  and  happy. 
After  seeing  her  carefully  in  bed,  the  nurse  left  her 
to  go  to  the  adjacent  room.  Before  she  reached  its 
door  however,  she  heard  three  sharp  rings  of  her 

•This  was  in  1908,  24  years  after  he  claims  to  have  become 
a  "master.* '  If  he  really  possessed  the  power  to  leave  his 
physical  body  at  will,  then  one  wonders  why  he  should  not 
have  known  the  exact  status  of  his  wife's  condition  daily,  pro- 
viding he  was  sufficiently  interested  to  take  the  time  to  find 
out.  Or,  failing  in  this,  why  did  he  not  have  some  of  his 
"Great  Masters' <  obtain  a  reliable  daily  report  for  him? 


70  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

call-bell.  She  (the  nurse)  hurried  back  and  found 
her  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific  hemorrhage.  In  less 
than  one  minute  she  was  dead. 

Dr.  B.,  writing  me  the  next  day  said:  "It  is  one 
of  the  pathetic  phases  of  our  profession  that  we  never 
can  tell,  with  absolute  certainty  when  the  germs  of 
this  dread  disease  have  all  been  dislodged.  In  her 
case,  I  thought  she  was  well.  She  thought  so.  We 
all  thought  so.  But  it  so  happened  that  there  re- 
mained a  small  area  no  larger  than  the  surface  of  a 
finger-nail  where  the  germs  were  still  active.  And 
stranger  still,  it  so  happened  that  this  active  area 
was  directly  over  the  wall  of  the  "Aorta,"  or  largest 
artery  of  the  lung — and  when  they  had  eaten  away 
until  the  wall  of  that  large  vessel  could  no  longer 
stand  the  pressure  of  blood  from  the  heart  it  gave 
way  at  that  one  little  spot  and  in  a  minute  she  was 
gone.    Nothing  could  save  her."*' 

Her  body  was  brought  to  S ,  Iowa,  and  laid  to 

rest  beside  those  of  her  two  blessed  and  beautiful 
babies,  in  the  family  vault. 

And  here  ends  another  chapter  in  my  own  life. 

•7?  *7P  "J?  7$  w 

Go  with  me  now  back  to  the  days  of  my  childhood 
and  let  us  travel  over  the  pathway  of  my  spiritual  evo- 
lution together.  From  this  journey  you  will  learn  the 
unbroken  road  over  and  along  which  I  found  my 
way  to  the  door  of  the  Great  School,  knocked,  was  ad- 


*This  paragraph  shows  very  plainly  what  "Doctor"  Rich- 
ardson knows — or  rather  what  he  does  not  know  about  Anat- 
omy and  Pathology. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  71 


mitted  and  finally  became  the  sole  accredited  repre- 
sentative of  the  School  in  this  country. 

My  Father's  independence  of  mind  and  liberal 
attitude  of  soul  on  the  subject  of  religion  may  be  ap- 
preciated somewhat  from  the  fact  that  not  one  of  his 
children  ever  belonged  to  his  church — nor  any  other, 
for  that  matter. 

All  of  us  who  grew  to  years  of  discretion  were 
natural  skeptics — agnostics.  And  yet,  we  all  were  in- 
terested, and  desired  to  know  the  truth,  but  found 
ourselves  unable  to  accept  the  Christian  dogmas  as 
then  taught. 

From  the  time  I  was  nine  years  old  I  loved  to 
listen  to  Father  and  the  " Elders' '  of  his  church  dis- 
cuss abstruse  theological  doctrines,  and  many  times 
when  alone  with  Father  I  asked  questions  and  dis- 
puted the  correctness  of  his  answers. 

My  impression  is  that  there  were  times  when  he 
was  strongly  of  the  conviction  that  I  was  a  "  Child  of 
the  Devil" — duly  " elected  to  go  to  Hell  by  the  'air- 
line' "  whenever  the  " Trumpet  should  sound";  but 
he  was  good  enough  not  to  say  so  specifically. 

At  the  age  of  16  a  most  interesting  event  in  my 
spiritual  life  occurred.  A  German,  family  by  the 
name  of  Follman — fresh  from  the  old  country — con- 
sisting of  father  and  mother  (about  45  years  old) 
and  one  daughter  (about  18  years)  moved  into  the 
village  of  Lancaster,  some  four  miles  from  our  home, 
and  opened  a  little  general  store.  Nobody  knew  them, 
and  they  were  accepted  at  their  own  valuation. 

They  had  not  been  there  long  until  word  became 
quite  generally  circulated  throughout  the  community 


72 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

to  the  effect  that  they  were  very  strange  people,  and 
were  called  "Spiritualists."  It  was  the  first  I  had 
ever  heard  the  name,  and  I  knew  nothing  about  what 
it  meant,  but  from  the  expressions  on  the  faces  of 
those  who  did  know,  (or  thought  they  knew)  I  in- 
ferred that  it  must  have  reference  to  something  quite 
"out  of  the  ordinary' '  and  something  below  the  ordi- 
nary in  point  of  Morality. 

But  all  sorts  of  weird  and  uncanny  stories  were 
soon  going  the  rounds,  concerning  the  strange  and 
unbelievable  things  that  were  constantly  occurring 
in  their  home.  Spiritual  phenomena  of  unusual  range 
and  character  were  reported  by  those  who  had  been 
there  and  witnessed  them. 

It  was  not  strange,  under  these  conditions,  that 
the  spirit  of  "curiosity"  soon  took  possession  of  the 
community.  My  two  next  older  Brothers  and  I 
caught  the  impulse  of  investigation  and  one  Sunday 
afternoon  got  on  our  horses  and  rode  down  to  Lan- 
caster; went  to  the  Follman  home;  inquired  whether 
the  things  we  had  heard  were  true;  were  told  that 
some  of  them  were  undoubtedly  true;  inquired  if  we 
could  sit  with  them  that  evening;  were  heartily  in- 
vited to  do  so ;  and  we  eagerly  accepted. 

When  other  things  were  out  of  the  way  for  the 
evening  we  three  boys  found  ourselves  alone  with  the 
three  members  of  the  family  with  whom  we  tried  to 
talk — but  soon  found  that  the  daughter  was  the  only 
one  of  them  who  could  speak  enough  English  to  give 
us  any  information,  and  she  found  it  most  difficult. 
In  a  labored  effort,  however,  she  made  us  understand 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  73 

the  method  of  procedure  and  our  own  part  in  the 
"sitting.' ' 

An  ordinary  wooden  table  was  brought  in  and  we 
all  took  our  seats  around  it  in  such  manner  as  to 
balance  the  sex  influence  as  evenly  as  possible.  I  re- 
member very  distinctly  that  they  claimed  to  be  follow- 
ing the  directions  of  their  "spiritual  guides" — and 
that  /  sat  between  the  Father  and  Daughter — he  on 
my  right  and  she  on  my  left. 

A  large  coal-oil  lamp  sat  in  the  center  of  the  table, 
and  when  all  were  seated  with  our  hands  touching — 
"left  hand  under  and  right  hand  on  top" — the  light 
was  turned  down  till  the  room  was  a  deep  shadow, 
but  not  quite  dark. 

We  sat  quietly  for  a  few  moments  and  then  the 
Father  began  humming  the  air  of  some  song  in  which 
all  joined.  Before  we  were  through  the  first  stanza 
I  could  hear  distinctly  many,  many  voices  in  addition 
to  our  own,  singing  with  us  in  perfect  harmony. 

As  we  proceeded  the  Father's  hands  began  vibrat- 
ing and  the  farther  we  went  the  more  intense  be- 
came the  vibrations  until  suddenly  his  hands  were 
torn  from  ours  on  either  side  and  he  fell  back  in  his 
chair  in  a  reclining  position  and  everything  became 
still. 

The  daughter  turned  on  the  light  until  we  could 
see  distinctly.  The  "Medium" — Mr.  F. — lay  there 
breathing  heavily,  for  some  time,  with  his  eyes  shut, 
and  his  face  an  ashen  white  and  entirely  expression- 
less. 

Then  slowly  he  arose,  moved  forward  till  the  tips 
of  his  fingers  rested  on  the  table,  in  the  attitude  of  a 


74  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

public  speaker,  his  eyes  still  closed.  Then  his  lips 
opened  and,  in  a  calm,  dignified  voice  and  manner, 
began  to  speak — in  perfect  English,  and  entirely  free 
from  German  accent  or  dialect.  He  began  something 
like  this: 

"  Friends,  I  am  glad  to  meet  with  you  tonight,  and 
through  the  vocal  organs  of  this  medium  tell  you 
something  of  the  spirit  side  of  life  where  I  now  live. 
When  I  was  on  your  side  of  the  divide  my  name  was 
Scott.  I  was  a  Presbyterian  minister.  My  last  pas- 
toral charge  was  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  I  died 
in — "  giving  the  date,  etc. 

He  went  on  and  told  us  then  of  the  transition  and 
of  the  many  surprises  that  awaited  him  and  many 
experiences  of  interest.  He  spoke  possibly  half  an 
hour  and  then  politely  excused  himself  on  the  ground 
that  there  were  several  other  " Spiritual  friends' ' 
who  wished  to  speak  to  us,  and  they  must  not  keep 
the  Medium  under  control  too  long  lest  it  injure  him. 
Then  he  said  goodnight  and  the  frame  of  the  medium 
underwent  a  severe  shock  and  straightened  up  again 
and  began  to  speak. 

This  time  the  voice  was  brusque,  quick,  short  and 
emphatic  and  at  least  two  full  tones  higher — but  still 
in  good  English.  It  was  a  complete  change  of  per- 
sonality. He  said  his  name  on  earth  was  "Wilkins," 
that  he  was  a  business  man,  gave  us  his  last  earthly 
address,  and  the  names  of  friends  yet  living  who  had 
known  him,  and  the  time,  place  and  manner  of  his 
death — all  of  which  we  fully  verified  by  letter. 

After  telling  us  something  of  his  life  of  the  Spirit 
side  he  retired — as  the  former  control  had  done-. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  75 

Then  followed  a  little  girl's  personality,  and  in 
rapid  succession  something  like  15  different  person- 
alities spoke  to  us  during  that  first  sitting — one  of 
whom  represented  itself  as  our  Cousin  who  had  been 
drowned  but  a  short  time  before.  He  told  us  min- 
utely of  the  manner  of  his  death — and  where  we  could 
find  his  pet  dog  that  had  disappeared  after  his  death. 
This  also  we  verified,  to  our  entire  satisfaction. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  our  investigation  of 
"Spiritualism,"  or  more  accurately,  ' ' Mediumship. ' ' 

After  the  first  experience,  which  interested  us  in- 
tensely, we  attended  a  number  of  sittings — until  we 
became  aware  that  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  place 
and  the  people  was  not  good. 

It  occurred  to  us  that  we  had  a  sufficient  number 
at  home  to  form  a  "Developing  Circle."  This  we 
finally  accomplished — over  the  protests  of  Father  and 
Mother,  who  seemed  to  feel  that  it  was  only  the  work 
of  the  Devil,  and  most  dangerous  to  us  all.  They 
consistently  held  that  position  and  refused  to  have 
any  part  in  our  sittings. 

We  selected  Sunday  evenings  as  the  time  and 
mother's  kitchen  as  the  place,  where  we  sat  around 
the  kitchen  table. 

We  were  in  serious  earnest  and  followed  the  rules 
laid  down  for  us — and  it  was  not  many  weeks  before 
we  began  to  get  results. 

One  after  the  other  the  members  of  our  group — 
or  " circle' ' — yielded  until  we  had  some  five  or  six 
partially  developed  mediums. 

But  as  for  myself,  I  seemed  to  be  entirely  immune. 
I  did  my  best  to  develop  into  a  medium,  during  the 


T6  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

first  years  of  our  sittings,  but  never  for  an  instant 
was  I  conscious  of  any  outside  influence  upon  me. 
The  same,  I  believe,  was  equally  true  of  my  three 
brothers. 

But  in  due  course  of  time  I  began  to  have  a  distinct 
feeling  or  conviction,  that  there  was  something  in- 
volved in  the  process  of  control  that  was  not  right, 
was  unwholesome,  and  even  distructive  and  danger- 
ous to  the  Medium. 

After  I  was  18  years  old  and  left  home  I  was  with 
the  home  circle  only  at  long  intervals  and  knew  but 
little  personally  of  what  occurred — except  in  a  gen- 
eral way,  by  reports  from  those  who  were  there. 

But  the  others  continued  irregularly,  to  meet  for 
several  years ;  but  ceased  to  obtain  any  very  good  or 
satisfactory  results  and  gradually  the  interest  waned 
and  they  virtually  disbanded;  and  I  believe  the  feel- 
ing was  quite  general  that  the  process  was  not  a 
wholesome  one  for  the  mediums  themselves. 

After  I  left  home  and  entered  the  State  University 
I  was  so  bent  on  my  struggle  for  an  education  that 
/  had  little  time  or  opportunity  to  continue  my  in- 
vestigation of  psychic  phenomena,  except  during 
vacation  times  when  visiting  at  home. 

But  during  the  years  1878-9-80  I  enjoyed  excep- 
tional   OPPORTUNITIES    DURING    WHICH    TIME    I    VISITED 
MANY    MEDIUMS    BOTH    PROFESSIONAL    AND    PRIVATE    AND 
WITNESSED    VIRTUALLY    EVERY    PHASE    OF     PSYCHIC     PHE 
NOMENA,     TOGETHER     WITH      MUCH     DELIBERATE      FRAUD. 

(*See  next  page.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  77 

•Here  TK  volunteers  the  information  that  for  three  years, 
1873  9-80,  he  enjoyed  exceptional  opportunities  for  consult- 
ing mediums.  In  another  place  he  refers  to  these  same  years : 
In  1878  he  was  "finishing"  his  education  in  the  Freshman 
Class  at  the  Iowa  University,  and  of  this  period  he  says,  "I 
had  little  time  or  opportunity  to  continue  my  investigations 
of  psychic  phenomena/ '  The  years  1879-80  he  calls  "two 
years  of  desultory  work" — which  we  assume  was  consulting 
mediums. 

We  have  TK's  own  word  for  it  that  he  was  watched  over 
by  his  G.  S.  from  birth.  Also  that  from  the  time  he  was  16 
years  of  age,  up  to  and  including  the  year  1880,  he  was  almost 
constantly  monkeying  with  spiritual  phenomena  and  mediums. 
He  says, 

"In  1880,  when  I  went  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  I  had  arrived 
at  a  point  where  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  the  'Subjective 
Psychic  Process' — involved  in  both  hypnotism  and  medium- 
ship — is  destructive  and  that,  therefore,  the  lines  along  which 
I  had  been  studying  and  investigating,  up  to  that  time,  were 
wrong  IN  EVERY  SENSE  OF  THE  WORD.  Medium- 
ship  was  "the  wrong  way. 

"And  I  had  resolved  to  have  nothing  further  to  do  with 
'Spiritualism' — nor  with  'Mediumship,'  nor  with  Psychic 
Research  along  those  lines. " 

Then  behold !  Our  hero  is  in  Stockton  in  1881,  and  in  order 
to  get  into  good  c '  Society, ' '  the  first  thing  he  does  is  to  join 
a  developing  circle  for  the  development  "of  a  young  and 
handsome  woman." 

If  TK's  GREAT  School  and  GREAT  Masters  knew  all 
this  time  that  these  practices  were  destructive — and  they 
permitted  these  practices  even  as  a  part  of  their  future  rep- 
resentative's "education" — do  not  the  whole  bunch  of  them 
stand  convicted  of  what  TK  himself  calls  the  Great  Psycho- 
logical Crime? 


78  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

I  satisfied  myself  on  a  number  of  points,  among 
which  are: 

1.  That  I  never  saw  an  honest  public  medium 
during  that  time. 

2.  That  many  of  them,  however,  really  were  me- 
diumistic,  and  their  controls  could — when  conditions 
were  favorable — produce  a  wide  range  of  psychic 
phenomena  through  them. 

3.  But  the  desires  of  the  mediums  to  make  money, 
overtaxed  their  psychic  capacities  and  to  guard 
against  poor  sittings  and  dissatisfied  patrons,  they 
learned  a  lot  of  tricks  which  they  mixed  in  when  they 
found  that  their  controls  were  unable  to  work  through 
them  and  produce  the  genuine  phenomena. 

4.  That  every  private  medium  I  ever  visited  con- 
fessed that  the  process  was  harmful. 

5v  That  after  the  first  period  of  exultation  and 
fervor  (covering  varying  periods,  from  a  few  weeks 
to  several  months)  there  was  a  gradual  letting  down 
of  the  moral  tone  of  the  psychic  atmosphere  and  in- 
fluence, from  which  the  progress  was  one  of  steady 
retrogression. 

6.  That  in  every  instance  the  destructive  nature 
of  the  subjective  psychic  process  upon  the  Medium 
manifested  itself  in  either  physical,  mental  or  moral 
degeneracy, — and  often  in  all  three  directions. 

In  1880,  WHEN  I  WENT  TO  THE  PACIFIC  COAST,  I  HAD 
ARRIVED  AT  A  POINT  WHERE  I  WAS  FULLY  SATISFIED  THAT 

THE  "SUBJECTIVE  PSYCHIC  PROCESS*' INVOLVED  IN   BOTH 

HYPNOTISM  AND  MEDIUMSHIP IS  DESTRUCTIVE  AND  THAT, 

THEREFORE,  THE  LINES  ALONG  WHICH  I  HAD  BEEN  STUDY- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  79 

ING  AND  INVESTIGATING,  UP  TO  THAT  TIME,  WERE  WRONG 
IN  EVERY  SENSE  OF  THE  WORD.      MediumsMp   WAS  "  The 

Wrong  Way." 

AND   I   HAD   RESOLVED    TO    HAVE    NOTHING    FURTHER   TO 

do  with  "Spiritualism," — nor  with  "Mediumship" 
nor  with  Psychic  Research  along  those  lines. 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  on  my  arrival  and 
location  at  Stockton,  Cal., — I  soon  discovered  a  most 
unusual  and  unexpected  situation  and  social  condi- 
tion. The  leading  physicians,  lawyers,  judges  and 
men  and  women  in  the  very  best  society,  were  all 
members  of  a  "Psychical  Research  Society"  and 
were  meeting  regularly,  and  were  earnestly  investi- 
gating the  subject  of  "Psychic  Phenomena"  along 
the  lines  which  I  had  but  recently  abandoned. 

It  was  inevitable  that  I  should  meet  these  good 
people  and  become  known  to  them  as  a  student  along 
those  very  lines  in  which  they  were  engaged. 

I  was  invited  to  join  them  and  did  so,  and  soon 
became  one  of  their  active  and  prominent  members. 

At  the  time  I  joined  them,  they  were  just  entering 
upon  a  series  of  sittings  for  the  development  of  a 
young  and  handsome  woman — a  Mrs.  L. — the  wife 
of  a  leading  newspaper  editorial  writer.  She  was 
a  woman  of  refinement  and  brilliant  mentality  and 
possessed  a  gracious  and  charming  personality. 

In  one  short  year  this  charming  and  brilliant 
woman  became  a  complete  wreck  in  every  sense  of 
the  term — physically,  mentally,  morally  and  spirit- 
ually. She  developed  into  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
mediums  I  have  ever  known;  but  at  the  expense  of 
all  that  made  her  life  worth  living. 


80  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

This  was  the  final  truth  that  caused  me  to  turn 
forever  from  everything  of  a  subjective  nature  in 
psychical  development. 

I  notified  the  society  of  my  intention  to  resign,  but 
at  the  same  time  asked  for  the  privilege  of  explain- 
ing in  open  meeting  my  reasons  for  so  doing,  which 
request  was  granted. 

The  evening  came,  and  I  took  two  hours  and  forty 
minutes  to  tell  them  the  story  of  my  psychic  inves- 
tigations and  the  results  of  my  own  observations  and 
conclusions. 

The  result  was  that  the  society  then  and  there  dis- 
banded and  never  held  another  meeting. 

I  told  them  that  I  had  proven  beyond  all  ques- 
tion that  the  Mediumistic  Process  was  hypnotic,  sub- 
jective and  destructive  and  called  attention  to  the 
condition  of  their  own  Medium. 

I  said  I  was  absolutely  certain  that  we  were  on 
the  wrong  way;  that  I  was  convinced,  however,  that 
there  was  a  right  way  if  we  only  knew  it,  but  I  did 
not  know  the  method  of  procedure  and  I  did  not  know 
anyone  who  did  know  it;  but  until  I  found  someone 
who  knew  the  Right  Way — the  way  of  Independent 
Psychic  Unfoldment,  I  was  done  with  psychic  re- 
search and  study  and  investigation  and  above  all  "ex- 
perimenting." If  I  never  found  an  instructor  in  this 
life,  then  I  would  wait  until  I  passed  to  the  other 
life  and  learn  it  there. 

And  from  that  day  1  put  it  all  behind  me  and 
turned  to  my  legal  work  with  undivided  attention  and 
enthusiasm.     I  thought  but  little  of  those  past  ex- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  81 

periences,  save,  now  and  then,  came  to  me  the  con- 
viction that  Nature  must  surely  have  made  provision 
for  demonstrating  the  continuity  of  Life  by  Construc- 
tive Methods,  and  that  there  must  be  those  some- 
where on  earth  who  knew  all  about  it,  if  I  but  knew 
how  and  where  to  find  them. 

This  was  the  general  attitude  of  my  Soul  on  the 
subject  up  to  the  summer  of  1883  when  there  came  to 
me  an  experience,  the  like  of  which  I  had  never 
before  heard  of,  and  which  changed  the  entire  course 
of  my  life  and  all  my  plans,  purposes,  aspirations 
and  ambitions  as  fully  and  completely  as  it  would  be 
possible  to  conceive.  It  is  of  this  that  I  will  now  try 
to  tell  you,  very  briefly,  from  necessity: — 

For  some  four  weeks  continuously,  immediately 
prior  to  July  21st,  1883,  I  had  been  intensely  engaged 
in  the  trial  of  an  important  will  contest  involving  an 
estate  valued  at  about  $1,000,000.* 

As  the  Attorney  for  the  contesting  heirs,  I  was 
pitted  against  the  ablest  Attorneys  on  the  Coast, 
(with  the  exception  of  Hon.  David  S.  Terry)  and  I 
realized  that,  according  to  all  the  rules  of  logic  and 
common  sense,  I  ought  to  be  beaten,  thoroughly. 

But  there  was  something  that  filled  me  with  an 
abiding  conviction  that  I  would  be  given  the  verdict 


#The  only  will  contest  on  record  in  Stockton  for  1883 
involved  about  $25,000.00,  which  is  just  $975,000.00,  less  than 
TK's  million  dollar  case.  And  any  way  this  was  two  years 
before  he  became  a  practicing  attorney.  But  note  how  he 
plays  up  his  story  of  an  imaginary  "old  Scotch  mother  94 
years  old,  and  two  maiden  sisters  past  65  years." 


82  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

when  the  jury  was  through  with  their  deliberations. 
I  was  absolutely  certain  there  had  been  "  undue  in- 
fluence" on  the  testator  that  led  him,  in  the  closing 
hours  of  his  life,  to  disinherit  his  old  Scotch  mother 
94  years  old,  and  two  maiden  sisters  past  65  years. 

After  three  days  of  argument  the  case  went  to  the 
jury  about  10  a.  m.  of  July  21,  1883. 

At  2  p.  m.  I  received  word  that  the  jury  was  ready 
to  report  and  I  went  at  once  to  the  Court  room  which 
was  filled  with  the  intense  partisan  friends  of  both 
parties. 

I  think  if  a  vote  had  been  taken  of  the  spectators 
and  Attorneys,  I  would  have  stood  alone.  But  I  was 
absolutely  certain  that  the  jury  was  with  me. 

To  the  amazement  of  the  Attorneys  against  me, 
the  verdict  was  in  my  favor. 

It  was  a  great  triumph,  for  so  young  an  Attorney — 
under  all  the  conditions  of  the  case,  and  I  was  ten- 
dered quite  an  ovation  by  the  members  of  the  Bar 
present. 

After  the  jury  was  discharged  and  the  proper  or- 
ders and  records  of  the  case  made  and  entered,  it  was 
about  10  minutes  to  3  p.  m.,  when  I  reached  my  office, 
feeling  well  pleased  with  the  world  in  general,  and 
myself  in  particular. 

I  opened  my  desk  and  found  a  large  volume  of 
mail  and  legal  matters  awaiting  my  attention.  I  knew 
I  was  nervously  weary  and  needed  rest. 

As  the  day  was  well  spent  I  did  not  feel  like  taking 
up  anything  new,  and  was  thinking  about  quitting, 
when  I  suddenly  seemed  to  recall  having  an  appoint- 


'    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  83 

ment  to  meet  someone  at  the  Grand  Central  Hotel, 
a  distance  of  four  blocks  from  my  office.  Without 
thinking  who  the  party  was  I  expected  to  see  at  4 
p.  m., — I  concluded  to  take  a  long  walk  in  the  North 
part  of  town  and  return  by  way  of  the  Hotel  and 
keep  my  supposed  appointment. 

I  closed  my  desk,  instructed  my  clerks  to  be  on 
hand  early  next  day,  took  my  hat  and  cane  and 
started  for  my  walk. 


At  the  foot  of  the  stair,  however,  I  met  a  fellow 
attorney,  who  stopped  to  congratulate  me  and  discuss 
the  Will  case.  Some  other  friends  joined  us  and  in 
a  few  minutes  quite  a  group  had  gathered,  and  I  was 
in  the  midst  of  an  impromptu  ovation,  there  on  the 
main  street. 

Time  passed  rapidly,  and  the  hour  was  consumed 
in  chatting  over  the  case.  All  the  while  however,  I 
had  in  mind  my  appointment  at  4,  and  about  10  min- 
utes of  4,  I  excused  myself,  and  started  for  the  hotel. 

On  the  way  up  Main  St.  I  stopped  a  moment  at 
tjie  "Yosemite  House,"  and  then  continued  to  the 


84  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

crossing  of  Main  and  California  Sts.,  from  which 
point  I  could  see  the  Grand  Central  Hotel,  two  blocks 
North  on  California  St. 

I  turned  North  on  California  St.  and  walked  about 
half  a-block  North,  when  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me 
to  ask  myself  who  it  was  I  expected  to  meet  at  the 
hotel.  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  I  was  unable  to 
recall  having  made  an  appointment  with  any  one. 

I  was  considerably  disturbed,  because  it  was  the 
first  time  in  my  life  that  my  memory  ever  played  me 
such  a  trick,  and  I  thought  it  must  be  the  result  of 
the  long  nervous  and  mental  strain  of  the  trial. 

I  turned  back  intending  to  go  home  and  rest  as 
completely  as  possible  until  the  next  day. 

I  had  gone  but  a  few  steps,  however,  when  a  still 
more  unusual  thing  occurred.  Suddenly  there  came 
the  distinct  impression — "There  is  somebody  at  the 
Hotel  who  wants  to  see  you." 

I  seemed  to  hear  those  words  with  perfect  distinct- 
ness. I  could  feel  them  as  they  were  impressed  upon 
my  consciousness. 

I  stopped,  turned  again  and  looked  toward  the  ho- 
tel. I  was  puzzled.  I  could  not  understand  it.  It  was 
a  wholly  new  experience  to  me.  It  troubled  me  deeply. 
I  thought  it  must  mean  that  I  was  on  the  verge  of  a 
nervous  and  mental  collapse.  The  thought  was  hor- 
rible. Then  I  mentally  felt  of  myself  and  found  that 
I  seemed  to  be  in  good  condition. 

All  the  while,  however,  I  could  feel  those  words 
beating  upon  my  brain:  "There  is  somebody  at  the 
Hotel  who  wants  to  see  you" — just  as  if  some  pow- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  85 

erful  mind  was  repeating  them  over  and  over,  with 
such  force  as  to  impress  them  upon  my  consciousness. 

I  stood  there  for  some  time  trying  to  reason  out 
what  it  all  meant.  Then  I  realized  the  surest  and 
quickest  way  to  prove  whether  or  not  it  was  only  a 
mental  hallucination  was  to  go  on  over  to  the  Hotel 
and  see  if  there  was  anybody  there  wanting  to  see 
me  with  enough  intensity  to  make  such  an  impression. 

I  started  at  once  toward  the  Hotel,  and  as  I  ap- 
proached the  impression  became  so  strong  that  the 
individual  was  in  the  ladies '  parlor,  that  I  passed  the 
main  office  entrance  and  went  to  the  hallway  leading 
to  the  ladies '  parior. 

I  approached  the  parlor  door  which  opened  inward 
and  was  partly  ajar.  I  pushed  it  open  and  stepped 
inside.  I  took  a  hasty  survey  of  the  room  and  saw 
at  once  that  there  was  but  one  person  in  the  room. 
This  was  a  man  whom  I  had  never  seen  before,  to  my 
knowledge,  and  I  observed  at  a  glance  that  he  was  a 
foreigner,  but  of  what  nationality  I  could  not  have 
determined. 

He  was  dressed  in  American  costume,  and  sat 
quietly  on  a  small  divan  near  the  window. 

Realizing  my  evident  mistake,  I  turned  to  leave  the 
room.  As  I  did  so  the  man  called  me  by  my  correct 
name, — "Mr.  Richardson" — I  turned  quickly  and  as 
I  did  so  he  arose,  stepped  across  the  room  to  me,  ex- 
tended his  hand  and  said, — "I  am  glad  you  came." 

I  took  his  extended  hand  in  a  mechanical  sort  of 
way,  looked  him  straight  in  the  eyes  and  replied: 
"You  have  the  advantage  of  me.  I  do  not  remember 
having  met  you  before. ■ ' 


86  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

He  responded  at  once  and  with  seeming  frankness : 
"I  know  you  have  not;  although  I  have  seen  you 
many,  many  times.' ' 

I  expressed  my  surprise  at  his  remark,  to  which 
he  responded:  "Moreover,  I  have  known  you  inti- 
mately from  your  infancy,  and  have  come  over  Oceans 
and  continents  to  see  you  here  and  alone.' ' 

Suddenly  it  flashed  into  my  mind:  "This  is  a 
confidence  man — a  'bunco'  man  whom  I  have  met  at 
last,  after  all  these  years  of  wondering  what  a  ' bunco* 
man  is  like.'' 

"No,  No" — he  replied  to  my  mental  thought — "I 
hope  you  will  not  think  so  poorly  of  me.  I  am  not  a 
confidence  man,  and  if  you  will  but  permit  me  I  am 
sure  I  can  prove  to  your  entire  satisfaction  that  all 
I  have  said  is  true." 

"But  you  must  admit,"  I  replied — "that  it  is  most 
unusual  to  meet  a  total  stranger  who  without  an  in- 
troduction, calls  you  by  name  and  tells  you  he  has 
seen  you  many  times,  in  fact  known  you  from  infancy, 
and  caps  all  this  by  assuring  you  he  has  come  over 
oceans  and  continents  to  see  you  alone.  You  must 
admit  that  this  is  very  much  after  the  method  of  a 
Confidence  man." 

Seeing  my  growing  suspicion,  he  paused  an  instant, 
looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes  and  with  a  most  inter- 
esting expression,  mixed  with  a  smile,  said:  "By- 
the-way,  what  brought  you  to  this  hotel?" 

After  an  instant  of  silence — during  which  I  had  the 
distinct  impression  of  falling  feathers — if  I  only  had 
some  to  "fall" — I  replied,  "You  have  asked  me  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  87 

difficult  question.  Frankly,  I  do  not  know  what  or 
who  brought  me  here." 

He  then  said:  "You  have  been  engaged  for  some 
time  in  an*  important  lawsuit,  have  you  not?" 

I  said  I  had. 

"And  at  about  2  p.  m.,  the  jury  returned  a  verdict 
in  your  favor?" 

Again  I  assented. 

"At  a  few  minutes  before  three  you  went  to  your 
office?" 

I  did. 

"As  you  sat  at  your  desk  you  thought  you  recalled 
having  an  appointment  to  meet  someone  at  this  hotel 
at  4  o'clock?" 

"Very  true." 

"And  you  took  your  hat  and  cane,  intending  to 
take  a  walk  in  the  North  part  of  town?" 


\tii&uiiiiiiflUMiuunuiitiiuiiiiiiuDiJuimtinimi»n»ticuiinuiuuiniiuiiiiminiiniiiinuniiumuiiuuiiunu\k 


"I  did." 

"But  you  didn't  do  it?" 

"No." 


88  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"At  the  foot  of  the  stair  to  your  office  you  met  a 
fellow  Attorney  who  stopped  you,  and  you  were 
joined  by  others.  You  passed  the  time  at  your  com- 
mand in  talking  with  them.  A  few  minutes  to  4,  you 
left  them,  and  walked  down  the  street  leading  this 
way.  After  reaching  the  street  leading  to  this  Hotel 
you  turned  this  way  and  walked  half-a-block  or  more 
— when  you  tried  to  recall  the  person  with  whom  you 
had  an  appointment,  and  you  could  not.  You  stopped 
and  became  troubled  lest  this  breach  of  memory 
might  indicate  an  illness  from  over  work.  You  turned 
back  intending  to  go  home.  You  had  gone  but  a  few 
steps  when  you  received  an  impression,  strong  and 
clear,  that  there  was  some  one  at  this  Hotel  who 
wanted  to  see  you;  and,  after  further  doubt  and  mis- 
givings, you  came  on  to  see  if  your  impressions  were 
true  or  merely  hallucinations." 

With  much  greater  detail  than  I  have  given  it,  he 
described  my  mental  processes  and  conduct  with  per- 
fect precision,  requiring  me  to  confirm  his  correct- 
ness at  every  step  of  the  way. 

When  he  had  finished  his  narration  and  I  had  ad- 
mitted its  accuracy,  he  looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes 
and  said:  "Can  you  doubt  me  when  I  tell  you  that 
it  was  I  who  brought  you  here  1 ' 9 

I  .admitted  that  he  had  made  out  a  pretty  strong 
case,  and  that  he  certainly  had  the  advantage  of  me, 
although  I  was  still  somewhat  skeptical,  as  it  was  the 
first  experience  of  the  kind  of  which  I  had  ever  been 
conscious. 

He  asked  me  if  I  did  not  think  he  had  gone  far 
enough  to  entitle  him  to  an  opportunity  to  prove  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  89 

me  the  truth  of  the  statements  he  had  made  concern- 
ing his  knowledge  of  my  life  and  the  purpose  of  his 
visit. 

I  said  I  thought  he  had  earned  that  right,  and  he 
asked  me  if  I  would  go  to  his  room.  I  assented,  and 
we  proceeded  at  once  to  his  room. 

As  we  approached  the  door,  I  observed  that  the 
number  was  "13" — and  mentally  I  said  to  myself: 
" Unlucky  number.' ' 

Instantly  he  replied  to  my  thought: — "No,  it  is 
the  i Sacred  Number'  with  us,  and  the  most  fortunate 
of  all,  and  that  is  why  I  selected  it." 

He  unlocked  the  door  and  ushered  me  in.  Then  he 
turned  and  locked  the  door,  took  the  key  and  put  it 
in  his  pocket. 

As  he  did  this  the  thought  flashed  into  my  mind 
again:  "Surely  he  must  be  a  'bunco'  man  and  is 
preparing  to  spring  some  confidence  game  on  me!" 

Instantly  he  replied  to  my  thought:  "I  am  sorry 
you  have  so  poor  an  opinion  of  me:  for  I  am  not 
a  confidence  man.  My  only  purpose  in  locking  the 
door  was  to  save  interruptions  from  the  intrusion 
of  the  chamber-maid. ' ' 

I  replied  that  it  was  a  rather  unusual  procedure 
to  be  invited  to  the  room  of  an  entire  stranger  and 
then  locked  in;  and  furthermore,  if  his  purpose  was, 
indeed  to  prevent  the  maid  from  entering,  then  he  had 
better  put  the  key  back  into  the  lock,  for  otherwise 
there  was  nothing  to  prevent  her  from  inserting  her 
key  from  the  outside,  opening  the  door  and  walking 
in  at  once. 


90  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

He  said  that  had  not  occurred  to  him;  thanked  me 
for  telling  him,  put  the  key  back  into  the  lock,  and 
then  asked  me  to  be  seated.  I  did  so  and  he  took  a 
seat  facing  me  and  not  over  2  or  3  feet  away  from  me, 
where  he  could  look  me  straight  in  the  eyes  without 
special  effort. 

After  a  moment  of  thoughtful  silence  he  began 
something  as  follows:  "I  have  made  a  number  of 
statements  which  appear  to  you  very  remarkable,  and 
you  have  kindly  given  me  the  chance  to  prove  the 
truthfulness  of  my  statements,  if  I  can.  I  thank  you 
for  the  courtesy  and  will  proceed  at  once." 

"I  have  said  that  I  have  seen  you  many,  many 
times;  that  I  have  known  you  intimately  from  your 
infancy ;  that  I  have  come  over  oceans  and  continents 
to  see  you  and  you  alone." 

"I  can  think  of  no  better  way  to  proceed  than  to 
begin  at  the  beginning  and  tell  you  the  history  of 
your  own  life.  I  am  going  to  ask  you,  however,  not 
to  interrupt  me  till  I  have  finished.  Then  I  will  be 
glad  to  answer  any  question  or  make  any  explanation 
you  may  desire." 

He  then  began,  and  his  first  sentence  was,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  recall  it,  as  follows: — 

"You  were  born  into  this  present  life  in  a  little  log 
cabin  on  the  south  bank  of  a  little  stream  of  water 
in  the  state  called  Iowa,  on  the  20th  day  of  July,  (as 
you  count  time)  1853,  at  27  minutes  past  12  o'clock 
(noon)." 

This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  heard  any  living 
person  tell  me  the  hour  of  my  birth,  and  also  the  fact 
that  I  was  born  in  a  "log  cabin," 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH   OF   TK'S  LIFE  91 


From  that  point  he  proceeded  with  his  story  of  my 
Life,  For  four  hours,  without  interruption,  he  told 
me  the  story  of  my  life.  Many  things  during  the 
years  of  my  infancy  I  had  never  before  heard,  and 
of  these  I  was  skeptical;  but  to  my  great  surprise, 
I  was  able  to  verify  every  incident  by  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  family. 

From  the  time  when  my  own  memory  was  active,  he 
related  the  incidents  of  my  childhood,  youth  and  ma- 
ture life  more  correctly  and  sequentially  than  I 
could  have  done. 

He  told  me  of  the  years  spent  in  the  little  old  saw- 
mill and  of  my  day-dreams  of  how  I  would  go  to  col- 
lege, get  an  education  and  become  a  writer.  He  fol- 
lowed me  into  the  harvest  fields  of  the  North;  to 
public  school;  then  as  a  teacher;  thence  to  the  state 
University,  and  through  it;  then  bach  into  the  news- 
paper world;  thence  to  California;  to  San  Francisco; 
and  finally  to  Stockton,  where  he  found  me.* 

But  it  was  the  inner,  soul-life,  that  he  related  with 
such  a  wonderful  and  extravagant  wealth  of  detail 
as  to  startle  me  with  his  knowledge  of  my  whole  in- 
ternal life. 

He  told  me  of  my  natural  skepticism  concerning 
the  religious  teachings  of  my  father;  how  again  and 
again  I  had  asked  Father  to  explain  to  me  his  "Doc- 


*Note  that  he  says  he  went  "thru"  the  State  University, 
and  then  "back  into  the  newspaper  world. "  Up  to  this  time 
we  did  not  know  he  had  ever  been  in  the  " newspaper  world,* ' 
as  no  mention  is  made  of  it  until  we  find  him  imagining  him- 
self editorial  manager  of  the  "San  Francisco  Examiner." 


92  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

trines"  of  "Foreordination,"  "Predestination," 
"Election,"  the  "Two  seed,"  "Salvation,"  "The 
Atonement,"  and  their  relation  to  "Personal  Kespon- 
sibility  ■ ' ;  and  of  my  inability  to  harmonize  them  with 
my  own  ideas  of  Consistency. 

He  told  of  my  first  meeting  with  the  German  family 
of  Spiritualists;  of  my  deep  interest  in  the  old  Ger- 
man Medium ;  of  how  the  low  moral  plane  of  the  Me- 
dium, and  finally  the  coarse  familiarity  and  occa- 
sional vulgar  suggestions  of  the  Spiritual  "Con- 
trols" themselves,  had  finally  so  hurt  and  disgusted 
us  that  we  ceased  attending  their  sittings;  then  of 
our  decision  to  form  a  circle  of  our  own ;  of  the  many 
interesting  events  that  followed  from  our  "Develop- 
ing Circle,"  then  of  my  drifting  away  from  the  home 
circle;  and  of  the  years  of  travel  and  investigation 
that  followed  the  end  of  my  college  course. 

He  followed  with  the  utmost  care  and  detail  the 
experiences  and  the  evidence  from  which  I  finally 
identified  Hypnotism  and  Mediumship  as  the  results 
of  the  same  Process,  and  how  I  determined  that  the 
Process  was  psychically  Subjective  and  Destructive 
to  the  Subject. 

Step  by  step  he  followed  the  path  of  my  psychic 
unfoldment  until  I  finally  resigned  from  the  Society 
in  Stockton  on  the  ground  that  we  were  traveling 
"The  Wrong  Way,"  and  he  said,  "You  were  right; 
Mediumship  is  destructive  and  it  is  the  wrong  way." 

Then  he  told  of  how  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  "There  ought  to  be  a  Right  Way  that  would  be 
"Constructive,"  and  he  said,  "In  this  also  you  were 
right.    There  is  a  Right  Way  and  it  is  Constructive 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  93 

and  also  Independent.  And  it  is  because  of  this  that 
I  am  here." 

"It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  have  traveled  over 
Oceans  and  Continents,  from  far-off  India — the 
Home  of  Ancient  Mystery — to  see  you  and  you 
alone. ' ' 

"I  have  come  to  offer  you  the  Personal  Instruction 
that  will  enable  you  constructively  and  Independently 
to  demonstrate  the  continuity  of  life  beyond  the 
Grave — provided  you  are  in  a  position  to  receive  the 
instruction  and  can  satisfy  me  that  you  will  make  a 
right  use  of  the  knowledge,  and  can  meet  all  the  terms 
and  conditions.' ' 

For  four  hours  I  had  listened  to  the  smooth,  steady 
flow  of  his  words  and  to  his  voice  of  wonderful  rich- 
ness and  sympathetic  power;  until  he  said,  "And  now 
I  am  through  and  you  know  why  I  am  here.  Have 
you  any  questions  to  ask?" 

/  had.  In  truth,  I  was  almost  bursting  with  ques- 
tions. I  asked  him  about  the  School  from  which  he 
had  come, — where  it  was, — how  old  it  was, — Its  man- 
ner of  initiation, — what  were  the  Conditions  of  my 
own  admittance  and  instruction  to  which  he  had  re- 
ferred.   All  of  which  he  answered  fully  and  frankly. 

Among  the  conditions  were: 

1.  That  I  must  arrange  to  give  him  at  least  6 
hours  every  day,  from  4  to  10  p.  m.  and  as  much  more 
as  I  could. 

2.  That  I  must  pledge  myself  to  devote  my  life  to 
the  Work. 

3.  That  I  accept  the  instruction  as  a  gift  from 
him  absolutely  and  in  every  sense. 


94  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

4.  That  I  continue  the  work  under  his  instruction 
until  I  had  made  the  personal  demonstration,  whether 
that  be  3  years  or  20. 

5.  That  I  never  deviate  from  the  pathway  and 
that  I  exemplify  the  Spirit  of  the  Work  in  my  daily 
life  and  conduct — to  the  very  best  of  my  abilities 
henceforth. 

6.  That  I  devote  myself  to  the  formulation  of  the 
Science  and  Philosophy  of  the  Great  School  into  def- 
inite statement  in  the  English  language  in  the  sim- 
plest and  most  definite  and  exact  form  possible  and 
publish  the  same  in  book  form  to  be  used  as  the  mod- 
ern Text-books  of  the  School. 

7.  That  I  do  all  in  my  power  to  circulate  the  books 
so  formulated  and  published  and  with  these  as  a  basis 
that  I  would  inaugurate  a  work  of  personal  instruc- 
tion of  such  applicants  as  could  prove  themselves 
ready  for  the  work. 

8.  That  in  all  my  work  I  should  employ  the  Meth- 
ods of  the  School  and  go  as  far  as  conditions  and  my 
abilities  and  intelligence  would  permit  to  inaugurate 
and  establish  an  Educational  Movement  of  the  School 
in  this  Western  World. 

On  one  point  I  protested,  and  that  was  that  I 
wanted  to  pay  him  for  his  time  and  expense.  He  told 
me,  however,  in  terms  that  could  not  be  mistaken, 
that  he  could  not  admit  me  to  the  instruction  on  any 
other  conditions;  that  the  knowledge  was  a  gift  to 
him  and  that  it  must  ever  and  always  be  given  in  the 
same  way  and  the  same  spirit;  that  any  variation 
from  that  rule  would  be  a  violation  of  a  fundamental 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH  OF   TK'S  LIFE  95 

principle  of  the  Work;  that  "By  an  endless  chain  of 
Gifts  shall  the  Great  Work  be  established.' ' 

He  told  me  to  go  home,  think  the  matter  over  care- 
fully until  the  next  day,  and  come  back  to  him  at  4 
the  next  day  and  give  him  my  decision. 

I  went  home  and  did  my  best  to  sleep,  but  made 
little  headway  until  almost  daylight,  when  I  fell  into 
a  deep  sleep  and  slept  a  perfect  sleep  until  almost 
9  a.  m.  I  arose  at  once,  ate  a  bite  of  breakfast,  and 
started  to  my  office.  So  skeptical  was  I,  however,  that 
I  was,  by  that  time,  wondering  if  the  whole  experi- 
ence of  meeting  the  Master  wasn't  a  dream.  So  I 
concluded  to  go  by  hotel  and  see  if  he  was  still  there. 

I  went  softly  up  stairs  and  along  the  hallway  to 
No.  13.  I  rapped  gently  on  the  door  and  almost  in- 
stantly it  opened  and  there  stood  the  same  strangely 
fascinating  figure  and  face,  half  smiling.  He  greeted 
me  with  "Yes,  I  am  still  here  and  it  is  not  a  dream. 
Go  on  to  your  work  and  return  to  me  at  4  p.  m.  I 
will  still  be  here.'' 

7  said  not  a  word  but  saluted  him,  turned  and  went 
straight  to  my  office  and  work.  At  4  p.  m.  I  was  again 
at  his  door.  On  being  admitted  he  asked  me  to  be 
seated  and  his  first  question  was:  "Well,  what  is 
your  decision?' ' 

I  replied  that  I  presumed  he  already  knew,  as  he 
seemed  to  know  about  all  that  was  passing  in  my 
mind. 

He  admitted  that  he  knew  my  decision,  but  said  at 
once:  "I  want  you  to  know  that  I  have  not  in  the 
least  degree  influenced  you  in  that  regard,  for  to  have 


96  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

done  so  would  have  been  a  direct  violation  of  the  Con- 
structive Principle." 

I  then  told  him  that  I  had  determined  to  accept  his 
offer,  provided  I  could  know  that  in  so  doing  I  could 
discharge  the  duties  I  owed  to  my  little  family.  He 
assured  me  on  that  point,  and  asked  me  how  soon  I 
would  be  ready  to  begin  the  work.  I  told  him  I  was 
ready  at  any  moment. 

He  seemed  greatly  pleased  and  said,  "Then  we  will 
enter  upon  your  first  lesson  tonight.' ' 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  most  wonderful  In- 
struction, Work  and  Experience  of  my  entire  pre- 
vious Life.  His  personal  instruction  continued  from 
that  evening,  for  exactly  13  months;  during  which 
time  he  took  me,  step  by  step,  over  the  entire  field 
of  psychology  covered  in  "The  Great  Work"  and 
taught  me  how  to  demonstrate  every  point,  until  I 
had  developed  all  my  Spiritual  Senses  perfectly — 
could  see,  hear,  sense  and  talk  with  those  of  the  Great 
Friends  on  the  Spiritual  side  of  life.* 

And  my  final  and  crowning  achievement,  under 
his  instruction,  was  to  withdraw  at  will  from  the 

PHYSICAL  BODY  AND  TRAVEL  WITH  HIM  OUT  INTO  THE 
SPIRITUAL  REALMS. 

He  had  told  me  of  the  School,  its  work,  and  of  its 
headquarters  in  India,  and  that  when  I  was  able  in- 
dependently to  go  with  him  he  would  take  me  to  the 


*If  this  were  true,  then  why  did  he  continue  consulting 
mediums,  as  he  did,  almost  up  to  the  time  he  began  writing 
"The  Great  Psychological  Crime" t 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  97 

Central  Temple  in  India,  where  I  would  be  formally 
initiated. 

There  were  then  32  members  living  on  the  physical 
plane.  The  full  roster  called  for  33.  Therefore  one 
vacancy  was  to  be  filled. 

Before  the  end  of  his  work  with  me  I  withdrew 
from  the  physical  body  and  with  him  as  my  guide 
went  to  the  Central  Temple  (an  earthly  Temple  in 
the  province  of  Thibet)  and  was  there  formally  in- 
itiated as  the  33rd,  and  youngest  member  of  the 
Order.    My  initiation  occurred  August  18,  1884. 

The  Great  Master  remained  with  me  in  Stockton 
from  July  21,  1883  to  August  21,  1884,  during  which 
time  I  was  with  him  in  his  room  No.  13  every  day 
from  4  p.  m.  until  late  mto  the  night — usually  be- 
tween one  and  two  the  next  morning.  As  nearly  as 
I  can  estimate,  I  spent  9  hours  out  of  every  24— on 
the  average — with  him — receiving  instruction  and  do- 
ing the  work  he  laid  out  for  me.* 

To  tell  what  these  13  months  of  instruction  and 
work  were  in  detail,  and  what  they  meant  to  me,  would 
be  impossible.  It  would  mean  to  give  you  the  de- 
tailed exposition  of  the  Science  of  Constructive,  In- 
dependent Unfoldment  and  the  Philosophy  of  Life 
based  thereon,  and  the  individual  steps  by  which  I 
demonstrated  every  proposition  in  my  own  personal 
experience. 

•This  was  the  time  in  which  it  is  declared  positively  that 
Mr*  Richardson  was  studying  law  every  day  from  4  to  11 
p.  m.  and  from  5  to  9  a.  m.,  the  balance  of  the  day  being 
given  to  his  duties  as  Deputy  County  Clerk. 


98  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

For  the  purpose  of  this  historic  narrative,  it  is 
sufficient  to  state  the  facts  that.  I  took  the  instruction 
as  the  Great  Master  gave  it  me,  did  the  personal  work 
required,  and  made  the  demonstrations;  that  I  was 
then  inducted  into  the  active  membership;  was  ap- 
pointed to  represent  the  School  and  work  in  this 
country;  that  I  accepted  the  responsibilities  and  have 
done  my  best  to  discharge  them. 

But  I  must  tell  you  of  one  experience  that  meant 
more  to  me  than  any  other  during  the  Master's  stay 
with  me: 

Toward  the  close  of  the  term  of  my  instruction,  the 
GM — during  one  of  our  " Travels  in  the  Spiritual" 
— took  me  to  a  home  somewhere  in  the  Northwestern 
part  of  our  own  Country.  There  was  but  one  person 
there,  a  young  and  most  beautiful  woman.  She  sat 
at  a  little  table  and  had  been  writing.  She  was  rest- 
ing her  head  on  her  hand  and  was  thinking  intently. 
I  knew  she  was  troubled  and  I  longed  to  help  her. 

He  said  to  me:  " Study  her  face  and  eyes  until 
you  will  know  her  when  you  meet  her  in  the  physical ; 
for  you  will  meet  her  inside  of  three  years  from  now, 
and  she  will  become  your  Student  and  first  real 
helper." 

He  took  me  to  her  twice  thereafter  before  he  left 
me ;  and  on  one  occasion  she  was  in  a  great  Hall  with 
many  gay  and  brilliant  people,  and  she  was  the  cen- 
ter of  attention  and  interest;  but  I  knew  her  heart 
was  not  in  the  occasion.  She  was  still  troubled,  but 
was  covering  that  fact  from  all  about  her. 

I  studied  her  carefully.  I  knew  that  I  could  iden- 
tify her  if  I  should  ever  meet  her. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH   OF   TK'S  LIFE  99 

Two  years  later — May  7,  1887 — I  met  her  for  the 
first  time  in  my  earthly  form.    It  was  in  Bismarck,  S. 

Dakota,  in  the  office  of  my  friend,  Dr.  W ,  in  the 

First  National  Bank  building. 

The  Dr.  came  to  my  Law  Office,  across  the  hall  from 
his  own,  and  called  me.  He  said:  "Come  to  my  of- 
fice, I  want  you  to  meet  a  Lady-Friend  of  ours  who  is 
visiting  with  us  for  a  few  weeks/ ' 

I  followed  him  to  his  office  and  there  I  met  "Flor- 
ence Huntley ' ' — the  same  beautiful  woman  I  had  come 
to  know  in  the  spiritual.  I  recognized  her  at  once; 
and  told  her  I  had  met  her  before,  but  would  tell  her 
later  the  circumstances. 

The  next  day  I  met  her  again  and  during  an  hour's 
conversation  I  told  her  a  little  of  my  life  and  studies 
and  how  and  where  I  had  seen  her  on  three  different 
occasions,  each  of  which  she  recognized  and  verified. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  my  acquaintance  with 
my  first  real  Student  and  the  most  wonderful  woman 
I  have  ever  known. 

In  a  few  months  thereafter  I  removed  to  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  and  she  soon  took  a  position  as  assist- 
ant Editor  of  the  ''Pioneer  Press"  and  during  the 
next  two  years  we  met  often  at  the  home  of  Dr. 
H ,  with  whom  and  his  wife  she  lived. 

Here  she  began  her  work  as  a  Student  and  during 
the  two  years  1887-1888  made  splendid  progress  and 
made  a  number  of  verifications. 

But  a  better  position  was  offered  her  on  the 
"Washington  Post"  and  she  went  to  Wash.  D.  C, 

where  she  worked  under  F H for  3  years,  as 

his  assistant  Editor  of  the  "Post" 


100  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

About  the  end  of  that  time,  1891,  I  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, where  she  also  moved  in  Jan.  1894. 

Here  she  began  her  first  writing  on  the  MS  of 
"Harmonics  of  Evolution"  in  her  room  130  of  the 
Leland  Hotel — (now  Stratford)  at  the  corner  of 
Michigan  Ave.  and  Jackson  Blvd. 

FROM  THAT  TIME— JAN.  1894,  WE  WERE 
NEVER  SEPARATED,  BUT  CONTINUED  TO 
MEET  ALMOST  EVERY  DAY  AND  WORK  TO- 
GETHER FOR  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE 
CAUSE  OF  THE  GREAT  SCHOOL  AND  WORK 
IN  AMERICA. 

Her  MS  was  finally  completed  and  in  1899  was 
published.  With  the  publication  of  her  book  "Har- 
monics of  Evolution/'  began  the  integration  of  a  lit- 
tle group  of  interested  Students — among  whom  was 

Dr.  E.  M.  W ,  who,  later  on,  became  my  first 

regular  Student  of  the  "Technical  Work." 

As  our  little  Group  grew  in  numbers,  it  became 
necessary  for  us  to  meet  often,  and  this  we  did  at 
Mrs.  Huntley's  rooms.* 

But  we  began  to  attract  attention  and  to  enable  us 
to  answer  questions  of  the  "curious"  without  betray- 
ing our  real,  serious  work, — we  organized  the  "Sub- 
lime and  Ill-Illuminated  Order  of  Tacks." 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  most  unique  "Order"  over  or- 
ganized. 


•According  to  Mrs.  Huntley's  diary  she  lived  from  August, 
1894,  till  Oct.,  1901,  in  ONE  room,  and  it  was  in  this  one 
room  that  the  "students"  met. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  101 


102  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


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pROMlNEt/T  MEMBERS   OF  THE  "TACK    FACTORY 

Drawings  by  trie  ~R>\^ 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TK'S  LIFE  103 

It  grew  out  of  a  comical  little  incident  around  which 
grew  one  of  the  most  remarkable  rituals  of  initiation 
ever  formulated.  In  the  evolution  of  the  ceremony 
of  initiation  into  this,  the  most  remarkable  order  on 
earth,  the  fun-loving  natures  of  the  blessed  "RA" 
and  myself  found  full  vent. 

In  this  order  each  member  was  given  a  "Tack"- 
name  suitable  to  his  or  her  station  and  character. 

Florence  Huntley  was  "Lady  Tactful' ' — the  Re- 
cording Angel, — from  which  last  designation  her  ab- 
breviated name  of  "RA"  developed. 

I  WAS  MR.  TACK,  ALSO  THE  TACK-HAMMER, 
AND  MY  ABBREVIATION  OF^TK"  GREW  OUT 
OF  "TACK"— BEING  THE  FIRST  AND  LAST 
LETTERr-TK. 

The  "Order  of  Tacks"  formed  the  exoteric  side  of 
our  Group  meetings,  and  served  a  splendid  purpose. 

Because  of  my  desire  to  work  quietly  and  avoid 
observation  I  found  it  advisable  to  use  some  nom- 
de-plume  when  publishing  my  own  contributions  to 
the  Literature  of  the  Great  School, — I  chose  the 
"Tack"  name  that  had  become  attached  to  me — and 
hence  Vols.  II  and  III  of  the  Harmonic  Series  were 
published  in  the  name  of  "TK." 

So  also  my  name  as  Editor  of  "Life  and  Action" 
is  "TK." 

In  the  course  of  our  mutual  acquaintances,  Mr.  J. 

E.  M ,  of  N.  Y.  City,  came  to  know  me.    He  gave 

me  the  name  of  "St.  John"  from  knowing  that  my 
first  name  is  "John." 

Later  on,  when  Dr.  E.  M.  W had  become  inter- 


104  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

ested  actively  in  the  treatment  and  cure  of  subjec- 
tive, psychic  insanity — along  the  lines  suggested  in 
"The  Great  Psychological  Crime/9  it  often  occurred 
that  he  desired  to  call  me  into  consultation  for  the 
special  purpose  of  having  me  give  him  my  own  inde- 
pendent psychic  diagnosis  of  some  new  case  of  in- 
sanity. 

In  all  such  cases,  I  desired  to  avoid,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, attracting  attention  to  myself  personally,  or 
arousing  curiosity  in  the  minds  of  the  relatives  and 
attendants  of  such  patients,  or  prejudices  in  the 
minds  of  any  of  the  "Kegular"  members  of  the  Medi- 
cal Profession. 

To  accomplish  the  desired  results,  Dr.  E.  M.  W 

simply  "tacked"  on  to  my  new  name  of  "St.  John" 
the  title  of  "Dr."  and  in  all  such  cases  introduced 
me  to  patients,  their  relatives  and  friends,  and  such 
Drs.  as  were  interested, — as  "Dr.  St.  John." 

The  disguise  worked  like  a  charm,  and  saved  me  all 
manner  of  embarrassments,  and  at  the  same  time 
made  it  possible  for  me  to  be  of  some  help  to  the 

Beloved  Dr.  W ,  during  the  early  years  of  his 

experience  and  work  as  an  alienist,  and  until  he  had 
become  able  to  make  his  own  "psychic  diagnosis" 
without  my  aid  and  without  having  to  call  me  into 
the  case  at  all. 

This,  therefore,  gives  you,  very  briefly  and  imper- 
fectly, the  manner  in  which  the  name  "Dr.  St.  John" 
became  attached  to  me,  and  the  way  in  which  the 
name  was  naturally  evolved  from  my  first  name — 
"John." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF   TK'S  LIFE  105 

Thus  the  name  became  attached  to  me,  and  has 
served  a  most  excellent  purpose,  all  these  years,  in 
that  it  has  enabled  me  to  work  freely  in  the  cause  of. 
suffering  humanity,  and  without  identifying  me  in 
the  public  mind,  with  the  Great  School,  with  the 
authorship  of  Vols.  2  and  3  of  the  Harmonic  Series, 
nor  with  the  Great  Work  in  America. 

During  the  last  few  years,  however,  in  my  Work 
of  Instruction,  and  as  the  responsible  head  of  the 
"Men's  Department"  I  have  signed  my  letters  to 
Students  and  "Friends  of  the  Work,"  as  well  as  to 
inquirers, — indiscriminately  as  "TK"  and  as  "Dr. 
St.  John." 

Some  of  them — especially  those  I  have  written 
personally,  on  the  typewriter — I  have  signed  simply 
TK — in  type.  Others  I  have  signed  the  same  and 
then  with  pen  and  ink  have  added  "E.  J.  St.  John" 
and  occasionally  "Dr.  E.  J.  St.  John." 

But,  during  the  last  three  years — prior  to  this 
22nd  day  of  Nov.  1912 — I  have  instructed  most  of 
my  correspondents  to  address  me  as  "Dr.  E.  J.  St. 
John — South  Kenilworth  Ave.,  Oak  Park,  III. — and 
this  too,  while  signing  most  of  my  own  letters  as 
"TK." 

And  thus,  you  will  observe  that  it  has  become  al- 
most generally  known  that  "TK"  and  "Dr.  E.  J.  St. 
John,"  are  one  and  the  same  person.  This  has  been 
premeditated  on  my  part,  for  the  purpose  of  more 
easily  identifying  both  of  these  names  with  my  real 
name  of  "J.  E.  Richardson"  or  "John  E.  Richard- 
son"— when  the  time  comes,  if  ever,  that  it  would 


106  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

seem  wise  for  the  general  public  to  know  my  real 
name. 

On  January  30,  1910,  Florence  Huntley  —  with 
whom  I  had  worked  for  almost  25  years — and  I  were 
married,  in  the  home  of  our  Beloved  Friend  and 
Brother — H.  H ,  in  the  village  of  Oak  Park,  Illi- 
nois. 

THIS  WAS  THE  CULMINATION  OF  ALL  OUR 
DREAMS  OF  EARTHLY  HAPPINESS. 

WE  WERE,  BY  THE  GRACIOUS  BENEDIC- 
TION OF  THE  "HIGHER  DESTINY,"  PER- 
MITTED TO  REALIZE  TWO  FULL  YEARS  OF 
"THE  FULFILLING  OF  THE  LAW"  IN  THE 
SWEETEST  AND  MOST  BLESSED  AND  BEAU- 
TIFUL LIFE  OF  THE  SOUL,  AND  IN  THE  MOST 
PERFECT  COMPANIONSHIP  AND  COMRAD- 
SHIP— IN  THE  GREAT  WORK— BEFORE  HER 
TASKS  WERE  FINISHED  AND  SHE  RE- 
SPONDED TO  THE  CALL  FROM  ABOVE: 
"WELL  DONE,  GOOD  AND  FAITHFUL  SERV- 
ANT"—AND  LEFT  ME  HERE  TO  CARRY  THE 
DOUBLE  BURDEN  AS  FAR  AS  I  CAN  BEFORE 
I  TOO,  SHALL  HEAR  THE  CALL  TO  "COME  UP 
HIGHER." 

When  that  time  shall  come  I  pray  that  I  may  go  as 
calmly,  sweetly  and  peacefully  as  she  did,  and  that 
I  may  leave  behind  me,  in  the  Consciousness  of  our 
many  mutual  Friends  and  Students,  some  small 
measure  of  the  Love,  the  Friendship,  Gratitude  and 
Confidence  they  cherish  for  her. 

As  one  more  link  in  the  chain  of  identification,  let 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH   OF   TK'S  LIFE  107 

me  say  that  on  the  occasion  of  our  earthly  union  and 
legal  marriage,  Jan.  30,  1910,  there  were  present  the 
following  named  guests,  among  others,  who  witnessed 
the  marriage  ceremony  and  participated  in  the  joys 
of  the  occasion : 

(Here  follows  a  list  of  names  of  those  who  were 
in  attendance.) 

With  a  prayer  for  the  ever-increasing  success  of  the 
Great  School,  and  a  blessing  for  each  and  all  who  have 
contributed  to  this  success,  and  those  who  are  now 
contributing  or  who  may  hereafter  contribute  to  the 
success  of  the  movement,  I  hereunto  subscribe  my 
true,  legal  and  correct  name,  and  also  my  assumed 
names, 


'a  art  j 


Uoliu  6.7tu7iarc(< 

Finished  and  signed  in  my  workroom  at  No.  - 


So.  Kenilworth  Ave.,  this  23d  day  of  Nov.,  A.  D.,  1912, 
at  exactly  11  o'clock  p.  m. 


108  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  Truth  About  TK's  Alleged  Thirteen  Months 
of  "Personal  Instruction ' ' 

The  foregoing  autobiography  is  herewith  printed, 
word  for  word,  from  the  original,  which  is  in  TK's 
own  hand  writing.  On  page  65  is  presented  a  photo- 
graphic reproduction  of  page  6  of  the  original,  while 
on  pages  63-64  you  will  find  the  same  matter  in  type. 

So  far  as  we  know  only  eight  copies  (typewritten) 
were  made  and  these  are  in  the  possession  of  some  of 
the  older  students. 

We  have  given  you  this  story  chiefly  because  it  con- 
tains the  full  account  of  his  alleged  meeting  and  asso- 
ciation with  his  imaginary  "Hindo  Master,' '  just  as 
he  told  the  tale  to  those  of  his  "accepted  students' ' 
whose  kind  of  "loyalty"  would  never  permit  them  to 
question,  or  undertake  such  a  thing  as  an  investiga- 
tion into  his  personal  claims. 

Now  TK  states  in  the  clearest,  most  definite,  un- 
mistakable and  unqualified  terms  that: 

1.  A  "Hindo  Master"  came  to  him  in  Stockton, 
Calif.,  on  July  21,  1883. 

2.  That  this  Hindo  Master  remained  in  Stockton 
from  July  21,  1883,  to  August  21,  1884. 

3.  That  he  lived  at  the  Grand  Central  Hotel,  occu- 
pying Room  No.  13  during  all  that  time. 

4.  That  he,  TK,  was  with  this  "master"  on  an 
average  of  nine  (9)  hours  every  day  during  the  thir- 
teen months  indicated. 

5.  That  these  nine  hours  began  at  4  p.  m.  daily,  and 
lasted  "until  late  into  the  night, — usually  between  one 
and  two  the  next  morning."    (See  page  97.) 


TK'S  ALLEGED  "PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION"  109 

Now  it  is  clearly  evident  that  upon  the  truthfulness 
or  untruthfulness  of  these  unqualified  statements  rests 
the  existence  and  superstructure  of  his  entire  so-called 
" Great  School.' '  This  is  the  keystone  to  the  arch, — 
the  one  single  decisive,  pivotal  point  upon  which  turn 
all  his  personal  claims  and  pretensions.  Disprove  this 
decisive  point, — take  away  this  " Great  Master"  story, 
— show  conclusively  that  TK's  time,  during  these  thir- 
teen months,  was  occupied  otherwise  than  as  he  states, 
— that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  have  spent  nine 
hours  daily  with  his  so-called  " Great  Master," — and 
it  becomes  clearly  impossible  that  there  could  be  any 
foundation  whatever  for  his  alleged  contact  with  and 
instruction  under  his  " master." 

Once  the  untruthfulness  of  what  he  has  to  say  on 
this  one  point  is  settled,  it  follows,  as  surely  as  day  the 
night,  that  his  alleged  "instruction"  and  "training"; 
his  personal  experiences,  claims  and  demonstrations; 
his  assumed  authority  in  and  relationship  to  the  Great 
School;  his  position  as  its  "sole  representative," — ■ 
and  everything  he  has  ever  written  regarding  these 
personal  claims  is  proven  and  established  beyond  all 

POSSIBILITY  OF  DOUBT  TO  BE  ENTIRELY  IMAGINARY,  A 
MYTH,  A  FICTION,  WITHOUT  ANY  FOUNDATION  WHATEVER 
IN  FACT. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  before,  during  and  follow- 
ing the  time  specified,  i  e.,  between  July  21,  1883,  and 
August  21,  1884,  it  is  known  definitely  and  has  been 
established  beyond  all  question,  exactly  how  Mr.  Eich- 
ardson's  time  was  occupied,  and  that  it  was  not  occu- 
pied as  he  states  it  was. 


110  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

There  is  living  to-day  in  Stockton,  Calif.,  a  gentle- 
man, a  Mr.  Nutter,  an  old  resident  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  that  place.  He  is  a  successful  and 
prominent  attorney;  a  man  of  unimpeachable  char- 
acter and  reputation.  He  has  practiced  law  in  Stock- 
ton since  1885.  He  worked  with  Mr.  Eichardson  daily 
for  a  number  of  years.  The  two  studied  law  together ; 
took  their  examinations  together,  and  following  their 
admission  to  the  Bar  on  Nov.  10,  1885,  they  formed  a 
partnership  and  for  several  months  thereafter  prac- 
ticed law  together. 

Upon*  the  basis  of  these  facts,  Mr.  Nutter  kixew  Mr. 
Eichardson,  knew  him  intimately, — as  intimately  as  an 
association  of  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  hours  daily 
would  make  possible. 

Now  Mr.  Nutter  states  unqualifiedly  that  Mr.  Eich- 
ardson and  himself  were  together  daily  during  the 
entire  time  in  which  TK  says  he  spent  nine  hours  a 
day  with  his  imaginary  " master.' '  Mr.  Nutter  states 
further — and  the  Court  records  in  Stockton  sustain  his 
testimony — that  he  and  Mr.  Eichardson  were  engaged 
at  that  time  as  deputy  County  Clerks,  that  in  this 
capacity  they  worked  together  from  9  a.  m.  to  4  p.  m. 
daily.  Mr.  Nutter  further  declares  that  from  4  p.  m. 
to  about  11  p.  m.,  and  from  5  to  9  a.  m.  daily  he  and 
Mr.  Eichardson  read  law  together  in  the  latter 's  home. 

In  this  manner  there  is  established  for  Mr.  Eichard- 
son an  absolute  alibi  which  proves  conclusively  that 
the  statements  which  he  makes  regarding  the  matter 
of  a  personal  instruction  and  "initiation"  are  entirely 
fictional  and  untrue. 


TK'S  "POLITICAL  ACTIVITIES"  111 

The  above  is,  of  course,  the  most  central,  important 
and  vital  fact  to  be  established,  and  whatever  addi- 
tional time  may  be  given  to  an  analysis  of  TK's  auto- 
biography can  be  but  supplementary — of  interest  only 
as  "A  Study  in  Psychology, ' ' — an  enigma  in  the 
realm  of  human  intelligence.  He  represents  himself 
as  yielding  a  powerful  influence  among  the  important 
men  of  the  political,  business  and  financial  world.  He 
runs  for  local  superintendent  of  schools  and  refers  to 
it  as  "  years  of  political  activities  and  ambitions  on 
the  Pacific  Coast/ '  In  a  letter  dated  Jan.  23,  1914,  he 
writes : 

1 '  There  was  a  time  in  my  own  political  life  when  it  became 
necessary  for  me  to  determine  whether  I  could  render  a  larger 
service  to  humanity  as  Governor  of  a  great  Commonwealth,  or 
as  the  obscure  representative  of  the  Great  School. 

"By  a  chain  of  events,  I  had  become  the  pivotal  center  about 
which  revolved  the  destiny  of  the  Democratic  Party  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  this  had  come  about  without  any  desire, 
ambition  or  political  effort  on  my  own  part;  nevertheless  the 
responsibility  of  determining  the  question  rested  upon  me 
alone.  I  went  before  the  convention  and  made  a  careful 
address,  asking  that  my  name  be  withdrawn  and  that  of  a 
young  friend  be  substituted.  This  was  done  and  by  thus 
throwing  all  my  political  influence  on  the  side  of  my  successor, 
he  was  elected  by  a  splendid  majority." 

Another  illustration  of  this  " tendency' '  appears  in 
Bv.  4,  p.  164: 

"When  the  time  comes,  if  this  is  before  my  work  here  is 
finished,  I  shall  hope  to  give  to  the  world  some  of  the  advanced 
methods  of  therapeutics  known  to  the   Great   School   and 


112  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Friends.  It  will  then  be  for  the  world  to  answer  as  to 
whether  these  are  'better'  than  the  methods  of  Christian 
Science,  or  Christian  Metaphysics,  or  the  Emanuel  Movement, 
or  Nature  Cure,  or  the  Regular  Physician,  or  the  various 
other  methods  now  in  use.  In  my  own  best  judgment,  the 
methods  of  the  Great  School  are  immeasurably  superior  to 
those  of  any  or  all  the  other  systems  of  treatment  combined ; 
but  there  are  no  doubt,  many  who  would  not  trust  my  judg- 
ment in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance.  /  cannot  blame 
them.    In  truth,  I  heartily  commend  them." 

From  this,  one  would  hardly  imagine  disease  and 
sickness  in  TK's  family.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, TK  himself  for  years  complained  almost  con- 
stantly of  indigestion,  back  ache,  sleeplessness,  etc., 
and  resorted  to  drugs  and  medicines  practically  all 
the  time.  Few  physician-students  ever  came  to 
"know"  him  or  even  to  learn  of  his  physical  disorders 
who  did  not  furnish  or  prescribe  for  him  some  new 
remedies. 

We  herewith  present  a  list  of  the  names  and  initials 
by  which  TK  was  known  to  and  spoken  of  by  his 
intimate  students  and  friends :  TK,  E  B,  J  E  R,  U  J, 
G  M,  Elder  Brother,  Tack  Hammer,  Chief  Tack,  Uncle 
John,  General  Manager,  Grand  Master,  Dr.  E.  J.  St. 
John,  Wamhas,  Zanoni  and  Iben. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Masters  and  Masters 

1.  What  tangible  evidence  can  you  offer  as  to  the 
existence  of  the  Great  School  at  the  present  time,  and 
of  its  existence  during  the  long  periods  you  claim  for 
it? 

2.  What  tangible  evidence  can  you  offer  that  it 
sent  Masonry  forth  into  the  world? 

3.  Where  are  the  records  which  you  mention,  and 
how  were  you  convinced  as  to  their  authenticity  and 
great  age? 

— Life  and  Action,  Bv.  1,  p.  11. 
"The  only  'tangible'  evidence  I  have  to  offer  you  at 
this  time,  or  to  any  other  man,  is  myself  " 

— TK,  in  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  1,  p.  13. 

Speaking  of  pre-judging  the  existence  of  the  * '  Great 
School' '  one  prominent  instructor  wrote  as  follows: 

"The  spirit  was  illustrated  by  the  reception  ac- 
corded 'The  Great  Work'  by  two  clergymen  to  whom 
I  had  presented  the  book,  both  good  and  rather  liberal 
men.  One  declared  that  if  he  had  the  knowledge  sug- 
gested by  the  author  he  would  '  shout  it  from  the  house- 
tops.' "  The  author  did  not  so  shout  it,  but  rather 
concealed  his  identity  (for  specific  reasons),  ergo,  he 
could  not  possess  the  knowledge. 

The  other  simply  said  he  "doubted  entirely  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Great  School.  *  *  *  #  A  very 
large  interest  must  continually  turn  on  the  question  of 

113 


114  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

the  existence  of  the  Great  School." — Bv.  1,  No.  2,  pp. 
5-7. 

Proving  the  Great  School's  Existence 

"Either  such  men  exist,  or  they  do  not.  The  fact  of 
their  existence,  if  they  exist  at  all,  should  be  demon- 
trable.  Hoiv  that  demonstration  should  or  could  be 
made,  would  be  a  serious  question  intimately  involved 
with  that  of  their  existence  and  powers  per  se. 

Admitting  or  proving  the  existence  of  the  real  Mas- 
ter, the  existence  of  the  Great  School  becomes  merely 
a  question  of  aggregation  and  association.'' " 

— Bv.  1,  No.  2,  p.  16. 
The  " Great  School,"  A  Failure  All  Down  the  Ages 

' '  They  have  the  records  of  all  the  past  ages  to  draw 
from.  In  those  records  may  be  found  many  forceful 
examples  and  illustrations  wherein  the  best  efforts  of 
the  Great  School  have  resulted  in  failure,  or  in  suc- 
cess of  so  qualified  a  nature  as  to  spell  'failure*  when 
compared  with  the  original  ideals  and  designs  which 
the  Great  Friends  have  had  in  mind. 

"No  more  forceful  illustration  of  all  this  could  be 
found  than  in  the  life  and  ministry  of  the  Master, 
Jesus."  —Bv.  1,  No.  3,  p.  24. 

Taking  No  Chances  this  Time 

"This  present  and  latest  effort  of  the  School  was 
planned  many  years  before  its  active  inauguration. 
It  was  based  upon  the  experiences  of  the  past  ages 
of  effort,  and  as  might  readily  be  anticipated,  every 
phase  of  the  contemplated  Movement  was  given  the 


116 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

most  careful,  thotful  cmd  exhaustive  consideration, 
cmd  the  methods  of  procedure  to  be  followed  were 
wrought  out  with  the  utmost  exactness  and  detail" 

— Bv.  3,  p.  63. 

TK  Chosen 

"  Through  a  combination  of  conditions  and  circum- 
stances which  some  might  call  fate,  others  luck,  others 
good  fortune,  others  destiny,  but  which  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  name  or  explain,  it  has  been  a  part  of  my 
experience  to  be  chosen  by  the  School  of  Natural 
Science  to  undertake  a  definite  and  specific  work  in 
this  country." 

•— TK,inBv.  l,No..3,p.  24. 

To  Peotect  the  Wokld  fbom  Imposition 

" There  are  fifteen  additional  'Marks'  or  'in- 
dices' of  the  real  'Master'  stated  in  the  same  chapter. 
They  are  all  equally  clear  and  unqualified.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  Great  School  in  giving  this  definite  and  im- 
portant information  to  the  public  in  this  particular 
manner  and  form  was  to  enable  honest  and  intelligent 
students  and  inquirers  to  have  at  command  the  sim- 
ple and  unqualified  data  which  would  enable  them,  at 
any  and  all  times  and  under  any  and  all  circumstances : 
To  determine  the  TRUE  from  the  false  and  thus  pro- 
tect  themselves  from  imposition  and  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  charlatans,  fakirs  and  frauds  who  adver- 
tise themselves  to  the  innocent  and  the  unsophisticated 
as  'Masters'  and  as  'Members'  and  'Representatives' 
of  The  Great  School" 

TK,  in  Bv,  1,  No.  5,  p.  23. 


MASTERS  AND  MASTERS  117 

Danger  of  Being  Imposed  upon  and  Misled 

"In  these  days  of  psychic  inquiry  and  wide  gen- 
eral awakening  to  the  possibilities  of  definite  knowl- 
edge in  the  realm  of  things  spiritual,  there  are  "  Tea- 
chers' '  and  " Instructors' '  and  "Guides"  and  "Mas- 
ters" waiting  at  every  turn  of  the  road.  In  this  age, 
as  in  every  other,  there  are  impostors,  pretenders  and 
charlatans  who  seek  to  turn  the  spirit  of  inquiry  to 
their  own  selfish  gain.  And  because  of  these  impostors 
the  honest  inquirer  and  seeker  after  spiritual  light  is 
in  constant  danger  of  being  imposed  upon  and  mis- 
led." — TK,  in  Bv.  1,  No.  5,  p.  24. 

People  Deceived  and  Exploited  by  Masters 

"The  old  saying — ' Nothing  can  be  concealed  from 
him  who  knows '  has  not  a  trite,  but  a  very  deep  mean- 
ing. *  Occultism '  has  become  a  fad  and  the  very  name 
raises  curiosity  to  the  highest  pitch.  People  flock  to- 
gether like  a  lot  of  gossips  at  a  *  quilting/  just  burst- 
ing to  hear  the  latest  lingo  or  the  most  astonishing 
secrets,  and  they  are  told  to  'Take  a  Mantram'  as  they 
would  be  told  to  'help  themselves  to  the  preserves.' 
These  people  are  deceived,  exploited,  robbed  and  fin- 
ally discouraged/9  — Bv.  1,  No.  4,  p.  29. 

People  Pay  Liberally  for  Being  Humbugged 

"There  is,  moreover,  at  all  times  a  'running  after* 
these  teachers  by  the  multitude,  generally  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  a  'short-cut,'  a  desire  of  ' climb- 
ing up  some  other  way,'  so  as  to  avoid  self-control  and 
personal  effort  to  which  I  have  referred.    It  is  here 


118  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

that  the  charlatan  sees  his  opportunity  and  gets  in  his 
work.    People  pay  liberally  for  being  humbugged." 

— Bv.  1,  No.  2,  p.  4. 

Fakirism  Past  and  Present 

"The  middle  ages  were  not  more  full  of  'Soothsay- 
ers/ ' Astrologers/  'Adepts/  'Magicians/  and  the 
like,  than  is  the  present  age  with  'Mediums/  'Healers/ 
'Leaders/  and  'Official  Heads/  who  for  a  'sufficient 
consideration'  can  be  induced  to  take  your  money, 
'Give  you  a  Mantram/  'lead  you  into  the  silence/  and 
land  you  on  the  stool  of  repentance  or  in  the  mad- 
house, and  then  dodge  the  law  by  shifting,  with  another 
nom  de  plume,  to  another  parish.  They  are  shorter- 
lived  now  than  formerly,  on  account  of  the  newspapers 
and  prying  reporters;  but  the  psychological  exploita- 
tion of  to-day  is  equally  popular  and  successful  with 
the  fakirism  of  all  the  past,  and  the  people  just  beg 
these  fakirs  to  take  their  money. 

— Bv.  4,  pp.  262-3. 

On  Judging  True  Masters 

"There  must  be  an  absence  of  ambition,  greed,  sel- 
fishness, pride  or  any  ulterior  motive.  The  man  and 
his  work  must  agree,  thus  revealing  'consistency,  co- 
ordination, completeness  and  harmony'." 

— Bv.  1,  No.  4,  p.  29. 


CHAPTER  IX 

What  Is  This  " Great  School?' ' 

"It  matters  not  who  the  individual  may  be,  or  what 
are  the  claims  he  makes.    His  actual  life  and  conduct 

ARE  THE  BASIS  UPON  WHICH  HE  MUST  BE  JUDGED.' ' 

— TK  in  Bv.  1,  No.  5,  p.  25. 

What  is  this  "Great  School"! 

Whence  came  it? 

Who  are  its  representatives? 

What  is  it  all  about? 

Has  it  any  real  existence? 

Who  knows  anything  about  it? 

What  has  it  done? 

What  has  become  of  it? 

If  you  have  read  and  remembered  what  TK  has 
written  about  it,  you  yourself  will  know  as  much  con- 
cerning its  existence  as  anyone  else,  and  so  far  as  his 
personal  relationship  to  a  Great  Spiritual  School  of 
Light,  it  is  all  a  beautiful  fiction.  If  he  is  a  representa- 
tive of  any  spiritual  school  at  all,  it  is  the  Great  School 
of  Spiritual  Darkness. 

TK  himself  tells  us  that  he  came  from  a  numerous 
family,  practically  all  members  of  which  were  or  are 
spiritualists;  that  many  of  them  were  mediums,  and 
that  he  himself  tried  for  a  number  of  years  to  become 
a  medium.  He  states  also  that  as  a  result  of  the  med- 
iumistic  process  one  relative  developed  into  a  serious 
nervous   condition,   another   became  insane,   another 

119 


120  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

obsessed,  while  still  others  were  unfavorably  influ- 
enced in  various  ways. 

Evidence  exists  which  proves  conclusively  that  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  consulting  mediums,  even  up  to 
near  the  time  he  wrote  "The  Great  Psychological 
Crime," — against  mediumship  and  hypnotism. 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  TK  himself  has 
been  a  medium  for  a  number  of  years,  and  subject  to 
spiritual  influences  and  impressions.  Not  only  this, 
but  the  evidences  in  his  life  suggest  that  he  was  just 
the  type  of  intelligence  to  readily  co-operate  with  and 
lend  himself  to  the  direction  and  will  of  dishonest  and 
unscrupulous  spirit  guides  and  controls. 

As  to  the  origin  of  his  " Great  School,' '  it  appears 
from  an  abundance  of  his  letters  to  Florence  Huntley, 
that  it  began  in  veiled  hints  and  suggestions .  to  her, 
to  the  effect  that  he  (TK)  was  in  touch  with  a  spiritual 
school  of  some  kind.  These  letters  bear  further  evi- 
dence that  as  she  became  impressed  with  this  thot,  and 
questioned  him,  he  found  it  necessary  to  amplify  the 
original  hints  until  in  the  course  of  five  or  six  years, 
and  as  their  love  relation  grew,  she  came  to  accept 
his  stories  as  the  living  truth.  As  time  passed,  in 
order  to  strengthen  his  position  and  prospects  in  her 
mind,  and  in  order  to  establish  his  influence  over  her, 
he  began  posing  as  a  "master."  From  the  entries  in 
her  diaries,  it  appears  that  this  influence  and  power 
which  he  sought  to  exercise  was  unquestionably  hyp- 
notic; in  other  words,  in  order  to  accomplish  his  de- 
signs he  was,  either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  re- 
sorting to  what  all  occult  writers  describe  as  Black 
Magic. 


WHAT  IS  THIS  "GREAT  SCHOOL"?  121 

In  due  time  in  the  course  of  his  letters  to  Florence 
Huntley,  he  introduced  the  word  great,  thus  referring 
to  his  imaginary  school  as  a  GREAT  School,  and 
thereafter  spoke  of  it  as  such.  In  a  veiled  way  he 
spoke  also  of  his  "master,"  who  in  due  time,  became 
a  Great  Master,  and  following  this,  in  the  course  of 
evolution,  other  imaginary  "masters"  came  into  the 
occult  tales  he  wove  into  his  "love"  letters. 

Thus  with  proper  suggestions,  stories  and  hints,  and 
belief  in  the  honesty  of  his  intentions  and  claims,  the 
"existence"  of  his  "Great  School,"  his  Great  Mas- 
ters and  his  own  "mastership,"  etc.,  etc.,  it  gradually 
became  impressed  upon  Florence  Huntley's  mind  as  a 
reality. 

In  1894,  Mr.  Richardson  persuaded  her  to  come  to 
Chicago  to  live,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  she 
lived  in  a  single  room  in  the  Leland  Hotel.  During 
this  time  she  wrote  her  "Harmonics  of  Evolution," 
and  helped  out  on  her  living  expenses  by  selling  in- 
surance and  stock  offered  by  various  Masonic  Insur- 
ance "Associations"  the  "master"  was  engaged  i'n 
floating  from  time  to  time. 

Under  the  impression  from  TK  that  she  was,  with 
him,  destined  and  chosen  by  the  "Great  Masters"  of 
his  "Great  School"  to  represent  their  interests  in 
America,  she  readily  yielded  herself  to  the  belief  that 
they  should  inaugurate  a  modern  metaphysical  cru- 
sade of  some  kind.  Thus  it  came  about  that  Mrs. 
Huntley  in  her  meetings  with  people  in  a  business  way, 
took  occasion  to  try  out  certain  individuals  with  some 
of  the  "spiritual"  ideas  which  she  was  in  the  habit 
of  discussing  with  her  "master."     In  this  way,  in 


122  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

time,  she  succeeded  in  impressing  two  or  three  peo- 
ple sufficiently  to  get  them  to  express  a  willingness  or 
desire  to  meet  the  "modern  master  of  the  law."  As 
a  result,  a  meeting  was  usually  brot  about  between  the 
new  prospect  and  the  Great  One. 

By  1899  her  book  "Harmonics  of  Evolution/'  ex- 
plaining just  how  often  and  when  to  love  wisely,  "as 
well  as  well," — was  published.  By  that  time,  thru 
Mrs.  Huntley's  efforts,  a  half  dozen  or  so  people  had 
been  impressed  to  believe  that  what  she  told  them  of 
TK's  stories  was  too  true  to  be  good — that  he  was  as 
one  "born  out  of  due  time,"  a  sure  enuf,  simon-pure, 
flesh-and-blood  "master,"  and  that  he  had  not  arrived 
a  day  too  soon  to  save  mankind  from  being  humbugged 
by  the  horde  of  spurious  "masters"  already  doing 
business  in  Chicago  and  elsewhere. 

Furthermore,  this  little  group  were  duly  impressed 
to  believe  that  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs.  Huntley  were 
soul-mates;  that  they  had  made  this  scientific  demon- 
stration, and  were  therefore  equipped  by  Nature,  to 
become  teachers  and  messengers  to  mankind.  If  the 
"little  band"  of  students  knew  anything  at  all  of  the 
existence  of  Mr.  Richardson's  wife  and  child,  they 
probably  got  the  information  in  a  way  to  mislead  them 
as  to  the  truth,  so  that  they  paid  little  or  no  attention 
to  the  true  situation. 

Thus,  TK's  "Great  School"  had  its  beginning.  He 
became  the  "sole  representative,"  the  center,  the  head, 
the  tail  light  and  speed  indicator.  And  thus  under 
the  strong,  swaying  influences  of  false  impressions, 
Florence  Huntley  innocently  lent  her  brilliant  intelli- 
gence to  the  domination  of  an  unprincipled  schemer. 


WHAT  IS  THIS  "GREAT  SCHOOL"?  123 

During  these  early  years  of  his  " Great  School's" 
existence,  TK  got  considerable  practice  in  the  role 
of  a  "master."  He  discovered  many  tricks  of  psy- 
chology, learning  how  to  meet,  handle  and  properly 
impress  different  types  of  men. 

In  the  weekly  meetings  which  were  inaugurated  and 
carried  on  for  several  years,  he  learned  things  which 
later  on  became  his  stock  in  trade.  Out  of  these  few 
followers  and  such  as  were  added  from  time  to  time, 
he  evolved  and  tried  out  new  hints,  suggestions,  stories 
and  poses,  until  in  1909  when  he  launched  his  maga- 
zine, Life  and  Action,  he  had  accumulated  considerable 
"personal  experience"  in  his  new  line,  and  a  great 
many  practical  ideas  about  the  "master"  business. 
He  had  developed  many  new  designs  in  psychological 
hood-winks,  had  invented  many  a  new  occult  hook  and 
had  discovered  and  worked  out  as  clever  a  line  of  in- 
tellectual and  moral  bait  as  ever  were  cast  into  the 
surging  sea  of  humanity.  He  knew  too,  how  to  set 
and  trip  his  own  make  of  spiritual  trap  in  a  way  that 
amazed  most  of  his  competitors. 

Thus  step  by  step,  he  made  his  "scientific  demon- 
strations," and  got  his  spiritual  eyes  open  to  the  best 
methods  for  carrying  on  the  business  which  he  so  aptly 
termed  his  *  '  Great  Work. ' '  He  had  really  reduced  the 
practice  of  occult  grafting  to  a  science.  He  had  ele- 
vated this  science  to  the  dignity  of  a  profession.  He 
demonstrated  that  the  master  business  can  be  made  to 
pay,  purely  by  a  system  of  personal  impressions,  based 
solely  upon  faith  in  an  honesty  which  did  not  exist. 

By  the  time  he  started  his  magazine,  TK  already 
had  a  nice  publishing  business  and  had  collected  prob- 


124  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

ably  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  the  side.  He  had 
built  up  an  imaginary  " Great  School"  in  the  minds 
of  a  number  of  his  readers,  and  they  had  been  im- 
pressed to  look  to  him  as  the  sole  representative 
and  proprietor.  He  alone  possessed  full  power  to  use 
it,  advertise  it,  clothe  and  exploit  it;  run  it  or  ditch 
it,  just  as  he  might  see  fit. 

On  the  physical  plane  he  had  drawn  about  him  a  few 
people  whose  names  he  used  in  his  writings  as  fully 
endorsing  his  "mastership."  None  of  these  could 
have  sworn  whether  he  was  a  master  or  a  mummy,  but 
they  had  his  word  for  it,  and  believing  implicitly  in  his 
honesty,  permitted  themselves  to  be  deceived  and  mis- 
led. 

Instead  of  offering  any  proofs  of  his  "mastership," 
he  took  the  negative  side  of  the  question  and  left  with 
those  who  might  be  interested,  the  burden  of  proving 
that  he  was  not  a  ' '  master ' ' !  When  any  new  inquirers 
asked  him  for  evidences  of  the  existence  of  his  '  *  Great 
School,"  he  turned  his  hand  and  in  a  way  not  to  of- 
fend human  intelligence,  said  simply:  "There  are 
people  whom  I  have  admitted  to  studentship.  They 
are  students  in  the  Great  School.  How  could  they  be 
students  in  a  Great  School  if  there  were  no  Great 
School?  The  existence  of  these  students  is  proof  posi- 
tive of  the  existence  of  my  Great  School. 

Is  it  not  so?" 

And  it  was  not  so. 

The  remainder  of  TK's  evidence  of  the  existence  of 
his  school  consisted  of  stories,  hints  and  suggestions. 
These  stories,  etc.,  played  more  or  less  hypnotically 
upon  the  susceptible  imaginations  of  those  who  wished 


WHAT  IS  THIS  "GREAT  SCHOOL"?  125 

or  demanded  something  "tangible"  to  believe  and 
think  about,  and  in  time  the  objects,  happenings,  places 
and  personages  which  figured  in  TK's  spiritual  tales, 
took  on  the  nature  of  reality,  very  much  as  Santa 
Claus  is  a  reality  to  children. 

TK  was  supposed  to  have  a  number  of  "masters" 
assisting  him  with  the  management  of  his  "Great 
School":  there  was  the  "Great  Master,"  the  "Great 
Chinese  Master,"  "Master  Alamo,"  the  "Beloved 
Master,' ' — for  the  ladies  to  pray  to,  and  a  host  of 
lesser  lights  for  emergencies. 

Whether  TK  believed  what  these  spirit  guides  told 
him  or  not,  it  would  be  just  like  him  anyway  to  brag 
on  them  as  being  GREAT  ones,  just  as  he  boasts  of  his 
former  imaginary  escape  from  being  Governor  of 
California,  his  $30,000.00  a  year  income,  his  cats  and 
other  accomplishments.  Anyway,  he  frequently  de- 
scribed his  masters'  robes,  their  eyes,  their  whiskers 
and  little  mannerisms,  until  in  time  a  number  of  stu- 
dents called  them  by  their  first  names  and  imagined 
they  could  recognize  them  off  hand  if  they  should 
ever  get  an  opportunity  to  give  them  the  "once  over." 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Indo-American  Book  Co. 

Harmonics  of  Evolution  was  published  in  1899. 

The  Great  Psychological  Crime  in  1903. 

The  Great  Work  in  1906. 

Up  to  1907  it  was  believed  by  the  students,  and 
TK  himself  encouraged  this  belief  at  every  oppor- 
tunity, that  the  Book  Co.,  had  not  done  so  well,  and 
it  was  during  this  year  that  plans  were  laid  for  the 
" extension  of  the  work." 

The  Plan  Proposed 

"The  Indo-American  Book  Co.,  is  the  agency  thru  which 
the  School  of  Natural  Science  has  undertaken  to  reach  the 
world.  It  was  organized  and  to-day  exists  solely  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  agency  can  be  supported  and  its  object  secured. 
By  aiding  and  supporting  this  agency,  we  may  in  the  only 
legitimate  way  possible  uphold  the  hands  of  the  Teacher 
(TK)  and  further  the  Great  Work  in  this  country. 

"It  is  therefore  herein  and  hereby  proposed,  that  as  many 
of  us  as  can  do  so  and  desire  to  co-operate  in  the  Great  Work, 
and  aid  the  School  of  Natural  Science  in  its  educational  exten- 
sion work,  agree  together  to  purchase  from  the  Indo-American 
Book  Co.,  each  month,  one  set  of  the  three  books,  each  (more 
or  less  as  he  feels  able  or  inclined),  and  present  them  as  a 
gift  to  some  individual  or  library,  or  other  institution  where 
he  believes  they  will  do  the  most  good." 

I  now  quote  you  a  paragraph  which  tells  the  whole  story 
as  plain  as  day: 

126 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  127 

"By  aiding  the  work,  we  many  become  co-workers  with  the 
Teacher,  in  a  modest  and  acceptable  way,  and  so  enable  him 
to  devote  his  entire  time  and  energy  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  Work.  It  would  be  a  shame  to  offer  him  i  charity,*  in  the 
ordinary  meaning  of  that  term;  and  he  cannot  accept  'remun- 
eration' nor  become  a  'pensioner*  even  upon  those  who  would 
esteem  it  a  sacred  privilege  to  'give'." 

Who,  then  or  what  was  the  Indo-American  Book 
"Co."?  The  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  was  simply 
another  business-name  for  John  E.  Richardson.  It 
was  not  a  "Company";  it  was  never  incorporated. 
TK  was  the  sole  owner;  he  alone  dictated  its  policies 
and  grew  rich  on  its  profits.  To  call  himself  a  '  *  Com- 
pany" was  strictly  in  line  with  his  regular  method  of 
false-facing  the  various  "departments"  of  his 
"GREAT  Work."  Few  would  suspect  the  above  facts, 
for  throughout  his  writings  and  in  his  personal  inter- 
views and  correspondence,  TK  always  referred  to  the 
Book  "Co."  as  if  it  were  a  thing  separate  and  apart 
from  himself,  as  for  instance,  (Bound  Vol.  5,  p.  209) : 

"It  was  because  of  this  fact  that  I  was  led  to  rec- 
ommend to  the  Indo-American  Book  Co.  (himself)  the 
publication,  or  circulation  of  M.  Notovich's  book, 
"The  Unknown  Life  of  Jesus  Christ" — after  dis- 
claiming any  definite  knowledge  on  the  subject.  And 
while  the  Book  "Co."  (TK)  has  made  its  (TK's) 
disclaimer  as  suggested,"  etc.,  etc. 

This  is  but  one  example.  A  hundred  might  be 
quoted. 

In  the  spring  of  1909,  "The  Indo-American  Maga- 
zine" was  launched. 


128  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

With  its  second  issue  (Sept.  1909),  the  name  was 
changed  to  "Life  and  Action. " 

The  three  principal  books  published  by  the  "Com- 
pany" were  known  as  the  "Harmonic  Series.' '  The 
first  of  these,  "Harmonics  of  Evolution,"  was  pub- 
lished in  1899.  Thus  TK's  publication  work  began  in 
1899  and  continued  to  April  1st,  1916. 

During  all  these  years,  TK  foisted  the  idea,  and  it 
was  universally  accepted  and  believed  to  be  true  by 
all  his  followers  intimately  associated  with  the  work 
in  Chicago,  that, 

1.  The  Book  "Co."  up  to  1912  had  never  paid 
running  expenses. 

2.  That  in  1911,  the  "Co."  ran  behind  $6,000.00, 
which  sum  (according  to  report  made* to  the  Board  of 
Assessors,  Cook  Co.,  111.,  April,  1912)  had  to  be  made 
up  in  order  to  keep  the  "Co."  running. 

3.  That  when  in  1912  the  Book  "Co."  began  show- 
ing a  "small  margin  above  running  expenses,"  every 
dollar  of  the  revenue  therefrom  was  devoted  to  the 
extension  of  the  "work."  * 

From  the  very  beginning,  TK  planted  the  idea, 
watered  and  cultivated  it,  both  in  conversation  and  in 
all  his  writings,  and  made  it  clear  and  definite,  that 
no  part  of  the  "Great  Work"  would  or  could  ever  be 
used  for  money  making  or  grafting  of  any  kind. 

In  Bound  Vol.  Ill,  "Life  and  Action"  for  1912, 
p.  59,  third  paragraph,  TK  says  : 


#The    "small    margin' '   here   referred   to   amounted   to 
$6,000.00  in  TK's  favor  for  the  year  of  1912. 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  129 

"  However  unbusiness-like  it  may  appear,  we  are, 
nevertheless,  not  handling  and  selling  books  for  the 
sake  of  making  money.  Our  primary  and  impelling 
motive  is  educational." 

So  clearly,  regularly  and  persistently  was  the  pov- 
erty idea  passed  around  that  even  in  the  latter  weeks 
of  TK's  program,  and  up  to  his  exposure  in  March, 
1916,  not  a  single  student  except  his  private  stenog- 
rapher knew  or  even  suspected  but  that  he  was  living 
almost  from  hand-to-mouth,  and  in  constant  need  of 
funds  with  which  to  carry  on  his  "work."  Not  one 
would  have  imagined  the  incredibly  large  sums  of 
money  he  had  on  deposit  in  various  banks  at  that 
very  time. 

Up  to  October,  1911,  the  I-A  Book  "Co.,"  besides 
publishing  "their"  own  books,  did  a  general  book 
business.  TK's  income  at  that  time,  and  for  several 
years  previous  thereto,  was  from  various  sources: 

1.  Publication  of  the  "Harmonic  Series,"  and 
several  other  books  which  he  owned. 

2.  The  magazine,  Life  and  Action. 

3.  New  Thot  and  other  liberal  books  which  his 
"Co."  handled. 

4.  Individual,  regular,  monthly  contributions  to 
pay  for  imaginary  stenographers,  office  help,  etc.,  etc.* 


♦Exactly  how  many  " Friends''  were  contributing  reg- 
ularly to  this  graft  is  not  known.  It  is  known  that  one 
Friend  sent  $250.00  monthly  for  a  long  time.  Another  sent 
$70.00  per  month.  Examination  of  the  records  shows  that 
still  another  Friend,  a  Mr.  T-— ,  in  1910,  sent  a  check  for 


130  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


5.  Donations  to  a  "  Gift  Account  Fund '  ■  from  which 
books,  magazines,  etc.,  were  supposed  to  be  supplied 
free  to  the  poor  and  aged. 

6.  Purely  personal  cash  gifts  "for  the  good  of  the 
'  GREAT  CAUSE.'  " 

7.  Gifts — cash  and  otherwise — from  "Friends" 
for  his  own  "personal  use." 

It  has  been  stated  that  it  was  generally  understood 
by  even  the  most  intimate  students  and  employees 
in  TK's  "confidence,"  that  up  to  1912,  the  Book 
"Co."  had  failed  to  meet  its  own  running  expenses. 

Let  us  now  figure  with  figures: 

Up  to  April  1,  1916,  there  had  been  published  and 
sold  the  following  number  of  copies  of  the  '  '  Harmonic 
Series"  in  cloth  binding: 

Harmonics  of  Evolution,  19,000  at  $2.00  each,  $38,- 
000.00. 

Great  Psychological  Crime,  16,000  at  $2.00  each, 
$32,000.00. 

The  great  Work,  24,000  at  $2.00  each,  $48,000.00. 

Total  number  of  copies,  59,000;  total  value,  $118,- 
000.00. 

Of  the  above  total  amount,  the  following  table 
shows  the  sales  of  the  "Harmonic  Series"  from  Jan. 
1,  1912,  to  Jan.  1,1917: 


$1,000.00.  TK  promptly  suggested  that  this  amount  also  be 
used  in  the  same  manner — as  salary  for  an  imaginary  stenog- 
rapher. It  is  needless  to  say  just  how  any  of  these  contri- 
butions were  really  "applied." 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  131 

1912 $8,589.70 

1913  7,717.99 

1914 7,412.62 

1915  8,320.61 

1916 7,597.03 


Total:    $39,637.95 
Or  a  total  of  19,682  copies  in  cloth  binding.* 

To  make  these  figures  stand  out  more  forcefully,  let 
us  call  it  an  even  4,000  copies  per  year.  This  then 
will  account  for  20,000  of  the  total  60,000  copies  pub- 
lished. 

WE  NOW  HAVE  40,000  COPIES  ($80,000.00 
WORTH)  TO  ACCOUNT  FOR,  AND  THESE  40,- 
000  COPIES  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  PUBLISHED 
AND  SOLD  ONLY  IN  THE  PERIOD  BETWEEN 
1899  AND  JAN.  1ST,  1912. 

With  this  one  fact  alone  before  us,  can  any  mind 
imagine  how  the  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  could 
have  possibly  failed  to  meet  its  running  expenses  up 
to  1912? 

Keeping  in  mind  the  fact  that  TK  sold  in  eighteen 
years  over  $130,000.00  worth  of  the  "Harmonic  Se- 
ries" alone,  we  must  not  forget  that  this  represented 


•Besides  these  20,000  copies  in  cloth  at  $2.00  each,  there 
were  published  during  the  five  years  indicated,  3,000  copies  in 
morocco  binding  which  sold  for  $3.50  each,  and  200  copies 
of  the  ' '  Three-in-One "  at  $12.00  each,  giving  us  an  addi- 
tional sum  of  $12,900.00. 


132  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

but  a  small  part  of  his  income.  We  are  reminded 
that  his  "  Company, "  i.  e.  himself,  had  several  other 
sources  of  income: 

1.  He  published  a  great  number  of  other  books 
besides  the  " Harmonic  Series." 

2.  Up  to  September,  1911,  he  did  a  general  book 
business. 

3.  There  were  magazine  subscriptions. 

4.  There  were  generous  contributions — monthly 
and  otherwise. 

5.  There  were  remittances  to  "Gift  Account 
Funds." 

6.  Checks  and  cash  for  "personal  use." 

In  handling  contributions  and  contributors,  TK 
had  a  system  that  so  effectually  covered  up  his  opera- 
tions that  in  the  majority  of  instances,  practically  no 
one  but  himself  and  the  giver  ever  knew  anything 
about  the  transaction.  For  instance,  "gifts"  could 
best  be  given  and  accepted  in  "  confidence, ' '  and 
where  a  sum  of  any  considerable  amount  came  thru 
the  Book  "Co.,"  TK,  by  means  of  his  clever  "per- 
sonal'?  letters  took  care  to  "educate"  the  new  "Friend 
of  the  Work"  so  that  all  future  contributions  for  the 
"Cause"  were  thereafter  sent  to  him  direct, — and  if 
possible  in  cash,  if  he  could  make  them  see  it  that 
way.  This  was  just  a  little  "precaution"  so  there 
would  be  no  canceled  checks  or  other  means  of  iden- 
tifying the  transaction  in  a  way  that  might  sometime 
"embarrass  the  Great  School,"  i.  e.  TK.  It  was  not 
an  unusual  thing  for  contributions  in  sums  of  $100, 
$300,  $500,  $1,000,  to  be  sent  to  TK,  and  they  always 
came  at  a  time  when  his  "Great  School"  was  sup- 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  133 

posedly  u sorely  in  need  of  funds"  to  carry  on  some 
imaginary  "  educational ' '  project,  etc.,  etc. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  no  one  may  ever 
know  exactly  the  extent  of  his  financial  operations, 
but  when  I  tell  you  that  those  operations  cost  one 
man  alone  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  in 
cash,  to  say  nothing  of  over  ten  years  of  his  time: 
that  TK  had  many  wealthy  and  generous  " Friends' ' 
on  his  list  and  knew  how  to  work  them  with  his 
"Great  Work" — who  of  us  can  imagine  the  number 
of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  he  must  have 
"made"  out  of  his  Great-School  graft? 


Perhaps  the  one  thing  about  the  Book  "Co.,"  that 
impressed  more  people  than  anything  else  was  the 
apparent  amount  of  "charity"  work  it  was  doing — 
especially  the  tens  of  thousands  of  books  and  maga- 
zines that  were  annually  being  distributed  free  to  the 
poor  and  aged,  to  prison  libraries,  etc.,  etc. 

The  particular  hind  of  "charity"  here  represented 
was  certainly  a  clever  and  original  innovation.  It 
illustrates  a  unique  business  sagacity  that  enabled  the 
Book  "Co."  to  not  only  get  a  great  amount  of  credit 
and  valuable  advertising  out  of  its  "charity,"  abso- 
lutely without  cost,  but  at  the  same  time  make  a  profit 
on  its  "gifts." 

To  understand  just  how  this  unique  system  of 
"charity"  worked  itself  out,  it  will  be  necessary  for 
you  to  know  that  there  were  at  least  three  known 
separate  and  distinct  "Gift  Accounts." 


RECORD  OF  GIFTS  RECEIVED    1914 

RECEIVED                  PAID  OUT 

May 

21 

..R.H.W 

4 

June 

a 

J.R.L. 

22 

Sept 

2 
3 
4 

H.G.C. 

F.R. 

M.D.G. 

100 

4 

10 

8 

J.F.L. 

35 

Sepi 

9 

A.H.N,  sub 

I 

II 

C.H.W. 

2 

15 

H.V.A.P. 

2 

14 

I.H.R. 

I 

15 

E.M.P. 

3 

18 

Mrs.M.R. 

I 

22 

J.R. 

10 

25 

A.H.M. 

I 

29 

T.W.B. 

100 

Oct 

12 

L.S.L. 

I 

Oot 

19 

Sub. and 

13 

C.C.P, 

I 

Books  drawn 

4 

14 

N.B.C.- 

I 

16 

H.V.A.P. 

5 

19 

W.N  D. 

7 

20 

Dr.B. 

10 

21 

H.W.B. 

2 

21 

C.E.D. 

I 

23 

M.E.D. 

3 

29 

Mrs, P. 

I 

29 

L.H\ 

100 

Nov 

2 
3 
8 
10 
85 
37 
37 
30 

M.L.J. 

J.F.L. 

T.W.E. 

A.H.P. 

L.G.S. 

B.G.Co. 

T.W.B. 

H.W.W. 

20 
35 

I 

2 
10 

3 
100 

5 

Dec 

8 

10 
II 
19 

G.N. 
A.W.E. 
H.W.R. 
Cash 

15 
I 
3 
5 

50 

21 

W.F.H. 

I 

Dec 

31 

To  close 
Account. . .$ 

5?8 

50 

$ 

605 

50 

1 

605 

50 

Total  profit  to  TK  from  the  Book  Co.,for  1914,  $5,500.00 

This  included  the  above  "Gift  Account"  fund  of    598.50 

No  record  is  given  for  the  first  five  months, or  up  to 

Uay  21 at. 

From  thle  "Gift  Acoounty  books  and  magazines  fere  sup- 

posed to  be  furnished  "free"  to  all  who  *ere  to  poor  to 

pay.   Total  "Gift  Accounffor  two  years  $1,925.25. 

Total  paid  out  for  two  yeare:$9.00.   Total  to  Tk: $1,916. 2! 

RECORD  OF  GIFTS  RECEIVED  1915. 

RECEIVED                  PAID  OUT 

Jen 

13 

T.T. 

500 

13 

M.S.F. 

I 

Jan 

15 

Sent  "G/W." 

Feb 

5 
13 
I? 

A.W.U. 
J. A. 

B.B.B. 

30 
I 
3 

to  M.E.S. 

3 

Mar 

5 

5 

34 

Mre.F. 
J.F.L. 
A.H.P. 

30 

30 

I 

75 

Apr. 

7 
33 

J.W.H. 
I.C.J.W. 

5 
3 

May 

3 

O.F.S. 

3 

Aup: 

II 
S3 

Mrs.E.H. 
E.D. 

3 

3 

Oct 

13 
16 
18 
18 
31 

S.P.L. 

T.W.B. 

L.H. 

Dr.E.L.H. 

A.H.P. 

3 

500 

50 

I 

6 

Deo 

10 
15 
14 
13 
14 

n 

« 

16 
n 

H 

17 

N 

18 

M 

n 
30 

a 

31 
n 

■ 
33 

R 

34 

E.M.P. 
F.K.S. 
M.C. 

o.w. 

J.A.L. 

E.M. 

F.K.S. 

Mrs.  G. 

T.J.C. 

Mrs.  P.  W. 

M.J.C. 

J.J. 

C.H.P. 

C.P. 

G.E.S. 

A.C.E 

C.E. 

J.C.S. 

A.J.M. 

S.M.K. 

R.M.D. 

C.J.M. 

H*L.K. 

A.H.P. 

J.F. 

3 

I 

10 

10 

35 

3 

I 

3 

30 

3 

5 

10 

I 

10 

5 
I 

13 
5 
5 

30 
3 
I 
5 

10 

50 
50 

■ 

Mr.&  Mrs. H.J. 

5 

Dec 

31 

To  Close 

■ 

S.P.L. 

5 

Account  51. 

317 

75 

«I 

319 

75 

*j 

319 

75 

Total  profit  to  TK  from  the  Book  Co.  for  1915,  §4,938.00 
This  inoluded  the  above  "Gift  Aocount"  fund  of  $1,317.75 

136  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


1.  A  graft  "fund" — plain  and  original — into  which 
went  all  remittances  ''for  the  Gift  Account.' '  This 
fund  went  annually  into  TK's  pockets.  For  instance, 
only  $9.00  worth  of  books  were  charged  against  this 
fund  in  two  years,  1914-15,  while  $1,916.25  went  into 
TK's  profits.    See  plates  for  details. 

2.  A  fund  of  about  $200.00  out  of  which  books  for 
certain  libraries  were  paid  for. 

3.  The  real  and  genuine  "Gift  Account  Fund" 
provided  by  a  noble  and  generous  Friend,  and  against 
which  was  charged  all  books  and  subscriptions  sup- 
posed to  be  "gifts"  from  the  Book  "Co." 

It  will  be  seen  that  TK,  i.  e.  the  Book  "Co.,"  bore 
absolutely  no  part  of  the  expense  connected  with  these 
'  'gifts,"  but  actually  made  the  regular  profit  on  each 
and  every  "gift"  book  and  subscription  "he"  gave 
away!  In  fact  some  unusual  charges  often  went 
against  this  catch-all  "gift  account.' '  For  instance 
on  April  21,  1914,  Dr.  B.  wrote  the  Book  "Co."  for 
four  copies  of  his  own  book,  "A  Study  of  Man."  Dr. 
B.  was  at  the  time  Assistant  Editor  of  Life  and 
Action,  and  had  held  this  position  without  salary  or 
other  remuneration  for  over  five  years.  He  had  also 
contributed  a  half  dozen  or  more  books  which  had 
added  many  thousands  of  dollars  to  TK's  bank  ac- 
count, and  for  which  not  a  cent  of  royalty  was  paid 
by  the  genial  and  " generous"  TK.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances one  would  naturally  think  that  any  books 
asked  for  by  Dr.  B.  would  have  been  furnished  with- 
out even  so  much  as  thinking  of  charging  for 
them.    But  when  this  request  for  four  copies  came, 


THE  1ND0-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  137 

the  item  was  promptly  charged  to  the  Gift  Account, 
at  full  price,  $6.00. 

Again,  on  Nov.  19,  1915,  TK  himself  wrote  from 
Pasadena,  Calif.,  for  two  sets  of  the  Text  Books 
($12.00)  "for  my  own  use" — and  ordered  them 
charged  to  the  "Gift  Account."  Can  anyone  imagine 
the  moral  deformity  of  a  "master"  who  would  thus 
betray,  abuse  and  misuse  the  confidence  of  so  true 
and  loyal  a  Friend,  as  TK  did  this  man  who  was  pay- 
ing all  the  "charity"  expenses  of  his  Book  "Com- 
pany"? 

When  you  study  TKs'  writings  after  knowing  the 
hitherto  hidden  side  of  his  nature,  it  seems  that  his 
tendency  has  always  been  to  exaggerate  everything, 
and  to  do  so  to  such  an  extent  that  the  exaggeration 
becomes  what  appears  to  be  deliberate  and  intentional 
deception  and  misrepresentation.  In  Life  and  Action 
many  examples  of  this  kind  are  found  smiling  good- 
natured  smiles  at  the  real  facts: 

"THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL." 

In  1914,  TK  in  I.  ^  i.  (Bv.  5,  Let  us  examine  this  "compara^ 

p.  121),  says:  tivel7  sma11  faction": 

.  1.  It  was  never  TK's  policy  or 

"It  may,  perhaps,  be  a  matter  ,.      ,    tt   .      nmn    ,,  nm+Min„ 

Ji  r        l  '  practice  to .'•  give  away  7  anything. 

of  interest  as  well  as  information  2.  In   1914,   there  were   printed 

,    ,       40,000  magazines.     25,000  of  these 

to  our  many  readers,  to  know  that  .       .,  -.  „ „ 

J  '  went    to     subscribers,    exchanges, 

during  every    sixty   days   we  give      etc.,  leaving  about  15,000  for  sam- 

away  to  the  deserving  Friends  of      Ple  C0Pies'  back  numbers  and  bait 

for  selling  the  Bound  Volumes. 
the  Work  who  are  in  need,  all  the  3.  in  the  same  year,  were  pub- 

way  from  6,000  to  10,000  copies  of      Hshed  not  to  exceed  15,000  books. 

4.  Total  number  of  both  books 
our  various  publications,  including      and   magazines   for    1914,-55,000 

copies  of  Life  and  Action.  copies. 


138 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


"This  statement  is  made  as  a 
simple  statement  of  fact,  and  in 
no  sense  in  the  spirit  of  boastful- 
ness;  for  this  represents  but  a 
comparatively  small  fraction  of 
the  labors  of  the  Great  School  in 
behalf  of  'those  who  need.'  " 


?  How  then  could  TK  or  his 
"Co."  (himself)  give  away  from 
"6,000  to  10,000  copies"  during 
every  sixty  days? 

As  an  illustration  of  TK's  keen 
sense  of  "humor,"  the  following 
paragraph  from  the  annual  report 
of  his  Business  Manager  for  this 
same  year,  1914,  is  exceedingly 
illuminating.  Please  note  the  al- 
most reckless  generosity  with  which 
these  subscription  blanks,  price 
lists,  etc.,  were  distributed. 

"In  connection  with  this  report 
permit  me  to  say,  we  have  sent  out 
during  the  year  past  about  60,000 
pieces  of  Literature,  in  the  form 
of  CATALOGS,  INSERTS,  SUB- 
SCRIPTION BLANKS,  LOOSE 
LEAVES,  PRICE  LISTS,  MA- 
SONIC LEAFLETS  AND  LEAF- 
LET OF  ALL  OUR  PUBLICA- 
TIONS.' > 


In  L.  4-  A.,  Bv.  5,  p.  314,  TK 

says: 

"We  cannot  close  this  brief  re- 
port without  expressing  our  pro- 
found thanks  to  those  splendid  and 
generous  souls  who  have  made  it 
possible  for  us  to  send  out,  free  of 
all  cost  to  the  recipients,  over  42>- 
000  books  and  magazines"  during 
the  last  year.  These  books  are 
constantly  going  to  libraries,  and 
to  those  intelligent  and  hungry 
souls  who  find  themselves  unable 
financially    to   purchase   them." 


This  ' '  over  -  42,000  -  books  -  and- 
magazines ' '  is  the  same  ' '  between - 
6,000-and-10,000-copies-every-  sixty- 
days"  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
paragraph.  And  in  the  light  of 
the  above  explanation  and  state- 
ment of  facts,  TK's  "42,000"  be- 
gins to  look  pretty  much  like  a 
shrewdly  hidden  hook  for  more 
funds  for  his  "Gift  Account" 
graft. 


THE  IND0-AMER1CAN  BOOK  CO. 


139 


In  L.  4-  A.,  Bv.  5,  p.  371  (1914), 

the  "master"  says: 

"We  are  working  under  many 
handicaps  because  of  intense  oppo- 
sition and  antagonism,  but  if  every 
subscriber  will  renew  his  subscrip- 
tion and  if  he  will  try  to  secure 
just  one  other  subscriber,"  etc., 
etc. 

In  L.  4-  A.,  Bv.  5,  p.  371  (1914), 
the  astute  TK  says: 

"It  may  interest  our  readers 
and  friends  to  know  that  we  are 
placing  a  free  copy  of  this  maga- 
zine in  every  prison  of  the  United 
States.  It  will  also  be  to  them  a 
source  of  pleasure  to  know  that  as 
fast  as  we  ean  do  so,  we  are  plac- 
ing a  copy  of  ' '  Harmonics  of  Evo- 
lution, "  "  The  Great  Psychological 
Crime"  and  "The  Great  Work" 
on  the  shelves  of  all  these  penal 
institutions  absolutely  free  of 
charge  to  them  or  the  State. ' ' 


Again,  Bv.  5,  p.  372  (1914)  : 
"Besides  these  free  gifts  of 
books,  we  are  continually  giving 
to  those  who  are  crippled  or  aged 
and  are  unable  (owing  to  financial 
reverses)  to  purchase  copies  for 
themselves.  These  free  gifts  to 
our  unfortunate  Brothers  and  Sis- 
ters sap  our  financial  vitality  to 
the  utmost,"   etc.,   etc. 


This  little  spiel  never  failed  to 
spur  the  "Faithful"  into  more 
speed,  and  was  always  good  for  a 
few  extra  dollars  that  otherwise 
might  never  have  seen  the  inside 
of  TK's  always  capacious  pockets. 


1.  The  records  show  that  only 
36  penal  institutions  were  com- 
municated with. 

2.  Only  14  out  of  the  36  ac- 
cepted the  offer  of  books. 

3.  Only  10  accepted  subscrip- 
tions. 

4.  The  entire  expense  if  met  by 
the  Book  "Co."— TK,  would  not 
have  been  more  than  $30.00. 

5.  Both  subscriptions  and  books 
were,  however,  in  every  instance 
charged  to  the  "Gift  Account" 
and  paid  for  at  the  regular  retail 
rates— $94.00. 

And  probably  only  TK  himself 
will  ever  know  how  many  wealthy 
bankers,  brokers  and  business  men 
and  women  of  means  were  sending 
in  big  and  regular  checks  to  be 
used  in  carrying  on  his  fictitious 
"Harmonic"  penal  crusade. 

Take  this  for  what  it  may  be 
worth  to  you.  The  "master's" 
total  dividend  from  his  Indo- 
American  Book  "Co."  for  1914 
was  just  $9,301.90,  without  his 
turning  a  hand;  and  authentic 
Bank  records  show  that  this 
amount  is  less  than  half  what  TK 
spent  for  general  living  expenses 
the  same  year. 


140  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Bv.  5,  p.  312:  This  giving  "as  nearly  at  cost 

"We   do,   however,    give   to   li-      as   possible"   is   the   nearest    TK 

braries  all  over  the  United  States      ever  came  to  giving  anything.  But 

our  books  and  literature  as  nearly      even  here,  the  books  were  simply 

at  cost  as  possible."  sold  at  half-price,  $3.00,   so  that 

the  "giving"  really  did  not  cost 
the  "Co."  a  single  cent,  but  even 
left  a  small  margin  of  profit.  In 
every  instance  the  books  were 
paid  for,  either  by  individuals, 
groups, — or,  as  a  last  resort, 
charged  to  the  "Gift  Account" 
at  full  price,  $6.00. 

As  for  "libraries  all  over  the 
United  States":  There  are  about 
6,000  all  told,  and  so  far  as  known, 
only  74  have  the  Harmonic  Series. 


A  few  more  strictly  modern  innovations  in  connec- 
tion with  TK's  Book  "Co."  and  we  are  done: 

1.  The  Indo-Amencan  Book  "Co."  is  justly  enti- 
tled to  the  great  distinction  of  being  the  only  "Co." 
on  earth  whose  sole  business  was  publishing  its  own 
advertising  matter  and  actually  selling  that  advertis- 
ing at  regular  book  rates:  cash  to  retail  customers 
and  30  days'  credit,  25  per  cent  discount  to  the  trade. 
Practically  every  book  sold  advertised  something,  and 
that  something,  in  its  final  analysis,  was  the  "  mas- 
ter/ »  TK. 

The  three  "Text"  books,  or  "Harmonic  Series," 
announce  and  advertise,  over  and  over  again,  in  every 
conceivable  manner  and  place,  npon  the  slightest,  or 
no  apparent  provocation — the  new  and  modern  "mas- 
ter" with  a  course  of  profoundly  secret  something- 
or-other  in  his  poke.     Literally  hundreds  of  clever 


THE  IND0-AMER1CAN  BOOK  CO. 141 

paragraphs  and  sentences  in  these  books  invite,  beckon 
and  challenge  the  honest  reader  to  " knock* '  at  the 
imaginary  door  of  TK's  " Great  School"  and  be  tried 
for  a  secret  "  personal  instruction. ' '  This  is  particu- 
larly true  of  " Harmonics  of  Evolution' '  and  "The 
Great  Work."  And  a  "knock"  frequently  sold  more 
advertising  matter,  i.  e.,  more  books. 

The  Lost  Word  Found  was  specifically  intended  by 
TK  to  be  just  what  it  is — an  advertisement — and 
nothing  but  an  advertisement — of  "The  Great  Work." 
It  sold  for  50  cents. 

The  New  Avatar  is  an  attempt  to  identify  TK  as  a 
new  John  E.-on-the-spot  diety  incarnate.  The  book  is 
simply  an  advertisement  for  TK,  and  naturally  he 
felt  justified  in  recommending  the  book  to  all  his  read- 
ers— at  $1.00  per. 

"Modern  World  Movements"  was  written  at  TK's 
own  request  and  was  intended  to  be  an  advertisement 
to  be  sold  to  unwary  Theosophists,  which  latter  obser- 
vation probably  accounts  for  the  significantly  small 
number  sold.  The  price  was  $1.00,  including  a  free 
"Introduction"  by  the  advertising  manager,  TK. 

Bridging  the  Great  Divide.  This  volume  was  in- 
tended to  attract  the  attention  of  people  interested 
in  the  work  and  records  of  the  "Society  for  Psychical 
Research."  TK  bore  all  the  expense  of  getting  out 
this  book,  but  to  better  hide  the  point  of  his  hook 
while  angling  for  members  of  the  S.  P.  R.,  he  arranged 
to  have  the  name  of  another  publishing  concern  than 
his  own  to  appear  as  the  publishers. 


142  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

In  L.  S  A.,  Bv.  5,  p.  312,  TK  says: 

"  As  our  readers  know,  we  do  not  advertise  our  books 
to  the  public  in  glaring  headlines/* 

It  would  appear  from  this  frank  admission  that 
"glaring  head-lines"  is  a  kind  of  advertising  that 
cannot  readily  be  sold  at  regular  book  rates. 

2.  TK  not  only  sold  his  advertising,  but  actually 
sold  the  same  identical  matter  over  and  over  again  to 
the  same  people  and — at  advanced  prices. 

For  instance,  his  readers  paid  $1.00  for  two  years' 
subscription — 12  issues  of  the  magazine.  Then  at  the 
close  of  each  year  when  the  six  current  numbers  were 
bound,  many  paid  an  additional  dollar  for  the  maga- 
zine in  book  form.  Thus  in  two  years,  they  paid  $3.00 
for  two  chances  at  the  same  material. 

This  would  seem  to  be  sufficient,  but  soon  we  dis- 
cover TK  offering  for  sale  three  new  and  separate 
books : 

The  Spirit  of  the  Work $1.00 

The  Question  Box,  Vol.  1 1.00 

The  Question  Box,  Vol.  II 1.00 

out  of  the  same  magazine  material  and  actually  tell- 
ing his  students  they  should  come  across  with  another 
three  " bucks.' ' 

3.  In  the  matter  of  securing  personal  helpers: 

TK's  ability,  thru  veiled  hints  and  subtle  sugges- 
tions and  falsehoods,  to  mould  to  his  will  and  service, 
those  whom  he  chose,  testifies  to  his  knowledge  of 
hypnotism  and  psychology,  and  his  utter  abandonment 
of  all  sense  of  morality,  justice  and  right  in  the  use 
of  that  knowledge. 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  143 

Blinded  by  the  impression  that  they  were  being 
" permitted' '  to  assist  in  a  " Great  Work"  for  human- 
ity, both  men  and  women  willingly  and  cheerfully 
placed  their  time,  talents,  means,  honor  and  even  life 
itself  at  TK's  disposal.  Such  as  he  could  use  to  fur- 
ther his  secret,  selfish  schemes,  he  took;  and  holding 
them  beneath  the  spell  of  his  false,  crafty  intelligence, 
he  bent  them  to  the  task  of  meeting  and  carrying  out 
his  cunning  plans  and  purposes. 

As  an  illustration :  TK  had  in  his  employ  for  about 
six  years,  three  young  ladies.  In  1910,  one  of  these 
young  women,  believing  implicitly  in  TK's  honesty 
and  that  his  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  was  really 
handicapped  in  its  ' ' educational' '  work,  on  account  of 
lack  of  helpers,  gave  up  $25.00  per  week,  came  to  Chi- 
cago, and  offered  her  services.  She  was  not  a  stenog- 
rapher, but  at  TK's  suggestion,  she  took  the  neces- 
sary training  (at  her  own  expense)  and  qualified  for 
the  position.  She  hurried  thru  the  training  as  rap- 
idly as  possible,  on  account  of  (as  she  was  led  to  be- 
lieve) the  great  need  of  a  stenographer,  but  upon 
starting  to  work  at  the  Book  "Co."  she  did  not  receive 
any  dictation  for  about  eight  months. 

TK's  "Great  School"  had  in  its  possession  at  this 
time  and  just  a  few  doors  from  where  the  "master" 
lived  in  Oak  Park,  111.,  a  large  three-story  residence. 
This  building  was  the  gift  of  a  Friend  of  the  "work," 
and  three  rooms  of  the  ground  floor  were  used  as  a 
temporary  headquarters  and  office  for  the  department 
of  personal  instruction.  This  arrangement  left  the 
house  practically  vacant.  Under  these  circumstances, 
and  in  order  to  have  someone  on  the  premises  all  the 


144  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

time,  as  the  "master"  explained,  "to  guard  the  secret 
work,"  it  was  arranged  that  the  three  young  ladies 
in  his  employ  as  stenographers,  should  live  at  "234." 
This  they  did  from  January,  1911,  to  August,  1913, 
under  the  following  conditions : 

TK  paid  each  of  them  $10.00  per  week,  and  required 
each  of  them  to  pay  him  $9.00  per  month  rent.  In 
addition  to  this  rental,  they  were  also  required  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  keeping  up  the  house,  as  well  as  the 
water  tax,  light  and  gas  bills,  etc.  They  were  released 
from  paying  rent  some  time  in  1912,  but  continued  to 
carry  all  the  expense  of  keeping  up  the  house. 

After  nearly  three  years  under  these  conditions, 
one  of  the  girls  had  drawn  on  her  savings  account 
until  she  had  just  $30.00  left.  It  was  plain  they  could 
not  continue  under  these  conditions  which  did  not 
even  begin  to  pay  their  living  expenses.  A  consulta- 
tion was  held  and  the  three  of  them  went  to  J.  E.  R. 
and  told  him  the  facts.  He  then  requested  them  to 
make  out  a  statement  of  the  least  they  could  live  on 
and  continue  their  work.  This  they  did,  and  TK 
promised  he  would  pay  them  "$20.00  per  month  extra 
out  of  his  own  money,"  but  with  the  definite  under- 
standing that  it  was  in  strict  confidence,  and  that  they 
were  to  tell  no  one.  He  did  pay  the  "extra"  sum, 
from  time  to  time,  but  not  regularly. 

Beginning  with  December,  1914,  Mr.  Richardson 
had  his  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  pay  each  of  these 
girls  $15.00  per  week,  but  with  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  they  should  keep  an  accurate  and  item- 
ized account  of  their  expenditures,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  if  anything  remained  from  their    salaries 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  145 

over  their   actual   personal   expenses,   it   was   to   be 
returned  to  "J.  E.  R." — John  E.  Richardson,  alias 
" Uncle  John,"  alias  the  " Elder  Brother/ '  otherwise 
heretofore  favorably  known  as  TK. 
Kindly  note  in  the  above  that 

1.  The  "master"  paid  each  of  these  helpers  the 
enormous  sum  of  $10.00  per  week. 

2.  That  out  of  this  sum  he  collected  $27.00  per 
month  for  rent,  for  rooms  which  would  otherwise  have 
remained  vacant — $27.00  which  would  pay  for  a  lot  of 
halo  polish  or  cream  for  his  cats. 

3.  In  December,  1914,  this  "Elder  Brother"  or- 
dered the  I. -A.  Book  "Co."  (himself)  to  pay  these 
girls  $15.00  per  week,  but  at  the  same  time  provided 
that  out  of  this  sum  they  should  return  to  him  at  the 
end  of  the  year  all  their  savings  above  actual  living 
expense. 

Briefly  reviewing  the  TK's  book  "Co.,"  we  fix  in 
mind  the  following  facts: 

1.  That  the  Indo-American  Book  "Co."  and  TK 
are  one  and  the  same. 

2.  That  from  Jan.  1,  1912,  to  Jan.  1,  1916,  the  total 
business  of  this  Book  "Co."  amounted  to  $91,070.30. 

3.  That  over  $130,000.00  worth  of  the  "Harmonic 
Series"  were  disposed  of  between  1899  and  Jan,  1, 
1916. 

4.  That  besides  profits  on  his  magazine  and  many 
thousands  of  copies  of  other  books,  he  obtained  vast 
sums  of  money  thru  various  other — channels. 

5.  That  in  one  instance  alone  he  secured  sums 
which,  including  interest,  amounted  to  considerably 
over  $200,000.00. 


146 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


My    Work 

is   entirely  a.    G\  FT.. 
It  brings  me  no  material 
reward  of  ^ny  kind. Daring 
the  last  tenye&rs  I  have- 
vvrlttea  over  tkirty  ttiou^ni 
letters  to  Inquiring  men 
and  Women,  a.nsWering'ifceiV 
ions  to  the.  hc:$t  of  mu 
^feiJity,  awd  in  t/ie- 
very  /arrest  number 
of  instances  n>ve  receive <L 
S-3  not  even  sornach  as  a. 
kV^posta^*e  stamp for  re  p?u. 


QUOTED  FPOM  "LIFE  AND  ACTION" 
BOUND  VOL.  I,  page  15. 


THE  INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO.  147 

6.  That  it  is  simply  impossible  to  estimate  how 
many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  he  must  have 
accumulated. 

7.  That  TK's  much  advertised  "charity"  was  ac- 
tually a  source  of  profit,  a  dishonest  bid  for  "busi- 
ness" and  the  meanest  kind  of  betrayal  of  human 
confidence. 

8.  That  from  the  inception  of  his  Book  "Co.,"  TK 
secured  and  held  all  his  employees  at,  and  even  below 
the  barest  living  wage.  And  be  it  remembered  that 
the  very  nature  of  his  work  was  such  that  he  could 
not  employ  any  but  the  most  efficient,  competent  and 
trustworthy  help. 

With  sponging  his  rent,  his  help,  and  practically 
all  kinds  of  favors  and  services  off  of  three  or  four 
hundred  unsuspecting  friends,  and  with  business, 
profits,  interests  and  "gifts"  rolling  into  his  coffers, 
it  is  plain  that  TK's  greatest  "great  work"  was  work- 
ing his  workers. 

Thus  he  built  up  his  business;  preaching  and  pos- 
ing for  profits — for  years  wringing  additional  profits 
out  of  the  confidence  of  his  helpers — and  all  this  in 
the  name  of  a  "Great  Work"  and  under  the  cloak  of 
an  assumed  "mastership." 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  League  of  Visible  Helpees 

A  really  beautiful  name — one  that  suggests  many- 
pictures  of  people  clad  in  modest  garments,  going  in 
and  out  among  the  hovels  of  the  poor,  carrying  baskets 
of  provisions  and  leaving  everywhere  words  of  wis- 
dom, comfort,  encouragement  and  good  cheer.  And  to 
those  who  were  actually  engaged  in  doing  this  needed 
work,  it  was,  as  it  must  always  be  to  every  helpful 
soul,  a  privilege  and  opportunity  that  can  be  under- 
stood only  by  those  who  carry  the  idea  into  practice. 

Nearly  always  where  men  and  women  come  together 
in  any  kind  of  religious  or  philosophic  movement,  it  is 
usually  not  long  before  something  on  the  order  of 
"charity"  work  is  suggested.  The  energies  of  certain 
members  appear  naturally  to  seek  and  demand  some 
outlet  thru  activities  along  these  lines.  Anyway,  the 
"Great  School"  eventually  had  its  "League  of  Visible 
Helpers,"  which  served  very  well  two  purposes: 

1.  A  work  of  charity. 

2.  A  good  subject  on  which  TK  could  TalK. 

Next  to  talking  on  "Morality,"  TK's  LVH  proved 
to  be  his  strongest  advertising  card.  His  direct  profits 
from  this  organization  came  legitimately  only  thru 
the  "lease"  of  membership  pins,  but  as  a  talking 
po'mt  upon  which  to  advertise  his  "Great  School,"  i.  e., 

148 


THE  LEAGUE  OF   VISIBLE  HELPERS  •         149 

himself,  he  could  have  found  nothing  better  than  this 
idea  of  a  "League."  And  indirectly,  it  all  brot  in 
book  orders,  "gift"  funds,  checks  for  the  good  of  the 
GREAT  CAUSE,  etc.,  etc. 

Since  about  1899,  TK  was  working  a  small  * '  Central 
Group"  of  students  in  Chicago.  He  became  quite 
prosperous  as  early  as  1904-5.  It  appears  as  if  he 
could  have  organized  his  "physical  helpers"  at  any 
time,  and  commenced  his  "Great  Work"  for  "poor 
orphan  humanity."  Evidently  he  was  not  aching  to 
begin  his  "work"  or  losing  any  sleep  over  the  "poor 
and  needy,"  for  not  until  Sept.  1,  1903,  do  we  see  any 
evidences  of  the  plans  of  the  GS.  along  these  lines. 
At  that  time,  the  "Harmonic  Association"  was 
formed.  This  was  a  right  promising  youngster,  with  a 
"sweet  tooth"  already  cut.  It  was  a  sort  of  "Copart- 
nership Firm" — a  co-operative  candy-making  enter- 
prise. The  members  of  the  "firm"  consisted  of  John 
E.  Richardson,  Florence  Huntley  and  two  students, 
one  of  whom  was  a  candy-maker.  TK  was,  of  course, 
the  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  The  idea  was  that  TK 
would  put  up  enough  capital  to  purchase  the  candy 
pans  and  the  "Harmonic  Associate"  with  the  candy- 
making  disposition  would  do  the  work. 

Just  to  give  you  some  idea  of  TK's  imaginative 
sense  of  humor,  and  the  remarkable  "features"  that 
illuminated  the  modest  agreement  which  bound  the 
members  of  this  sweet  alliance,  we  are  here  going  to 
republish  just  a  few  of  the  items  enumerated. 


o 

Q 


>  d 

O  9 

o-  o 
♦a  ♦»   . 

Of<4* 

*  5  a 

*-  • 
«>  dco 

*-«  o 

O  *>   V 

°  -  ° 

O  -H  C 

4>  o 

33S 

4*   (4  •*-! 
D  01  O 

a$  4*  o 

*>  CD 

rt  eg  co 


& 


THE  LEAGUE  OF  VISIBLE  HELPERS  151 

PARTNERSHIP  AGREEMENT.  ' 

It  is  hereby  mutually  agreed  by  and  between  the  parties 
hereto, — 

1.  The  name  of  this  copartnership  shall  be  "Harmonic 
Association." 

2.  Its  principal  place  of  business  shall  be  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  said  County  and  State. 

3.  This  copartnership  shall  continue  for  the  term  of  TEN 
YEARS  from  and  after  the  date  hereof,  or  until  the  same 
shall  be  duly  and  legally  dissolved. 

4.  The  central  purpose  of  this  copartnership  shall  be  to 
convey  to  humanity,  as  far  as  may  be  possible,  a  knowledge 
of  the  truths  of  " NATURAL  SCIENCE,"  and  inspire  the 
students  thereof  with  the  earnest  desire  and  unfaltering  pur- 
pose to  exemplify  those  truths  in  their  daily  lives  and  con- 
duct, and  thereby  become  demonstrators  of  the  law  and 
teachers  of  the  truth.  To  accomplish  this  purpose  involves 
the  accumulation  and  expenditure  of  a  large  amount  of 
money. 

To  that  end  the  business  of  this  copartnership  shall  be  to 
manufacture  and  sell  candies  of  all  kinds,  both  wholesale 
and  retail;  to  establish  and  maintain  candy  stores,  parlors 
and  kitchens  wherever  they  shall  deem  advisable ;  to  establish 
and  maintain  restaurants,  bakeries,  grocery  stores  and  gen- 
eral merchandise  businesses;  to  engage  in,  establish,  or  main- 
tain any  other  business  or  enterprise  they  may  deem  advis- 
able; to  establish,  maintain  and  conduct  libraries,  schools 
and  other  institutions  for  the  study  and  demonstration  of 
Natural  Science  and  of  THE  HARMONIC  PHILOSOPHY; 
and  finally,  to  purchase,  lease  or  otherwise  acquire  legal  title 
to  or  possession  of  such  real  estate  and  personal  property  as 
may  be  deemed  necessary  or  desirable  in  the  conduct  of  its 
business. 


152  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

All  thru  even  these  four  brief  articles  of  agreement, 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  tracing  the  profound  wisdom 
and  foresight  of  the  " Great  Masters,' *  and  we  may 
well  believe  that  at  least  one  entire  annual  Convoca- 
tion must  have  been  devoted  to  planning  this  newest 
venture  of  the  Great  School's  American  Representa- 
tive in  behalf  of  humanity. 

This  "HARMONIC  ASSOCIATION"  did  not,  of 
course,  cut  any  great  figure  in  the  business  world,  but 
it  almost  gives  one  a  sense  of  awe  to  look  down  the 
miles  and  miles  of  imaginary  streets,  avenues  and 
boulevards  lined  on  both  sides  with  thousands  of  the 
Great  School's  imaginary  candy  kitchens,  factories, 
restaurants,  bakeries,  grocery  stores,  parlors,  libraries, 
ice  cream  stations,  shoe-shining  stands,  telephone 
booths,  etc.,  etc. 


A  year  or  so  later,  in  1904-5,  when  the  publishing 
business  began  " looking  up,"  the  candy  association 
gradually  died  away,  and  we  hear  no  more  of  TK's 
plans  for  the  "poor"  until  1912.  In  1910-11,  some  of 
the  more  active  students  took  up  some  Christmas 
work  among  a  few  poor  families,  and  the  stories  of 
their  experiences  were  received,  listened  to  and 
repeated  with  such  interest  that  it  gave  TK  an  idea. 
He  immediately  called  all  his  invisible  and  invincible 
" Great  Masters"  into  consultation,  and  as  near  as 
they  could  figure  it  out,  "the  time  had  come"!  A  day 
or  so  thereafter,  TK  was  fully  inspired  to  imagine 
that,  as  the  duly  qualified  American  Representative  of 
his  " Great  School,"  he  had  for  "28  years"  past  been 


THE  LEAGUE  OF   VISIBLE  HELPERS  153 

laboring  day  and  night  to  establish  an  organization  of 
men  and  women  to  engage  in  charity  work  of  this  very 
kind.  It  is  our  understanding  that  one  of  the  students 
really  suggested  the  idea  of  organizing,  but  anyway,  it 
was  a  good  idea,  and  dressed  up  in  J.  E.  R.  's  evening 
dress-suit  English  it  would  all  read  well  in  Life  and 
Action. 

The  L.  V.  H.  was  duly  organized  in  Oak  Park,  111., 
Jan.  4, 1912,  with  twenty-one  members.  It  was  at  first 
called  the  "  Harmonic  Association,"  but  later  was 
incorporated  as  the  "League  of  Visible  Helpers" 
The  objects  and  purposes  were:  (1)  to  fraternally 
unite  all  acceptable  persons,  (2)  to  carry  on  organized 
work  of  charity,  relief  and  assistance  to  the  needy  and 
distressed,  (3)  to  promote  the  cause  of  Equity,  Justice 
and  Right,  (4)  to  establish  a  fund,  etc.,  etc.,  and  to 
reserve  to  itself  "full  power  to  enact,  maintain  and 
enforce  all  needful  laws,  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
proper  government  of  its  members,  and  all  subordinate 
groups  and  the  members  thereof" — Bv.  3,  p.  134. 

These  objects  and  purposes  are  all  quite  worthy. 
They  are  no  different  from  those  of  all  other  similar 
organizations.  The  aims  of  all  charity  movements 
appeal  to  the  noblest  and  best  in  human  nature.  They 
are  meant  to  do  so.  One  point,  however,  that  shows 
TK's  keen  "spiritual"  vision,  is  his  provision  for 
the  undemocratic  government  of  subordinate  groups 
and  their  individual  members.  Nominally,  this  reser- 
vation of  power  belonged  to  the  Central  Group,  but 
in  reality  TK  was  the  one-man  power  of  this  group. 
He  said  to  one  come,  and  "he  cometh";  to  another 


154  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

go,  and  "he  goeth";  to  another  suspend,  and  he  sus- 
pendeth. 

In  "The  Great  Work,"  p.  448  (1906)  TK  tells  of 
the  existence,  on  the  spiritual  planes  of  life,  of  a 
"Liberal  League  of  Spiritual  Helpers."  Later  in 
Life  and  Action,  Bv.  3,  p.  132,  2d  paragraph,  in  refer- 
ring to  this  "League"  of  his  GS,  he  speaks  of  it  simply 
as  a  "League  of  Spiritual  Helpers."  On  the  same 
page,  4th  paragraph,  he  speaks  of  a  hope  of  organizing 
a  "League  of  Physical  Helpers."  But  behold,  when 
it  came  to  naming  his  new  advertising  idea,  he  called 
it  the  "LEAGUE  OF  VISIBLE  HELPERS." 

Why  "VISIBLE  HELPERS"?  It  is  plainly  a 
"trade"  upon  the  pleasing  and  attractive  name  of 
C.  W.  Leadbeater's  interesting  and  helpful  little  book, 
1 ' Invisible  Helpers. '  * 

You  will  recall  that  one  of  the  objects  of  the  LVH 
was  to  "unite  all  acceptable  persons  in  a  closer  bond 
of  fellowship."  Now  to  get  a  definite  idea  of  just 
what  is  meant  by  the  word  "acceptable,"  we  quote 
from  the  "President's  Annual  Report."  Bv.  6,  p.  155: 

"Concerning  the  qualifications  necessary  for  mem- 
bership in  the  League,  your  President  will  take  this 
opportunity  to  say  that  the  first  and  fundamental 
qualification  is  that  the  applicant  must  be  an  accepted 
student  of  the  Philosophy  of  Natural  Science.  That 
is,  he  must  have  been  accepted  by  the  Elder  Brother 
to  receive  Personal  Instruction. ' ' 

As  for  "featuring"  a  charity  scheme  where  indi- 
viduals give  their  time  free  to  the  work,  there  are  at 
least  two  kinds  of  people  who  lend  themselves  readily 
to  this  idea: 


THE  LEAGUE  OF  VISIBLE  HELPERS  155 


1.  Those  who  do  such  work  out  of  a  clean,  pure 
heart,  whether  under  the  direction  of  some  "move- 
ment" or  on  their  own  personal  account,  and, 

2.  Those  who  are  blindly  supporting  and  working 
for  some  religious  or  philosophic  grafter. 

In  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  6,  p.  64,  a  correspondent, 
"H.  D.  H."  says, 

"I  think  that  the  friends  there  at  the  center  with 
the  TK,  actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  teaching  and 
publishing,  must  feel,  with  him,  a  sensitiveness  about 
calling  for  financial  aid.  In  the  midst  of  the  frauds 
so  freely  perpetrated  everywhere,  and  the  general  sus- 
picion resulting,  they  feel  an  unwillingness  about  even 
suggesting  that  they  could  do  more  effective  work  if 
they  but  had  more  financial  assistance." 

Imagine  TK  feeling  any  sensitiveness  about  calling 
for  financial  aid ! 

.  In  the  same  Bound  Volume,  p.  68,  TK  suppresses 
this  "sensitiveness,"  so  acutely  imagined  by  his  dis- 
tant student,  and  in  his  campaign  for  money,  clothing, 
shoes,  etc.,  says:  "We  have  fed  hundreds  of  families 
in  all  parts  of  Chicago. ' '  Just  why  he  made  use  of  the 
word  "we"  doth  not  appear,  for  it  is  well  known 
among  his  intimate  associates  and  the  members  of  his 
LVH  that  TK  never  went  in  person  to  visit  or  minister 
m  any  manner  whatsoever  to  the  poor  and  needy. 
He  did  use  a  good  quality  of  "poor-and-needy"  talk, 
when  going  after  his  readers  for  contributions,  but  so 
far  as  yet  learned,  in  not  a  single  instance  did  he  him- 
self do  anything  in  this  connection  except  stir  up  and 
spur  up  his  workers, — and  pass  the  hat. 


156  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  following  table  is  compiled  from  the  Annual 
Reports  of  the  LVH:— 


B.  Vol. 

Year 

Families 

Total 

Per  Family 

4,  P.  114 

1912 

49 

$  642.25 

$13.10 

5,  P.  134 

1913 

80 

1,000.06 

12.50 

6,  P.  165 

1914 

80 

1,032.88 

11.73 

7,  P.  148 

1915 

96 

664.55 

6.92 

Total  number  of  families,  313. 

Average  per  family,  per  year,  $10.66. 

Just  about  what  it  cost  TK  to  feed  and  " clothe* ' 
his  two  cats  per  week. 

This  table  gives  an  entirely  different  impression 
from  that  conveyed  by  TK's  extravagant  advertising 
statement,  "We  are  feeding  hundreds  of  families  in 
all  parts  of  Chicago,' '  etc.,  etc. 

TK'S  "PIN  MONEY." 

In  Bv.  3,  p.  347,  the  "master"  explains  that  he  is 
obliged  to  sell  membership  pins  to  the  members  of  the 
League  "as  nearly  at  cost  as  possible."  Later  in  Bv. 
4,  p.  59,  he  "explains"  that  these  pins  will  not  be  sold 
outright  to  members,  "but  given  out  only  on  a  con- 
tract of  lease  which  leaves  the  legal  title  always  in 
the  League,  i.  e.,  in  your  foxy  "Uncle  John." 

At  $3.50  each,  about  200  pins  and  buttons  were 
leased  to  members.  This  total  income  of  $700.00 
"went"  to  TK  personally,  and  has  not  yet  come  back, 
though  many  in-" visible  helpers"  would  like  to  be  re- 
leased to  the  extent  of  $3.50,  in  the  currency  of  the 
11  Great  School." 


THE  LEAGUE  OF  VISIBLE  HELPERS  157 

Again  the  Lively  Parallel: 

I.    THEORY 

In  Life  and  Action,  for  Dec,  1914,  TK,  in  drumming 
up  trade  for  the  LVH,  says : 

"Each  year  I  take  an  account  of  my  material  means,  and 
carefully  determine  how  many  dollars  I  can  spare  for  the 
help  of  the  Great  Army  of  the  hungry  and  unclad.  Then  I 
eend  the  amount,  in  a  lump  sum,  to  the  League,  where  I 
KNOW  that  it  will  be  made  to  go  much  farther  and  do 
vastly  greater  service  than  I  could  make  it  do,  for  those  who 
are  in  need." 

II.    PRACTICE 

The  following  table  taken  directly  from  the  Records 
of  the  "League  of  Visible  Helpers,"  show  the  follow- 
ing significant i  i  lump  sums }  9  contributed  by  TK  to  his 
pet  advertising  novelty,  the  LVH. 

1910 John  E.  Richardson $  25.00 

Nov.  22,1911....    "       "  "  (money 

advanced)   30.00 

1912 John  E.  Richardson 

Jan.  6, 1913 "      "  "        100.00 

1914 "      "  "        

1915 "      "  "        

1916 "      "  "        


GRAND  Total $155.00 

TK's  total  dividends  from  his  Book  "Company" 
alone,  during  these  five  years,  were  about  $40,000.00. 


158  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

I.    MORE  THEORY 

Again,  Bv.  5,  p.  16,  TK  continues : 

"And  you  will  be  glad  to  know  that  the  beloved  RA,  who 
shared  with  me  the  glorious  triumph  of  bringing  the  League 
into  existence, — tho  on  the  other  side  of  the  Great  Divide — 
is  still  a  contributor  to  the  Fund  of  the  League  for  the  re- 
lief of  those  who  need,  and  will  continue  to  be,  so  long  as  the 
means  she  left  shall  last.  One  of  my  greatest  earthly  joys 
is  that  of  carrying  out  her  wishes  in  that  regard." 

II.    MORE  PRACTICE 

The  following  taken  directly  from  the  Records  of 
the  LVH  show  contributions  as  stated : 
Nov.  22, 1911,  Florence  Huntley  Richardson. .  .$  30.00 

1912 

Dec.  5,  1913,  Check  by  John  E.  Richardson  for 

Florence  Huntley  Richardson 100.00 

1914 

1915 

1916 

Total  $130.00 

From  the  above  we  learn  that : 

1.  Either  the  " means' '  left  by  Florence  Huntley 
Richardson  amounted  to  only  $130.00,  or 

2.  TK  forgot  "one  of  his  greatest  earthly  joys  in 
(not)  carrying  out  her  wishes,  or 

3.  He  needed  her  money  to  buy  flowers  for  the  act- 
resses at  the  Warrington  Theatre  in  Oak  Park,  or 

4.  His  talk  was,  after  all,  only  beautiful  bunk, — and 
why  should  a  man  contribute  to  his  own  charity  game, 
anyway,  so  long  as  he  could  get  others  to  pay  the 
running  expenses? 


THE  LEAGUE  OF  VISIBLE  HELPERS  159 

STILL  MORE  PRACTICE 

In  the  Summer  of  1915,  TK  began  calling  for  funds 
for  his  Edgemoor  Sanitarium  venture,  and  knowing 
that  the  Chicago  LVH  had  some  money,  he  set  about 
to  " think* '  it  out  of  the  League's  bank  account  into 
the  personal  possession  of  one  TK,  the  "Elder 
Brother."  The  result  of  his  first  campaign  was  that 
on  Oct.  18,  1915,  the  League  issued  a  check  to  J.  E.  R. 
for  $1,200.00.  Then  after  a  spiritual  pause  of  a  few 
months,  he  went  after  them  again.  This  time  he 
cleaned  up  their  "funds"  completely,  with  a  check  for 
$1,948.00. 

These  sums,  amounting  to  $3,148.00,  together  with 
contributions  from  other  "groups,"  TK  called  a 
"Trust  Fund,"  and  pronounced  the  following  tender 
words  over  the  remains : 

"Reports  of  the  work  accomplished  and  of  the 
administration  of  all  trust  funds  for  that  purpose  will 
be  rendered  from  time  to  time  thru  the  columns  of 
Life  and  Action. 

Your  Friend  and  Elder  Brother.    TK." 

Then  on  April  1,  1916,  the  wiley  EB  played  another 
one  of  those  humorous  pranks  of  his,  in  which  he  with- 
drew these  trust  funds  from  the  Bank  in  Oconomowoc, 
Wis.,  and  carried  them  away  with  him,  on  Monday, 
April  4, 1916. 

But  the  Chicago  Group  played  even  on  July  12, 1916, 
at  which  time  the  voting  members  expelled  the  TK 
from  the  "League  of  Visible  Helpers." 

On  Feb.  1,  1917,  the  LVH  was  dissolved  and  thus 
endeth  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Edgemoor  Sanitarium 

*  '  Edgemoor ' '  is  located  about  two  miles  northwest 
of  Oconomowoc,  Wisconsin. 

Oconomowoc  is  thirty-two  miles  west  of  the  brew- 
eries "that  made  Milwaukee  famous." 

Milwaukee  is  eighty-five  miles  north  of  Chicago,  and 
Chicago  was  formerly  the  headquarters  of  TK's 
"Great  School"  i.  e.,  TK.  himself. 

From  Chicago,  TK  did  most  of  his  talking  about 
this  GS,  and  what  he  hoped  to  do — when  he  could 
command  the  "means." 

Along  with  other  melo-dramatic  topics  of  his  ' '  Great 
School,"  TK  talked  quite  frequently  and  a  great  deal 
about  obsession,  or  "Subjective  Insanity.' '  On  this 
subject,  as  on  all  others,  he  always  used  a  good  brand 
of  imitation  positive  statements.  He  claimed  to  have 
studied  medicine  and  to  have  had  a  very  special  course 
of  personal  instruction  under  a  first-class  "Great  Mas- 
ter,' '  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  insanity.  He 
further  claimed  to  have  had  "thousands  of  cases" 
pass  under  his  " observation,' '  and  it  was  generally 
believed  by  all  who  read  his  literature  that  he  could 
cast  devils  out  of  people  quicker  and  farther  and 
faster,  and  do  it  more  scientifically  and  with  less  effort 
than  any  man  before,  during  or  since  the  days  of  the 
Master  Jesus. 

161 


162  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

As  early  as  1903,  TK  publicly  recommended  him- 
self in  the  role  of  a  "diagnoser"  of,  and  rapid-fire  pre- 
scriber  for  insanity.  His  idea  was  that  being  able  to 
see  spiritually,  all  he  had  to  do  in  "treating"  obses- 
sional insanity,  was  to  open  his  spiritual  eyes,  look  at 
the  obsessing  spirit  or  spirits,  give  them  the  high  sign 
and  a  certain  secret  spiritual  wink,  rap  them  on  the 
knuckles  and  tell  them  to  go  about  their  business. 

In  a  chapter  "To  the  Physician/'  p.  383-84,  "Great 
Psychological  Crime/'  we  read  that  as  an  experiment, 
TK  "  once-upon-a-time "  went  into  a  certain  State  In- 
stitution for  the  Insane,  and  out  of  600  insane  inmates, 
diagnosed  and  prescribed  for  349  cases,  each  and  every 
one  of  whom  was  cured.  "Not  a  single  failure  re- 
sulted." 

Thus  in  1903,  he  gave  out  the  hypnotic  suggestion, 
and  in  1909,  and  thereafter,  advertised,  reiterated 
and  emphasized  the  idea;  until  he  had  two  or  three 
thousand  people  believing  and  repeating  his  claims  as 
gospel  facts.  And  this  too  without  a  single  item  of 
evidence  or  proof  of  any  kind. 

Says  TK,  in  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  1,  No.  2,  p.  25: 

"It  is  also  hoped  and  expected  that,  in  due  course  of  time, 
a  private  sanitarium  will  be  equipped  for  the  treatment  and 
cure  of  subjective  insanity,  according  to  the  methods  of  the 
Great  School,  as  indicated  in  Vol.  II  of  the  Harmonic  Series. 
When  that  time  comes,  however,  the  facts  will  be  announced 
in  such  manner  as  to  leave  no  uncertainty  in  the  mind  of  any 
who  may  be  interested.  At  the  present  time  there  are  phy- 
sicians in  course  of  preparation  for  such  a  work,  but  the 
School  is  not  yet  in  possession  of  sufficient  material  means 
to  equip  an  institution. ' ' 

For  "material  means/'  TK  was  ever  on  the  look- 


THE  EDGE  MO  OR  SANITARIUM  163 

out,  and  his  opportunity  to  put  his  illusory  "  sanita- 
rium' '  into  effect  came  in  1915.  In  an  almost  incred- 
ibly short  space  of  time  and  with  an  ease  "that  passeth 
all  understanding, ' '  he  turned  the  trick.  Thru  the 
simple  means  of  a  half-dozen  personal,  forceful,  fol- 
low-up letters,  which  for  calculating  sagacity,  " punch' ' 
and  quick  action  would  amaze  a  Philadelphia  lawyer, 
your  "Uncle  John"  succeeded  in  having  a  property 
valued  at  the  enormous  sum  of  $650,000.00  deeded  over 
to  his  imaginary  '  *  Great  School. ' ' 

But  note  what  a  beautiful,  external  polish  he  puts 
on  this  transaction: — 

"Thru  channels  that  are  entirely  constructive,  and  in  har- 
mony with  the  Spirit  of  the  Work,  the  Great  School  has  come 
into  possession  of  a  magnificent  property.  .  .  .  The  prop- 
erty lies  two  miles  north  from  Oconomowoc,  Wisconsin,  in 
the  most  picturesque  and  beautiful  spot  that  can  well  be  im- 
agined. It  consists  of  28  acres  of  land  that  have  been  im- 
proved to  the  extent  of  over  $650,000.00.  "—Bv.  6,  p.  235. 

Later,  in  Life  and  Action,  Vol.  7,  No.  1,  Dec,  1915, 
in  his  usual  masterly,  misleading  manner,  TK  gives  us 
another  and  little  more  poetic  glimpse  of  how  he 
landed  this  property : 

"  Suddenly  and  without  warning  there  came  to  us 
as  if  it  had  dropped  from  the  sky,  a  property  which  I 
verily  believe  cannot  be  duplicated  in  the  entire  United 
States.' ' 

It  "dropped"  alright,  but  not  until  TK  had  spread 
his  net  and  gone  after  the  "sky"  with  his  smooth, 
fluidic,  persuasive  English. 

The  acquisition  of  this  property  opened  up  new 
visions  of  profits,  and  TK  began  at  once  to  need  money 
and  to  need  it  awfully  "quick  and  fast." 


164  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Now  it  so  happened  that  the  Chicago  Group  of 
League  of  Visible  Helpers  had  on  hand  a  considerable 
sum  of  money:  money  which  had  been  donated  by  hun- 
dreds of  people  with  the  definite  understanding  and 
for  the  express  purpose  that  it  was  to  be  used  for  char- 
itable work  among  the  poor  and  needy. 

It  was  at  this  point  that  the  "master,"  by  a  little 
metaphysical  hocus-pocus  which  he  affectionately 
referred  to  as  a  "Trust  Fund"  for  the  use  of  the 
"Edgemoor  Sanitarium, ' 9  succeeded  in  wheedling 
$3,000.00  out  of  the  Chicago  LVH.— (L.  &  A.,  Vol.  7, 
No.  1,  p.  20).  This  "noble"  example  was  promptly 
used  on  the  other  Leagues  and  individuals  here  and 
there  over  the  States,  and  very  soon  additional  checks 
and  drafts,  money  orders  and  currency,  were  going  the 
way  of  the  funds  of  the  "Central  League." 

TK  humorously  promised  that  reports  of  the  admin- 
istration of  all  trust  funds  would  be  published,  from 
time  to  time,  in  "Life  and  Action/'  but  somehow 
1  '  from  time  to  time ' '  he  reported  not. 

The  less  than  4,000  readers  of  Life  and  Action  read 
the  "Edgemoor"  announcements,  but  not  many  com- 
ments were  offered  one  way  or  another.  The  great 
majority  seemed  to  say:  "TK  has  for  the  past  ' thirty 
years'  been  making  certain  unusual  claims  about  his 
ability  to  cure  insanity ;  he  now  has  an  opportunity  to 
back  up  those  claims  with  something  real  and  tangi- 
ble." Some,  long  used  to  the  "master's"  boasts  and 
promises,  simply  waited  courteously,  and  said  nothing. 
Comparatively  few  even  of  the  500  or  so  "accredited" 
students  made  any  show  of  lively  interest.    Those  stu- 


THE  EDGEMOOR  SANITARIUM  165 

dents  who  had  completed  the  Ethical  Work,  and  espe- 
cially those  who  were  going  to  live  at  Edgemoor,  or 
those  who  expected  to  be  there  later  on,  furnished  all 
the  enthusiasm. 

There  were  comparatively  few  inquiries  for  Sani- 
tarium literature,  and  most  of  these  requests  came, 
not  from  prospective  patients  or  their  relatives  or 
guardians,  but  from  "Friends"  and  students  who 
wished  to  help  advertise  the  new  i  '  charity. '  ■  Outside 
the  limited  number  of  readers  of  TK's  magazine,  few 
people  ever  even  heard  of  this  Edgemoor  adventure. 

The  Sanitarium  was  officially  opened  for  business 
Feb.  1, 1916.  The  March- April  No.  of  Life  and  Action 
contained  a  reprint  of  an  Oconomowoc  Enterprise 
article,  and  this  was  the  last  that  subscrib- 
ers heard  of  the  great  Edgemoor  "  Sanitarium. ' '  As 
time  passed,  Friends  asked  what  had  become  of  little 
Edgemoor,  but  on  this  subject  all  was  as  quiet  as  a 
country  cemetery.  However,  since  for  the  past  18 
years,  people  have  been  buying  TK's  fiction  and  pay- 
ing for  it  at  regular  philosophy  prices,  they  are  now 
entitled  to  the  truth,  and  we  hope  to  be  able  to  set 
these  facts  down  in  plain,  simple,  every-day  English. 

1.  All  TK's  Talk  about  his  knowledge  of,  and 
experience  and  success  in  diagnosing  and  curing  insan- 
ity is  simply  bluff  and  pretense — pure,  deliberate  and 
original. 

2.  There  is  no  evidence  whatever  to  substantiate 
the  tale  recorded  in  "The  Great  Psychological  Crime/7 
p.  383-84.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  known  to  be  abso- 
lutely and  most  positively  untrue  and  impossible. 


166  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

3.  So  far  as  can  be  proven,  TK  never  at  any  time 
diagnosed,  released  or  cured  a  single  case  of  subjective 
or  any  other  kind  of  insanity. 

4.  TK  never  in  any  instance  instructed  or  trained 
anyone  so  that  they,  as  a  result  of  his  pretended  teach- 
ings, could  diagnose,  release  or  cure  what  he  termed 
subjective  insanity,  or  obsession — his  own  published 
statements,  and  inferences  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. 

5.  TK  was  not  a  physician  in  any  sense  of  the  word. 
He  did  not  study  medicine,  as  he  claims  to  have  done, 
in  the  Iowa  State  University,  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa. 

6.  Neither  TK  nor  his  imaginary  " Great  School" 
possessed  any  secret  "formularies"  for  or  methods  of 
treating  insanity,  such  as  he  falsely  led  his  readers  to 
believe  he  had  demonstrated  to  his  students. 

7.  His  suggestion  that  "thousands  of  cases  of 
insanity  had  passed  under  his  observation"  is  very 
good  evidence  that  he  can  get  most  any  kind  of  a  "per- 
sonal experience,"  "record"  or  "proof"  out  of  his 
imagination. 

8.  Many  people :  students  and  non-students,  physi- 
cians and  laymen,  can  testify  that  they  applied  to 
TK  for  both  diagnosis  and  treatment  for  insane  cases, 
and  all  the  satisfaction  they  ever  got  out  of  him  was 
an  excuse  or  dodge  of  some  kind.  In  a  few  instances 
he  was  called  into  consultation  by  two  or  three  stu- 
dents of  his  philosophy,  Chicago  physicians ;  but  each 
of  these  men  now  know  that  they  knew  far  more  about 
their  cases  than  TK  did,  and  that  he  was  simply  pit- 
ting his  pretensions  against  their  actual  knowledge, 


THE  EDGEMOOR  SANITARIUM  167 


experience,  and  professional  training  and  skill.  These 
physicians  are  sincere,  honest  and  honorable  men.  In 
asking  TK  into  consultation  they  did  so,  just  the  same 
as  they  would  call  in  any  man  whom  they  had  been 
led  to  believe  was  honest  and  capable  of  rendering 
some  possible  service  to  the  patients  under  their  care. 
See  "Review  of  "The  Great  Psychological  Crime." 

NOW  AS  TO  EDGEMOOR 

The  Sanitarium  was  ' '  officially ' '  open  from  Feb.  1, 
to  July  1,  1916.  The  entire  move  was  undertaken 
purely  upon  belief  in  TK's  pretensions  that  thru  the 
exercise  of  certain  spiritual  powers,  he  could  diagnose 
and  release  certain  insane  patients  from  obsessing 
spiritual  intelligences.  The  results  of  the  whole  ven- 
ture at  Edgemoor  proved  positively  that  TK  did  not 
possess  the  powers  to  which  he  pretended,  and  that 
he  had  neither  the  knowledge  nor  the  ability  to  diag- 
nose, treat  or  prescribe  for  insanity, — or  any  thing 
else  for  that  matter. 

Only  five  (5)  patients  were  received  at  Edgemoor, 
and  of  this  number,  three  (3)  were  "pay"  patients, 
as  follows: 

1.  A  patient  from  Chicago,  the  expense  of  whose 
treatment  was  met  by  the  * '  Central  League  of  Visible 
Helpers.' '    No  benefit  reported,  other  than  physical. 

2.  In  this  instance,  the  patient  is  a  sister  of  a 
former  student  and  ' i  Friend  of  the  Work. ' '  For  sev- 
eral years  she  had  been  a  patient  in  one  of  the  Cali- 
fornia State  Hospitals  for  the  Insane.  The  relatives 
live  in  the  State  of  Washington.     They  are  honest, 


168 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

industrious  and  worthy  people,  but  unable  to  have  the 
sister  cared  for  in  a  private  Sanitarium. 

Having  read  TK 's  literature  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  being  misled  as  so  many  others  have  been  by  his 
theories  regarding  insanity,  they  concluded  the  sister 
was  under  spirit  control  or  obsession.  Thus,  when 
they  learned  of  the  opening  of  the  Edgemoor  Sani- 
tarium they  resolved  to  undertake  any  sacrifice  in 
order  to  place  their  sister  under  TK's  direction  and 
treatment.  Entirely  upon  their  confidence  in  TK  and 
his  published  statements  as  to  his  ability,  knowledge 
and  experience  in  treating  insanity,  they  planned  to 
have  her  removed  as  soon  as  possible.  They  had  "the 
utmost  confidence  in  his  integrity  and  unbounded  faith 
in  his  power  to  live  and  operate  upon  both  the 
physical  and  spiritual  planes,  and  also  in  his  great 
and  earnest  and  sincere  desire  to  help  "suffering 
humanity." 

Under  these  circumstances,  and  at  very  great  per- 
sonal sacrifice,  one  of  the  family  made  the  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia and  accompanied  the  patient  to  Oconomowoc, 
Wis., — a  distance  of  several  thousand  miles.  The  fol- 
lowing few  sentences  taken  from  a  recent  letter  "ex- 
plains" the  results: 

"My  sister  was  in  the  Edgemoor  Sanitarium  from 
the  11th  of  April  until  the  20th  of  June,  when  to  our 
almost  overwhelming  disappointment,  we  were  noti- 
fied to  take  her  away." 

Not  being  in  position  to  send  anyone  for  their  sis- 
ter at  the  time,  the  family  was  compelled  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  her  detention  for  the  time  being  in  a 


THE  EDGEMOOR  SANITARIUM  169 

private  sanitarium  in  Chicago.  Thus,  time  passed, 
and  when  finally  a  member  of  the  family  did  come  for 
the  patient  and  had  returned  to  Washington,  the 
expenses  had  mounted  upward  to  over  $1,200.00, 
$300.00  of  which  had  to  be  borrowed.  These  unfor- 
tunate victims  of  TK's  great  school  "philosophy"  and 
buncombe  morality  still  have  this  debt  hanging  over 
their  heads  to  remind  them  of  their  " treatment' '  at 
Beautiful  Edgemoor,"  and  their  personal  experience 
with  John  E.  Richardson's  "Great  Work." 

In  this  case  every  cent  of  the  expense  connected 
with  the  brmging  of  this  patient  to  Edgemoor  and  her 
removal,  should  have  been  refunded  promptly,  because 
the  entire  outlay  was  the  direct  result  of  published 
misrepresentations. 

In  this  case,  kindly  note  the  significant  fact  that  this 
patient  was  received  at  Edgemoor  on  April  11, — seven 
days  after  the  TK  had  quit  the  Sanitarium. 

This  patient  is  reported  as  having  received  abso- 
lutely no  benefit. 

3.  In  this  instance,  a  young  man,  the  main  support 
of  his  parents'  home  was  upon  his  confidence  in  TK's 
writings,  induced  to  place  his  father  in  the  Edgemoor 
Sanitarium.  He  too,  believed  that  an  immediate  diag- 
nosis would  be  made,  and  there  was  an  understanding 
that  as  soon  as  it  could  be  determined  whether  or  not 
the  patient  could  be  benefited  or  cured,  the  son  should 
be  notified.  Under  these  arrangements,  the  patient 
was  detained  at  the  institution  for  over  four  months, 
at  $25.00  per  week,  and  so  far  as  the  son  ever  heard, 
no  diagnosis  of  the  case  was  ever  made,  altho  TK  and 


170  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

his  " independent  spiritual  vision"  was  there  all  dur- 
ing the  first  two  months  of  the  patients'  detention. 

Finally,  the  latter  part  of  June,  nearly  eight  weeks 
after  TK 's  exposure,  suddenly  and  without  explana- 
tion of  any  kind  (other  than  that  the  Sanitarium  was 
to  be  closed)  the  son  was  ordered  to  remove  his 
father  from  the  institution  at  once,  or  he  would  be  sent 
home  at  the  son's  expense. 

In  this  case,  also,  the  patient  was  not  benefitted,  and 
shortly  after  his  removal  from  Edgemoor,  was  com- 
mitted to  the  State  Insane  Hospital  at  Elgin,  111. 

This  young  man  and  his  family  were  victims  of  TK 
and  his  personal  misrepresentations.  Every  cent  of 
the  money  obtained  from  him  should  by  every  law  of 
common  honesty  be  refunded. 

#     #     *     #     # 

On  April  1,  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Edgemoor 
Board  of  Trustees.  Upon  that  memorable  occasion, 
TK  learned  for  the  first  time  that  for  a  month  past 
he  had  been  under  secret  surveillance,  and  that  enough 
evidence  had  accumulated  to  relieve  him  from  the  bur- 
den of  further  responsibility  as  the  "sole  representa- 
tive" of  his  "Great  Work  in  America.' ' 

In  June,  Edgemoor  was  legally  returned  to  the 
donor,  and  on  July  1,  Edgemoor  Sanitarium  was  of- 
ficially dissolved,  and  soon  faded  away  into  the  things 
of  which  memory  is  made. 

What  20th  Century  Fiction! 

But  with  it  all,  Blessed  be  Edgemoor!  For  there 
occurred  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  a  time  of  blkid 
belief  and  mental  darkness  for  several  hundred  souls 


THE  EDGEMOOR  SANITARIUM  171 

— perhaps  for  many  thousands,  in  the  course  of  future 
generations. 

Blessed  be  the  Light! 

Blessed  be  the  Watchers  with  the  Independent 
Physical  Vision. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
The  Department  of  Personal  Instruction 

What  was  this  instruction?  Why  was  it  a  secret  in- 
struction? If  it  was  simply  an  instruction  and  train- 
ing in  moral  principles,  why  was  it  not  published 
frankly  and  openly  to  all  the  world?  Did  it  really  con- 
stitute an  accurate  and  final  ethical  education  in  such 
manner,  and  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  enable  one  to  live 
a  daily  life  in  conscious,  perfect  and  mathematical 
harmony  with  all  of  Nature's  laws,  forces  and  prin- 
ciples ? 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  "secrecy"  is  a 
strong  psychological  cord  with  which  it  is  possible  to 
so  bind  men  and  women  that  they  may  for  years  be 
held  in  a  kind  of  spiritual  unconsciousness  to  every- 
thing except  the  directing  voice  and  influence  to  which 
they  give  attention. 

The  one  thing  that  made  possible  the  integration, 
development  and  exploitation  of  those  who  were  drawn 
into  the  activities  of  the  " Great  School"  was  secrecy. 
Back  of  or  beyond  the  books,  the  students  and  every- 
thing connected  with  the  movement,  was  the  secret 
personal  instruction.  To  this,  all  who  took  the  philos- 
ophy seriously  aspired.  To  this  everything  in  the 
books  directed  attention.  And  to  make  it  more  attrac- 
tive and  give  it  the  appearance  of  having  no  strings 
tied  to  it,  the  reader  was  assured  over  and  over  again 
that  it  was  FREE ;  that  it  could  not,  under  any  circum- 

172 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  173 

stance  whatsoever,  be  purchased  or  obtained  upon  any- 
other  terms  than  as  a  Gift. 

To  make  it  still  more  attractive,  it  was  evidently 
purposely  clothed  in  great  mystery. 

1.  By  advertising  it  as  a  secret  work. 

2.  By  misrepresenting  its  nature,  its  origin  and 
antiquity,  and, 

3.  By  greatly  exaggerating  its  importance  and 
value,  and  its  possible  effects  upon  the  individual  in- 
telligence. 

TK  impressed  certain  of  his  readers  to  believe  that 
what  he  called  the  " secret  work,"  was  the  results  of 
tens  of  thousands  of  years  of  study,  experiment  and 
demonstration;  that  it  represented  in  a  condensed, 
crystallized  form  the  essence  of  all  religion,  philosophy 
and  science  known  to  man. 

This  impression  originally  applied  to  the  twelve 
problems  comprising  the  "Ethical  Section,' '  or  Secret 
Formulary,  but  as  time  passed  and  " preliminary' '  and 
"supplementary"  courses  were  added  to  the  difficulties 
of  the  applicant,  these  too  evolved  to  the  dignity  of 
secret  work.  In  this  way  students  of  late  years  came 
to  believe  that  all  these  steps  in  the  process  of  initia- 
tion were  handed  down  from  ages  long  since  forgotten 
of  men. 

Naturally  this  idea  is  quite  impressive — if  you  hap- 
pen really  to  believe  it.  But  once  you  know  just  what 
this  secret  personal  instruction  consists  of  and  exactly 
how  it  works  itself  out  in  practice — its  real  meaning 
and  the  purpose  bach  of  it  all — there  is  then  no  mys- 
tery. You  begin  to  see  from  the  viewpoint  of  a  disin- 
terested spectator,  and  the  feeling  of  your  having  been 


174  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

deprived  of  some  great  privilege  that  you  imagined 
essential  to  your  happiness,  gently  leaves  you  and 
fades  away  forever.  You  breathe  freely  once  more, 
you  smile  softly  and  even  congratulate  yourself  on 
your  not  having  been  permitted  to  sit  at  the  " mas- 
ter V  feet.  This  is  especially  true  of  all  those  who,  in 
the  face  of  an  absorbing  and  profound  conviction  that 
this  " Great  School* '  possessed  the  only  true  knowl- 
edge of  life  accessible  to  humanity, — were  denied  ad- 
mittance to  studentship.  Some  who  were  repeatedly 
denied  what  they  imagined  to  be  priceless  spiritual 
benefits  and  the  companionship  of  a  " chosen* '  people, 
suffered  for  years  as  if  ostracised  of  men  and  forsaken 
by  their  God.  To  these,  the  Light  of  Truth  will  be 
welcome,  and  its  healing  rays  will  awaken  into  new 
life  some  of  the  long  unsung  songs  of  the  Soul. 


Of  late  years  and  to  new  comers,  TK's  highway  to 
spiritual  progress  appeared  to  be  quite  elaborate. 
Back  in  the  nineties,  however,  it  was  just  a  simple 
affair.  Until  1903  there  was  but  one  "text"  book; 
there  were  no  preliminary  questions,  no  "test"  course, 
no  examinations  to  pass,  no  references  required,  no 
anything,  as  of  late  years,  to  frighten  the  soul  stiff 
with  fear  of  failure. 

New  experiences,  circumstances,  changes,  interests 
and  relationships  are  inevitable  in  the  course  of  every 
life,  no  matter  how  humble  or  how  exalted  its  position 
or  nature  may  be.  By  this  process  Nature,  or  Uni- 
versal Intelligence  appears  to  be  forever  engaged  in 
growing  individuals.    And  in  making  these  daily  and 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  175 

hourly  adjustments  in  our  lives  all  of  us  come  to  puz- 
zling situations;  situations,  questions  and  problems 
which  put  our  very  best  intelligence  to  the  test.  Nat- 
urally then  we  would  all  like  to  rind  and  possess  some 
kind  of  Magic  Eule  by  which  to  measure  off  these  per- 
sonal puzzles  and  problems,  with  the  same  ease  and 
accuracy  that  the  dry-goods  merchant  measures  off  a 
yard  or  five  yards  of  cloth.  We  feel  that  if  we  could 
but  find  such  a  Rule,  all  our  difficulties  and  lessons 
would  be  at  an  end  forever.  A  fairy  dream,  perhaps, 
but  its  realization  would  no  doubt  put  an  "end"  to  us 
as  individuals.  It  would  immediately  and  effectually 
close  all  those  glorious  hours  of  golden  opportunities 
in  the  "School  of  Life"  which  alone  can  lead  us  up- 
ward out  of  the  darkness  of  inexperience,  pain  and 
discord,  into  the  pure  spiritual  light  of  our  own  in- 
tellectual and  moral  development.  Regarding  his  very 
secret  and  personal  course  of  Ethical  Instruction,  TK 
represents  it  to  be  a  " formulary, ' f — Nature's  formu- 
lary,—a  formulary  discovered,  demonstrated  and  used 
for  many  thousands  of  by-gone  years ;  a  formulary  he 
himself  received  out  of  the  "ages"  in  all  its  original 
and  ancient  purity,  etc.,  etc. 

But  let  us  examine  this  very  secret  course  of  instruc- 
tion and  see  what  it  is,  how  it  operates  and  what  it  has 
done,  is  doing,  or  will  do  for  its  ' '  students. ' ' 

Application  for  this  instruction  was  nearly  always 
by  correspondence,  and  usually  made  thru  the  Indo- 
American  Book  Co.  Upon  receipt  of  inquiry  or  appli- 
cation, if  TK  concluded  the  writer  was  not  "ready," 
he  simply  put  him  off  with  advice  to  secure  and  read  a 
list  of  the  books  of  his  Book  Co.    If  they  showed  signs 


176  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

of  being  already  sufficiently  impressed  and  suscep- 
tible of  aligning  themselves  with  the  exoteric  work  of 
advertising  the  movement,  the  road  to  the  TK's 
" South "  was  about  as  follows: 

Upon  acceptance  of  TK's  terms,  a  list  of  "  Prelim- 
inary Questions' '  were  sent  to  the  applicant.  These 
questions  were  48  in  number,  and  covered  very  thor- 
oughly the  applicant's  philosophic,  religious,  domes- 
tic and  personal  life,  and  constituted  an  index  to  the 
individual's  future  possible  usefulness  to  the  " Great 
School." 

The  list  being  answered  satisfactorily,  the  applicant 
was  instructed  to  prepare  for  a  rigid  examination  on 
the  contents  of  the  four  books  and  booklet  named.  As 
an  aid  to  this  preparation,  the  Question  Booh  and  Key 
were  used.  Upon  this  part  of  the  TK's  " Great 
Work,"  the  applicant  was  required  to  spend  not  less 
than  three  hours  daily,  and  even  with  this  extravagant 
waste  of  time,  it  took  from  one  to  three  years — in  some 
cases  longer — to  write  out  the  answers,  and  memorize 
the  books  sufficiently  to  stand  an  examination  on  their 
contents. 

Following  a  satisfactory  written  examination  which 
lasted  from  a  few  months  to  as  many  years,  TK 
officially  accepted  the  candidate  *s  application,  gave  the 
official  "nod"  to  some  local  group,  and  the  applicant 
was  "elected"  to  be  admitted  to  the  next  regular  step 
known  as  the  "Test  Course." 

This  "course"  consisted  of  52  subjects  of  from  a 
dozen  to  two  dozen  questions  each,  printed  in  imitation 
type-writer  type.  Besides  these  "official"  lists,  the 
"course"  included  sixteen  supplementary  lists  on  the 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  177 

spiritual  subjects  of  i  '  Flirting,  * '  "  Indolence,' '  "Luke- 
warmness,,,  " Shirking, ' '  etc.,  to  be  used  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  "instructor"  assigned. 

This  "Test  Course"  required  not  less  than  one 
year's  time,  and  the  subjects  covered  constituted  a 
most  exacting  personal  quiz  on  all  sorts  of  personal 
questions,  the  answers  to  which  gave  TK  a  fairly  cor- 
rect estimate  of  the  student's  individual  convictions, 
mode  of  life,  ideals,  aims  and  abilities,  strong  and  weak 
points,  and  his  possible  usefulness  to  the  GREAT 
CAUSE,  i.  e.,  to  TK. 

These  results  were  exactly  what  were  contemplated 
in  the  preparation  of  this  Test  Course.  It  was  not 
for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  applicant's  spiritual  de- 
velopment or  possibilities,  but  to  test  his  "loyalty," 
i.  e.,  his  willingness  to  accept  the  TK's  rule  of  secrecy 
and  the  heel  of  authority  which  he  imposed.  Not  but 
that  some  of  these  lists  of  questions  comprising  the 
"Test  Course,"  might  have  a  certain  amount  of  in- 
terest and  possible  value  in  the  analysis  of  a  man's 
mental  attitudes  and  activities,  but  in  this  instance 
the  whole  idea  was  put  to  a  wrong  use.  Under  false 
impressions  as  to  its  spiritual  value,  importance  and 
the  purpose  which  it  was  supposed  to  serve,  several 
hundred  people  wasted  from  one  to  five  years  of  all 
the  time  they  could  spare,  to  this  "great  work." 

To  give  you  an  idea  of  just  what  this  Test  Course 
consisted,  we  will  here  reproduce  a  few  pages  of  the 
lists  of  questions  submitted  to  the  student. 


178  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

JEALOUSY  AND  ENVY 

What  is  Jealousy?    Define  in  your  own  words. 

What  destructive  elements  enter  into  it? 

Are  you  ever  Jealous? 

Is  there  a  cure  for  it? 

How  do  you  know? 

Is  Jealousy  a  Proof  of  LOVE? 

Do  you  believe  it  possible  for  two  people  who  LOVE 
each  other  TRULY  and  without  reservation,  ever  to 
be  Jealous  of  or  toward  each  other? 

What  is  the  distinction  between  the  " Jealousy"  of 
the  betrayed  love  or  friendship,  and  the  " Jealousy* p  of 
Suspicion  and  Imagination? 

Which  is  the  more  destructive? 

What  is  the  corrective  of  unwarranted  Jealousy? 

What  is  ENVY?    Define,  analyze  and  illustrate. 

Is  this  a  common  trait  of  human  nature? 

What  is  the  psychological  effect  of  Envy  upon  the 
one  who  indulges  it? 

What  is  the  corrective? 

Are  you  m  any  sense  a  "Money  LoverV 

Do  you  spend  money  easily,  or  with  regrets? 

How  does  the  possession  of  Wealth  by  others  affect 
you? 

Do  you  envy  those  who  have  more  than  you? 

If  you  had  $1,000,000  of  your  own,  what  USE  would 
you  make  of  it? 

In  what  ways,  if  at  all,  would  you  Indulge  your- 
self? 

Do  you,  IN  PRACTICE,  apply  the  Law  of  Com- 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  179 

pensation  to  Material  Possessions,  or  only  to  Spiritual 
things? 

Why? 

Kindly  note  that  after  successfully  asking  nineteen 
questions  on  the  subject  of  "Jealousy  and  Envy/'  we 
suddenly  discover  the  " master' '  shifting  around  to  his 
favorite  pastime  of 

" Money,  money,  who's  got  the  money ?" 

Which  brings  us  again  to  TK's  application  of  his 
knowledge  of  psychology  to  the  problem  of  money. 
The  "Test  Course' '  consisted  of  52  subjects,  submitted 
weekly.  The  last  two  topics  were  timed  for  the  last 
two  weeks  of  the  student's  probation.  He  was  about 
to  complete  a  long,  tiresome  work.  He  was  approach- 
ing the  wonderful  Ethical  Section — the  real  instruc- 
tion. He  was  soon  to  be  an  "ethical  student."  The 
long  sought,  long  struggled-for  Secret  Work  was  just 
coming  into  view.  Says  TK,  "This  is  the  psycho- 
logical moment,"  and  so  it  was,  as  the  following  lists 
of  Test  questions  show : 

51.    MONEY 

What  is  Money,  as  you  understand  it? 

What  do  you  consider  its  legitimate  Function? 

What  do  you  consider  a  legitimate  income? 

What  do  you  regard  as  a  Surplus  ? 

What  do  you  hold  to  be  the  right  Uses  of  a  Surplus? 

Which  do  you  enjoy  most,  to  earn,  to  accumulate, 
or  to  hoard,  Money? 

Or,  does  it  give  you  greater  satisfaction  to  spend, 
give  or  squander? 

Why? 


180  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Define,  analyze  and  illustrate  the  individual  you 
would  call  Economical. 

One  you  would  call  Saving. 

A  Penurious  person. 

A  Miserly  person. 

In  the  same  way  define,  analyze  and  illustrate  one 
you  would  call  Liberal,  Generous  and  Just? 

Also  one  who  is  extravagant  and  Prodigal  in  the 
use  of  Money? 

Which  of  these  is  your  own  Ideal? 

Among  your  family,  do  you  regard  your  Material 
income  as  exclusively  your  OWN,  to  dispose  of  as  you 
please? 

Or,  do  you  hold  it  as  a  Trust  for  the  benefit  of  all? 

Why?  ' 

What,  in  your  judgment,  must  be  the  right  internal 
attitude  of  Soul  on  this  subject  of  Money,  in  one  who 
seeks  to  become  a  Representative  of  this  Great  School, 
and  a  participator  in  this  Great  Work? 

Why? 

Turn  the  searchlight  upon  your  own  Soul  and  ask 
yourself  if  your  own  attitude  toward  material  posses- 
sions justifies  the  Great  School  in  giving  you  further 
instruction,  and  justifies  you  in  claiming  fellowship 
with  the  Great  Friends  and  Teachers  of  Humanity? 

52.    THE  BEST  GIFT 

All  things  duly  considered,  which  do  you  hold  to  be 
the  more  worthy  and  valuable  Gift:  (1)  A  gift  of 
one's  time,  energy,  personal  effort,  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience, or  (2)  a  Gift  of  Money? 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  181 

According  to  your  own  view,  who  has  made  the  more 
commendable  Gift  to  a  worthy  cause, — the  man  who 
gives  his  life,  with  all  its  intelligent  faculties,  capac- 
ities and  powers ;  or,  one  who  gives  but  a  part  of  his 
material  surplus  ? 

Give  me  your  own  analysis  of  why  it  is  that  men  of 
the  world,  generally  speaking,  seem  to  regard  a  gift 
of  money  as  of  so  much  greater  value  and  importance 
than  any  other  a  man  can  make  for  humanity? 

Weighed  in  the  balance  of  time,  which  do  you  think 
will  count  for  most  (for  individual  development) — the 
gift  of  one 's  time,  energy,  knowledge,  counsel  and  sym- 
pathy,— or  money? 

For  example,  how  would  you  measure  values  as  be- 
tween the  poor  man's  time  and  the  rich  man's  money? 

Are  you  prepared  to  give  to  humanity  out  of  your 
own  abundance  in  whatever  you  may  possess? 

If  you  have  Time,  will  you  give  it  ? 

If  you  have  Knowledge,  will  you  impart  it? 

If  you  have  Energy,  will  you  expend  it? 

If  you  have  Wisdom,  will  you  lend  it? 

If  you  have  Sympathy,  will  you  bestow  it? 

If  you  have  Money,  will  you  use  your  surplus  for  the 
good  of  mankind?* 

How? 

Two  other  "educational"  questions  that  were  used 
earlier  in  the  game  of  the  "Great  School,"  are  also 
herein  reprinted : 


*That  is,  for  TK. 


1S2  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

i.  As  you  understand  them,  to  what  extent  is  it  consistent 
with  the  principles  of  the  Great  Work,  to  accumulate  wealth 
(surplus),  when  there  are  those  who  have  proven  their  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  that  are  in  poverty  and  actual  want  for 
the  necessities  of  life? 

2.  Do  you  believe  you  have  the  moral  courage  to  with- 
stand the  temptations  of  wealth  without  growing  selfish,  and 
to  USE  all  your  legitimate  surplus  for  the  good  of  the  Great 
Work  and  the  proper  help  of  those  employed  in  itf 

What  illuminating  "spiritual"  questions! 

What  magnificent  training! 

What  lu  lu  hints! 

And  all  this  is  a  part  of  the  profoundly  secret  work 
of  TK  's  imaginary  Great  School !  1 

What  a  pity  that  so  many  earnest,  really  beautiful 
souls  have  for  years  been  kept  in  mental  darkness, 
dreaming  and  hoping,  struggling  and  suffering,  plan- 
ning and  praying — almost  willing  to  crawl  in  the  dust 
— that  they  might  be  admitted  to  this  wonderful  "  wis- 
dom of  the  ages."  All  because  TK  cunningly  made 
it  a  secret  work  and  subject  wholly  to  his  pretended 
authority. 

But  as  this  mystery  veneer  is  ripped  off  you  see  it 
not  as  the  efforts  of  a  Great  School  of  Masters,  but 
as  the  shrewd  scheme  of  an  occult  pretender  and 
grafter. 

All  the  preliminary  and  test  course  work  was  tedious 
and  trying.  It  was  meant  to  be  so,  for  it  was  simply 
a  system  of  "stringing"  both  students  and  applicants. 
The  object  was  to  gain  time;  to  admit  only  a  limited 
number,  ever,  to  the  Ethical  Section.  Every  applicant 
and  accepted  student  wanted  the  more  secret  E  S,  and 
not  one  would  have  submitted  to  the  "preliminary" 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION  183 

grind  and  useless  waste  of  valuable  time  but  for  the 
reason  that  they  were  given  to  understand  that  it  was 
absolutely  the  only  way  they  could  get  this  MORAL 
instruction. 

TK's  entire  Great  Scheme  depended  upon  secrecy, 
and  so  firmly  did  he  hold  each  student  and  applicant, 
that  at  any  point  along  the  way,  and  without  a  mo- 
ment's notice,  he  could  "eliminate"  him  or  her  with- 
out even  so  much  as  a  word  of  explanation. 

Where  it  became  known  that  any  applicant  or  stu- 
dent doubted  TK's  honesty  or  showed  the  least  dis- 
position whatever  to  question  any  of  his  personal 
claims,  his  motives,  manner  of  life,  tin-horn  powers 
or  authority,  or  what  he  was  doing  with  the  large  sums 
of  money  he  had  collected  "for  the  good  of  the  Great 
Cause," — that  applicant  or  student  was  promptly 
"eliminated,"  and  henceforth  branded  by  the  "mas- 
ter" as  an  apostate,  a  dangerous  spy  and  secret  enemy 
of  his  Great  Fraud.  And  all  students  were  warned  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  heretic! 

Some  people  imagined  that  when  an  applicant  came 
to  TK  for  his  course  in  Morals,  all  the  "master"  had 
to  do  was  to  turn  his  spiritual  spot  lights  on  them  or 
in  the  direction  of  their  home,  and  in  a  few  winks 
would  know  all  about  them.  For  such  purposes,  how- 
ever, TK  would  never  use  his  * l  powers. f '  And  it  was 
just  as  well,  for  his  unique  and  original  system  of  spy- 
ing on  everybody  connected  with  him  in  any  way,  was 
quite  efficient.  In  fact,  his  spy  system  was  a  marvel  of 
perfection ;  as  simple,  sure  and  automatic  as  it  is  pos- 
sible for  human  intelligence  to  imagine. 


184  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

1.  He  secured  a  signed  and  dated  detailed  written 
history  of  the  applicant's  personal  life,  environment 
and  past  and  present  connections. 

2.  Before  being  ' '  admitted, ' '  each  applicant  was 
required  to  meet  at  least  one,  sometimes  several  of 
the  accepted  students.  This  was  for  the  purpose  of 
judging  the  applicant's  qualifications  for  " student- 
ship,' '  each  student  being  required  to  submit  a  writ- 
ten report  of  his  impressions  concerning  the  applicant 
to  the  TK.  At  the  same  time,  the  applicant  was  re- 
quired to  write  out  and  submit  to  TK  his  own  personal 
impression  of  each  student  to  whom  he  was  sent.  Thus 
the  GS  "catched  'em  agoin'  an'  acomin'."  Thus  he 
kept  a  cross-file  on  practically  everybody  connected 
in  any  way  with  his  i  i  activities. ' ' 


Here  the  writer  wishes  to  give  some  sound  advice 
to  every  living  soul  who  may  ever  be  tempted  to  give 
his  or  her  life  history  to  some  "master." 

Don't  do  it! 

You  cannot  afford  to  do  it,  and  above  all  do  not  put 
it  in  writing.  A  real  master  would  not  need  to  have 
your  personal  secrets  in  writing,  nor  would  he 
even  suggest  such  a  thing.  The  very  fact  that  any  man 
advertises  and  holds  himself  out  to  be  a  "master"  is 
evidence  enuf  that  he  is  either  mistaken  or  he  is  a  fake 
and  a  fraud.  If  you  happen  to  be  of  that  type  of  mind 
that  simply  must  have  a  "master,"  then  by  all  means 
get  one — temporarily, — but  do  not  trust  him. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PERSONAL  INSTRUCTION 


185 


An  Applt cants  Idea,  of  TKs  Spirttfta.1  Spot  Ughtg 


TK  in  Life  and  Action,  for  Oct.  1913,  says:  "We  now 
have  a  corps  of  some  300,  or  more  active  'instructors/  con- 
stantly engaged." 

Again  in  Dec.  1914,  he  says: 

"To-day  we  have  thus  educated  a  very  few  thousands  of 
such  students  in  America,  and  they  are  scattered  from  one 
end  of  the  country  to  the  other." 

Again,  in  Bv.  4,  p.  294: 

"The  largest  number  in  any  one  center  does  not  exceed 
100  men  and  women.  Then  there  are  groups  of  50,  25,  15, 
10,  5  and  so  on  here  and  there  in  the  cities  and  towns  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States." 


186  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

If  you  have  been  under  the  impression  that  TK's 
students  numbered  into  the  thousands  or  tens  of  thou- 
sands, the  following  table  will  set  you  right.  This 
table  compiled  direct  from  the  records  of  "  Active 
Students' '  to  date  of  July  1st,  1916,  gives  you  the 
exact  number  of  students  and  their  relation  to  the 
great  " secret' '  work.  This  table  covers  ALL  recog- 
nized students,  including  those  "  scattered  from  one 
end  of  the  country  to  the  other." 

PRELIMINARY  TO  ETHICAL  SECTION 

Accepted    30 

Taking  First  General  Examination 69 

Completed  First  General  Examination 6 

Working  on  Test  Course 151 

Completed  Test  Course 24 

Working  on  Examination  for  ES 9 

Completed  Examination  for  ES 41 

Total  330 

ETHICAL  SECTION 

Working  on  Ethical  Section 129 

Completed  Ethical  Section 38 

On  Problem  After  No.  12 10 

Completed  Problem  After  No.  12 7 

Completed  No.  13  73 

Marked  as  Official  Instructors 35 

Total  E  S  Students 292 

Both  Preliminary  and  Ethical  Students 622 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK 201 

8.  That  this  training  constituted  the  first  section  of 
what  he  calls  the  ' '  Technical  Work  of  Spiritual  Devel- 
opment. ' ' 

9.  That  this  process  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word 
an  "independent  process/ '  and  at  every  point  under 
the  complete  control  of  the  student. 

All  of  which  seems  quite  proper  and  wonderful,  and 
as  it  should  be. 

The  advertising  of  this  so-called  Technical  Work 
began  with  the  publication  of  "Harmonics  of  Evolu- 
tion" in  1899.  It  was  continued  in  "The  Great  Psy- 
chological Crime"  in  1903,  and  again  in  "The  Great 
Work"  in  1906.  In  the  last  named  book  it  is  meant  to 
be  the  crowning  achievement  of  the  entire  volume;  in 
fact,  of  the  entire  Harmonic  Series.  It  is  the  central 
idea  around  which  everything  else  revolves,  and  up  to 
which  every  other  line  of  thot  reaches. 

In  a  plausible  sort  of  way  and  in  a  manner  evi- 
dently meant  to  give  the  book  an  air  of  being  scientific 
and  exact,  TK  leads  the  mind,  step  by  step,  up  to  this 
chapter  "The  Technical  Work."  This  is  his  final  card, 
the  premium,  or  reward,  or  inducement  which  lends 
a  temporary  semblance  of  authority  to  himself  and  his 
entire  "Great  Work."  Take  this  away,  and  you  re- 
move THE  FOUNDATION  OF  TK*S  ENTIRE  MOVEMENT.    True, 

such  laws  and  principles  as  he  assumes  to  elucidate, 
remain,  but  the  "work,"  the  "movement"  itself,  is 
not  built  upon  principles,  but  upon  a  most  flagrant 
violation  and  misuse  of  principles,  and  upon  belief  in 
and  acceptance  of  TK  as  a  "  master, ' ' — an  ' '  Avatar/ ' 
or  Deity. 


202  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Speaking  of  his  pseudo  "Technical  Work,"  TK,  in 
"The  Great  Work,"  p.  411,  says: 

1 '  1.  The  Technical  Formulary  is  secret  work. 

2.  Every  individual  who  receives  it  is  obliged  to  give  it 
only  to  those  who  have  been  tried  and  tested,  and  found  to 
be  duly  and  truly  prepared,  worthy  and  well  qualified  to 
receive  it. 

3.  It  can  be  given  only  in  the  same  manner  in  which  it  was 
received,  which  is  "from  mouth  to  ear." 

4.  The  information  contained  in  the  Formulary  is  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  might  be  made  the  basis  of  incalculable  injury 
to  the  innocent  if  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  unscrupulous 
or  ambitious." 

Again  on  pages  181,  82,  83,  "The  Great  Work," 
TK  says : 

"Every  scientific  formula,  in  order  to  be  such,  must  be  so 
exact  and  so  entirely  free  from  the  possibility  of  interpre- 
tations, that  every  individual  who  uses  it  will  be  able  to  fol- 
low its  directions  step  by  step  from  beginning  to  end  and 
thus  prove  its  accuracy. 

"To  bring  the  illustration  more  closely  to  the  subject 
under  immediate  consideration,  the  formulary  of  the  Great 
School  for  the  demonstration  of  a  life  after  physical  death, 
is  definite  and  specific.  Any  individual  who  can  understand 
it  and  who  is  able  to  comply  with  its  terms  can  prove  its 
scientific  value.  All  those  who  are  able  to  follow  its  condi- 
tions and  provisions  reach  the  same  results.  What  it  does 
for  one  intelligent  soul  it  will  do  for  another  under  the  same 
conditions.  What  it  does  for  these  two  it  will  do  for  as  many 
others  as  are  able  and  choose  to  make  the  test  in  strict  con- 
formity with  its  terms  and  conditions.  Thus  far  it  has  opened 
the  channels  of  spiritual  sense  for  all  those  who  have  made 
the  test  under  all  the  terms  and  conditions  prescribed.  It 
will  do  the  same  for  as  many  more  as  are  able  to  repeat  the 
process  in  the  same  way  and  under  the  same  conditions. 
These  are  the  facts  which  stamp  the  formulary  with  the  seal 
of  *  science  \" 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK  203 

From  this  last  quotation  one  receives  the  distinct 
impression  that  this  so-called  Technical  Work  is  as 
definite,  reliable  and  scientific  as  mathematics.  That 
the  claims  made  for  an  instruction  and  training  under 
this  formulary  are  always  sure  to  follow  in  the  most 
satisfactory  and  systematic  manner  until  the  entire 
work  of  spiritual  development  is  completed.  The  facts 
are,  however,  that  Tk  does  not  possess  any  Technical 
Work,  such  as  he  pretends  to  have.  His  "technical 
work"  was  simply  a  metaphysical  "gold  brick,"  an 
occult  "confidence"  trick. 

In  plain  words: 

1.  TK's  so-called  "Technical  Work  of  Spiritual  De- 
velopment" is  not  what  he  impresses  his  readers  to 
believe  it  to  be,  and, 

2.  It  has  not  made  possible  the  kind  and  number  of 
personal  demonstrations  which  TK  deliberately,  inten- 
tionally and  falsely  tries  to  make  his  readers  believe 
have  been  made. 

A  number  of  people  in  times  past  asked  for  this 
pseudo-technical  work,  only  to  learn  that  it  would  take 
them  from  four  to  five  years  special  training  upon  a 
so-called  •  scientific  * '  Ethical  Formulary, ' '  before 
they  could  possibly  be  admitted  to  the  "technical" 
work,  and  even  then  it  would  be  about  one  chance  in 
a  million  in  favor  of  their  ever  being  "admitted"  to 
this  "instruction."  To  show  you  just  how  TK  han- 
dled honest  inquirers,  I  shall  here  quote  from  two  let- 
ters, as  follows: 


204  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Oak  Park,  111.,  8-14-1912. 
C.  E.  L , 

"You  make  quite  clear,  in  a  number  of  your  answers,  the 
fact  that  the  principal  motive  and  purpose  that  impel  you 
to  apply  for  instruction  in  this  School  is  your  desire  to  make 
the  scientific  demonstration  of  another  life.  This  motive  is 
entirely  worthy,  and  nothing  would  give  me  further  pleasure 
than  to  guide  you  in  that  work  of  demonstration,  if  it  were 
a  physical  possibility  with  me  at  this  time. 

But  you  will  understand  that  difficulties  of  my  own  posi- 
tion when  I  explain  the  fact  that  at  the  present  time  I  am 
the  only  individual  in  this  country  who  is  authorized  and 
equipped  by  the  Great  School  to  give  what  is  termed  the 
"Technical  Work"  which  covers  that  part  of  the  instruction 
that  deals  with  the  scientific  demonstration. 

At  the  present  time  I  am  loaded  down  with  the  work  of 
the  entire  Movement  in  such  a  manner  that  I  have  but  a  very 
small  part  of  my  time  and  energy  that  I  can  devote  to  that 
branch  of  the  Work.  And  I  have  a  list  of  over  400  applicants 
for  that  Work  ahead  of  you.  I  could  not  possibly  add  an- 
other student  to  my  own  personal  list  until  I  shall  be  able 
to  relieve  myself  of  some  of  the  work  somewhere — which  I 
do  not  now  see  how  it  is  possible  for  me  to  do. 

For  these  reasons,  I  dare  not  hold  out  to  you  the  remotest 
prospect  that  it  will  be  possible  for  me  to  guide  you  over  the 
"Technical  Work"  at  all.  For  this  reason  I  cannot  hold  out 
to  you  any  promise  that  you  will  be  able  to  make  the  demon- 
stration, because  /  have  no  Student  who  has  gone  far  enough 
to  qualify  a\s  an  Instructor  in  that  branch  of  the  Work.  A 
number  have  gone  far  enough  to  have  demonstrated  the  future 
life ;  but  they  also  are  men  who  have  their  responsibilities  of 
families  on  their  hands,  and  must  devote  all  but  a  small  part 
of  their  time  to  the  problem  of  making  a  living  and  paying 
their  debts."  TK. 

#     *     #     *     # 

Dr.  C.  S.  McC , 


"Question  18  is  as  follows:  'If  you  knew  in  advance  that 
you  never  would  have  the  opportunity  to  take  up  the  ' '  Tech- 
nical Work,"  or  personally  make  the  scientific  demonstration 
of  a  life  after  physical  death,  would  you  still  desire  to  become 
a  Student  of  this  School?'    Your  answer  is  'No.' 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK  205 

At  present  I  am  the  only  individual  in  this  country  who 
is  in  a  position  to  give  you  or  any  other  Student  the  Tech- 
nical Work.  I  already  have  applications  ahead  for  that 
Work  from  more  than  400  Students.  I  do  not  expect  to  do 
more  in  this  lifetime  than  to  care  for  those  who  are  already 
on  my  waiting  list.  Therefore,  it  would  be  virtually  a  misrep- 
resentation on  my  own  part  if  I  permitted  you  to  enter  upon 
the  Work  in  the  face  of  your  answer,  and  these  conditions; 
for  it  would  be  equivalent  to  an  encouragement  on  my  part 
to  you  that  at  some  time  I  shall  be  prepared  to  give  you  that 
work.    This  I  do  not  at  all  expect  to  do,  for  reasons  stated. 

Furthermore,  that  Work  is  a  most  profoundly  Secret 
Work,  and  can  be  given  only  ' '  from  mouth  to  ear ; ' '  and  this 
means  that  before  you  could  even  hope  to  receive  it  you  would 
be  compelled  to  put  your  affairs  in  such  shape  that  you  could 
come  to  Chicago  where  you  could  be  in  daily  touch  with  me 
during  all  the  time  necessary — which  is  indefinite,  depend- 
ing on  the  ability  of  the  Student,  but  at  least  three  years 
under  favorable  conditions. 

These  facts  and  conditions  seem  to  make  further  progress 
both  undesirable  and  inexpedient  on  your  part."  TK. 

Looking  thru  TK's  files  covering  a  number  of  years, 
we  find  that  he  always  had  "more  than  400  appli- 
cants" for  his  technical  instruction,  ahead  of  all  other 
correspondents.  As  cheap  as  figures  are,  he  could  just 
as  well  have  made  it  4,000,000  and  scared  his  applicant 
stiff  at  one  single  operation. 

From  your  remembrance  of  what  TK  has  written 
on  the  subject  of  his  "Technical  Work,"  how  many 
students  would  you  judge  had  taken  this  "work"  and 
made  the  scientific  demonstration  of  another  life? 

I  have  asked  this  question  of  many  people  and  the 
replies  have  ranged  all  the  way  from  a  dozen  to  sev- 
eral hundred.  Never  once  was  the  correct  number  or 
anywhere  near  the  correct  number  ever  guessed. 


206  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

In  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  1,  No.  4,  p.  8  (1910),  TK 
says: 

"I  was  sixteen  years  in  finding  just  two  students  who 
were  sufficiently  'agonized'  over  the  great  problem  of  another 
life  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  verification.  These  were  my 
first  two  regular  students.  And  during  all  that  time  my 
search  was  earnest  and  unremitting. ' ' 

In  his  autobiography,  TK  explains  that  in  1887 
Florence  Huntley  became  his  first  regular  student,  and 
that  Dr.  E.  M.  W.  some  time  about  1899  became  his 
first  " regular  student  of  the  Technical  Work/9 

In  Bv.  4,  p.  301  (Oct.,  1913),  TK,  in  speaking  of 
his  Classes  of  Technical  Students,  says : 

"It  is  a  fairly  well  known  fact,  that  some  of  the  students 
of  the  Central  Group  have  been  admitted  to  the  'Technical 
Work/  and  that  they  have  accomplished  considerable  along 
the  line  of  their  independent  psychic  unf oldment. ' ' 

Again  in  the  same  article,  same  page,  he  says : 

"In  a  few  instances  I  have  asked  one  or  two  of  these  Stu- 
dents to  explain  some  of  the  instructions  and  their  experi- 
ences— to  certain  of  the  Students  to  whom  I  desired  to  con- 
vey the  specific  information  covered  therein." 

From  these  quotations,  one  might  imagine  there 
were  quite  a  number  who  had  taken  or  were  taking 
the  "Technical  Work."  Just  why  TK  should  say,  "I 
have  asked  one  or  two  of  these  students,"  etc.,  etc., 
does  not  appear — but  the  way  in  which  he  speaks  gives 
one  the  impression  that  there  were  more  than  two 
technical  students. 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK 


207 


"Do  we  understand  you  to  say  that  TK  had  only 
two  i technical '  students ?" 

That  is  exactly  the  truth.  Just  two  technical  stu- 
dents, and  only  two. 


WbewTK (THE  TACK  HAMMER)  Delivered   his 

Me-mor&ble   Addrefs  tb  aJl    h«&    Technical  Stu.d«*vT& 
Berth  erf  the™  v^ere  Jsvesevft  atiel  listened  v/itfo  VAf>f  attenTJ 


»nM< 


In  the  light  of  this  fact,  one  knows  not  whether  to 
weep  or  simply  feel  amused  at  the  following  dramatic 
"charge"  made  by  the  "master"  in  his  memorable 
public  address  to  what  his  readers  must  have  imag- 
ined, was  an  extensive  amphitheatre  crouded  to  its 
ceiling  with  Technical  Students.     Says  TK: 

"  Those  of  you,  my  Students,  who  have  been  regularly 
admitted  to  the  Technical  Work,  are  charged  with  a  doubly 
heavy  burden  of  responsibility.  For  this  reason,  it  is  well 
for  you  to  keep  the  fact  of  your  advancement  in  the  Work 
strictly  a  matter  of  confidence  between  yourselves  and  the 
School.' ' 

— Bv.  4,  p.  304. 


208  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

No  wonder  TK  urges  the  soft  pedal  on  all  discus- 
sions of  his  " Technical' '  work,  as  he  does  in  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs : 

"Do  not  ever  introduce  the  subject  of  the  'Technical 
Work/  at  any  Group  Meeting,  nor  at  any  meeting  of  Stu- 
dents, or  Friends  of  the  Work, — unless  you  have  been  spe- 
cifically and  definitely  asked  by  me,  or  by  some  one  of  the 
Great  Friends,  to  do  so." 

"Do  not  ever  discuss  the  subject  with  any  individual  who 
is  not  an  accredited  Student  in  good  standing;  nor  in  any 
event  whatever,  unless  you  have  been  specifically  authorized 
by  me,  or  by  my  superiors,  to  do  so." 

"Make  it  a  rule  to  avoid  being  drawn  into  any  discussion 
or  narration  of  any  psychic  experiences  you  may  have  had 
— unless  there  is  some  real  and  urgent  necessity  for  doing 
so.  Otherwise  you  are  liable  to  make  the  impression  of 
'boasting'." 

Trust  your  spiritual  "Uncle"  to  anticipate  and 
head  off  any  discussions  which  are  liable  in  any  way 
to  uncover  or  bring  into  question  any  of  his  "spirit- 
ual" pretentions. 


Speaking  of  the  necessary  steps  in  the  development 
of  the  spiritual  senses,  TK  says: 

"1.  A  studio  must  be  prepared  and  properly  equipped  for 
the  study  of  'Spiritual  Optics'." 

—Great  Work,  p.  394 

This  is  only  so  much  horse-play  with  the  reader's 
intelligence.  He  purposely  leaves  everything  to  the 
reader's  imagination,  with  never  a  hint  of  the  real 
truth.  One  may  conjure  up  all  sorts  of  "scientific" 
optical  instruments :  spiritual  telescopes,  astral  micro- 
scopes, angel  dark  lanterns,  colored  lights,  spirit  tar- 
gets and  pointers,  disposition  barometers,  spooky  sign 
boards  and  ghostly  guide  lines  indicating  where  the 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK  209 

technical  student  should  look  and  what  he  should 
imagine  he  sees. 

There  was  really  nothing  of  the  kind. 

The  truth  is  TK's  ' '  technical ' 9  work  was  simply  a 
"system"  of  concentration,  entirely  experimental,  and 
not  unlike  similar  methods  employed  by  spirit  medi- 
ums and  "mystics"  for  thousands  of  years.  The 
whole  "instruction"  can  be  given  in  five  minutes  talk, 
and  its  application  does  not  in  any  way  depend  upon 
morality  or  any  previous  knowledge  of  or  even  inter- 
est in  ethical  or  spiritual  philosophy.  The  results 
were  not  in  any  way  dependent  upon  TK's  presence, 
as  he  misleads  his  readers  to  believe,  tho  they  may 
have  been  due  more  or  less  to  his  use  or  misuse  of 
suggestion,  or  suggestions  coming  from  his  so-called 
"Great  Masters,"  or  Spirit  Guides. 

On  the  subject  of  a  scientific  "technical"  diet,  TK 
had  nothing  definite  or  specific  to  suggest.  The  stu- 
dent simply  experimented:  first  with  one  negative 
food,  then  with  another.  It  was  the  same  with  the 
"methods"  of  concentration:  the  student  simply  ex- 
perimented: first  one  way,  then  another,  and  the  re- 
sults of  ten  to  fifteen  years  of  such  experimenting, 
were  about  as  "scientific"  as  pulling  one's  finger  out 
of  water  and  looking  for  the  hole. 

I  purposely  do  not  give  the  "method"  of  concen- 
tration suggested  by  TK  because  it  is  unreliable  and 
dangerous.  It  is  a  forcing  process,  and  so  far  as  the 
individual  experiences  anything  at  all,  the  results  are 
due  to  an  auto-inversion  of  the  channels  of  physical 
sense,  exactly  the  same  as  occurs  in  hypnotic  practice. 
The  results  following  such  tampering  and  interference 


210  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

with  Nature's  laws  must  always  and  inevitably  be 
indefinite  and  dangerous.  In  all  such  experiments, 
the  experiences  which  come  to  the  experimenter  are 
just  as  uncertain  and  the  kind  of  spirit  guides  at- 
tracted just  as  vague  and  unreliable  as  the  results  of 
any  other  similar  process  of  developing  mediumship. 

It  was  the  general  impression  among  TK's  readers 
that  his  technical  students  had  so  far  demonstrated 
the  "scientific"  value  of  his  instruction  as  to  be  able 
to  open  their  spiritual  senses  and  converse  with  spirits. 
This  impression  is  absolutely  untrue. 

Both  students  suggest  that  while  practicing  certain 
mental  exercises  they  at  times  saw  various  colored 
lights,  and  sometimes  what  appeared  to  be  faces — 
either  motionless,  as  in  a  picture,  or  forming  and  dis- 
solving as  in  clouds  of  constantly  changing  shadows. 
In  a  few  instances  when  " conditions' '  seemed  favor- 
able, one  student  saw  what  appeared  to  be  pictures 
peopled  with  living  persons,  but  the  experiences  were 
not  under  control  of  the  student,  to  be  seen  at  will 
and  voluntarily — as  in  the  case  of  thousands  of  gen- 
uine clairvoyants  in  private  life,  many  of  whom  pre- 
tend to  no  knowledge  whatever  concerning  their  ex- 
periences. 

#     *     #     #     # 

Florence  Huntley  labored  in  behalf  of  TK's  "Great 
School"  for  sixteen  years.  She  was  TK's  first  stu- 
dent. She  wrote  the  first  "text"  book;  was  the  author 
and  originator  of  practically  all  the  plans  and  means 
for  the  work  of  extension;  she  edited  all  of  TK's  writ- 
ings, and  was  the  head  of  the  Woman's  Department 
of  the  GL  S,    She  was  recognized  by  all  students  and 


TK'S  TECHNICAL  WORK  211 

friends  as  TK's  spiritual  mate.  She  was  accepted,  and 
so  announced  by  TK,  as  the  only  duly  authorized 
Representative  of  his  Great  Work,  aside  from  him- 
self.   She  died  in  1912. 

Here  at  least  it  would  appear  that  the  two  technical 
students  would  have  demonstrated  and  proven  to 
themselves,  and  to  the  Chicago  students,  the  reliability 
of  their  " technical' '  training.  One  had  been  a  tech- 
nical student  for  twelve  years,  the  other  for  three 
years.  In  the  course  of  their  experimenting  both  had 
had  some  experiences  which,  at  the  time,  they  believed 
to  be  constructive  and  genuine.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, it  would  seem  reasonable  to  expect  that  every 
possible  effort  from  both  planes  of  life  would  be  made 
whereby  both  of  these  men  would  be  able  to  see,  recog- 
nize and  communicate  with  Florence  Huntley  face  to 
face.  Such  a  demonstration  would  have  constituted  a 
crowning  achievement  in  support  of  the  truth  and 
value  of  TK's  teachings. 

But  what  are  the  facts? 

Did  either  of  the  two  technical  students  communi- 
cate with  Mrs.  Huntley  following  her  death? 

Did  either  of  them  see  her  or  otherwise  recognize, 
or  sense  her  presence,  state  or  condition? 

Absolutely  NO. 

The  only  word  that  was  supposed  to  come  from  her 

THRU    ANY    CHANNEL    CONNECTED    WITH    THE    SO-CALLED 

g.  s.  was  a  few  suggestions  by  TK  to  the  effect  that 
she  had  gone  swiftly  to  the  "8th  spiritual  plane"  and 
was  no  longer  subject  to  the  law  of  earthly  gravity. 
And  considering  the  life  TK  was  living  at  the  time  of 


212  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

these  alleged  " messages' '  we  may  safely  assume  that 
he  was  simply  faking. 

Surely  if  the  results  of  TK's  "Technical  Work  of 
Spiritual  Development' '  were  as  nothing  under  cir- 
cumstances of  this  kind,  we  may  properly  conclude 
that  it  is  not  what  he  represents  it  to  be  and  will  not 
do  for  the  student  what  he  claims  for  it.  We  may 
then  safely  conclude  that  no  very  valuable  "  scien- 
tific' '  demonstrations  are  ever  likely  to  be  made  under 
that  particular  process,  no  matter  how  great  or  an- 
cient or  well  advertised  it  may  happen  to  be. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  only  two  men  who  took  the 
Technical  Work  that  in  addition  to  his  misuse  of 
psychological  suggestions  and  influences,  TK  has  been 
simply  an  impressional  medium.  This  would  seem  to 
be  borne  out  by  the  following  statement  made  by  TK 
himself  relative  to  his  Technical  instruction: 

"Under  certain  conditions,  his  consciousness  will  slowly 
but  surely  respond  to  the  play  of  spiritual  forces  and  condi- 
tions. His  first  conscious  experience  of  this  kind  may  come 
to  him  thru  any  one  of  the  five  spiritual  senses.  It  may  he 
that  he  will  first  become  aware  of  'Presences'  about  him 
thru  the  sense  of  spiritual  touch.  Or  it  may  he  he  will  see 
a  spiritual  form  or  light.' ' 

This  in  substance  reads  exactly  the  same  as  one  may 
find  in  dozens  of  books  on  mediumship,  and  indicates 
very  clearly  that  his  "independent  process"  is  the 
same  that  "waits"  for  "the  play  of  spiritual  forces 
and  conditions."  The  results  may  be  one  thing  or 
another,  but  whatever  experiences  may  come  (if  any 
come  at  all)  they  are  NOT  subject  to  the  will,  choice 
or  control  of  the  student  or  medium. 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK  213 

Another  point :  If  what  TK  professed  to  know  and 
teach  along  the  lines  of  spiritual  development,  and  the 
influences  back  of  him  were  constructive,  why  did  some 
of  his  most  advanced  students — those  closest  to  him 
for  years — have  personal  experiences  in  which  they 
"saw"  what  they  could  only  describe  as  "Terrors" 
— reports  of  which  were  carefully  and  closely  guarded 
from  all  but  the  most  trusted  inner  students? 

The  mere  recital  of  these  personal  experiences,  as 
they  were  reported,  would  be  sufficient  to  shock  the 
strongest  intelligence,  and  for  the  moment,  paralyze 
all  his  senses  with  an  unnamable  horror. 

TK  "explained"  that  these  experiences  were  Na- 
ture's "tests"  of  the  individual's  courage  and  right 
to  progress  in  his  "Great  School." 

But  why  such  soul-paralyzing,  terrifying  influences 
and  entities  in  such  intimate  fellowship  with  the  "mas- 
ter ' ' — a  vital  part  of  his  ' l  system  "  of  "  spiritual  devel- 
opment ' '  ? 

It  appears  that  whenever  TK  was  in  touch  with  any 
spiritual  conditions  at  all,  it  was  with  those  of  the 
lower  astral  planes  of  darkness,  and  not  the  planes  of 
spiritual  Light. 

Many  sensitives  have  testified  that  at  various  times 
and  places  they  have  both  seen  and  felt  these  un- 
friendly influences  when  in  the  same  house  with  TK. 

Hundreds  of  people  testify  to  having  been  warned 
in  one  way  or  another  to  keep  away  from  and  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  either  TK  or  his  so-called  "school." 
And  we  wish  here  to  state  that  many  of  the  people 
thus  forewarned  know  that  these  warnings  came  from 
relatives  and  friends  in  the  Spiritual  Summer  Land. 


214  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

We  wish  further  to  state  most  clearly  and  earnestly 
that  what  has  been  said  in  ftiis  chapter  applies  solely 
to  TK's  so-called  "Technical"  work  and  to  that  par- 
ticular "worW  only. 

Not  a  single  word  is  in  question  of  the  existence  of 
the  spirit  world, — of  the  continued  intelligent  activi- 
ties and  conscious,  uninterrupted  individual  identity 
of  relatives  and  friends  who  have  passed  to  those 
planes,  nor  of  actual  and  tangible  communication  with 
those  relatives  and  friends. 

Let  this  fact  sink  deeply  into  your  soul  and  abide 
with  you  forever. 


There  is  a  spirit  world,  just  as  there  is  a  material 
world, — a  "Summer  Land," — a  world  of  unlimited 
planes  of  conscious,  victorious,  immortal  individual 
life.  And  those  we  love,  and  those  we  do  not  love, 
those  we  know  and  those  whom  we  may  never  know: 
— thousands  of  millions  of  spirits  first  born  upon  the 
earth  plane,  now  live  in  glories  undreamed  of,  unimag- 
inable to  mortal  intelligence,  in  homes  in  those  bright 
worlds  of  light  and  progress.  The  pathway,  the  pow- 
ers and  possibilities  of  the  soul  when  liberated  from 
this  plane  are  illuminated  with  the  light  of  Suns  and 
Sons  more  glorious  than  any  possible  earthly  com- 
parison. 

Not  only  do  our  Beloved  and  the  friends  and  com- 
panions of  our  earthly  confidence,  dwell  in  security 
upon  the  spirit  side  of  life,  but  not  one  of  us  living 
this  side  of  the  Friendly,  Waiting  Gateway,  but  walks 
daily  and  every  conscious  and  unconscious  moment  of 


TK'S  TECHNICAL   WORK  215 

our  existence  in  this  "Light  from  Above."  There  is 
no  other  light,  for  life  and  light  are  inseparable,  and 
both  are  spiritual.  Look  into  the  eyes  of  one  who  has 
passed  from  his  physical  body:  the  "light"  has  gone; 
the  one  who  was  and  is  Life  has  departed. 

If  we  live  at  all,  we  must  live  in  light.  Light  is  the 
native  element  of  our  spirit,  because  we  are  spiritual 
beings.  The  world-beloved  Teacher,  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, said  of  some  whose  spiritual  minds  were  asleep, 
"They  are  dead  while  they  live."  Spirits  dwell  in 
light  according  to  the  light  awakened  and  developed 
within  themselves.  This  is  the  ' '  Kingdom  of  Heaven. ' ' 
"If  the  light  that  is  in  you  be  darkness,  how  great  is 
that  darkness." 

Our  Beloved  not  only  dwell  upon  planes  more  sub- 
stantial than  this  changing,  crumbling,  uncertain,  tem- 
porary earth  plane,  but  every  one  of  us  has  been  as- 
sisted and  is  being  assisted  from  the  spirit  side  of  life, 
by  those  who  have  preceded  us  to  that  glorious  experi- 
ence. They  are  more  interested  in  the  great  problems 
of  life  than  ever.  They  see  with  the  clearer  vision; 
they  realize  there  the  meaning,  the  interpretation,  the 
possibilities  of  our  present  life  and  its  far-reaching 
effects  more  definitely  than  we  can  ever  know  until 
we  too  join  them  and  view  the  path  from  that  side. 

In  this  chapter  we  have  said  that  no  message  ever 
came  from  Florence  Huntley  thru  any  channels  con- 
nected with  the  so-called  ' '  Great  School. ' ' 

But  communications  have-  been  received  from  Flor- 
ence Huntley,  the  same  individual,  the  same  intelli- 
gence, the  same  Florence  Huntley  who  lived  and  was 
deceived,  and  suffered  and  gave  the  best  years  of  her 


216  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


life  toward  establishing  what  TK  deliberately  misled 
her  to  believe  was  the  work  of  a  Great  Spiritual  School 
of  Light. 

Florence  Huntley  today  lives  consciously  upon  the 
spiritual  planes  of  life.  She  has  communicated  with 
those  who  were  her  true  friends  upon  the  earth  plane. 
And  as  she  gave  her  earth  life  to  what  she  was 
impressed  by  a  deceiver  to  believe  was  her  duty,  so 
now  she  works  just  as  bravely  and  with  the  same 
quality  of  fearless  honesty  and^  determination  and 
nobility  of  spirit  to  undo,  unmask,  counteract  and  ex- 
pose the  false,  misleading  claims  and  pretentions  of 
the  TK  who  so  shamelessly  represented  himself  to  the 
world  as  a  " master.' ' 

To  Florence  Huntley  is  due  much  of  the  credit  for 
the  data  embodied  in  this  volume.  For  months,  to- 
gether with  other  spiritual  helpers,  she  has  labored  to 
bring  about  this  present  message  to  mankind.  Time 
after  time  she  has  made  it  possible  to  locate  certain 
data  and  documents  hidden  away  in  places  where  she 
alone  knew  of  their  existence  and  their  important 
bearing  upon  certain  phases  of  the  subject  matter  of 
this  book. 

•??  ^W  TT  *  Vp 

With  all  the  earnestness  and  intensity  of  her  soul, 
she  has  desired,  and  urged  and  assisted  with  this  work, 
in  order  that  the  facts  contained  in  these  pages  may 
be  given  to  the  world. 


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CHAPTER  XVI 
"Doctor"  Richardson  (TK)  and  the  Oxydonor 

"OXY,"HAIL! 

A  song  without  words, 

A  cure  without  drugs, 

This  triumph  of  science  outleaps 

Every  tonic  and  toner, 

All  hail,  Oxydonor! 

That  cures  a  man  up  while  he  sleeps. 

P'r'aps  you've  not  heard 

How  the  plant  and  the  bird, 

And  horses  bowed  down  with  the  heaves, 

Were  vitalized  quite, 

In  space  of  a  night, 

As  were  cockroaches,  kittens  and  beeves. 

Would  we  could  inspire 

You  now  to  inquire, 

And  ask  us  to  fully  explain 

How  we  guarantee 

Without  any  fee, 

Rosy  health  and  redemption  from  pain. 

F.  H. 

219 


220  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

In  his  autobiography,  TK  makes  record  of  his  mov- 
ing from  Minneapolis  to  Chicago,  as  follows: 

(1).  "  About  the  end  of  that  time,  1891,  I  removed 
to  Chicago." 

(2).  "In  the  Autumn  of  1890,  I  came  to  Chicago 
and,  with  three  of  the  good  business  men  of  Chicago, 
formed  a  business  association  with  which  I  remained 
connected  until  1900." 

You  will  note  that  TK  does  not  tell  us  what  this 
business  "association"  was;  also  that  his  dates  do 
not  seem  to  be  "affinities"  by  several  months.  Evi- 
dences, however,  show  that  he  was  in  Chicago  and  in 
"business"  either  in  1899  or  in  January,  1890.  His 
"business"  at  that  time  was  promoting  the  old-time, 
reliable  "Oxydonor"  Doctor,  for  which  TK  and  his 
partner  were  "Exclusive  General  Dealers  for  the 
State  of  Illinois." 

Most  of  our  older  readers  will  recall  the  "Oxy- 
donor" craze.  The  instrument  consisted  of  a  hollow, 
closed  metal  tube,  about  four  inches  long  and  one  and 
one-half  inches  in  diameter,  all  highly  nickle-plated 
and  having  a  red  cord  attached  to  one  end.  It  was 
widely  and  wildly  advertised  some  twenty-five  years 
ago,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  people  all  over  the 
country  went  in  for  the  red-string  treatment. 

The  Government  finally  tried  one  of  the  "oxydon- 
ors,"  discovered  the  hoax  and  decided  the  thing  was  a 
fraud.  As  a  result,  the  inventor  was  denied  the  use 
of  the  mails,  and  his  business  declared  fraudulent. 
This  of  course  put  an  end  to  the  local  activities  of  all 
"Exclusive  General  Dealers,"  and  so  we  find  "Doc- 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  221 

tor"  Richardson  with  thousands  of  other  representa- 
tives and  agents  going  out  of  "business." 

But  it  is  doubtful  if  there  was  another  oxydonor 
agent  in  the  country  who  sold  the  instrument  more 
cheerfully  or  philosophically  than  TK.  His  scientific 
ethical  training,  his  independent  spiritual  vision  and 
hearing,  his  ability  to  withdraw  from  his  spir- 
itual body,  his  love  for  humanity  and  utter  disregard 
for  money  would  naturally  fit  him  for  the  business, 
and  enable  him  to  "do"  everybody  good. 

The  following  oxydonor  "poems"  passed  between 
TK  and  one  of  his  friends,  a  physician  of  the  Regular 
School  of  Medicine.  These  efforts  to  immortalize  the 
Oxydonor  give  us  another  view  of  the  "master's" 
metaphysics.  If  TK's  poetry  should  seem  a  bit  bet- 
ter than  his  friend's,  it  is  due  to  the  fact  that  he  always 
wrote  with  an  "OXY"  attached  to  his  leg,  and  the 
"power"  turned  on  to  XXX. 


222 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


OXYDONOR 


TftADS  Mars'* 


Cory  right  1894.  by  Dr.  H.  Sanche. 

Tlie  Most  Wonderful  Discovery  Ever  Made. 

Nature's  own  preventive  and  cure  of  Disease. 
No  Drugs,  no  Medicines.  The  cheapest  and 
most  effective  Doctor  ever  introduced  to 
Mankind. 

No  PersoD  can  Afford  to  be  without  It. 

We  want  good  reliable  people  everywhere  to 
handle  and  sell  the  Oxydonor.  For  territory, 
terms  and  all  matters  relating  to  OXYDONOR. 
write  us  or  call  at  our  office. 

(OVER) 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  223 


THE  "OXY." 

Whoe'er  is  not  owner 
Of  one  OXYDONOR, 

Is  subject  to  every  disease. 
Howe'er  he  endeavor 
To  live  bn  forever, 

He  dies,  sure  as  Fate,  if  you  please. 

Whoever  IS  owner 
Of  one  OXYDONOR, 

Is  MASTER  of  every  disease. 
By  honest  endeavor 
He  lives  on  forever, 

In  spite  of  the  Fates,  if  you  please. 

Just  one  OXYDONOR 
On  any  sick  "Jonar," 

Will  cause  the  old  "whale"  of  disease, 
To  writhe  and  to  vomit, 
And  scoot  like  a  comet, 

And  "get  off  the  earth,"  if  you  please. 

Whenever  a  "groaner" 
Buys  one  OXYDONOR 

From  us,  if  it  doesn't  relieve 
All  his  aches  and  his  ills. 
Without  doctors'  bills. 

He  can  bring  it  right  back,  if  you 

[please, 
and  we  will  do  the  right  thing  by  him, 
"and  don't  you  forget  it." 

LADD  &  RICHARDSON, 

Exclusive  General  Dealers  for  the  State  of  ILLINOIS, 
941  Monadnock  Block,  CHICAGO. 


224  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

My  Dear  John : — 

I've  read  your  poem  on  "Oxy," 
And  I  think  you're  getting  foxy, 
Or  going  off  with  Coxie, 
Just  for  your  country  's  sake. 

There's  no  use  to  bemoan  her, 
But  you  had  better  disown  her, 
For  your  old  Oxydonor 
Is  all  a  big  fake. 

But  Barnum  he  fooled  'em, 
Suggestion  she  schooled  'em, 
And  now  you  have  muled  'em 
Clear  out  of  their  aches. 

"Good  Morning,' '  "Pear's  Soap," 
"See  that  Hump,"  yes  I  hope 
Have  each  pulled  a  strong  rope 
For  the  suckers  to  take. 

Doctors  physiced,  puked  and  bled, 
Blistered,  sweated,  starved  and  fed, 
Did  other  things  that  can't  be  said, 
That  ended  in  an  Irish  wake. 

"Blue  Grass"  took  a  craze, 
Charmed  off  warts,  if  you  "plaze," 
Hair  on  bald  heads  it  would  raise, 
Even  cure  an  ague  shake. 


TK  AND  THE  OXY DONOR  225 

" Christian  Science,"  heads  or  tails, 
I  win  you  lose,  it  never  fails. 
Faces  fixed  with  "Madam  Yales," 
Caused  many,  many  hearts  to  break. 

Seen  the  circus,  heard  the  band, 
Drank  the  waters  of  the  land, 
Took  the  sunlight  to  get  tanned, 
Played  the  goose  and  also  drake. 

Carried  buckeyes  in  their  pockets, 
Stared  their  eyes  clear  out  of  sockets, 
Sent  their  money  up  like  rockets, 
Simply  playing  ' i  Country  Jake. ' ' 

"Jo- Jo,"  the  wild  man, 
Girls  that  dance  the  "Can-Can," 
After  each  weVe  all  ran, 
That  they  might  money  make. 

We  blow  hot,  we  blow  cold, 
Get  our  fortunes  oft  told, 
Then  swear  weVe  been  sold 
With  our  eyes  wide  awake. 

Howling  Dervishes,  Indian  dances, 
Wizards,  witches,  girls  in  trances, 
Wise  and  foolish  all  take  chances, 
Nothing  will  their  belief  shake. 


226  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Willow  sticks,"  for  digging  wells, 
"Splashing  spit"  the  secret  tells, 
Throw  old  shoes  for  wedding  bells, 
Fearing  marriage  a  mistake. 

"Bad  luck  Friday,"  "Groundhog  day," 
' '  Trim  your  corns  in  month  of  May, ' ' 
All  these  things  have  had  their  day, 
And  still  humbugs  their  millions  make. 

Old  Ireland's  "Blarney  Stone's"  been  kissed, 
Hoodooed  dogs  and  cats  been  hissed, 
Chased  the  rain-bow,  always  missed 
To  catch  the  end  and  get  the  stake. 

Poor  old  moon  controls  the  crops, 
Slot-machines  the  nickel  drops, 
Mortgages  the  people  crops, 
And  finally  their  sheckels  rake. 

So  now  there  is  no  use  to  fuss, 
Neither  beg,  nor  growl  nor  cuss, 
Because  it  always  has  been  thus, 
And  your  heart  it  will  not  break. 

So  go  ahead  and  do  your  best, 

Give  old  "Oxy"  a  fair  test, 

Suckers  they  will  do  the  rest, 

Since  old  Chicago's  drained  her  lake. 

Your  friend, 
.  M.  D. 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  227 

Chicago,  111.,  Mar.  8,  1900. 
Friend  Doc: — 

I  have  in  my  possession, 
From  one  of  your  profession 
A  pitiful  confession 
Of  a  lack  of  common  lore. 

The  author's  name  is 

A  thorough  disbeliever 

In  every  new  achiever 

Of  results  he  can't  explore. 

The  knowledge  he  professes, 
As  he  himself  confesses, 
Is  nothing  more  than  guesses, 
Three  times  in  every  four. 
And  yet,  he  keeps  on  guessing, 
And  never  stops  professing 
That  he's  the  only  blessing 
This  side  of  Singapore. 

Whenever  his  attention 
Is  called  to  an  invention 
Which  schoolbooks  fail  to  mention, 
Those  books  he  will  explore ; 
Then  when  he  fails  to  find  it 
In  books  which  don't  define  it, 
He  tries  to  undermine  it 
With  a  loud  and  empty  roar. 

His  roar  is  like  the  lion, 
Like  '  i  Dowie  "  in  his  i  l  Zion, ' ' 


228  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Still  more  like  "Billy"  Bryan, 
Who  roars  the  country  o'er. 
It  sounds  like  distant  thunder, 
It  fills  our  souls  with  wonder 
To  think  of  such  a  blunder 
From  such  a  Hellebore.* 

He  howls  in  bleak  December, 
In  April  and  November, 
In  June  and  in  September, 
He  howls  till  he  is  sore. 
He  howls  in  every  season, 
He  howls  without  a  reason, 
He  howls  till  it  is  treason, — 
And  then  he  howls  some  more. 

He  yelps:    "All  men  are  fakers, 
"Except  the  undertakers, 
"Who've  planted  sixty  acres 
With  friends  IVe  sent  before." 
With  poisonous  potation, 
In  regular  rotation, 
He  keeps  up  emigration 
To  that  "Bright  and  Shining  Shore." 

'Tis  my  unasked  opinion, 
That  he 's  a  low-down  minion 
Of  Satan,  whose  dominion 
Is  Hades,  evermore. 


'See  medicinal  properties  of  this  plant. 


TK  AND  THE  OXY DONOR  229 

Although  his  tragic  falling 
Was  something  most  apalling, 
He'll  soon  be  where  his  bawling 
Will  bother  us  no  more. 

Concerning  Oxydonors, — 
These  doctors,  howlers,  groaners, 
Will  only  help  their  owners, 
To  keep  them  to  the  fore. 
When  all  the  people  use  them, 
The  doctors  can't  abuse  them, 
And  none  will  then  refuse  them, 
Nor  the  health  which  they  restore. 

Now,  let  us  draw  the  curtain, 
For  'tis  unkind  to  hurt  an 
" Ornery  Cuss"  who's  certain 
To  scorch  forevermore. 
'Tis  neither  wise  nor  witty, 
To  dedicate  a  ditty 
To  one  we  ought  to  pity 
Because  he's  such  a  bore. 

Cordially  yours, 

John  E.  Eichardson,  TK. 


230  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"JOHNNY  TACKS'3  AND  THE  OXYDONOR. 

I've  a  notion  you're  a  sinner, — Johnny  Tacks, 
Not  at  all  a  new  beginner, — on  the  tracks. 
You've  been  tramping  on  the  earth, 
Causing  trouble,  and  some  mirth, 
A  good  bit  more  than  you  are  worth, — Johnny 
Tacks. 

I  will  notify  you  here, — Johnny  Tacks, 

That  your  rhymes  are  rather  queer, — something 

lacks. 
You  may  waste  some  ink  and  brains, 
Singing  out  your  short  refrains, 

But  they  never  will  bring  gains, — Johnny  Tacks. 

< 

Now,  you're  fussing  with  the  doctors, — Johnny 

Tacks, 
And  you're  calling  them  ' ' concoctors " — at  their 

backs. 
But  they'll  get  you  "bye  and  bye," 
And  they'll  fix  you  like  a  pie, 
For  the  undertaker,  spry, — Johnny  Tacks. 

You  may  think  you'll  beat  old  Barnum,— Johnny 

Tacks, 
And  you'll  no  doubt  try  to  "larn  'em1' — some  new 

facts, 
But  the  fools  have  "cut  their  gums," 
Spent  their  money  in  small  sums, 
Till  there  isn't  left  no  "plums,"— Johnny  Tacks. 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  231 

If  this  Oxydonor  thing, — Johnny  Tacks, 
Would  stop  "wimmen  gossiping" — at  their  backs, 
Bring  old  maids  a  single  beau, 
Make  new  teeth  in  people  grow, 
They  would  want  them  then,  you  know, — Johnny 
Tacks. 

There's  a  man  called  " Billy ' '  Bryan, — Johnny 

Tacks, 
To  beat  McKinley,  he's  a-dyin', — in  his  tracks. 
If  an  l '  Oxy ' '  would  help  him, 
Even  shut  off  "  Jumping  Jim," 
It  might  keep  him  in  the  i  *  swim, ' ' — Johnny  Tacks. 

Now  to  keep  John  Bull  from  hooking, — Johnny 

Tacks, 
Old  Man  Kruger  keeps  a  looking, — in  his  sacks ; 
But  the  money  isn't  there, 
Nor  can  he  get  it  anywhere ; 
Would  an  "Oxy"  be  to  spare, — Johnny  Tacks? 

Now,    there's    Dewey,    he's    a    dandy, — Johnny 

Tacks, 
And    he    proved    himself    quite    handy, — giving 

cracks, 
When  he  gave  the  whales  a  "  Jonar," 
Found  Manila  a  new  owner, 
Did  he  use  an  Oxydonor, — Johnny  Tacks  ? 

The  Filipinos,  they  still  fight, — Johnny  Tacks, 
And  it's  hard  to   say  who's  right, — whites   or 
blacks, 


232  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Would  one  help  them  in  their  dickers, 

Stop  the  " Yanks"  from  selling  liquors, 

Even  stop  the  horde  of  kickers,— Johnny  Tacks  I 

Now,  if  Sheldon  in  his  capers, — Johnny  Tacks, 
Could  just  keep  the  other  papers, — from  attacks, 
Perhaps  an  "Oxy,"  it  would  do; 
Better  tell  him  'fore  he's  through — 
" That's    what    Jesus,    he    would    do," — Johnny 
Tacks. 

Now,  Carnegie,  he's  the  fashion, — Johnny  Tacks, 

Giving  buildings  is  his  fashion, — kindly  acts, 

Forty  millions  every  year, 

Lets  the  people  see  things  clear, 

Is  he  using  "Oxys,"  dear, — Johnny  Tacks? 

Now  what  force  is  in  this  wonder, — Johnny  Tacks ! 
Is  it  that  which  burns  from  thunder,  our  hay 

stacks? 
Makes  it  daylight  out  of  night, 
Runs  the  street  cars  like  a  fright, 
Did  "Ben"  bring  it  with  his  kite, — Johnny  Tacks? 

Can  you  tell  us  without  joking, — Johnny  Tacks, 
Is  it  that  which  comes  when  stroking  Pussy's 

back? 
Do  the  telegraphers  use  it, 
And  the  lightning-rods  abuse  it? 
To  bring  fame,  did  Edison  choose  it, — Johnny 

Tacks? 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  233 


Now  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is, — Johnny  Tacks, 

The  thing  that  does  the  "biz," — these  are  facts, — 

If  the  truth  they  want  to  seize, 

In  their  brains — just  tell  them,  please — 

Lies  the  force  that  cures  disease, — Johnny  Tacks. 

To  decide  who's  been  outwitted, — Johnny  Tacks, 
These     rhymes     should   be    submitted    by    two 

"Jacks," 
Call  the  "Tacks,"  both  small  and  great, 
Let  them  study  this  debate, 
While  Judge  Fing-Wing  sits  in  state, — Johnny 

Tacks. 

,  M.  D. 


Friend  Doc: — 
I  have  to  acknowledge  the  aptness  and  worth 
Of  the  poem  you  sent  me  today, 
It  has  all  the  metre,  the  rhyme  and  the  mirth 
Of  a  poet  who  writes  without  pay — 
(for  the  Nonpareil.) 

Its  metre  is  that  of  the  song,  "Baby  Mine," 
But  it  lacks  all  its  beautiful  swing. 
The  muse  had  a  tussle  to  make  itself  rhyme, 
So  it  had  to  take  "any  old  thing" — 
(that  came  along). 


234  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

As  soon  as  I  read  the  first  verse  I  was  struck 
With  its  rollicking  humor  and  glee, 
And  I  said  to  myself,  in  the  language  of  Puck, 
"What  fools  these  mortals  must  be" — 
(in  western  Iowa). 

I  got  out  the  first  one  you  wrote  and  I  read, 

And  then  I  compared  it  with  this, 

And  I  said  to  myself  "There's  more  than  one 

head 
Mixed  up  in  this  last,  or  I  miss — 
(my  guess  badly"). 

The  first  one  has  rhyme,  but  its  metre  is  wrong, 
And  sometimes  by  several  feet; 
Sometimes  it  is  short,  and  other  times  long, 
But  nowhere  at  all  does  it  meet — 

(the  requirements  of  good  poetry). 

The  last  one  has  metre  which  matches  its  rhymes 
So  well  that  they  neatly  betray 
The  work  of  two  minds  in  getting  the  lines 
To  metre  and  rhyme  in  the  way — 
(that  they  do). 

I  have  no  objection,  so  far  as  that  goes, 
To  having  you  call  in  a  friend 
To  help  you  unburden  yourself  of  your  woes, 
If  only  it  helps  you  to  mend — 
(your  poetical  diction). 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  235 


But  if  ever  you  hope  to  become  a  good  "Tack," 
And  stand  on  your  head  in  a  chair, 
You'll  have  to  reform  " Pottawattamie  Jack," 
In  order  to  make  it  a  "pair — 
(of  Jacks"). 

I  wish  you  would  name  the  son-of-a-gun 
Who  measured  your  verse  into  feet, 
And  fixed  up  the  metre,  I'll  bet  it  was  one — 
Of  those  measly,  unholy,  dead-beat — 

(reporters  on  the  Bee  or  Herald). 

And  now  let  us  turn  for  a  moment  or  two, 
To  the  great  Oxydonor  again; 
For  I  want  you  to  know  that  I'll  never  get  through 
This  "fussing,"  until  you  refrain — 
(from  abusing  it). 

YouVe   called  it   a   "fraud,"   a   "humbug,"    a 

"slam," 
A  "fake,"  a  "snide"  and  a  "shame," 
A    "delusion,"    a    "snare,"    a    "joke"    and    a 

"sham"; 
In  fact,  most  any  old  name — 

(you  could  find  that  was  mean). 

Now,  what  does  a  devil-fish  do  when  a  whale 
Comes  browsing  along  very  near? 
It  kicks  up  a  muss  with  the  end  of  its  tail, 
And  muddies  the  water,  for  fear — 

(the  whale  might  swallow  it). 


236  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Now,  you  are  the  devil-fish,  "OxyV  the  whale. 
You  see  "Oxy"  coming  your  way; 
You  kick  up  a  muss  and  you  sputter  and  rail, 
In  order  to  scare  it  away — 

(from  Council  Bluffs). 

The  trick  is  too  old,  and  the  people  are  on — 
To  these  "  Doctors  and  Devils  and  Drugs/ ' 
They'll  soon  come  around  and  boost  you  along 
To  the  place  where  they  keep  all  the  thugs — 
(down  at  Fort  Madison). 

I  notice  that  you  and  old  Dowie  agree 
On  the  locus  m  quo  of  disease; 
But  it  looks  to  a  man  who  is  able  to  see, 
Of  the  two,  most  assuredly  he's — 

(the  more  consistent  practitioner). 

You  both  say  disease  is  all  in  the  mind. 
He  works  on  the  mind  for  a  cure. 
You  fill  up  the  stomach  with  every  vile  kind 
Of  poisonous,  rotten,  impure — 

(drugs  and  so-called  medicines). 

Suppose  it 's  a  corn  on  the  top  of  your  toe, 

Is  that  on  your  mind,  or  your  foot? 

Then  what  if  the  tootfe-ache  should  add  to  your 

woe, 
Is  that  in  your  mind,  or  the  root — 
(of  some  decaying  molar?) 


TK  AND  THE  OXYDONOR  237 

If  all  our  diseases,  our  ailments  and  ills 
Are  merely  a  mental  conceit, 
Then  why  not  administer  doughnuts  for  chills, 
And  chocolate  creams  when  your  feet 
(pain  you?) 

If  there  is  no  sickness  except  in  the  mind, 
And  there  is  no  mind  in  a  hog, 
Then  why  does  the  cholera  kill  off  our  swine? 
And  why  does  an  old  yellow  dog — 
(have  the  Asthma?) 

If  what  you  have  said  on  the  subject  were  true, 
Then  why  go  to  medical  schools? 
I  wish  you  would  tell  me  the  reason  why  you 
And  all  other  medical  fools — 

(don't  practice  Christian  Science?) 

Your  logic  demonstrates  beyond  any  doubt, 
That  a  wheel  has  come  loose  in  your  head. 
You'll  have  to  be  careful,  or  it  will  come  out, 
My  gosh !    that  would  kill  you  so  dead — 

(that  even  the  Oxydonor  couldn't  resur- 
rect you). 

To  end  this,  we'll  lump  all  those  poems  of  ours 
Together  and  call  in  the  " Tacks," 
And  let  them  apply  their  mystical  powers 
In  an  effort  to  tell  us  who  lacks  — 

(the  most  of  being  a  poet). 


238 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


If  they  should  decide  that  you  are  the  man 
To  choose  as  their  own  " laureate,' ' 
I  promise  you  now  I  will  do  all  I  can 
To  help  them  to  inaugurate — 

(you  on  the  point  of  a  tack) 
(in  due  and  ancient  form.) 

—John  E.  Eichardson,  (TK) 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Sublime  and  Ill-lluminated  Order  of  Tacks 

This  Order  of  Tacks  was  the  real  Sanctuary  or  inner 
and  most  obscure  earthly  retreat  of  the  Great  School 
in  America.  It  was  a  most  profound  Secret  Order, 
consisting  of  only  a  few  inner  students,  and  deeply 
hidden  away,  back  of  or  beyond  or  within  all  other 
activities  of  the  Great  School,  in  such  manner  as  to 
be  entirely  unsuspected  and  unapproachable  from 
without.  Of  the  500  or  so  active  students,  it  is  prob- 
able that  not  more  than  200  ever  even  heard  of  the 
existence  of  this  inner  body  of  Advanced  Students. 
Of  a  possible  200  Ethical  Students,  probably  not  more 
than  35  were  ever  elected  to  this  " Order.' ' 

No  candidate  was  ever  admitted  except  on  invita- 
tion from  within  the  Order  itself.  There  was  but  one 
pathway  of  approach :  that  was  thru  a  course  of  pro- 
foundly secret  instruction,  a  definite,  rigid  work  of 
preparation  requiring  in  some  instances  years  of 
intense  personal  application.  And  only  after  this 
preparatory  work  was  actually  completed  and  the  stu- 
dent tested  in  every  particular,  was  his  or  her  name 
ever  proposed  for  advancement  and  membership  in 
the  " Order  of  Tacks.' » 

It  was  within  this  Order  and  in  the  presence  of  its 
assembled  members  that  a  great  miracle  was  regularly 
performed:  the  only  miracle  connected  in  any  way 
with  the  Great  School.     The  writer  never  witnessed 

239 


240  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

this  miracle,  but  it  is  said  that  all  who  were  permitted 
to  look  upon  that  sublime  process  of  transmutation 
never  afterward  ever  doubted  TK's  authority,  power 
or  mastership. 

The  esoteric,  or  spiritual  name  for  the  "  Order  of 
Tacks"  was  "TK's  Tack  Factory."  There  was  a  cere- 
mony of  initiation  by  which  "suitable  raw  material* ' 
— finished!  ethical  students  were  taken  in  off  the 
"dump"  and  made  into  living  "tacks."  Initiations 
took  place  in  Mrs.  Huntley's  "Paradise  Flat"  Out 
of  a  total  membership  of  from  12  to  15,  from  seven 
to  twelve  members  were  usually  present.  The  candi- 
dates were  usually  favored  pilgrims  from  other  cities. 

During  initiation  each  new  member  was  given  a 
"new  name,"  which  in  some  way  embodied  the  name 
of  the  sacred  symbol  of  the  Order: — a  Tack.  Thus: 
Tacktful,  Carpet  Tack,  Taxi,  Tack  Hammer,  Miss 
Attack,  Locomotor  Ataxia,  etc.  TK's  official  title  was 
the  "Chief  Tack,"  but  being  accustomed  to  numerous 
names,  he  was  also  known  as  the  "Tack  Hammer," 
Mrs.  Huntley's  idea  of  the  "Tack  Hammer's"  official 
business  is  here  illustrated  by  another  of  her  interest- 
ing pen  sketches  taken  from  the  minutes  of  the  Order. 

We  shall  now  take  a  few  quotations  from  the  secret 
Ritual  of  the  "Order  of  Tacks." 

TK — "Friends  and  Fellow  Laborers: — 

Obedient  to  the  Command  of  the  ONE  HI,  before  whom  all  'good  and 
lawful'  Tacks  delight  to  humble  themselves,  I  am  about  to  open  this 
Factory  for  work.  Let  every  hand  be  at  his  post,  ready  to  Tespond. 
Lady  Tactful,  what  is  your  working  station?" 

A. — "At  the  left  of  the  Hammer." 

Q.— "Whst  are  your  duties  there?" 


THE  SUBLIME  ORDER  OF  TACKS 


241 


A. — ''To  count  the  tacks,  keep  the  tactics  of  the  tacks!  and  record 
tack  orders." 
TK—"Thotful  Cephalologist,  what  are  your  duties?" 

A. — "To   see  that  every  tack  that   goes  out  from   this   Factory  is 
equipped  with  a  large,  well-formed  and  properly  rounded  head." 


TK — "Shocking  Magnetograph,  what  are  your  duties!" 

A. — To  absorb  magnetism  whereby  to  magnetize  all  newly  made  tacks 
until  they  shall  never  fail  to  stick  to  the  Hammer." 

Q. — "What  is  the  station  of  the  Hammer?" 

A. — "Toward  the  rising  Sun." 

Q. — "And  what  are  his  duties?" 

A. — "To  drive  tacks  into  place;  to  pull  those  that  do  not  fit;  to 
straighten  the  crooked;  weld  the  broken,  strengthen  the  weak,  repair  the 
imperfect:  and  do  all  this  with  blows  so  delicately  measured  as  not  to 
injure — his  own  thumb." 


TK — "Recording   Angel,   where   is  the   Great   Inspector   and   Judge 
whom  we  designate  as  the  ONE  HI?" 
A.— "Out  of  sight." 


242  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Q. — ''And  -what  are  his  duties?" 

A. — "He  has  none.  He  is  the  inscrutable  head  of  this  establish- 
ment, in  whom  are  exemplified  all  the  virtues  of  a  perfect  Tk." 

#     »     #     #     » 

TK — '  ■  Having  now  'been  regularly  refined,  measured,  moulded,  headed, 
pointed,  polished,  magnetized,  weighed,  boxed,  wrapped  and  labeled,  I 
presume  you  realize  that  you  are  now  a  good  and  lawful  living  Tk. 
Is  it  not  so?" 

A.— "It  is." 

TK — "Nevertheless,  my  friend,  however  naturally  you  may  have 
arrived  at  this  conclusion  it  is  erroneous,  and  it  is  my  solemn  duty  to 
inform  you  that  you  are  not  yet  a  living  Tk.  You  must  first  satisfy 
all  present  that  you  acknowledge  with  them  voluntary  allegiance  to 
the  One  Hi.  But  before  making  this  official  salaam,  it  is  but  meet  and 
proper  that  you  should  first  know  as  much  as  we  can  tell  you  of  the 
wisdom,  the  power  and  glory  of  him  to  whom  this  acknowledgement 
must  be  made.  In  order  that  you  may  the  better  observe  the  sublime 
symmetry  and  beauty  of  his  noble  character,  we  will  proceed  alpha- 
betically, beginning  with: 

A.  He  is  Amiable  in  all  his  Aims,  Arts,  Acts,  Achievements,  Ambi- 
tions and  Animadversions. 

Eesponse  by  all:     "He  is  Another." 

B.  He  is  Benovolent  in  all  his  bounteous  benefactions,  and  Beauti- 
ful as  a  blushing  bride  after  the  benediction. 

"He  is  a  Beaut!" 

C.  He  is  Chaste  as  the  lily,  Charitable  to  all  his  children,  Courageous 
under  crucial  conditions  and  circumstances,  and  Courteous  to  all  his 
critics. 

"He  is  a  Oharmer. " 

D.  He  is  Devoted  to  his  Duty,  Direct  and  Discrete  in  his  discus- 
sions: Discriminating  in  his  dogmas  and  doctrines,  and  Diligent  in  all 
his  doings. 

"He  is  a  Dandy!" 

E.  He  is  Exemplary  as  an  exponent  of  equity,  equality  and  excel- 
lence, and  an  emblem  to  emulate. 

"He  is  un-Earthly." 

F.  He  is  Faithful  to  friends  and  Friendly  to  foes.  He  is  frugal, 
fearless  and  faultless. 

"Finer  than  frog's  fur." 

G.  He  is  Good  as  a  Guru,  and  Gracious  as  a  God. 
"Holy  Gee!" 


THE  SUBLIME  ORDER  OF  TACKS  243 


H.  He  is  an  Honest  Humanitarian,  with  a  heart  full  of  Hope  and  a 
halo  of  Happiness  about  his  head. 

"He  is  a  Hummer." 

I.  He  is  an  Independent  Intelligence,  and  an  Ideal  I-opener  of  the 
Illuminati. 

"He  is  IT." 

J.     He  is  Just  in  all  his  judgments  and  Judicious  in  all  his  jollities. 

"Junk  the  Jinx." 

K.     He  is  Kingly  in  his  knowledge  and  Knightly  in  his  kindness. 

"Kick  Him  Kindly." 

L.  He  is  a  Loyal  and  Loving  Lord  and  a  Luminious  Llama  of  the 
Law. 

"He  is  the  Limit!" 

.M.  He  is  Modest  and  Meek,  Magnanimous  and  Mighty,  a  Midget 
Monitor  of  Morality,  and  Magnificent  as  a  Munificent  Moderator  and 
Merry-Maker. 

"His  name  is  Mud." 

N.  He  is  a  Noble  Necromancer,  and  a  Natural  Nailer  of  Nocturnal 
Novitiates  and  Nebulous  Neophites. 

* '  Never  again !  " 

0.  He  is  an  Occult  Oddity,  an  Opulent  Optimist,  an  Orderly  and 
Official  Organizer,  an  Ossified  Officer,  and  an  Obvious  Oversight  of  all 
Oriental  Occultism  since  the  Oracular  Oracles  of  0-M". 

"The  only  Oyster  in  the  Order." 

P.  He  is  Patient  and  Peaceful  as  a  Potentate,  and  a  Powerful 
Preacher  of  Purity,  Perseverance  and  Piety. 

"Pat  Him  on  the  back." 

Q.  He  is  Quiet  and  Quaint  as  a  Quaker,  quick  in  his  quips,  and  the 
Quintessence  of  Quality. 

"To  the  Queen's  taste." 

R.  He  is  Richer  than  Eockefeller,  Reliable  as  a  Royal  Revolator, 
Ready  to  Recognize  the  Rights  of  his  Rivals,  and  a  Race  Ruler  over 
Raw  Recruits. 

"Rah!  Rail!  Rah!   Richardson!   Raw!   Raw!" 

S.  He  is  Safe  and  Sure,  Silent  and  Serene,  a  Saintly  'Savant,  a 
sane  and  Soulful  Seer  of  all  Secrets,  and  a  Strictly  Scientific  Symbol 
of  Self-satisfaction. 

"Some  Saint." 

T.  He  is  a  Titled  Tutelary,  Truthful  under  every  Test,  and  as  a 
Tack  he  is  a  Trump  Triumphant. 

"Tin  is  His  tune." 


244  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


U.  He  is  Unselfish,  Unobtrusive,  Unvarying,  Utterly  Upright,  a 
Universal  Utilitarian,  and  United  to  Uneeda. 

"Pass  the  crackers." 

V.  He  is  Virtuous  and  Versatile,  a  Veritable  Vishnu,  and  a  Valor- 
ous Victum  of  Vulcan. 

*  *  Vam  iMoose ! ' ' 

W.  A  Wild  and  Woolly  Wizard  of  the  West,  Worthy,  Winsome 
Worker  of  the  West,  Wakeful,  Watchful,  Wise-one,  Whiskerless. 

"He  is  a  Worrier." 

X.     Xenophen,  Xavier,  Xerxes. 
Philosopher,  priest,  king. 
United  virtues  all  lurk  these 
In  him  whose  praises  we  sing. 

"Xmas  Xcitement. " 

Y.     A  Yearning,  Yankee  Yoga, 
In  Youthful,  yellow  Toga, 

Yodling  sweetly  all  the  livelong  year, 
Yielding  to  the  yoke  of  karma, 
Yet,  so  meek  he  would  not  harm  a 
Skeeter  sitting  singing  on  his  year. 

"The  Yellow  Kid." 

Z.  A  Zinky  Zymnologist  of  Zion,  a  Zonular  Zealota  Zany,  a  Zig- 
Zag  Za  of  the  Zodiac. 

"Our  Zooky  Zukums." 

TK — "These,  my  friend,  are  the  virtues  of  the  ONE  HI,  in  whose 
presence  we  delight  to  humble  ourselves,  and  to  whom  in  token  of  our 
allegiance  we  bend  the  knee." 

(The  Tacks  here  made  the  official  salaam.) 

In  the  Ancient  School  of  Natural  Science,  the  process  of  initiation 
was  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  spiritual  powers  and  unfolding 
the  spiritual  senses  until  the  initiate  is  able  voluntarily  to  look  beyond 
the  veil  of  physical  material  and  into  the  realms  of  spirituality.  This 
is  one  of  the  many  rewards  of  his  honest  labors  and  comes  as  the  direct 
and  specific  result  of  his  own  Self -Mastery. 

And  so,  my  friend,  if  your  work  and  ours  to  this  point  has  been 
well  done,  there  remains  to  you  but  this  final  act  to  open  the  eyes  of 
the  soul  and  bring  you  consciously  faee  to  face  with  the  tangible  and 
visible  presence  of  the  ONE  HI.  In  order  that  nothing  may  be  omitted 
to  insure  the  full  realization  of  this  splendid  consummation,  you  will 
proceed  slowly  and  carefully  with  each  step  as  I  shall  direct  you. 


THE  SUBLIME  ORDER  OF  TACKS 


245 


The  page  below  ie  photographed  direct  from  the  "record 
lng  Angel' 8 T  minutes.  It  ie  a  sample  of  dozens  of  simi 
lar  pages.  All  members  of  this  "Order  of  Tacke,"  had  to 
be  advanced  students  in  Tk's  buncombe  "GREAT  School".'.' 


b  4aXU 


^ 


TKi,^?oxCUi Gtfci/.lw  - 


XXXIt 


tka.  CC  «J  S**utf 


U*di.       tk«-       iMAU     (Svu<fiitv    vOLu^L     JU^vWftrKuiiy 

7X  */ 


tfl  1 


Kt9\»touv.j 


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GuMuaaa 


K.Yf. 


246  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

TK  here  instructed  the  candidate : 

1.  Face  the  East.  2.  Stand  erect.  3.  Step  back.  4.  Bend  knee.  5. 
Face  down.    6.  Hands  over.    7.  Wave  and  stand. 

Upon  rising,  the  candidate  stood  looking  upon  a 
large  and  much  battered  Japanese  doll,  said  to  be 
over  a  hundred  years  old. 

In  impressive  tones,  TK  continued: 

"Behold!  the  Supreme  Grand  Master  of  this  sublime  and  inscrutable 
Order,  to  whom  alone  you  have  acknowledged,  with  us,  your  voluntary 
and  unqualified  allegiance.  This  is  he  whose  virtues  outnumber  the 
sands  of  the  sea-shore,  or  even  the  honest  members  of  our  Chicago  City 
Council. 

"His  assumed  name  is  * FTNG-Wing, '  but  we  have  christened  him 
the  'ONE  HI,'  and  have  given  him  the  highest  place  of  honor — nay, 
I  should  say  the  only  place  of  honor  in  this  Order. 

"See  the  soft,  sweet  smile  of  silent  serenity  upon  his  sweet  and 
soulful  frontispiece.  This  is  the  smile  of  one  who  looks  into  the  face 
of  his  Maker,  as  it  were,  and  says, — 'I  have  fit  the  good  fight, — I  have 
finished  the  job  thou  sattest  me  to  do,  and  now,  Lord,  it  is  up  to  Thee. 
Verily,  it  is  Thy  next  move.  Give  to  me  my  other  self.  Give  to  me 
my  soul's  primordial  concomitant  and  co-efficient  companion.  Give  me 
my  Uneda\  " 

(A  little  Chinese  Lady  Doll  was  now  placed  beside  the  One  Hi.) 

? '  And  Lo,  his  Uneda  is  at  his  side.  This  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law, 
that  they  shall  live  in  perfect  happiness  thru  all  eternity." 

The  candidate's  attention  was  here  drawn  to  a  flock 
of  little  china  sheep  on  a  green  cloth  to  the  right  of 
the  ONE  HI  and  some  china  goats  and  an  empty  tin 
can  to  the  left. 

Following  this  impressive  lesson,  the  TK  addressed 
the  candidates  as  follows : 

THE  MIRACLE 
My  Friends: — 

You  have  heard  how  it  was  said  of  old, — "And  there  shall  be  no 
©ign  given  but  the  sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas." 

This  was  the  reply  made  to  the  curious  and  skeptical  who  came  seek- 
ing a  sign  of  Magical  Powers — the  sign  of  the  Master. 


THE  SUBLIME  ORDER   OF  TACKS 


247 


While  this  same  admonition  still  holds  good  for  all  who  seek  but  the 
visible  and  tangible  sign  of  a  Spiritual  Universe,  yet  there  is  a  wide 
difference  between  him  who  asks  as  skeptic  or  critic,  condemning  and 
believing  not;  and  him  who  comes  asking  naught,  but  with  faith  in  the 
power  of  his  Master  to  give  him  the  sign. 

You  who  are  here  present  as  initiates,  have  already  given  proof  of 
your  faith  in  the  Virtues  of  the  ONE  HI,  as  well  as  in  your  fitness  to 
enter  his  service. 

In  the  presence  of  such  as  you  it  delights  his  Sublime  Inscrutableness 
to  perform  the  wonders  and  the  miracles  that  are  never  manifested  in 
the  presence  of  the  curious,  the  wonder  seekers,  the  infidel  or  the  heathen. 


dump  %y* 


% 


Jgassffi 


TK's  "TACK  FACTORY."  Reproduced  from  a 
drawing  by  the  RA.  Note  the  two  gentle- 
men looking  around  the  corners— and  the 
one  on  the  roof:  these  represent  three 
of  TKf6  profoundly  wise  spirit  guides  and 
associates.  The  two  good-looking  fellows 
at  the  sides  are  the  "Great  Master*  and 
the  "Beloved  Master,"  while  the  super-man 
on  the  roof  is  "Elamo."  According  to  TK, 
thie  fellow  "Elamo"  founded  the  Great 
Scheme  many  thousands  of  years  ago,  long 
before  "Unole  John"  took  hold  of  the 
business  and  moved  it  to  Chicago, 


248  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


"And  no  sign  shall  be  given  but  the  sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas" — 
which  we  hold,  by  interpretation,  to  mean  that  no  sign  shall  be  given 
to  any  seeker,  but  the  sign  of  a  Personal  Experience. 

When  Daniel  was  turned  loose  in  the  lion's  den,  he  had  a  Personal 
Experience  in  proof  of  the  miraculous,  which  lasted  him  a  lifetime. 

When  the  Hebrew  Children  passed  through  the  Fiery  Furnace  with- 
out even  so  much  as  scorching  a  feather  or  singeing  a  gaberdine,  they 
also  received  the  sign,  through  the  medium  of  a  warm  experience  not 
likely  to  be  forgotten. 

When  Jonah  was  swallowed  by  a  whale  and  cast  up  again  after  three 
days,  in  fine  condition,  he,  too,  recognized  the  Sign  through  a  peculiar 
Personal  Experience. 

You  will  also  recall  the  most  marvelous  of  all  the  miracles — that  of 
multiplying  the  loaves  and  fishes  into  a  feast  for  5,000,  with  12  baskets 
of  scraps  left  over. 

You  who  are  here  at  this  time,  seeking  place  as  workmen  in  this 
Factory,  have  doubtless  many  times  longed  for  the  supreme  satisfaction 
of  this  unmistakable  Sign,  the  indisputable  evidence  of  a  personal 
experience. 

And  just  because  you  have  refrained  from  the  asking,  and  because 
by  faith  alone  you  first  accepted  the  Veiled  Master  of  this  Sublime 
Order,  and  also  because,  having  once  looked  upon  him  in  all  his  incom- 
petency, you  still  have  the  courage  to  acknowledge  yourself  as  his 
servant,  you  have  thereby  earned  the  right  to  witness  some  of  the  mar- 
vels he  is  able  to  perform. 

You  have  earned  the  right,  not  only  to  witness,  but  to  participate  in 
a  miracle  of  far  more  exceeding  mystery  than  that  of  the  loaves  and 
fishes.  That  ancient  miracle  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  miracle  of 
Multiplication;  but  this  you  are  about  to  witness  shall  become  renowned 
of  men  as  the  great  miracle  of  Addition,  Subtraction,  Multiplication, 
Division,  Mastication  and  Deglutition. 

To  you,  it  will  be  remembered,  no  doubt,  as  TEE  SACRIFICE  OF 
TEE  CANDIDATES. 

For,  within  this  hour,  by  order  of  the  ONE  HI,  the  workmen  of  this 
Factory  will  surround  all  the  candidates  present,  and  at  a  given  signal 
from  the  ONE  HI,  each  and  every  one  of  them  shall  disappear  from 
mortal  eyes.  Not  one  shall  be  left  to  tell  the  tale.  They  shall  be  caught 
up — in  our  very  midst — and  one  by  one  they  shall  be  caused  to  dis- 
appear before  the  eyes  of  those  who  are  left,  until  the  last  remaining 
one  shall  be  no  more. 


THE  SUBLIME  ORDER  OF  TACKS  249 


More  marvelous  yet,  not  one  shall  be  taken  from  the  floor  of  this 
Factory;  but  each  and  all,  one  by  one,  shall  be  devoured,  as  it  were, 
by  the  elements — shall  be  changed  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  trans- 
formed, transmuted,  translated,  yea,  verily,  VANISHED. 

And  marvel  of  marvels — though  every  candidate  shall  thus  be 
annihilated,  and  shall  disappear  from  mortal  ken — nevertheless,  so  potent 
is  the  Mighty  Magic  of  the  ineffable  ONE  HI,  that  within  this  same 
hour  each  and  every  one  of  you  shall  find  yourself  in  your  place, 
exactly  as  you  were  before  this  marvelous  miracle  occurred. 

Everything  now  being  in  readiness  for  the  final  and  crowning  demon- 
stration of  the  magic  power  of  the  mystic  word  of  Him  who  must  be 
obeyed, — the  TAOKLET  will  bring  forth  the  Sacred  Bowl,  and  prepare 
the  Altar  for  the  sacrifice. 


The  candidates  will  rise. 

The  Good  and  Awful  will  assemble  about  the  altar. 

Let  there  be  silence. 

The  candidates  will  fix  their  eyes  upon  the  luminous  countenance  of 
the  Yellow  Kid,  the  symbol  of  a  translated  Tack. 

The  Workmen  will  fix  theirs  upon  the  Candy-Dates. 

The  TACKLET  will  now  uncover  the  sacrifice. 

The  Workmen  will  prepare  to  do  their  duty. 

Ready. 

All  together. 

PROCEED.     (All  eat.) 

The  fullness  of  His  power  is  not  yet  manifest.  The  Tacklet  will  pass 
the  sacrifice  to  the  candidates  who,  having  partaken,  will  themselves 
become  witnesses  of  the  Miracle  that  (has  been  performed,  and  demon- 
strators of  its  truth,  through  the  Sign  of  a  Personal  Experience. 

Eat,  to  the  Glory  of  the  ONE  EI. 

In  his  name,  Eat  of  those  CANDY-DATES. 

Receive  ye  the  Sign. 

Absorb  its  mystical  meaning. 

Proclaim  yourselves  witnesses. 

Lift  up  your  voice  in  praise  of  the  ONE  HI. 

Revere  Miracles. 

Multiply  your  Faith. 

Seek  no  more  Sign. 

Rejoice  that  you  are  now  restored. 

And  do  the  will  of  the  ONE  HI,  to  whom  be  the  Kingdom,  the  Power 
and  the  Glory  for  some  time! 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  Illusory  $25.00 

AND 

Other  Sidelights  on  TK's  Financial  Problems 

1 '  Whatever  of  the  things  of  this  material  plane  of  earth  we 
gather  about  us  beyond  those  which  answer  the  needs  of  the 
physical  body  for  life,  comfort  and  protection,  represent 
wasted  energy,  loss  of  time  and  misdirected  effort  on  our 
part. 

4 '  It  is  true,  we  may  leave  them  to  relatives  and  friends  who 
may,  or  may  not,  appreciate  them  or  rightly  use  them.  But 
from  the  viewpoint  of  our  own  individual  best  good  and  our 
own  most  rapid  spiritual  and  psychical  development  and 
progress,  they  represent  less  than  nothing.  They  stand  for 
a  definite  and  specific  loss. ' ' 

TK,  in  "The  Great  Work,"  p.  356. 

The  above  was  published  in  December,  1906,  and 
that  very  year  TK  relieved  one  student  alone  of  more 
than  $7,000.00. 

Two  years  later,  this  same  "Elder  Brother"  had  re- 
lieved the  same  student  of  $82,000.00,— for  the  good  of 
his  GREAT  CAUSE,  i.  e.,  himself. 

250 


SIDELIGHTS  ON   TK'S  FINANCIAL  PROBLEMS  351 

Writing  to  one  who  had  already  donated  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  to  his  Great  Scheme,  and  who  ex- 
pected to  give  many  additional  thousands,  TK  said 
(8-15-1915) : 

"And  now,  may  I  ask  a  special  favor  of  YOU?  It  is  this: 
Knowing  that  you  do  not  wish  your  name  known  as  the  donor 
of  the  sums  you  have  in  mind  contributing  to  the  Work,  and 
because  it  will  enable  me  to  gratify  a  personal  wish  that  I 
might  do  more  for  the  Cause  than  is  possible,  will  you  just 
send  your  contributions  to  ME,  and  designate  how  you  wish 
them  distributed,  and  then  let  them  APPEAR  as  if  coming 
from  MYSELF?" 

TK  Keeps  His  " Means"  in  the  Form  of  Cash. 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  letter  written  by  TK 
to  one  of  his  brothers,  on  January  22,  1914 : 

"Concerning  the  matter  of  a  deposit  of  $10,000.00  or  so 
with  your  bank,  there  is  but  one  thing  I  see  in  the  way,  and 
that  is  the  possibility  of  my  wanting  to  use  it  at  any  time  on 
short  notice — or,  in  fact,  without  any  notice  at  all. 

"The  Work  I  am  doing — or  trying  to  do — is  such  that  I 
may  want  to  have  every  dollar  of  my  resources  available  at 
once — for  immediate  use.  With  the  exception  of  such  as  I 
have  invested  in  gilt-edge  Real  Estate,  /  have  kept  all  my 
means  in  the  form  of  CASH, — and  in  such  condition  as  to 
be  available  at  any  instant  and  without  notice." 


252  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

We  here  present  some  samples  of  the  hundreds  of 
letters  for  which  TK  claims  to  have  received  "not 
even  so  much  as  a  postage  stamp  for  reply."  The  fol- 
lowing is  one  of  the  modest  $25.00  variety : 

Edgemoor,  Oconomowoc,  Wis. 
January  4,  1916. 

N.  M.,  ,  . 

Dear  Friend:  Your  valued  favor  of  the  27th  ult.  is  just 
at  hand,  having  been  forwarded  to  me  here,  where  I  am  spend- 
ing most  of  my  time  at  present.  I  want  to  thank  you  for  all 
that  your  letter  contains,  and  especially  for  the  spirit  of  un- 
selfish service  therein  manifest. 

But,  my  yonnger  Brother,  I  hesitate  to  accept  your  gen- 
erous contribution  to  the  Great  Work  we  are  trying  to  do 
for  humanity — not  that  it  is  not  needed,  but  solely  because 
you  have  not  yet  been  formally  accepted  as  a  student. 

If  you  were  only  a  regularly  admitted  student,  I  should 
not  hesitate  to  accept  all  that  you  felt  yourself  able  to  give. 
If,  however,  you  can  say  to  me  in  all  sincerity  that  you  wish 
to  contribute  to  this  Work  and  Movement  quite  regardless 
of  your  future  possible  studentship,  and  that  you  wish  me 
to  accept  this  contribution,  and  such  others  as  you  may  wish 
to  make  in  future,  in  trust  for  the  general  good  of  the  Work, 
then  I  give  you  my  pledge  of  good  faith  for  its  use  where  it 
will  accomplish  the  greatest  measure  of  good  possible  to  the 
Cause. 

Again  thanking  you,  and  with  greetings  of  fraternal  re- 
gard, believe  me, 

Your  Friend  and  Elder  Brother, 

J.  E.  Richardson, 

(The  TK.) 


SIDELIGHTS  ON  TK'S  FINANCIAL  PROBLEMS 


253 


A  Sample  Ten-Dollar  " League"  Letter. 

12/15/1914. 
"Dear  Friend  and  Helper: — 

"I  thank  you,  in  the  name  of  the  suffering  poor  who 
need,  for  your  splendid  contribution.  I  will  also  undertake 
to  administer  the  trust  you  have  reposed  in  me  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  obtain  the  best  possible  results. 

"My  heart  aches,  these  days,  over  those  who  are  both  hun- 
gry and  cold,  and  without  means  to  buy  either  food  or  shel- 
ter; and  every  dollar  that  comes  charged  with  the  mission  of 
relief  to  these  sufferers  brings  to  me  a  great  wave  of  JOY. 
Again  thanking  you  with  all  my  heart,  I  am 

"Your  Friend  and  Elder  Brother." 


254  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Investigation  of  TK's  financial  affairs,  following  his 
departure  in  April,  brot  out  the  fact  that  among  the 
bankers  and  business  men  of  Oak  Park  he  was  thot 
to  be  a  retired  millionaire.  His  publishing  business 
was  supposed  to  be  a  work  of  charity — a  hobby  with 
him. 

During  the  theatre  season  he  entertained  weekly,  a 
party  of  fourteen  guests  (probably  $50.00  per  month). 
For  flowers  delivered  regularly  each  week  to  actresses, 
his  bill  from  one  florist  alone,  averaged  $30.00  per 
month.  He  purchased  from  $50.00  to  $60.00  worth  of 
perfume  at  a  time.  His  limousine  expenses  were  about 
$50.00  a  month. 

And  all  this  while  he  was  secretly  and  regularly 
passing  his  hat  among  his  followers,  and  taking  all 
their  spare  cash.  With  these  "collections"  he  was 
playing  the  millionaire,  and  actually  feeding  his  two 
cats  a  quality  of  porterhouse  and  cream  that  many  of 
his  "students"  and  "friends"  would  not  even  dream 
of  purchasing  for  themselves  or  their  families. 

Traveling  de  luxe,  his  cats  were,  in  July,  1916,  ship- 
ped to  him  in  Pasadena,  The  cage  was  27  inches 
deep,  3  feet  wide  and  7  feet  high,  affording  daily 
promenades  "on  the  upper  deck,"  and  was  supplied 
with  choice  salmon  and  all  the  delicacies  of  ethically 
cultured  cats.  Which  was  nice  for  the  kitties,  but  quite 
unimaginable  to  the  students,  many  of  whom  denied 
themselves  even  the  necessities  of  life  to  contribute  to 
the  "master's"  cause. 


SIDELIGHTS  ON  TK'S  FINANCIAL  PROBLEMS 


255 


256  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  following  is  quoted  from  an  article,  "Physical 
and  Personal  Refinement/'  by  TK's  daughter  and 
published  in  Life  and  Action  February,  1916.  It  is 
only  just  to  explain  that  this  portion  of  the  article 
was  written  in  Chicago  by  TK  himself  and  sent  to  his 
daughter  in  California  on  September  6,  1915,  with  the 
suggestion  that  she  insert  it  in  her  essay.  It  is  also 
just  to  state  that  TK's  checks  to  his  daughter  be- 
tween January  5,  1909,  and  October  9,  1915,  amounted 
to  $42,945.58. 

The  accompanying  photographic  reproductions  of 
checks,  constitute  $32,400.00  worth  of  the  evidence  in 
this  case.  The  Quotation 

"For  instance,  social  conventions  are  all  right  within  cer- 
tain limitations,  but  they  must  always  be  adapted  to  the  con- 
ditions of  life,  the  wealth,  health,  and  the  understanding  of 
the  individual.  As  an  instance,  I  know  of  a  family  who  are 
said  to  dress  regularly  six  times  a  day.  This  sort  of  conven- 
tional custom  is  nothing  short  of  slavery  to  an  ideal.  It  has 
neither  merit  nor  logic.  Those  who  are  able  to  do  so,  who 
hwve  the  wealth  with  which  to  buy  the  clothes  and  the  health 
to  sustain  such  a  convention,  might  very  well  dress  twice  a 
day  without,  perhaps,  overstepping  the  bounds  of  reason,  of 
logic,  of  the  principles  of  the  Great  School,  or  the  demands  of 
utility.  But  even  so  comparatively  moderate  a  convention 
must  not  be  held  by  any  of  the  students  of  the  School  as 
binding  upon  anybody  but  themselves,  and  not  upon  them- 
selves unless  reason  and  conscience  approve. 

"Since  I  have  been  away  from  home,  both  because  of  my 
limitations  of  health  and  wealth,  I  have  been  made  to  feel  a 
subtle  criticism  and  disappointment  in  the  minds  of  some  of 
our  blessed  students  whom  I  love  with  all  my  heart.  I  do 
not  mention  the  fact  as  a  criticism,  but  merely  as  an  illus- 
tration of  what  I  mean." 


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SIDELIGHTS  ON  TK'S  FINANCIAL  PROBLEMS 


257 


A  Bather  Deadly  Parallel 


September  1912 

In  ''Life  and  Action,"  Bv.  3, 
p.  339,   TK  says: 

"Only  in  a  purely  commercial 
sense  can  we  be  termed  '  poor. ' 
In  every  other  way,  I  do  not 
know  of  an  individual  on  earth 
with  whom  either  of  us  would  ex- 
change places.  But  financially  we 
are  poor." 

1  •  Our  very  poverty  is  a  badge  of 
assurance  that  our  motives  are 
pure  and  unselfish.' ' 


September  1912 

Monthly  Eeport  of  TK's  Indo- 
American  Book  "Co." 

"Oct.  2,  1912. 

"TK. 

"Dear  Brother:— I  desire  to 
draw  your  attention  to  the  en- 
closed monthly  report. 

"You  will  kindly  note  that  the 
net  gain  for  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember was  $120.38,  and  this  is 
after  $1,000.00  was  withdrawn  by 
yourself.  This  gives  us  a  total 
profit  of  $1,220.38  for  the  month 
of  September. 

"Everything  in  the  Book  Co.  is 
moving  beautifully  and  the 
'Spirit  of  the  Work/  is  every- 
where  evident. 

"Yours  for  the  GREAT 
CAUSE." 


TK  Loans  One  of  His  Ethical  Students  $25.00. 

The  following  financial  performance  took  place  in 
1912,  at  a  time  when  TK  must  have  had  several  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  which,  as  he  explains,  he  al- 
ways kept  in  * '  CASH, ' '  and  ' '  available  at  any  instant 
without  notice." 

His  reference  to  needing  this  paltry  $25.00  to  meet 
Florence  Huntley's  funeral  expenses  shows  that,  in 
money  matters,  the  " master' '  is  capable  of  resorting 
to  any  effective  pretext  even  tho  it  involves  events 
which  most  people  hold  sacred. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  when  Florence  Huntley  died  it 
was  a  season  of  rich  financial  harvest  for  TK,  because 


258  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

both  students  and  friends  everywhere  "knew"  him  to 
be  very  poor,  and  " probably  in  need"  of  all  the  cash 
they  could  spare.  TK  probably  received  enuf  dona- 
tions during  that  time  to  meet  the  funeral  expenses  of 
all  his  Chicago  students  for  several  incarnations  to 
come. 

TK  and  His  Illusory  $25.00. 

(EXHIBIT  A) 

Oak  Park,  111.,  January  4,  1912. 

Dear  Friend  : 

Of  course,  under  the  circumstances,  I  could  not  refuse  so 
urgent  a  request,  even  though  it  were  the  last  $25.00  at  my 
command.  And  let  me  say  that  while  the  amount  is  not  large, 
it  is  of  as  much  importance  perhaps  to  me  to  receive  it  back 
within  the  next  thirty  days  as  it  is  to  you  to  have  it  at  the 
present  time.    I  have  no  doubt  after  you  are  once  with  Mr. 

B you  can  obtain  a  loan  from  him  sufficient  to  repay  the 

amount,  and  I  will  be  glad  to  have  you  handle  the  matter  in 
that  way. 

Wishing  you  success  in  the  new  position,  and  a  happy  and 
successful  new  year,  I  remain 

Hastily  and  fraternally, 

TK. 

(EXHIBIT  B) 

Oak  Park,  111.,  2/8/1912. 
Dear  Brother : 

I  deeply  regret  that  I  cannot  accept  the  note,  which  I  am 
returning.  If  you  will  refer  to  my  letter  of  January  4,  in 
which  I  enclosed  the  check  for  the  $25.00,  you  will  note  that 
I  was  even  then  anticipating  the  probability  that  I  would 
need  it  by  the  end  of  the  thirty  days.  But  I  did  not  then 
know  how  badly  I  should  be  pressed  at  the  end  of  that  time. 

This  new  and  great  change  in  my  life,  which  I  shall  not  try 


THE  ILLUSORY  $25.00  259 

to  speak  of  in  this  connection,  has  involved  me  in  over  $200.00 
of  debt,  which  must  be  cared  for  at  mice. 

I  am  therefore  going  to  ask  you  to  return  the  money  to  me 
just  as  soon  as  the  mails  can  possibly  bring  it.  Borrow  it  from 
any  available  source  possible,  and  please  do  not  disappoint 
me.  Within  one  week  I  shall  have  to  meet  one  bill  of  about 
$150.00,  and  I  am  depending  upon  you  to  help  me  out  to  the 
extent  of  the  $25.00.   I  want  no  interest. 

Hastily  and  fraternally, 

TK. 

(EXHIBIT  C) 

Oak  Park,  111.,  2/12/1912. 
Dear  Brother  : 

Your  letter  is  just  at  hand.  Please  do  not  stop  until  you 
have  sent  me  the  money;  for  I  must  have  it.  I  am  today  in 
receipt  of  a  bill  for  $195.00  from  the  undertaker,  and  I  can- 
not afford  to  have  it  go  by  default.  You  must  know  what  a 
position  I  would  occupy  in  such  an  event. 

I  did  not  try  to  cash  your  note  for  the  reason  that  never 
yet,  in  all  my  business  life,  have  I  ever  banked  a  note  that 
I  did  not  have  it  to  pay  when  the  time  of  payment  came. 
You  know  that  in  order  to  obtain  the  cash  on  your  note,  I 
would  have  to  endorse  it  myself,  and  that  means  that  if  you 
should  fail  to  pay  it  at  the  time  due,  I  should  have  to  pay  it 
myself.  I  have  done  that  same  thing  not  less  than  fifty  times, 
and  always  have  had  to  pay  the  note  myself ;  and  the  way  I 
am  now  situated,  I  cannot  do  it. 

I  let  you  have  this  money  with  the  express  understanding 
that  you  would  borrow  the  money  from  other  parties  as  soon 

as  you  got  to  R ;  and  I  told  you  what  it  would  mean  to 

me  if  you  failed  me.   PLEASE  do  not  do  it.   For  if  you  do, 
it  will  be  a  real  calamity  to  me. 

Hastily  and  fraternally, 

John. 


260  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

(EXHIBIT  D) 

At  Home,  3/8/1912. 

My  Dear  : 

Please  examine  the  inclosed  check,  and  observe  on  the  lower 
left-hand  corner  on  the  face  of  the  check  the  pencil  memo, 
"N.  S.  F."  which  means  "Not  Sufficient  Funds." 

Very  much  to  my  annoyance,  surprise  and  inconvenience, 
the  local  bank  through  which  I  cashed  it,  returns  to  me  the 
check,  and  demands  that  I  refund  to  it  the  full  amount,  which 
is  proper  from  its  point  of  view. 

You  know,  from  my  previous  explanation,  what  this  means 
to  me.  I  would  not  have  had  this  occur  for  ten  times  the 
amount  of  the  check. 

I  am  returning  the  check  to  you,  and  must  now  insist  upon 
your  making  it  good  at  once,  and  paying  the  balance. 

I  do  not  like  this  sort  of  thing,  and  it  is  not  consistent  with 
the  Spirit  of  the  Work. 

I  explained  to  you  fully  and  carefully  just  how  I  was  sit- 
uated when  I  let  you  have  the  money,  and  you  know  how  it 
would  trouble  me  in  case  you  failed  to  return  it  as  agreed. 

And  yet,  according  to  your  own  letter,  you  let  other  debts 
take  precedence  over  the  one  to  me.  That  was  neither  honest 
nor  right. 

If  you  have  any  respect  whatever  for  your  business  word 
of  honor,  or  for  my  friendship  and  confidence,  you  will  lose 
no  time  in  making  this  matter  good. 

If  I  were  able  to  lose  the  amount,  I  would  never  say  a 
word;  but  I  have  to  live  and  pay  my  bills,  and  have  never 
in  all  my  life  defaulted  upon  any  promise  I  ever  made.  I 
do  not  want  to  begin  at  this  late  date. 

Trusting  you  will  return  the  full  $25.00  without  further 
delay,  I  remain, 

Hastily  and  fraternally, 

John. 


THE  ILLUSORY  $25.00  261 

(EXHIBIT  E) 

At  Home,  3/11/1912. 
Dear , 

Perhaps  it  is  not  your  fault,  but  I  confess  that  I  have  been 
deeply  and  wrongfully  embarrassed  by  the  return  of  the 
check  for  $12.00  you  sent  me,  with  a  notice  from  the  local 
bank  that  cashed  it  for  me,  that  it  had  been  returned  to  them 
with  the  notation,  "N.  S.  F.,"  which  means  "Not  Sufficient 
Funds." 

The  local  bank  notifies  me  that  I  must  now  return  to  it 
the  $12.00  which  it  advanced  me  on  the  check.  You  know 
what  this  means  to  me. 

The  $13.00  you  have  just  sent  me  will  enable  me  to  refund 
to  the  bank  the  $12.00  and  leave  me  $1.00. 

I  am  returning  the  check  to  you  and  must  ask  you  to  take 
up  the  matter  with  the  giver  of  the  check  and  see  that  he 
makes  it  good  at  once. 

This  sort  of  thing  is  not  pleasant  to  one  in  my  position,  and 
I  would  not  have  had  the  check  come  back  to  my  local  bank 
for  several  times  its  face  value. 

Please  take  the  check  to  the  giver  of  it  and  have  him  make 
good  the  amount  and  send  it  to  me  at  once. 

Very  hastily, 
John. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
The  Cat  Came  Back 

TK's  home  was  decorated  with  an  almost  endless 
number  and  variety  of  cat  pictures.  In  size  these 
ranged  all  the  way  from  postcard  to  large  reproduc- 
tions of  well-known  paintings  of  cats,  lions  and  tigers. 
But  his  chief  interest  in  the  feline  family  centered  in 
two  thorobred  mongrels  which,  under  his  Ethical 
Formulary,  developed  some  rather  remarkable  spirit- 
ual tales.  One  of  these  appears  to  be  an  entirely  new 
conception,  and  you  will  perhaps  be  interested  in  its 
recital. 

In  June,  1915,  to  a  few  of  his  most  advanced  stu- 
dents, TK  confided  a  very  original  story  to  the  effect 
that  one  day,  while  on  his  back  lawn  searching  for 
four-leaf  clovers,  he  observed,  some  few  yards  dis- 
tant, one  of  his  pet  cats  standing  with  its  front  paws 
far  apart,  its  tail  straight  up  in  the  air  and  its  nose 
buried  in  the  grass.  On  going  to  the  cat,  he  discovered 
that  it  had  located  a  four-leaf  clover.  Upon  TK's  tak- 
ing the  leaf,  his  cat  immediately  bounded  away  in 
search  of  another,  and  in  a  few  moments  its  tail  again 

262 


THE   CAT  CAME  BACK 


263 


Here's    one, 
Master  !! 


Wo 


went  up  in  the  air  and  its  nose  into  the  turf.  It  had 
found  a  second  four-leaf  clover.  This  remarkable  per- 
formance continued  until  some  ten  four-leaf  clovers 
were  discovered.  By  this  time,  TK  became  so  excited 
that  he  lost  the  count,  and  the  cat  becoming  confused 
thereby,  lost  its  combination,  and  could  never  again 
be  induced  to  point  the  little  clovers. 


264  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

While  living  at  ''Paradise  Flat,"  Mrs.  Huntley 
owned  a  large  ethical  house  cat  which  had  been  named 
"Biffer."  Now  Biff er  had  had  the  TK's  "Ethical 
CATachism"  up  to  No.  4,  but  at  this  point  he  stuck 
and  stuck  hard.  In  fact,  his  further  evolutionary 
refinement  along  the  lines  of  the  Great  School  worried 
him  so  that  in  time  he  took  on  feline  scabies,  and  for 
about  three  years  he  was  a  sorry-looking  cat.  Upon 
the  advice  of  the  TK's  "Great  Masters"  he  was 
rubbed  and  oiled,  massaged  and  doped,  washed  and 
anointed  according  to  many  ancient  secret  formularies, 
but  it  was  no  use.  Finally,  five  "Oxydonors"  were  at- 
tached to  the  cat:  one  to  each  leg  and  one  to  his  tail. 
This  made  him  too  lively  for  his  endurance,  and  the 
Great  Master  advised  his  transition. 

In  the  following  letter  to  Florence  Huntley,  October 
9,  1909,  TK  tells  the  rest  of  the  tale : 

Chicago,  9/9/9 
Beloved : — 

Last  evening  I  wired  you  that  poor  little  Biffer  was  released 
from  his  prison  house  of  suffering,  and  that  he  was  cared  for 
by  the  Great  Friends. 

I  got  the  materials  and  sent  A out  to  fix  the  windows 

and  told  him  I  would  be  out  between  4 :00  and  5 :00  to  do 
what  was  necessary  to  help  the  poor  little  fellow  through  the 
crisis  in  the  best  way  possible. 

Before  I  got  there  he  had  come  in,  and  A ,  knowing 

how  my  heart  ached  over  the  little  pet,  took  pity  on  both  of 
us,  and  when  I  got  there  the  only  thing  that  remained  was 
a  little  grave  back  under  the  bushes  in  the  back  yard.  But 
A said  there  was  not  the  least  struggle,  nor  evidences  of 


THE  CAT  CAME  BACK  2G5 

Vltf       . 

suffering  or  fright.   He  just  went  to  sleep  without  a  struggle. 

This  morning  I  went  over  to  get  a  letter  that  I  saw  on  your 

center  table  in  the  hall,  thinking  it  might  be  one  from  W , 

but  found  it  was  from  C .    As  I  approached  the  house,  I 

beheld  the  most  beautiful  picture  I  ever  saw.    There  on  the 

front  porch  were  N ,  L ,  M ,  N and  the  Great 

and  Beloved  Master,  and  in  his  arms  L held  Biffer.   As 

I  approached,  the  dear  little  pet  leaped  from  his  arms  to  my 
shoulder,  and  remained  there  during  all  my  stay  in  the  house. 
I  took  him  into  the  library,  sat  in  the  big  chair,  and  held  him 
for  some  time,  and  he  was  just  as  happy  as  he  could  be ;  and 
the  most  beautiful  thing  you  ever  saw.  When  I  left  I  gave 
him  back  to  L for  keeping. 

And  so  you  may  know  that  he  is  cared  for,  and  that  he 
appreciates  the  fact  that  his  suffering  is  over  and  that  he 
still  can  come  back.  I  tell  you  this  because  I  know  how  your 
own  heart  has  ached  over  him,  and  to  comfort  you. 

I  hope  that  you  received  the  telegram  I  sent,  and  that  your 
heart  will  be  as  much  relieved  as  mine  to  realize  that  our  dear 
little  "boy"  is  free.   /  expect  to  see  him  again  tonight. 

Hastily, 
John. 


^r\^/, 


•^,^•.•!;C;'*y.";'■  - 


******** 


fivu 


CHAPTER  XX 

TK  Goes  to  India 

To  excuse  the  absence  of  any  ' '  signs ' '  or  evidence  of 
the  spiritual  powers  which  he  was  supposed  to  possess, 
TK  substituted  a  few  " occult' '  stories,  the  choice  of 
which  centered  about  his  imaginary  " Great  Master.' ' 

The  Levitation  Tale 

In  this  he  told  how  he  had  seen  his  "master"  float 
out  of  the  hotel  window  on  dark  nights  far  above  the 
street  level.  TK  himself  did  not  actually  see  this 
"master"  floating  in  mid-air,  but  he  did  see  him  go 
out  of  the  window,  disappear  into  the  darkness,  re- 
main long  enuf  to  make  an  impression  on  the  mind, 
and  again  come  back  thru  the  window  into  the  lighted 
room. 

At  first  TK  concluded  that  the  G  M  had  simply 
stepped  out  upon  a  fire  escape  or  perhaps  onto  the 
window  ledge,  but  upon  careful  investigation  he  was 
convinced  that  his  G  M  had  actually  "levitated"  in 
the  dark  air !  Once  he  ventured  to  look  out,  but  it  was 
no  use.  The  darkness  was  too  dark  and  the  G  M  too 
invisible  for  him  to  see  anything. 

267 


268  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  Plate  of  Eice  Story 

As  TK  tells  the  tale,  the  G  M  exhibited  a  plain,  ordi- 
nary, unprepared,  empty  china  plate,  and  asked  him 
to  examine  it  closely.  This  TK  did,  and  it  appeared  to 
be  an  ordinary,  mongrel-porcelain  dinner  plate,  so  far 
as  he  could  judge.  Then  with  sleeves  rolled  well  back 
to  the  elbow,  and  without  making  any  suspicious 
moves  that  TK  could  detect,  the  G  M  took  the  empty 
plate  on  the  palm  of  his  upturned  left  hand,  and  held 
it  high  in  the  air.  In  a  few  minutes  he  carefully  low- 
ered it  again,  and  to  TK's  great  astonishment,  it  con- 
tained about  seven  cents'  worth  of  perfectly  nice  look- 
ing rice. 

The  Swift  Post  Card 

When  TK  completed  his  training  with  his  G  M  on 
Aug.  20,  1884,  the  " master' '  immediately  packed  his 
trunk,  tipped  the  bell  boys,  wished  the  new  American 
Representative  "Good  Luck,"  and  started  for  New 
York,  on  his  way  to  India. 

Three  days  after  he  left  Stockton,  imagine  TK's 
surprise  when  on  going  to  the  post  office  for  his  mail, 
he  received  a  card  from  his  "master"  bearing  the 
postmark  "Rome,  Italy,"  and  dated  the  same  day  the 
GMhad  left  Stockton! 

TK,  at  the  time,  planned  to  keep  the  post  card  as 
"tangible  evidence,"  but  later  it  was  lost.  And  it  was 
just  as  well,  for  the  story  got  by  anyway. 


TK  GOES  TO  INDIA 


269 


270  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Coming  down  now  to  TK's  own  mental  activities  in 
Chicago,  we  find  him  with  a  dozen  followers  holding 
weekly  meetings  in  "Paradise  Flat."  It  was  here, 
according  to  TK,  that  unnumbered  thousands  of  spirit- 
ual Great  Masters  used  to  gather,  in  a  vast  funnel- 
shaped  amphitheatre,  and  watch  the  initiation  of  can- 
didates into  the  " Sublime  Order  of  Tacks.' '  TK  was 
the  only  one  who  actually  "saw"  anything  but  it  list- 
ened well  and  made  everybody  happy. 

Among  others  who  frequently  dropped  in  during  the 
more  quiet  evenings  was  a  spirit  guide  whom  TK 
described  as  always  having  with  him  a  pet  tiger,  some 
400  years  old.  And  sometimes,  by  way  of  variation, 
a  former  pet  cat  of  one  of  the  students  was  described 
as  riding  on  the  tiger's  back. 

Of  all  TK's  occult  tales,  his  annual  "Convocation 
Reports",  were  perhaps  the  best  on  his  program. 
Every  year,  beginning  on  June  15th,  his  Great  School 
was  supposed  to  have  all  their  masters  come  together 
and  talk  things  over.  These  "masters"  live  in  vari- 
ous countries,  but  to  attend  the  "Convocation,"  they 
merely  go  to  bed,  slip  out  of  their  physical  bodies, 
execute  an  idea,  and  "as  quick  as  thot"  they  are  in 
India.  This  was  a  fine  arrangement  for  TK,  espe- 
cially so  because  all  the  meetings  were  day  sessions. 
By  leaving  Chicago  a  few  seconds  before  ten  p.  m.,  he 
was  in  India  by  ten  a.  m.  sharp,  and  after  a  hasty 
breakfast  of  astral  bacon  and  eggs  was  ready  for  the 
spiritual  business. 

In  the  early  years  his  convocation  tales  were  quite 
interesting:  he  led  the  singing,  he  was  the  center  of 
interest,  his  reports  were  the  most  important  of  all, 


TK  GOES  TO  INDIA  271 


etc.  In  1915  the  Chicago  students  expected  to  hear 
something  about  the  European  War,  so  TK  had  to 
spring  something  modern.  He  therefore  told  how  a 
party  of  Spirits,  headed,  of  course,  by  himself,  went 
to  Europe  and  stood  above  the  firing  lines  over  the 
battlefields.  His  "party"  saw  cities  and  shooting  and 
camps  of  soldiers;  trenches  and  trains  and  things; 
all  of  which  was  quite  marvelous  because  it  is  so  un- 
usual to  see  anything  of  this  nature  during  war  times. 

But  he  told  the  simple  tale  and  got  away  with  it 
nicely.  Everybody  seemed  duly  impressed  and  well 
satisfied,  and  felt  that  the  "master"  had  given  them 
their  money's  worth. 

Early  in  his  Convocation  pretensions,  TK  explained 
to  a  few  of  his  closest  students  how  carefully  his  phys- 
ical body  had  to  be  guarded  while  he  was  out  of  it  on 
his  astral  tours.  This  was  supposed  to  properly  "im- 
press" them  with  the  dangers  of  being  a  "master," 
that  some  of  the  risks  are  very  real,  and  were  it  not 
for  his  great  self-control  and  presence  of  mind,  TK 
would,  no  doubt,  many  times  never  have  lived  to  tell 
the  story. 

He  once  had  just  such  a  narrow  escape.  It  was  not 
only  a  lesson  to  him,  but  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  trying  experiences  in  the  lives  of  two  of  his  stu- 
dents. 

It  was  convocation  week  and  TK  was  a  very  "busy" 
man.  On  this  particular  night  of  which  we  write,  the 
two  students  were  occupying  a  room  next  to  the  "mas- 
ter's." TK  had  retired  as  usual,  a  little  before  ten 
o'clock.     He  had  been  "gone  to  India"  perhaps  a 


272  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

couple  of  hours,  when  a  terrific  rain  storm  came  up 
in  Oak  Park. 

The  heavens  were  furious  with  lightning  and  thun- 
der, the  rain  was  falling  in  torrents  and  the  wind  was 
swaying  the  great  trees  as  so  many  bushes. 

In  his  hurry  to  be  off  to  the  Convocation,  TK  had 
"slipped  out  of  his  body,"  and  left  his  bedroom  win- 
dow wide  open.  The  window  shade  was  flapping  and 
the  wind  was  whipping  a  flood  of  rain  into  the  room. 
His  rugs  and  furniture  would  be  ruined! 

Here  was  a  trying  situation. 

Both  students  in  the  adjoining  room  were  awake  and 
realized  that  the  window  ought  to  be  closed.  The  door 
to  TK's  room  was  unlocked;  they  could  easily  slip  into 
his  room  and  close  the  window.  But — TK  had  told 
them  how  dangerous  it  was  for  him  for  any  one  to 
come  into  his  room  while  he  was  "put"  of  his  body. 
41  It  might  prove  fatal." 

What  should  they  do?  Why  had  the  "master"  been 
so  thotless,  as  to  leave  his  window  open? 

Finally  they  decided  it  would  never  do  to  risk  going 
into  the  room;  it  would  be  better  to  let  the  rain  rain. 

About  this  time  they  heard  an  unexpected  sound  in 
TK's  room.  Some  one  was  in  there!  They  distinctly 
heard  some  one  closing  the  window.    What  a  mystery! 

Had  a  miracle  been  performed?    What  could  it  mean? 

#     #     #     #     # 

The  next  morning  they  questioned  TK  about  the 
matter,  and  with  great  presence  of  mind  and  magnifi- 
cent self-control,  he  said,  "Yes.  When  the  storm  came 
up,  I  was  in  India  in  the  midst  of  a  very  important 
session.     But  as  the  rain  began  beating  in  thru  the 


TK  GOES  TO  INDIA 


273 


window,  one  of  the  '  Great  Friends '  who  always  stands 
guard  over  my  body,  touched  my  body  on  the  shoulder, 
and  this  recalled  me  at  once  from  India.  In  a  few 
seconds  I  came  back  right  thru  the  lightning  and  thun- 
der, and  into  my  body.  I  then  got  up  immediately 
and  closed  the  window  myself.  After  that,  I  went  back 
to  bed,  slipped  out  of  my  body  again,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  was  back  in  my  seat  in  the  Convocation  Hall 
in  India. " 


TK  on  atrip  to  India. 


•ids 


CHAPTER  XXI 
The  " Attempts' '  on  TK's  Life 

TK  carefully  cultivated  the  spirit  of  secrecy,  sus- 
picion and  apprehension,  until  as  the  years  passed,  it 
became  a  fixed  state  of  mind  with  many  of  his  " inner' ' 
students.  This  impression  of  fear  grew  on  everybody 
until  he  had  only  to  look  sad,  say  that  his  new  ice  man 
looked  suspicious;  that  his  " Great  Master* '  had  again 
warned  him  or  that  a  strange  rag  man  or  something 
had  been  seen  in  his  alley — and  the  information  was 
promptly  passed  along,  until  in  due  time  students  near 
and  far  felt  mentally  miserable  under  these  destruc- 
tive suggestions.  The  faithful  pined  and  prayed,  and 
very  properly  felt  sad  and  subdued  for  days.  By  and 
by,  the  sun  began  to  shine  and  the  birds  to  sing,  and 
all  grew  quite  happy  again  until  TK  decided  that  it 
was  time  to  start  another  reign-of -terror  tale. 

At  one  time  his  mail  was  being  tampered  with;  at 
another  time  ' i  enemies ' '  were  trying  to  steal  his  secret 
formularies  for  living  a  moral  life.  Then  came  spying 
clergy  trying  to  find  out  who  TK  was,  his  real  name, 
where  he  lived,  what  business  he  was  in,  why  he 
worked  in  "  secret/ '  why  he  kept  such  big  cats,  etc. 
Every  broom  peddler,  book  agent  and  piano  tuner  that 
ventured  accidentally  into  the  building  was  set  down 

274 


THE  "ATTEMPTS''  ON  TK'S  LIFE  275 

as  an  " hereditary  enemy"  trying  to  carry  off  the 
Technical  Work.  The  words  persecution,  antagonism, 
opposition,  unscrupulous  critics,  spies,  etc.,  were  used 
to  boost  business  and  add  ginger  to  the  situation. 
Libraries  were  in  league  to  bar  his  books,  and  even 
Protestant  Churches  were  trying  to  preach  morality 
without  giving  TK  due  credit! 

During  the  six  years  TK  had  his  "office"  in  "Para- 
dise Flat"  if  any  one  was  seen  looking  intently  at  the 
building,  it  was  straightway  interpreted  to  be  a  pos- 
sible forerunner  of  a  raid,  an  attack,  a  bomb  plot  or 
something  on  somebody  sometime.  Nothing  ever  hap- 
pened but  TK  encouraged  all  these  fears  and  suspi- 
cions, meanwhile,  ironically  drawing  attention  to  the 
fact  that  as  students  in  his  *  *  Great  School, ' '  they  ought 
to  cultivate  the  spirit  of  cheerfulness! 

TK  walked  daily  the  two  or  three  blocks  between  his 
home  and  "Paradise  Flat,"  and  it  was  along  this 
course  that  the  early  attempts  were  reported  to  have 
been  made  on  his  life.  The  number  of  these  mounted 
upward  until,  to  some  students,  TK  confided  that  no 
less  than  twenty  attacks  of  various  kinds  had  been 
made  on  him. 

One  morning,  by  way  of  variation,  he  came  into  the 
office  of  the  Book  Co.  carrying  an  enormous  cobble 
stone.  It  was  about  all  he  could  do  to  hold  it  in  his 
hands.    It  had  been  thrown  at  him  the  night  before  by 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


One  of  the  Seven  Attempts  onTKsr  life 


THE  "ATTEMPTS"  ON  TK'S  LIFE  277 

some  "enemy"  bent  on  destroying  the  "Great  Work!" 
There  were  no  initials  on  the  stone  but  judging  from 
its  size,  the  owner  must  have  been  a  not  too  friendly 

giant. 

***** 

Upon  another  occasion,  after  he  moved  to  Oak  Park, 
he  told  how  one  evening,  as  he  walked  alone,  a  large 
man  wearing  roller  skates  and  dressed  in  policeman's 
uniform,  skated  up  behind  him  and  attempted  to 
assassinate  him  with  a  "billy."  However,  with  quick 
presence  of  mind,  TK  promptly  knocked  the  big  fellow 
into  a  vacant  lot,  and  had  the  great  satisfaction  of 
seeing  him  get  up  and  scurry  away,  evidently  glad  to 
be  permitted  to  escape  with  his  life. 

Note: — So  far  as  can  "be  determined  no  attempts  were  ever  made  on 
TK's  life.  Not  one  of  the  fifteen  or  so  people  who  knew,  or  thot  they 
knew  TK  intimately,  ever  had  any  evidence  of  any  interference  what- 
ever with  his  "business,"  or  any  designs  upon  his  personal  safety. 
Neither  has  any  one  ever  had  any  evidence  that  he  possessed  the  knowl- 
edge or  power  to  withdraw  from  his  physical  body  or  to  communicate 
voluntarily  with  the  spiritual  world. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Another  "Individual  Preference" 

About  the  latter  part  of  June,  1915,  the  writer  was 
employed  by  TK  as  manager  of  his  publishing  busi- 
ness, and  until  in  September,  had  occasion  to  consult 
with  him  in  his  home  on  an  average  of  about  once  a 
week. 

TK  had  been  having  sick  spells  for  several  years 
past,  and  in  Sept.  1915,  he  became  quite  seriously  ill. 
For  a  month  previous  to  this  sickness,  his  appearance 
to  the  few  who  saw  him  was  of  one  mentally  dull 
and  drowsy;  listless,  indifferent  and  uninterested. 
Finally  the  collapse  came,  and  a  day  later,  as  his  con- 
dition became  critical,  a  local  physician,  Dr.  F.  F. 

E was  called.    Later,  his  regular  physician,  Dr. 

E.  M.  W arrived,  and  there  were  then  present 

the  two  physicians,  Dr.  H.  H.,  two  nurses  and  four 
other  young  women.  It  was  in  the  presence  of  these 
nine  witnesses,  eight  of  whom  were  students,  that  TK 
made  the  remarkable  confession  that  for  many  years 
he  had  been  using  a  drug  called  Heroin,  a  morphine 
preparation. 

He  explained  that  he  had  taken  it  for  the  relief  of 
pain  and  that  he  did  not  know  it  was  a  morphine 
derivative  until  after  the  Harrison  Law  went  into 

278 


ANOTHER  "INDIVIDUAL  PREFERENCE"  279 


effect.  Then  in  a  fit  of  madness,  born  of  hunger  for 
the  drug,  he  plead  and  demanded  that  it  be  given  to 
him  at  once. 

Here  was  a  man  who  for  about  twenty  years  had 
been  posing  as  a  "master,"  with  the  following  remark- 
able evidences  against  his  "mastership": 

1.  That  he  should  have  become  a  drug  addict  at  all. 

2.  That  he  did  not  know  the  drug  was  morphme. 

3.  That  he  did  not  know  what  it  was. 

4.  That  he  was  taking  it  to  relieve  physical  pain. 

5.  When  he  could  no  longer  get  it,  he  was  just  as 
frantic  for  it  as  any  one  of  thousands  of  drug  victims. 

6.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  threaten  suicide  if  it 
were  not  given  him. 

#     #     #     #     # 

A  third  student,  also  a  physician,  was  called  into 
consultation.  For  many  years  these  men  had  believed 
in  TK.  They  were  sincere,  earnest,  honest  men,  and 
out  of  their  desire  to  protect  what  they  thot  to  be  a 
"Great  Work,"  and  their  wish  to  assist  the  TK  to 
overcome  the  habit,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  not  to 
report  the  matter.  It  was  decided  also  that  TK  should 
be  taken  to  the  Edgemoor  Sanitarium,  and  kept  there 
until  he  should  be  completely  cured  of  the  habit.  Thus 
the  "master,"  a  self-confessed  and  helpless  victim, 
without  will  or  power  of  self  control,  instead  of  direct- 
ing the  proposed  wonderful  cures  at  Edgemoor, 
became  himself  the  first  patient,  subject  to  the 
restraint  of  moral  suasion  and  medical  treatment  of 
his  physician  students. 


280  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  opinion  has  been  passed  that  TK  probably  did 
not  use  any  considerable  amount  of  this  drug.  For 
this  reason  only,  do  we  suggest  that  the  entries  in 
TK's  check  stubs  show  the  following  purchases: 

Sept.  1,  1913 $14.00 

Nov.  24,  1913 14.00 

March  9,  1914 21.00 

Dec.  14,  1914 50.00 

May  1,  1915. 50.00 


#     #     # 


It  was  decided  that  TK  should  go  to  California  for 
the  winter  for  his  health.  Therefore,  during  the  first 
week  in  November,  1915,  accompanied  by  his  physician 
and  his  private  secretary,  he  went  to  Pasadena. 

Once  there,  his  health  improved  rapidly,  but  he 
grew  restless,  as  his  mind  wandered  back  to  Edge- 
moor.  For  days  at  a  time  he  read  that  scientific  text 
book,  "Harmonics  of  Evolution."  Especially  did  he 
ponder  and  struggle  over  the  following  passages: 

"Love  is  not  a  habit." 

"Experience  by  experiment,  and  wisdom  by  experi- 
ence, constitute  the  only  path  to  individual  self-com- 
pletion and  rational  happiness." 

"The  important  consideration  is  whether  the  lover, 
after  all,  is  not  the  wisest  of  all  experimenters." 

"The  individual  love  relations  of  life  are  many. 
They  are  limited  in  number  and  value  by  nothing  ex- 
cept the  opportunities  and  capacities  for  loving." 

Like  a  fish  he  drank  and  swam  in  this  wonderful 
wisdom.  He  recalled  the  scriptures  which  sayeth, 
that  in   the   latter   days   "their   old   men   shall   see 


ANOTHER  "INDIVIDUAL  PREFERENCE"  281 

visions/ '  He  was  in  his  "latter  days,"  and  he  was 
having  visions  of  another  and  newer  affinity.  He  felt 
again  the  untamed  call  of  his  "individual  preference" ; 
the  need  of  another  "individual  adjustment."  He 
wanted  more  "experience  by  experiment."  He  longed 
again  to  travel  the  one  and  only  primrose  path  to 
"individual  self -completion  and  rational  happiness." 
His  " Great  School' '  had  declared  that  a  perfect  mar- 
riage IS  possible — that  a  man  can  be  happy  tho  mar- 
ried,— and  why  should  not  the  sole  American  Repre- 
sentative make  this  great  demonstration — again? 

Perhaps  he  could  set  his  "Great  School"  another 
record  that  would  beat  his  meat-eating  stunt  and  his 
new  solution  to  Ethical  Problem  No.  5. 

Thus  meditating,  he  slipped  in  and  out  of  his  phys- 
ical body  many  times  a  day — walking  first  in  the  spir- 
itual world,  then  in  Pasadena.  He  looked  at  the  mat- 
ter with  both  his  spiritual  and  physical  eyes.  One 
of  the  GM's  suggested  that  possibly  some  of  the  stu- 
dents would  not  understand  his  courting  so  many 
affinities,  but  the  Elder  Brother  very  promptly  quoted 
that  gem  of  Natural  Science:  "The  individual  love 
relations  of  life  are  many.  They  are  limited  in  num- 
ber and  value  by  nothing  except  the  opportunities 
and  capacities  for  loving." 

They  tried  further  to  dissuade  him,  by  saying  how 
many  were  waiting  for  his  new  book,  "What  Science 
Knows,"  etc.,  but  the  resourceful  "Uncle"  had  seen 
again  that  remarkable  "finger  of  destiny"  of  his,  and 
this  time  it  reached  right  over  the  mountain  tops  and 
straight  across  the  prairie  of  Nebraska  and  Iowa  and 


282  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

on  to  Oconomowoc,  Wisconsin, — and  the  Edgemoor 
Sanitarium. 

One  afternoon  the  first  week  in  December,  about 
four  weeks  after  his  trip  to  California,  who  should 
walk  into  the  office  of  the  Indo-American  Book  Co., 
but  the  TK,  himself. 

"Why,  I  thot  you  were  going  to  remain  in  Califor- 
nia for  the  winter,  and  do  some  writing  f " 

1 '  I  did  intend  to, ' '  said  TK, ' '  but  I  have  now  decided 
to  spend  the  winter  at  Oconomowoc. '  • 

Then  giving  his  order  for  a  set  of  books  to  be  sent 
prepaid  as  his  gift  to  a  certain  nurse  at  Edgemoor, 
he  returned  to  his  big  limousine,  and  was  driven  to 
his  home  in  Oak  Park. 

The  next  day  he  returned  to  "  Edgemoor/ ' 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

"Well,  Gentlemen,  What  Are  You  Going  to  Do 
About  It?" 

Upon  his  return  to  Edgemoor,  TK  lost  no  time  in 
exhibiting  a  more  than  patriarchal  interest  in  the 
spiritual  development  of  one  of  the  young  lady  nurses, 
and  very  shortly  his  "individual  preference"  was 
working  overtime. 

But  there  was  another  young  woman  whom  the 
"master"  had  deceived  and  misled  in  about  the  same 
manner  some  six  years  previous  to  the  time  of  our 
present  story.  She  realized  that  he  was  playing 
her  false,  that  in  her  daily  presence  he  was  shifting 
his  interest  and  attention  to  another  woman.  Her 
faith  in  him,  as  a  "master,"  however,  prevented  any 
outburst,  and  so  in  silence  she  bore  the  sting  of  his 
neglect,  and  alone  carried  the  burden  of  her  secret 
sorrow  and  disappointment. 

Thus  for  weeks  and  months  she  struggled  against 
the  inevitable,  remaining  in  seclusion  in  her  room 
much  of  the  time,  thus  hiding  her  pain  as  best  she 
could.  But  it  was  a  losing  struggle  against  an  unprin- 
cipled intelligence  like  TK's,  and  week  by  week  she 
sank  into  a  state  of  almost  helpless  despair. 

The  bitterness  of  her  mental  suffering  began  to  show 
forth  in  her  frail  form,  and  day  by  day  her  physical 
and  mental  resistance  became  less  able  to  endure  the 
strain  and  uncertainty.  At  times  she  even  feared  the 
loss  of  her  reason,  and  at  last,  unable  to  bear  the  ter- 

283 


284  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

rible  condition  alone,  she  took  one  of  her  girl  friends 
into  her  confidence. 

All  this  time  she  was  under  the  constant  care  of  a 
physician,  but  wise  with  that  wisdom  which  comes 
only  from  long  experience  and  love  of  his  art,  he 
knew  that  her  condition  was  not  due  to  any  physical 
causes,  and  so  advised. 

Thus  far  her  sufferings  had  been  due  to  suspicion, 
but  on  March  3,  1916,  her  suspicions  were  confirmed, 
and  she  became  convinced  that  the  man  and  "master" 
whom  she  had  trusted,  was  misleading  another  young 
woman. 

Following  this,  she  wrote  out  two  statements  em- 
bodying her  charges  against  the  TK,  and  giving  in 
detail  an  account  of  his  deception  and  mistreatment 
for  a  period  of  nearly  six  years.  She  prepared  also 
a  statement  covering  what  she  knew  of  TK's  large 
deposits  of  money  in  Chicago  banks,  and  these  state- 
ments she  immediately  placed  in  the  hands  of  her 
physician. 

Upon  hearing  the  young  woman's  story,  it  was  at 
once  decided  to  set  a  secret  watch  over  TK's  room, 
which  was  done  for  several  weeks. 


During  this  time  TK  suspected  nothing  unusual, 
and  even  went  so  far  as  to  prepare  certain  documents 
which  he  expected  would  place  the  entire  Sanitarium 
property  and  its  finances  in  his  personal  charge.  In 
this  happy  frame  of  mind  the  Unprepared  One  had 
something  coming  to  him  that  he  was  not  looking 
for;  a  surprise  that  not  even  his  mighty  masters  or 


THE  EDGEMOOR  DISCLOSURES  285 


his  own  "independent  spiritual  vision"  had  seemed 

able  to  penetrate. 

#     *     *     *     # 

Saturday,  April  1,  was  the  day  set  for  the  regular 
quarterly  business  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
This  Board  consisted  of  five  members,  but  two  other 
students  who  had  been  taken  into  confidence  were  also 
there.    Including  TK  there  were  eight  men  present. 

When  all  had  assembled,  the  President  explained 
that  before  proceeding  to  the  regular  business,  he 
would  ask  the  Secretary  to  read  a  certain  paper,  which 

he  then  handed  to  Mr.  Mc .    This  paper  was  one 

of  the  statements  already  referred  to,  and  constituted 
serious  and  criminal  charges  against  Mr.  Richardson. 

From  the  opening  sentence  of  this  wholly  unex- 
pected recital,  TK  sat  leaning  forward  in  his  chair,  as 
motionless  as  a  figure  of  stone ;  his  eyes  intently  fixed 
upon  the  reader,  his  face,  flushed  scarlet,  was  hard  and 
expressionless.  The  whole  scene  from  beginning  to 
end  was  one  of  dramatic  and  almost  breathless  sus- 
pense. 

At  last  when  the  reader  ceased,  there  was  a  long 
period  of  strained,  tense  silence  lasting  nearly  three 
minutes.  This  was  finally  broken  by  TK  himself,  who, 
in  a  hard,  metallic  tone,  said:  "Well,  gentlemen, 
what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  1 ' ' 

When  the  President  ventured  to  suggest  that  the 
charges  were  serious,  Mr.  Richardson  turned  to  Dr. 
E.  M.  W.  and  said,  "Doctor,  do  you  believe  the  charges 
are  true?" 

Dr.  W.  replied:    "I  am  sorry  that  I  do." 

"Then,"  said  TK,  "we  can  no  longer  work  in  har- 


286  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

mony,  and  there  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  with- 
draw from  the  work." 

He  then  launched  into  one  of  his  customary  philo- 
sophic discourses  on  "The  Spirit  of  the  Work/9  with 
never  a  word  either  to  excuse,  justify  or  deny  the 
charges  brot  against  him. 

When  he  finally  ceased  talking,  his  attention  was 
called  to  the  fact  that  he  had  failed  even  to  refer  to 
the  charges,  and  he  was  urged  many  times  to  make 
some  statement  relative  to  them. 

His  only  answer  was  that  he  could  make  no  reply 
without  involving  others. 

Finally,  when  all  efforts  to  get  a  statement  from  him 
had  failed,  there  was  nothing  left  to  be  done,  but  pre- 
pare and  execute  the  necessary  documents  transferring 
the  assets  of  the  " Great  School"  and  whatever 
"authority"  TK  possessed,  to  the  new  Board  of  seven 
Trustees. 

This  work  was  finally  completed  on  the  afternoon 
of  April  3,  1916,  and  so  closely  were  the  proceedings 
guarded  that  no  one,  even  at  Edgemoor,  outside  the 
eight  men,  was  supposed  to  have  any  knowledge  what- 
ever of  what  was  transpiring.  Everybody  felt  that 
some  very  solemn  something  was  going  on,  but 
whether  the  heavens  were  being  opened  or  closed  in 
these  secret  sessions,  no  one  had  the  least  idea. 

This  "close  communion"  was  alright  for  TK,  but 
it  cost  the  Trustees  about  $6,000.  For  TK,  at  the 
close  of  the  first  day's  session,  and  upon  a  spiritual 
tip  from  his  "Great  Master,"  took  a  hurry-up  ride  in 
the  family  Ford  towards  the  Oconomowoc  Bank,  and 
withdrew  all  the  Trust  Funds  deposited  therein. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

TK  Misses  $500.00  by  15  Minutes 

At  the  Union  Station,  on  Monday,  April  3,  1916,  at 
about  ten  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the  writer  met  five  members 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  They  had  just  come  from 
Oconomowoc,  after  the  three  days'  session  with  TK. 
At  that  meeting,  I  was  shown  the  legal  documents 
which  stated  that  TK  had  severed  all  connections  with 
the  " Great  School' '  and  had  turned  over  to  the  Trus- 
tees the  assets  and  everything  pertaining  to  the 
" Great  Work."    But  not  the  least  hint  was  given  me 

as  to  why  TK  had  taken  this  action. 

#  #     #     *     * 

TK  was  still  at  Edgemoor,  but  on  Tuesday,  April  4, 
while  waiting  for  the  car  to  be  cranked,  he  took  a 
sudden  notion  to  be  off,  and  with  guitar  and  hand  bag, 
and  without  Good  Byes  to  anyone,  was  seen  to  dis- 
appear thru  the  woods  in  the  direction  of  Oconomowoc. 
The  machine   (a  1910  model)   followed  quickly,  but 

did  not  catch  up. 

#  #     *     #     # 

About  3  p.  m.,  April  4,  two  of  the  Trustees  came 
to  the  office  of  the  Book  Co.,  and  took  charge  of  all 
money  then  on  deposit,  about  $800.00. 

They  had  been  gone  about  fifteen  minutes  when  TK 
came  in,  and  after  passing  the  time  of  day  said:  "By 
the  way,  have  you  got  any  money  on  hand?" 

"Why,  yes,  we  have  about  $800.00  in  the  bank." 

"That's  good.  Can  you  let  me  have  $500.00?  I'm 
going  to  California.  I  shall  need  every  cent  I  can 
get.    Can  you  spare  $500.00  from  the  business?" 

287 


288  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Why,  yes,  easily/ ' 

"Well,  you  can  just  let  me  have  a  check  for 
$500.00."' 

I  replied:  "I  am  sorry,  but  Dr.  H.  and  Mr.  H.  were 
just  here  and  I  turned  over  to  Mr.  H.  all  the  money 
we  have  on  deposit.  But  I  shall  see  Mr.  H.  and  explain 
that  you  need  the  money,  and  it  will  be  all  right. ' f 

"No.  Never  mind.  Don't  say  anything  about  it. 
I  think  I  can  manage  somehow  without  it. ' ' 

With  this,  he  left  the  office  and  was  driven  toward 
his  home  in  Oak  Park. 


The  next  day,  Wednesday,  was  the  regular  meeting 
night  of  the  four  student  groups  in  Chicago.  As  it 
became  known  that  TK  had  withdrawn  from  the 
"Great  School,"  many  of  the  students,  and  especially 
the  women,  manifested  considerable  concern.  The 
whole  matter  was  so  unexpected  and  unexplained.  No 
one  knew  or  seemed  able  or  willing  to  even  venture  a 
guess  as  to  what  was  happening. 

That  evening  a  Committee  representing  the  Board 
of  Trustees  visited  each  of  the  four  groups  and  read 
the  TK's  statement  of  withdrawal  and  the  transfer 
of  authority  and  responsibility  to  the  Trustees.  Not  a 
word  of  explanation,  however,  was  given,  but  it  was 
suggested  that  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  make  a  state- 
ment— possibly  at  the  next  meeting. 

It  was  then  made  plain  that  all  speculations  would 
be  entirely  out  of  place,  and  all  members  were  arbi- 
trarily pledged  not  to  discuss  the  matter  with  anyone 
under  any  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

TK's  Hasty  Marriage 

Thursday  about  noon,  April  6th,  Dr.  H.  H.  happened 
to  be  in  Dr.  E.  M.  W.  's  Chicago  office  when  a  long  dis- 
tance telephone  call  was  announced.  It  was  from  the 
business  manager  of  the  Sanitarium  at  Oconomowoc, 

to  the  effect  that  Z had  had  a  telephone  message 

from  TK  asking  her  to  come  to  Chicago  at  once.  With 
a  bundle  under  her  arm  she  had  left  on  the  8 :20  train 
that  morning  and  would  probably  arrive  in  the  city 
about  noon.  She  had  explained  to  the  manager  that 
" Uncle  John"  had  asked  her  to  come,  but  she  ex- 
pected to  be  back  in  the  evening. 

Dr.  H.  and  Dr.  W.  hurried  immediately  to  the  Union 
Depot.  Here  they  recognized  TK's  "official"  limou- 
sine, and  saw  "J.  E.  R."  anxiously  pacing  up  and 
down  the  station  platform.  He,  however,  did  not  see 
them,  and  the  train  being  late,  the  two  crossed  the 
street  to  a  restaurant  and  ordered  lunch.  Later  Dr. 
W.  returned  to  the  depot  and  down  to  the  sheds,  for 
it  was  about  time  for  the  arrival  of  the  train. 

Finally  the  train  pulled  in,  and  just  as  the  young 
lady  stepped  from  the  car,  Dr.  W.  greeted  her  with 
the  question,  "Z ,  what  does  this  mean?" 

Taken  thus  by  surprise,  she  quickly  looked  about 
her,  evidently  expecting  to  see  TK.  Not  seeing  him 
for  the  moment,  she  explained  that  "Uncle  John" 
had  telephoned  her  to  come. 

"But  how  did  you  leave  the  patients?  When  are 
you  going  back?"  said  Dr.  W. 

289 


290  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

At  that  point  TK  stepped  up  and  said,  '  i  She  cannot 
answer  that  question,  for  I  am  going  to  ash  her  to 
marry  me." 

At  this  surprising  announcement,  the  young  lady  ex- 
hibited such  unmistakable  signs  of  genuine  astonish- 
ment that  there  could  be  no  question  that  this  was  the 
first  inkling  she  had  of  our  " Uncle  John's' *  matri- 
monial intentions. 

Together,  the  three  now  left  the  train  platform  and 
went  out  upon  the  sidewalk  near  the  limousine,  TK 
the  while  trying  to  persuade  the  young  woman  to  go 
with  him.  Once  as  he  took  hold  of  her  arm  and 
attempted  to  draw  her  away  toward  the  car,  she 
stepped  back  and  leaned  toward  Dr.  W.  as  if  for  pro- 
tection. However,  as  TK  continued  to  talk,  he  finally 
persuaded  her  to  accompany  him,  and  entering  the 
limousine,  they  were  driven  away. 

Dr.  H.,  coming  up  at  this  point,  Dr.  W.  said:  "Well, 
she's  gone.  She  stands  no  chance  in  the  hands  of  a 
man  like  him." 


Things  were  happening  rapidly  in  the  course  of  the 
Great  School.  "Harmonics  of  Evolution"  was  ten 
laps  ahead  of  both  the  other  "text"  books.  The 
affinity  philosophy  of  the  Great  School  was  having  the 
time  of  its  life.  TK  wore  a  red  tie  and  seemed  alto- 
gether pleased  with  himself.  Several  times  before  in 
his  life  he  had  "completed"  himself  according  to  his 
ancient  ethical  formulary,  but  this  time  he  said:  "I 
shall  set  a  pace  for  my  beloved  students  that  they 
will  find  hard  to  beat    Selah!: 


j  > 


TK'S  HASTY  MARRIAGE  291 

How  he  wooed  and  won,  we  have  already  described. 
We  have  now  only  to  record  that  upon  entering  the 
limousine,  the  two  were  driven  rapidly  across  the 
beautiful  Chicago  River  and  straight  to  the  City  Hall. 
Here  facing  the  marriage  license  clerk,  the  "  Elder 
Brother' ' — 63  years  old  and  weighing  200  physical 
pounds,  without  batting  an  eye,  gave  his  age  as  30 
years;  that  of  his  bride  as  24;  his  residence  as  Oak 
Park,  111.,  and  his  occupation  as  a  retired  attorney. 
!!!!!!! 

Things  were  still  happening.  Happening  rapidly. 
Everything  inside  the  " Great  School"  was  moving 
along  with  a  snap  and  a  bang ! ! !  At  about  2  p.  m.  TK 
stepped  into  Dr.  W.  's  office  and  said,  * '  Gentlemen,  you 
are  invited  to  attend  a  wedding  at  2:30  at  the  Court 
House.' '  When  asked  if  the  two  other  Trustees  living 
in  Chicago  could  be  invited,  the  " Master' '  said:  "By 
all  means;  also  Dr.  J.  L.,  here." 

Thus  five  representative  ethical  students,  including 
the  two  who  had  "taken"  the  famous  Technical  Work 
were  present  and  witnessed  the  marriage  ceremony. 
Some  of  these  had  witnessed  TK's  former  "individual 
completion"  on  Jan.  30,  1910  at  the  time  he  married 
Florence  Huntley,  but  his  "individual  completion" 
on  April  6,  1916  surpassed  everything  one  could  imag- 
ine in  the  "completion"  line. 

If  the  presiding  judge  had  any  suspicion  he  was 
marrying  a  man  who  was  hourly  in  conscious  com- 
munication with  13  spiritual  planes,  he  did  not  permit 
himself  to  become  confused  thereby. 

Thus  the  spiritual  ceremony  of  the  "Great  School" 
was  nicely  blended  with  the  modern  Chicago  rulings 


292 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


in  such  emergencies,  and  TK  was  initiated  into  the 
3rd  degree  of  marriage. 

The  3rd  degree  in  the  " Technical  Work,"  you  will 
recall,  is  where  the  student  can  withdraw  entirely  from 
his  physical  body  and  travel  at  will  in  spiritual 
realms.  This  has  its  analogy  in  the  3rd  degree  of 
marriage  where  the  "master"  is  able  to  withdraw 
from  the  body  of  his  students  and  travel  at  will  seek- 
ing new  sources  of  revenue. 

#  *     #     *     # 

The  wedding  is  over. 

TK  has  given  the  Judge  his  two  dollars. 

#  #     #     #     # 

There  being  no  further  reasons  for  prolonging  the 
excitement,  the  Bride  and  Groom  withdrew,  leaving 
the  students  to  apply  their  knowledge  of  Official  Eth- 
ical Problem  No.  5. 


TK  had  put  one  over  on  them.  Three  days  before, 
he  had  had  to  sit  in  trial  answering  and  dodging  as 
best  he  could,  their  pertinent,  personal  questions  about 
his  kind  of  morality  and  its  relation  to  the  ancient 


TK'S  HASTY  MARRIAGE  293 

Ethical  Formulary;  but  now,  for  the  time  being  at 
least,  they  were  spiritually  speechless.  Had  they  at 
this  crisis  thot  to  do  so,  they  might  have  been  able  to 
persuade  him  to  remain  in  Chicago  long  enuf  to  help 
untangle  a  lot  of  puzzling  financial  problems.  But 
just  as  he  lost  no  time — and  no  money  getting  away 
from  Edgemoor,  so  he  promptly  rode  away  on  the 
next  train  to  Pasadena. 

*     *     *     #     * 

In  November,  1915 — just  five  months  previous  to 
April  6,  1916 — this  same  TK  had  taken  another  trip 
to  California. 

That  time  also  it  was  in  a  private  drawing  room, 
but  it  was  a  different  young  lady,  and  there  was  no 
marriage  certificate  in  his  grip. 

He  knew  at  that  time  that  there  was  such  a  thing 
as  the  Mann  Act,  but  that  law  would  hardly  apply  to 
the  "sole  American  Representative"  of  the  "Great 
School,"  and  so,  as  he  explained,  he  "did  not  think 
anything  about  it." 

If  TK's  thots  reverted  to  his  former  trip,  he  prob- 
ably said  nothing  about  it  to  his  new  bride. 

Nor  is  it  probable  that  he  wasted  any  sympathy  on 
the  little  woman  of  that  former  journey,  even  tho  at 
that  very  time  she  lay  in  her  home,  stricken  and  pros- 
trate as  the  direct  result  of  his  deception. 


\ 


3  "  V-  \lr 


Vl  I 


\.  /' 


™  H'ltA 


laltf 


v«* 


=**. 


v 


Tke  Great 
Fiction 

^e  Great  TB1K 


Mferaflta(,*0H|IMWvraiiia«ii  nw"t 


On  April  12,  1916,  following  TK's  departure,  the 
Chicago  groups  met  as  usual.  Most  of  the  students 
had  heard  of  the  "  master  V  marriage,  but  no  one 
in  Chicago  except  four  trustees  knew  anything  of  the 
Edgemoor  facts.  Three  of  these  four  again  visited 
the  groups  and  " explained' '  that  no  explanation  could 
yet  be  made.  One  lady  student  suggested  she  would 
never  cease  to  pray  for  TK;  another  volunteered  to 
pray  for  the  ''women  in  the  case,"  and  after  repledg- 
ing  everybody  to  silence,  the  " Great  School"  was  dis- 
missed. 


294 


WHA THAD  BECOME  OF  THE  "GREA  T  SCHOOL ?"  295 

During  this  time  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  trying 
to  untangle  a  lot  of  financial  problems,  also  wonder- 
ing if  there  were  such  a  thing  as  a  " Great  School' ' — 
if  TK's  tales  about  " Great  Masters"  and  " Great 
Friends"  were  fiction  or  fact,  etc.  Neither  of  the 
"Technical"  students  could  see  or  otherwise  "get" 
anything  from  the  spiritual  side  of  life  any  more  than 
if  they  had  never  heard  of  a  technical  work,  and  alto- 
gether, it  was  a  lovely  and  tangible  ethical  confusion. 

Finally  it  was  decided  a  committee  of  four  members 
of  the  Board  should  go  to  California  and  have  a  con- 
ference with  the  "master."  Thus  about  May  1,  Mr. 
L.  H.,  Mr.  F.  T.  L.,  Dr.  H.  H.  and  Dr.  E.  M.  W.  slipped 
away   from   Chicago   and  went   direct   to   Pasadena 

where  they  arrived  about  2  p.  m.,  Thursday,  May  4. 

#     *     #     #     * 

At  4  p.  m.,  without  in  any  way  giving  TK's  "inde- 
pendent spiritual  vision"  any  inkling  of  their  pres- 
ence, these  men  walked  up  to  where  that  gentleman 
was  sitting  with  his  family  and  friends  upon  his  front 
porch.  Upon  seeing  his  "four  wise  men  from  the 
East,"  the  "master"  grew  quite  visibly  excited  and 
without  further  stimulation  said:  "Gentlemen,  you 
have  among  you  a  monumental  liar.  ' ' 

At  this  re" mark  of  the  master,"  all  felt  duly  im- 
pressed, but  not  in  any  way  frightened.  TK,  however, 
realized  that  these  men  had,  in  the  language  of  his 
great  H-N-K,  traveled  over  plains  and  mountains  "to 
see  him  and  him  alone." 

He  did  not  know  just  what  they  wanted  to  see  him 
about,  but  he  knew  they  were  in  earnest  and  that  they 
meant  business. 


296  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Seeing  this  he  invited  them  into  his  house,  and  the 
five  soon  agreed  upon  the  conditions  to  govern  the 
several  days*  sessions  before  them.  One  condition 
that  TK  insisted  upon  was  accurate  stenographic 
reports  of  every  word  uttered,  and  thus  two  stenog- 
raphers and  a  third  student  were  invited  to  be  pres- 
ent. 

Sessions  were  held  on  Thursday,  Friday  and  Sun- 
day, and  from  the  stenographic  reports  published 
herewith,  you  will  readily  understand  the  nature  of 
some  of  the  problems  that  these  four  Trustees  were 
trying  to  solve.  They  were  still  under  the  impression 
that  TK  had  probably  been  a  " master,' '  but  that  he 
had  somehow  fallen  and  forfeited  his  mastership.  But 
whether  he  had  ever  been  a  master  or  riot,  they  wanted 
to  obtain  some  accounting  of  the  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars  they  knew  he  had  been  handling. 
They  wanted  to  know  if  his  affinity  philosophy  had  any 
scientific  basis;  if  he  had  ever  cured  any  insane;  if 
there  were  anything  real  in  any  of  his  teachings. 
They  wanted  to  get  at  the  facts — not  for  themselves 
alone,  but  especially  for  the  students  and  readers  of 
his  literature. 


At  the  beginning  of  the  Sunday  sessions,  TK 
requested  that  no  more  notes  be  taken  and  no  wit- 
nesses be  admitted.  This  request  was  finally  granted, 
and  it  was  at  this  point  that  TK  very  dramatically 
announced  that  he  had  talked  with  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter, and  that  the  three  of  them  had  concluded  that  if 
his  suicide  was  necessary  to  clear  up  everything,  he 


WHA  THAD  BECOME  OF  THE  "GREA T  SCHOOL  f"  297 


should  take  his  own  life.  Then,  speaking  very  theat- 
rically, he  asked  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  on  the 
matter. 

"Well,  now,  Uncle  John,"  said  one  of  them,  "Be- 
fore you  do  anything  like  that,  won't  you  tell  us  some- 
thing more  about  these  money  matters  1" 

This  took  TK  wholly  by  surprise  and  ended  the 
performance.  Later  he  confessed  to  still  having  con- 
siderable money  in  his  possession,  but  to  the  question 
of  how  he  could  still  be  a  "master"  in  the  face  of  his 
record  for  indiscretions,  his  only  explanation  was  that, 

"It  is  just  as  much  of  a  mystery  to  me  as  it  is  to 
you." 

•Jr  tP  *jf  tP  tv 

The  Committee  of  Four  next  visited  Stockton  where 
TK  lived  from  1881  to  1886,  and  where  he  claimed  to 
have  became  a  "master,"  to  have  cured  349  cases  of 
insanity,  to  have  made  $30,000.00  a  year  practicing 
Law,  etc.,  all  of  which  they  found  to  be  untrue  and  im- 
possible. 

From  here  they  went  to  San  Francisco,  thence  to 
Oregon  and  Washington,  and  from  there  to  Minne- 
apolis, arriving  in  Chicago  about  June  1st. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

TK's  Explanations 

QUESTIONS  ASKED  BY  THE  COMMITTEE  AT  PASADENA 
IN  MAY,  1916 

F.  T.  L.— "May  I  ask  a  question?  If  that  statement 
were  true,  would  these  facts  have  caused  a  forfeiture 
of  your  Mastership ?" 

TK— "Yes." 

F.  T.  L. — "And  if  similar  acts  had  occurred  about 
the  same  time,  would  that  have  caused  the  forfeiture 
of  your  Mastership  V f 

TK— "Yes." 

TK  ON  SECEECY 

TK. — "It  certainly  does,  if  you  have  the  good  of  the 
Work  at  heart,  then  you  certainly  do  not  desire  to 
pass  on  information  which  of  its  very  nature  must 
be  a  detriment  to  the  Cause  and  Work." 

^  "JT  TT  TT  TT 

TK. — "That  is  exactly  what  I  had  in  mind.    When 

our  conference  was  held,  Mr.  L ,  as  you  know, 

there  was  a  mutual  agreement  between  us  before  our 
meeting  was  adjourned,  that  not  a  word  should  pass 
from  the  lips  of  any  of  us  that  concerned  matters 
whatsoever  in  that  meeting." 

F.  T.  L. — "No,  what  was  said  was  said  by  myself. 
You  said  something  about  advertising  it,  and  I  said, 
'My  God,  we  do  not  want  to  advertise  the  matter.' 

298 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS  299 

We  had  a  talk  between  ourselves  about  keeping  this 
matter  quiet,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  for  us  to  do  so — 
and  we  did  as  far  as  it  was  possible,  and  I  remember 
the  fact  that  no  pledges  had  been  given  on  either  side." 

TK. — "In  my  presence,  before  the  meeting  was 
closed,  either  you,  or  some  one  of  the  other  Friends, 
suggested  and  asked  that  the  matter  be  held  as  a  strict 
personal  confidence.    I  said,  I  think  that  is  right. ' ' 

F.  T.  L. — "I  made  the  suggestion,  and  as  far  as  I 
am  concerned,  not  one  person  knows. 

"Now  I  can  say  this  for  Dr.  H , — he  can  say  it 

for  himself,  for  that  matter,  that  facts  have  come  to 
us  unsought,  facts  which  have  come  to  us  unsuspected 
by  us;  we  have  learned  of  things,  and  have  learned 
the  fact  that  what  was  read  in  the  paper  which  was 
read  at  the  conference,  had  been  made  known  to 
others ;  so  there  is  no  question  that  other  people  know 

TK. — "Just  that  phase  of  the  subject  is  what  I  had 
reference  to.  It  is  true  that  some  one  of  your  num- 
ber has  not  kept  faith — that  I  am  satisfied  of  beyond 
all  question,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  I  asked  Dr. 
H whether  he  really  had  the  Work  at  heart.' ' 


L.  H.— "The  conference  which  lasted  three  days  was 
the  most  important  incident  of  my  life,  barring  one. 
I  wished  at  that  time,  and  hoped  at  that  time,  that 
there  might  possibly  be  some  way  whereby  it  could  be 
found  to  be  a  mistake,  and  I  was  hoping  that  you 
would  deny  it.' ' 


300  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


TK   USES  FOE  HIS   OWN   PRIVATE   USE,   FUNDS  CONTRIBUTED 
FOR  EDUCATIONAL  PURPOSES. 

L.  H. — "I  sent  you  a  sum  of  money  which  was  of 
considerable  size,  I  thought,  $2,500.  You  stated  to  me 
that  you  had  less  than  $200  at  that  time.  T  do  not 
know  how  many,  but  at  least  three  people  have  been 
to  me  in  the  last  three  weeks,  and  have  asked  me  how 
about  the  money  matters,  and  did  he  make  an  account- 
ing of  the  Sanitarium  funds,  and  was  he  as  poor  as 
he  told  me?  Then  I  commenced  to  look  over  my  cor- 
respondence. Information  came  outside  of  the  Trus- 
tees, to  the  effect  that  you  have  a  fairly  good  fortune, 
not  a  Rockefeller,  nor  were  you  poor ;  but  that  it  is  not 
less  than  $75,000  to  $100,000.  But  I  do  not  know  that 
that  is  true." 

TK. — "I  should  say  you  don't." 

L.  H. — "Just  a  moment; — there  should  be  given  you 
every  opportunity  of  showing  that  you  didn't  have 
money  in  the  banks  which  was  reported  to  us  as  having 
been  there,  and  which  was  turned  over  to  you  for  the 
Work.  Now,  the  money  I  sent  you  was  intended  for 
the  Work.  You  have  probably  received  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  $15,000  to  $20,000  from  me. 

1 '  If  it  is  true  that  you  have  had  given  to  you  in  the 
last  few  years  a  considerable  amount  of  money,  and 
have  taken  that  for  your  own  private  use  irrespective 
of  whether  or  not  such  an  agreement  was  understood 
between  the  giver  and  the  taker,  then  I  should  say  that 
my  responsibility  would  not  be  fulfilled  to  the  School 
and  to  the  coming  Students,  until  I  had  learned 
whether  or  not  you  did  possess,  or  had  possessed,  a 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS  301 

rather  large  sum  of  money  at  the  time  when  you  were 
1  penniless/  and  whether  or  not  you  had  accepted  small 
amounts  of  money  from  people  who  could  ill  afford  the 
donation. 

"Unless  I  might  seem  to  be  too  general  in  my  state- 
ments, I  know  of  two  cases,  one  a  woman  and  another 
of  a  young  man,  who,  I  understand,  had  donated  to 
you  an  amount  of  money  of  which  you,  as  their  friend 
over  a  term  of  years,  should  have  known  was  in  ex- 
cess of  their  ability  and,  therefore  makes  me  feel  that 
there  is  a  double  responsibility  resting  upon  my  shoul- 
ders." 

TK  USES  TRUST  FUNDS  FOR  HIS  OWN  PERSONAL 
BUSINESS  INVESTMENTS. 

TK. — "I  loaned  out  of  that  fund,  to  Mr. ,  who 

was  then  representing  the  interests  of  the  W-S  M.  Co., 
about  $21,000  of  Dr.  H 's  money.' ' 

L.  H.— "That  was  out  of  the  $50,000  Trust  Fund. 
Did  you  have  security  on  the  $21,000!" 

TK. — "Nothing  but  the  note  of  the  company." 

L.  H. — "Then,  I  will  ask  just  one  question.  In  the 
light  of  developments,  does  it  seem  to  you  that  your 
act  in  loaning  a  large  sum  of  money, — $21,000  to  one 
individual,  or  Company,  resulting  in  a  loss  to  the 
Cause  through  your  lack  of  understanding  of  condi- 
tions of  the  business,  might  hold  you  morally  account- 
able in  a  personal  sense  for  the  loss  of  the  $21,000?" 

TK.— "No,  Mr.  H ,  it  does  not.    It  is  true  that 

the   conditions  which  followed  the   loaning  of  that 


302  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

money  were  beyond  my  power  or  my  ability  to  know  in 
advance;  but  the  money  was  my  own  in  a  purely  per- 
sonal sense  and  the  investment  was  my  own." 

F.  T.  L. — "In  your  own  name?" 

TK. — "Yes,  because  I  did  the  best  I  could  under  the 
circumstances  and  the  fault  was  not  mine." 

TK  A  CLEVER  REAL  ESTATE  DEALER 

F.  T.  L.— "But  as  to  using  it  for  yourself  and 
family?" 

TK. — "Whatever  to  me  seemed  necessary  and 
proper.  There  was  never  any  restriction,  and  I  think 
it  was  understood  that  I  had  to  live  somehow.    Out  of 

the  moneys  received  from  Dr.  H I  returned  to  him 

$10,000  in  payment  for  the  property  at  So.  Kenilworth 
Ave.,  and  that  property  stands  in  my  name."    ( !) 


F.  T.  L. — "But  the  thing  I  wanted  to  say  is  this, 
that  unless  I  misunderstood  the  TK's  statement,  the 
contribution  of  $50,000  was  not  made  to  him  for  per- 
sonal matters  but  for  the  purpose  of  the  work,  that 
was  your  understanding,  was  it  not?" 


F.  T.  L. — "I  want  some  information  about  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Trust  Fund.  Was  this  Trust  Fund 
organized  with  money  that  had  been  given  by  Dr. 
H ?" 

TK.-— "It  was." 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS  303 


F.  T.  L. — "Part  of  the  money  had  been  invested  in 
the  Book  Company ?" 

TK. — "Yes,  the  expenses  that  were  charged  against 
that,  and  were  being  paid  out  from  the  Book  Co.  over- 
ran the  income  from  it,  all  the  way  from  $2,000  to 
$4,000  to  $5,000." 

F.  T.  L. — "That  was  practically  your  only  revenue 
at  that  time?" 

TK.— "Yes," 

F.  T.  L. — "Were  there  any  other  funds  that  ever 
went  into  that  Trust  Fund?" 
TK— "No." 

L.  H. — "My  recollection  was,  TK,  that  you  wrote 
me  a  letter  relative  to  this  Trust  Fund  and  in  connec- 
tion with  one  of  my  contributions.  Just  what  do  you 
presume  could  have  been  your  reference  to  that  Fund, 
if  it  was  not  to  give  me  some  impression  that  dona- 
tions of  this  kind  would  be  received  into  that  Fund, 
or  a  portion  of  them  at  least?" 


F.  T.  L.— "On  Sept.  9,  1913,  you  wrote:— 
'I  have  established  a  Trust  Fund  and  all  money 
contributed  to  me  by  the  Students  is  for  this,  and  into 
it  I  placed  every  cent  I  had  at  the  time  and  into  it  has 
gone  every  cent  I  received  since  that  time,  etc.'  " 

TK. — '  *  I  do  not  recall  that  letter  at  the  present  time. 
Just  what  is  the  point  you  want  to  make?"    ( !) 


304  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


TK  TRANSFERS  A  '  *  TRUST  FUND ' '  TO  HIS  OWN  PERSONAL 
SAVINGS  ACCOUNT 

F.  T.  L.— "The  Fund  was  closed  out  after  Nov.  1914 
was  it  not?  You  said  to  J.  C. :  'I  thank  you  for  your 
suggestions  concerning  the  best  method  of  dissolving 
the  Trust  and  turning  the  matter  into  my  personal 
account.  I  have  about  concluded  to  withdraw  the  bal- 
ance to  my  credit  and  thus  dissolve  the  Trust  without 
saying  anything  to  anybody  but  you.7  " 


L.   H. — "Z  understand   that  Dr.  H. 's  $50,000 

was  the  only  money  that  had  been  put  into  that  par- 
ticular Fund,  and  then  I  asked  you  about  the  letter 
which  you  wrote  me,  and  in  which  you  referred  to  a 
Trust  Fund,  and  led  me  to  believe,  as  the  giver  of 
funds,  that  it  would  be  going  into  a  Trust  Fund." 


L.  H.— "Were  there  two  Trust  Funds  I" 

TK— "No,  not  specially.' ' 

L.  H. — "How  do  you  reconcile  the  statement  that 

only  Dr.  H 's  Funds  had  been   put  into  the  Fund, 

to  the  statement  you  made  to  me  that  ALL  the  Funds 
went  into  that  Fund  and  all  the  moneys  received  from 
Students  went  into  that  Fund?" 

TK. — "My  intention  was  to  convey  that  all  moneys 
received  were  in  trust  for  the  purposes  of  the  Work." 

L.  H. — "I  do  not  want  to  press  this  question.  One 
was   the   statement   that   you   had   placed   only   the 

amount  which  Dr.  H gave  you  into  this  Trust 

Fund;  and  I  have  a  letter  from  you  stating  that  you 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS  305 

have  a  Trust  Fund,  and  now  you  say  that  you  referred 

to  Dr.  H 's  Fund,  and  that  you  had  another  Fund 

in  which  you  placed  all  Funds  received  from  Stu- 
dents." 

TK  AND  THE  EDGEMOOR  TRUST  FUND   GRAFT. 

H.  H. — "I  would  like  to  refer  to  the  TK's  promise 
at  Edgemoor,  during  those  three  days  of  April  1st, 
2d  and  3d,  of  this  year,  that  he  would  render  an  ac- 
count of  the  funds  sent  to  him  in  trust  for  Edgemoor 
Sanitarium.  Did  you  not  make  such  a  statement,  TK, 
at  Edgemoor  f " 

TK. — "Whatever  statement  I  made  had  reference 
to  what  Mr.  H placed  in  my  hands. ' ' 

H.  H. — *  '  I  am  quite  certain  that  you  made  that  state- 
ment in  answer  to  a  question." 

TK. — "There  were  other  funds  turned  over  by  the 
various  branches  of  the  League,  and  every  dollar  of 
them  was  turned  over  to  the  Sanitarium  and  all  con- 
tributions including  the  last  contribution  from  Mr. 

H ,  were  turned  over  to  W N ,  — except  the 

fund  I  mentioned." 

H.  H. — "But  outside  of  the  League  contributions 
there  were  other  contributions  made  to  you  according 
to  your  request  made  in  "Life  and  Action." 

TK— "No." 

H.  H, — "Did  you  not  receive  such  contributions !' ' 

TK. — "I   do   not   recall   such   contributions.     Mr. 

C.  C sent  me  two  small  checks ;  Mr.  C.  P once 

included  a  remittance  which  he  and  others  had  ar- 


306  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

ranged  to  contribute  at  regular  intervals  to  the  Sani- 
tarium. \ ' 

H.  H. — "But  there  were  a  good  many  others, — $100 
here,  $25.00  there,  $1,000.00  here,  etc.,  a  good  many 
were  sent  to  you  in  response  to  your  request  in  "Life 
and  Action,"  and  you  said,  I  believe,  in  "Life  and 
Action/ '  that  you  would  account  for  those  moneys 
received. ' ' 

TK. — "I  stated,  if  you  will  recall,  that  it  was  with 
reference  to  the  League  Funds  that  I  would  render  a 
statement.,, 

H.  H. — "I  took  it  to  mean  all  funds.' ' 

TK. — "I  made  no  such  statement.' ' 


F.  T.  L. — "We  have  to  be  business-like,  as  Trustees 
of  Edgemoor,  and  that  matter  ought  to  be  a  matter 
which  is  kept  accurate,  do  you  not  think  f" 

TK. — "Yes,  as  far  as  it  can  be  done,  I  am  sure." 
F.  T.  L. — "We  are  thinking  of  publishing  a  list  of 
all  the  contributions  to  the  Sanitarium  and  we  be- 
lieve that  so  far  as  money  matters  are  concerned,  it 
will  be  our  duty  to  be  as  open  as  possible.  That  is, 
we  have  nothing  to  conceal.  We  think  it  is  the  proper 
attitude  to  take,  and  while  it  is  not  necessary  to  give 
contributors  small  details,  at  the  same  time  we  feel 
that  we  should  give  a  record  of  all  contributions  re- 
ceived and  show  where  they  have  been  paid;  so  you 
see  it  is  a  rather  vital  matter  to  get  those  matters  into 
shape." 

TK.— "Yes,"   (!) 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS 307 

TK  SAYS  FRANKLY,  "i  DO  NOT  KNOW!" 

H.  H. — "I  am  only  thinking  of  the  responsibility 
of  the  fact  that  one  or  more,  or  some  of  those  who  have 
contributed,  when  they  learn  that  you  are  no  longer 
connected  with  the  Work,  will  come  to  the  Trustees 
and  ask  what  has  become  of  it,  and  we  are  not  able 
to  tell  them,  as  we  have  no  record." 

E.  M.  W. — "TK,  in  giving  the  money  to  W was 

there  any  record  of  the  donor  !" 

TK. — "No,  it  came  through  me,  simply  as  a  check 
from  me. ' ' 

E.  M.  W. — * '  Is  there  any  way  of  getting  a  record  of 
the  individuals  who  sent  the  money  f" 

TK— "I  do  not  know."    (!) 

*  #     #     #     * 

L.  H. — "I  do  not  care  so  much  about  my  money,  but 
if  you  have  in  your  possession,  or  in  the  possession  of 
those  near  to  you,  and  which  belongs  to  the  Cause,  any 
considerable  sum,  then  I  think  you  would  agree  with 
me  that  the  Cause  is  still  entitled  to  it, — or  at  least  that 
which  was  dedicated  to  the  Cause.  I  am  not  thinking 
so  much  of  my  own,  as  I  am  the  fact  that  others  have 
contributed  liberally,  and  it  has  gotten  to  me  from  two 
sources  at  least,  that  you  had,  a  very  short  time  ago,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  $96,000.00.' ' 

#  #     #     #     # 

TK  TALKS  OF  HIS  TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA  IN  NOVEMBER,  1915. 

H.  H. — "How  did  you  travel  when  you  and  X 

traveled  together ?" 
TK. — "We  traveled  in  a  drawing  room." 


308 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

F.  T.  L.— "Was  Dr.  E.  W in  that  car?" 

TK. — "No.  Because  I  particularly  inquired  at 
that  time,  and  could  not  have  gotten  any  other  reser- 
vation. We  all  occupied  the  room  together  during  the 
day  time." 

F.  T.  L. — "The  reason  Dr.  W went  out  was  to 

take  care  of  you  in  case  of  any  sudden  changer 

TK. — "Yes,  it  was  first  thot  there  would  be  no  rea- 
son why  I  might  require  any  services,  and  Doctor 
knew  at  that  time  that  no  such  thing  was  necessary. 

He  later  found  that  Mr.  H made  it  possible  in  a 

financial  way  for  him  to  come.  I  expressed  my  great 
satisfaction  and  pleasure  that  he  could  come." 

H.  H. — "Then  why  was  it  necessary  for  X also 

to  come?" 

TK. — "X came   partly   on   my   account,   and 

partly  to  see  her  people  whom  she  had  not  seen  for 
many  years." 

H.  H. — "Did  she  know  that  a  young  lady  risks  her 
reputation  by  traveling  in  a  drawing  room  alone  with  a 
man?" 

TK. — "I  do  not  know.  I  do  know  this,  that  on  the 
boats  it  is  not  an  unusual  thing  at  all.  Take  the  Lake 
trips;  I  know  of  that  fact  thru  an  experience  I  had 

with .    We  wanted  to  take  a  trip  to , 

and  when  I  went  to  get  reservations, — and  I  had  gotten 
reservations,  thinking  that  I  had  gotten  them  in  sepa- 
rate state  rooms — and  when  we  arrived  on  the  boat, 
found  that  I  had  gotten  reservations  in  the  same  state 
room.  I  went  to  the  purser  and  explained  the  situa- 
tion, that  we  were  not  married  and  wished  he  would 
make  an  arrangement  to  give  us  different  rooms.    He 


TK'S  EXPLANATIONS  309 

said  that  that  is  something  perfectly  common.  It  is  the 
same  on  a  railroad  train.  One  person  may  occupy  a 
lower  berth,  and  the  other  an  upper.  I  realized,  how- 
ever, that  there  might  be  a  question  of  the  propriety 

of  X and  I  occupying  the  same  drawing  room 

alone.  On  the  return  trip  the  three  of  us  occupied 
the  drawing  room  together." 

H.  H. — "Is  such  an  occurrence  not  sufficient  to  ruin 
the  reputation  of  a  young  woman  ? ' ■ 

TK. — "Perhaps  you  are  right.  It  is  not  considered 
usual." 

H.  H. — "If  that  had  become  generally  known,  that 
the  'master'  of  the  Great  School  traveled  with  a  young 
girl-student  of  his,  in  a  drawing  room  from  Chicago 
to  California — the  two  occupying  one  room — that  could 
have  but  one  effect,  and  have  only  destructive  results." 

TK. — 'You  are  possibly  right." 


TK  EXPLAINS  THE  SCIENTIFIC  VALUE  OF  HIS  GREAT  SCHOOL 's 
FIRST  "TEXT  BOOK" 


E.  M.  W. — "Is  it  possible,  Uncle  John,  that  you 
could  be  mistaken  in  that,  instead  of  all  these  people  f ' ' 

TK. — "It  is  hard  to  say,  Doctor,  what  is  in  the 
range  of  possibilities." 

E.  M.  W. — "Looking  from  my  door,  from  which  I 
had  a  clear  view  of  your  door,  for  successive  nights, 

almost  without  exception,  Z went  into  your  room, 

anywhere  from  8:30  to  11:30  p.  m. — usually  about  9 
o'clock — and  she  did  not  come  out  until  usually  about 


310  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

5 :00  to  5 :30  a.  m.  I  can  safely  say  I  was  wide-awake. 
It  was  checked  up,  not  only  by  me,  but  by  others.  Is 
it  not  just  as  possible  that  you  should  be  mistaken  as 
all  of  us?" 

TK—"  Possibly." 

H.  H. — "Have  you  told  any  one  person  or  persons 
that  you  and  Z are  Soul  Mates?" 

TK. — "I  never  have  stated  to  any  living  mortal  that 
I  knew  definitely  who  was  mine." 

L.  H. — "Did  you  ever  state  to  any  one  that  the 
RA  was  your  Soul  Mate?" 

TK— "I  DID  NOT.  It  is  a  subject  that  has  come 
up,  I  think  as  many  as  one  hundred  times,  from  var- 
ious sources,  and  I  have  been  asked  various  questions 
concerning  affinities  as  well  as  reincarnation.  I  have 
said  in  every  instance  that  those  are  matters  that  no 
one  cam  prove  definitely  and  especially  prove  to  any 
body  else,  and  for  that  very  reason  I  have  discouraged 
all  discussions  of  those  subjects,  as  far  as  I  could. 

"I  have  never  made  the  statement  to  any  living 
mortal  that  Florence  Huntley  and  I  were  Soul  Mates. 
That  was  a  matter  that  I  knew,  however,  or  felt  sure, 
that  it  was  inferred  by  some  of  the  Friends,  by  reason 
of  the  fact  that  she  was  the  author  of  the  statement 
of  the  Principle,  with  myself  as  her  instructor. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Concerning  the  Charges 

The  following  is  a  reprint  of  a  stenographic  report 
of  some  of  the  statements  made  by  Mr.  F.  T.  L.,  the 
Attorney  for  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  Mr.  John  E. 
Richardson,  (TK)  in  Pasadena,  Calif.,  on  May  5, 1916: 

Now  you  asked  us  yesterday,  and  got  assurances 
from  us — I  think  from  all  whom  you  asked,  that  satis- 
fied you  that  our  purpose  was  and  is  to  preserve  this 
Work  if  it  is  possible  to  do  so.  I  think  that  is  your  con- 
viction and  it  does  not  need  any  further  assurances 
from  us  to  that  effect,  but  I  will  say  again  that  our 
purpose  is,  if  possible,  to  preserve  this  Work. 

I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  put  yourself  in  our  posi- 
tion and  if  it  is  possible,  thi/nh  how  to  help  us  to  solve 
perhaps  as  perplexing  problems  as  ever  faced  us,  or 
anybody  connected  with  the  responsibility  of  carrying 
on  the  Work. 

But,  in  the  first  place,  we  are  all  Students  of  the 
Work  and  have  all  come  into  intimate  personal  con- 
tact with  you,  and  we  are  here  now  because  of  that 
fact,  and  today  we  are  in  sole  and  exclusive  charge, 
responsibility  and  authority  for  the  administration  of 
this  Work  in  this  country,  and  it  came  to  us  unsought, 

— at  least  to  me,  at  least   to  Mr.   H , — entirely 

unexpectedly. 

I  think  that  Dr.  W and  Dr.  H ,  as  two  of 

311 


312  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

the  older  Students,  had  a  right  to  expect  that  some 
time  the  responsibility  of  this  Work  would  be  devolved 

upon  their  shoulders.     McC ,  H and  I  tried 

our  best  to  avoid  it,  but  we  had  learned  certain  les- 
sons on  Personal  Responsibility  and  when  it  was  put 
up  to  us,  we  accepted  it.  We  came  into  this  work  only 
partly  to  conduct  a  business  enterprise;  the  business 
end  was  but  a  small  part  of  it  compared  with  the 
Spiritual  work.  The  business  end  of  it  would  not  have 
tempted  any  of  us,  because  other  men  could  be  found 
to  handle  the  business  end  just  as  well  as  we  could. 
But  we  had  your  assurance  that  the  selection  was 
made  with  the  approval  of  the  Great  Friends  and 
the  Great  Master,  and  of  course  that  responsibility 
could  not  be  shirked. 

We  came  into  charge  of  the  obligation  of  the  main- 
taining and  extension  of  a  philosophy  that,  if  it  stood 
for  anything,  stood  for  high  Moral  Principles.  It 
was  addressed  to  the  ''progressive  intelligence  of  the 
age ; ' '  this  meant  that  only  the  intelligent  people  who 
could  appreciate  the  delicate  shadings  of  the  Morality 
it  taught  could  be  accepted.  We  were  taught  the 
ability  to  distinguish  between  right  and  wrong,  the 
ability  to  detect  falsehood,  hypocrisy  and  anything 
that  did  not  ring  true.  We  came  into  charge  of  a 
Philosophy  that  taught  of  Mastership  and  held  out 
as  its  chief  object  and  aim,  to  all  of  the  Students, 
the  attainment  of  Mastership,  or  considerable  definite 
progress  along  that  road,  after  the  Student  first  gained 
the  knowledge  of  the  scientific,  exact  Moral  Principles 
and  persevered  in  applying  those  things  to  his  own 
life. 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES    313 

That  Philosophy  is  now  in  our  charge.  It  is  con- 
tained in  three  text-books.  The  first  was  written  by  a 
lady  who,  afterwards  became  your  wife,  and  is  now 
dead;  and  it  is  absolutely  certain  you  directed  and 
no  doubt  dictated  some  of  it.  The  Principles  laid 
down  in  the  first  volume  are  simply  preliminary  to 
the  second  and  third  volumes.  The  second  and  third 
volumes  were  written  by  yourself. 

The  second  was  not  the  real  Philosophy.  It  is  a 
sign-board  warning  people  against  the  wrong  way. 

So  the  real  Philosophy  is  contained  in  the  third  book 
which  is  your  book,  which  is  a  scientific  expression 
of  the  working  out  of  the  Constructive  Principle  in 
Nature.  Now  the  entire  book  is  devoted  to  and  revolves 
around  Ethical  Principles.  The  lesson  it  teaches  is 
that  we  cannot  dodge  our  responsibility.  That  honor 
and  truth  and  justice  and  all  those  things  are  part 
of  the  scheme  of  exact  Morality  which  everyone  who 
becomes  a  Master,  or  attempts  at  mastership,  must 
follow  out. 

The  third  volume  is  followed  by  a  number  of  volumes 
of  "Life  and  Action/ '  to  work  out  and  explain  the 
parts  in  the  text-books  which  seem  to  need  explana- 
tion, and  in  all  those  books,  without  a  single  exception, 
you  have  said  that  Personal  Eesponsibility  cannot 
be  avoided, — that  it  must  be  met,  that  the  Life  must 
be  lived  in  order  to  be  a  Master.  And  it  has  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  this  Board  in  further  detail,  where 
Student  after  Student  has  been  suspended  from  the 
School  or  Group  because  they  did  not  live  their  lives 
in  alignment  with  the  Principles  of  the  Great  School. 
One  was  expelled  because  she  was  thought  to  aspire  to 


314  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


a  place  to  which  she  was  not  entitled,  that  she  was 
envious  and  not  Living  the  Life,  etc.  Once,  I  ashed 
you  what  was  the  chief  cause  of  the  falling  from 
grace  of  the  Students  who  did  fall  from  grace,  and 
you  said  promptly,  that  it  was  loose  relations  with 
the  opposite  sex. 

Now  we  naturally,  with  all  that  knowledge  which 
we  had  obtained  from  the  text-books,  and  which  we 
had  obtained  from  association  with  you,  had  very 
exalted  ideas  and  have  yet.  We  also  had  an  exalted 
idea  of  you,  and  you  were  our  Master,  and  every 
time  we  sent  a  book  out  we  virtually  said — "The 
founder,  the  central  figure  of  this  Work  is  a  man,  not 
a  Principle;  the  TK  has  mastered  his  passions,  has 
mastered  his  temper  and  is  Living  the  Life  as  laid 
out  in  the  Ethical  Section.99  And  in  the  years  to  come 
this  literature  will  hold  that  pictuke  of  the  writer 
of  these  books,  and  that  view  of  this  Philosophy  is 
up  to  us. 

I  asked  you  yesterday  if  you  were  still  a  Master. 
You  said,  "Yes,  possessing  all  of  the  powers  and  Liv- 
ing the  Life  that  a  Master  should  live ;  that  no  portion 
of  your  powers  had  been  forfeited. "  I  asked  you 
whether  the  seduction  of  a  woman,  an  unmarried  girl, 
would  lose  you  your  Mastership, — I  understood  you 
to  say  "it  would  depend.' ' 

I  asked  you  if  such  relations  would  cause  him  to 
lose  his  mastership,  and  you  said,  that  "would 
depend.' ' 

Now,  you  see,  things  have  come  to  us  since  we  have 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  this  Work.    First  among 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  315 

them,  the  Living  or  the  not  Living  of  a  Life.  Second, 
along  the  money  matters.  Now,  one  of  the  first  things 
which  attracted  me  to  this  Philosophy  was  the  absence 
of  grafting.  Naturally  each  man  who  comes,  looks 
for  the  graft;  and  Vol.  Ill  was  especially  clear  about 
the  Eoman  Catholic  graft,  and  we  understood  graft 
to  be  the  taking,  or  receiving  of  money  for  his  own 
personal  interest  rather  than  the  interests  of  the  under- 
taking with  which  he  is  connected. 

I  told  you,  yesterday,  that  I  had  a  number  of  con- 
sultations with  Mr. .  I  have  read  your  let- 
ters to  him,  and  his  letters  to  you.    I  have  seen  Mr. 

H 's  correspondence  with  you,  etc.     I  have  read 

certain  letters  that  passed  between  you  and  H S. 

W about  the  Sanitarium.  I  had  read  certain  let- 
ters from  you  to  J L .    I  know  that  Mrs.  E 

M contributed  to  you  the  sum  of  $100,  which  was 

all  that  she  had,  and  which  she  really  needed;  that 
a  young  man  gave  you  $25.00  which  he  really  needed. 
I  have  seen  the  letters  in  which  you  have  said  you 
would  not  accept  money  that  came  with  conditions. 
I  have  seen  the  letters  in  which  you  have  said  that 
you  refused  over  $100,000  because  it  came  with  con- 
ditions, and  it  seemed  from  the  tone  of  those  letters 
that  you  ivould  receive  money  without  conditions,  and 
the  persons  who  received  those  letters  responded  to 
the  spirit  of  your  letter  and  sent  money  without  con- 
ditions. But  they  said  that  this  money  is  put  into  your 
hands  to  do  as  you  wish  with  it.  In  some  letters  you 
say  there  is  a  Trust  Fund  to  which  every  dollar  of  the 
money  will  be  placed. 

Yesterday,  you  said  there  was  no  money  placed  in 


316  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

the  Trust  Fund  except  the  initial  deposit.  I  said 
there  were  two  matters,  one  financial  and  the  other, 
the  Living  of  the  Life.  The  financial  matter  came  up 
on  April  1st  at  Oconomowoc,  and  at  the  time,  you 
freely  said  you  would  render  to  the  Board  of  Trustees 
an  accounting  of  the  Trust  Fund.  The  impression 
conveyed,  if  not  in  so  many  words,  was  that  you  would 
go  straight  upstairs  at  Oconomowoc  and  prepare  that 
statement — that  statement  has  not  been  prepared  up 
to  the  present  time. 

You  told  us  yesterday  that  you  could  not  furnish  it. 
We  found  that  the  data  for  it  was  either  here  or  at 
Oconomowoc.  Now  we  are  Trustees  of  the  financial 
interests  of  this  Movement  and  of  the  Sanitarium  and 
we  therefore,  as  the  Eoman  Church  says,  have  charge 
of  the  temporalities  as  well  as  the  spiritualities,  and 
we  can  find  out  how  much  money  was  contributed  and 
we  can  find  out  how  much  money  was  put  in.  But 
we  would  not  have  been  preserving  the  interests  of  the 
Work  had  we  tried  first,  before  coming  here,  to  see  if 
you  could  give  us  an  account  of  it. 

Now  we  find  that  $21,000  of  the  $50,000  went  into 
an  investment.  That  might  have  been  an  excuse  from 
suspicion  of  wilful  misuse  of  those  funds,  but  it  will 
not  excuse  it  from  those  to  whom  we  have  to  account. 
That,  and  $10,000  spent  for  your  own  home,  which 

was  afterwards  returned,  and  paid  for So.  Ken- 

ilworth  Ave.,  which  was  used  for  the  needs  of  the 
Work,  is  all  the  account  that  we  have  thus  far.  I  sup- 
pose that  most  of  the  payments  of  these  Funds  were 
made  by  check,  and  unless  these  were  destroyed,  you 
could  have  given  us  the  data  on  April  1st. 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  317 


Dr.  H H has  a  letter  in  which  you  tell  him 

you  must  sell  So.  Kenilworth  Ave.,  and  giving 

him  the  first  opportunity  to  buy  it.  It  has  never  been 
claimed  that  it  was  purchased  for  anything  else  than 
the  Work,  from  the  Trust  Fund. 

We  are  business  men,  we  are  not  Masters;  we  can- 
not stand  to  the  Student-body  or  to  the  outside  world 
in  a  spiritual  relation;  we  must  appeal  to  them,  and 
do  appeal  to  them  as  business  conservators  of  their 
financial  interests,  and  anything  we  pass  on  to  them  in 
a  spiritual  way  we  are  understood  to  be  passing  on 

not  from  personal  experience.    Dr.  E.  M.  W has 

made  some  demonstrations,  Dr.  H H also,  but 

none  of  the  rest.  When  I  tell  anybody  I  must  say,  "I 
do  not  know;  TK  told  me  so  and  so; — we  have  not 
demonstrated  this,  but  TK  has  been  in  the  spiritual 
world.  He  claims  to  have  been  there,  and  many  times 
a  day  to  confer  with  the  Great  Master,  and  several 
years  ago  he  told  me  about  that. '  ' 

But,  when  it  comes  to  business,  I  am  a  lawyer  and 
accustomed  to  tricks,  and  in  every  statement  I  must 
give  to  the  Groups  I  would  say  that  so  much  money 
came  into  the  hands  of  the  TK  (and  it  comes  closer  to 
$300,000  than  I  like  to  think  about);  we  must  say  that 
this  came  into  the  hands  of  the  TK,  and  we  went  to 
Pasadena  to  get  an  account  of  it,  and  all  we  could  get 
was  that  he  could  not  give  an  accounting  of  it.  He  did 
not  say  he  would  not,  but  that  he  could  not.    People 

would  say:     "You  are  a  fool.,,     And  to  Mr.  : 

"You  are  a  fool."  And  I  want  to  say  that  a  good 
many  things  have  come  out  that  would  make  it  very 
difficult  to  convince  an  unbiased  person; — need  I  men- 


318  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

tion  $75.00  a  month  for  perfume,  $50.00  for  taxi  cabs, 
large  sums  of  money  m  checks.    At  the  time  you  were 

writing  to  Mr.  H that  you  only  had  $200  in  the 

bank,  you  had  just  sent  two  checks  of  $500  and  $400  to 
Verna.  Put  yourself  in  our  place.  I  want  to  say  to 
you,  my  friend,  and  my  Uncle  John,  that  I  want  to 
protect  you  and  I  want  to  protect  this  Work,  if  it  is 
a  possible  thing.    But  Personal  Eesponsibility  cannot 

be  evaded;  and  we  said  to  Mr.  H :    "You  are  a 

coward  if  you  run  away  from  the  responsibility." 

So  we  cannot  "duck,"  but  we  have  got  to  work  out 
this  situation  and  this  is  only  the  beginning  and  only 
relates  to  the  money ;  and  big  as  it  is,  it  is  only  a  small 
part  of  what  is  on  our  souls  to  work  out,  and  we  can- 
not do  it  by  correspondence;  you  know  it  must  be 
something  important  to  bring  Mr.  H and  me  here. 

But  I  said  that  the  money-matters  are  a  small  thing. 

If  you  were  myself  you  would  say:     "If  L is 

really  a  Master  he  would  not  dodge  and  take  refuge 
in  the  fact  that  there  was  no  understanding  and  agree- 
ment, no  conditions."    Why,  we  have  a  letter  written 

to  Mr.  H only  recently  where  you  say  there  is 

nothing  that  binds  you  to  anything. 

(Mr.  L reads  letter.) 

You  know  what  you  have  written,  you  know  what 
you  have  said ;  but  suppose  that  you  were  in  my  place 
and  I  in  yours,  and  I  should  say,  two  months  after  I 
had  agreed  to  make  a  statement  in  such  terms  as  I 
had  led  you  to  believe  a  statement  would  be  forth- 
coming, before  you  left  Edgemoor,  I  made  most  of 
the  payments  by  check  in  the  Oak  Park  Bank,  and 
knowing  of  those  facts,  I  should  talk  to  you  in  that 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  319 

way — would  you  not  ask  yourself  the  question  and 

would  you  not  say  to  Mr.  L that,  "It  does  not 

seem  to  me  from  what  I  have  learned  about  Masters 
that  a  Master  (who  has  all  along  in  the  Work  taught 
the  Students  to  take  nothing  for  granted  and  to  be 
particularly  careful  about  money  matters)  would  treat 
things  as  you  are  treating  these  matters.' '  And  I 
would  say:  "You  are  right,  and  I  will  not  let  a 
moment  pass  without  making  an  effort  to  explain  and 
get  a  satisfactory  statement  down  to  the  very  penny 
of  the  money  I  have  received,  whether  it  is  so  or  not, 
and  which  you  claim  was  in  Trust,  and  which  I  have 
held  in  Trust,  and  out  of  which  I  have  only  the  right  to 
use  (as  you  say  in  one  of  your  letters)  "but  for  the 
rigid  economy  of  living." 

I  understood  that  your  calling  Dr.  E W a 

monumental  liar  was  because  of  the  talk  with  Z , 

and  it  might  be  a  good  thing  for  us  to  see  what  Z 

told  you  as  a  report  of  that  conversation. 

*     #     #     #     # 

Dr.  E W did  not  say,  "I  know"  at  any 

time,  he  did  say  we  have  the  evidence  to  show  and  / 
know  that  he  has  the  evidence,  and  that  he  had  it 
at  that  time. 

Now  the  most  that  Dr.  E W had  to  say  about 

you  and  her  was:  "Do  not  let  Uncle  John  fool  you 
or  deceive  you,  you  are  not  the  only  person  to  whom 
he  has  said  that  he  is  your  Soul  Mate,  that  you  and 
he  are  really  affinities."  And  it  is  in  that  connection 
that  he  said  that  he  had  the  evidence  to  prove  it,  and 

I  may  say  that  I  know  of  formal  statements,  V for 

instance,  from ,  from ,  and  one  other  in  which 


320  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Z said,  that  she  had  at  last  found  her  affinity; 

that  he  lived  at  Oconomowoc,  or  Edgemoor;  that  he 
was  about  40  years  older  than  she  was;  that  he  was 
tall  and  thin  and  wise;  and,  mark  you,  those  state-- 
ments  have  come  to  us  unsought;  but  I  know  of  those 

statements,  so  you  see  that  Dr.  E W did  have 

some  evidence  when  he  told  Z that  she  was  not 

the  only  person  to  whom  you  made  this  statement. 

Now,  he  also  had  this  evidence,  and  that  evidence 
was  read  in  your  presence  on  April  1st,  at  Oconomo- 
woc, and  it  was  immediately  after  the  reading  of  that 

statement  you  asked  Dr.  E W .     You  said: 

"Dr.  W ,  do  you  believe  these  statements  to  be 

true?" 

And  he  said:    "I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  do." 

You  said:  "What  is  the  use  of  my  making  a  state- 
ment, Dr.  W says  he  believes  it,"  and  you  said, 

"What  good  will  it  do  to  affirm  or  deny  it?" 

Dr.  H H was  insistent  in  getting  the  state- 
ment, and  finally  I  broke  in  on  him  and  said,  "What  is 
the  use  of  asking  for  a  statement  from  Uncle  John, 
he  is  a  lawyer  and  knows  the  full  effect  of  his  RE- 
FUSAL to  make  a  statement,  if  a  charge  such  as  that 
is  made." 

And  we  went  on  (after  I  had  called  your  attention 
to  the  fact  that  a  refusal  to  make  a  statement — that 
a  refusal  is  a  confession  and  admission  of  guilt,  and 
so  regarded  by  the  average  man),  and  we  proceeded  to 
accomplish  all  that  followed — we  proceeded  on  the  as- 
sumption that  you  were  guilty.  You  said  the  wise 
thing  for  you  to  do  was  to  withdraw  from  the  Work, 
and  the  first  question  that  was  asked  after  that,  was 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  321 

asked  by  myself.  You  were  my  Uncle  John  all  during 
the  three  days,  and  you  spoke  to  me  about  it  after- 
wards.   I  said,  "  Uncle  John,  can  you  leave  Edgemoor, 

can  Dr.  E W run  Edgemoor  without  you?" 

And  you  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  knowledge  to  treat 
psychic  cases  and  the  medical  skill,  and  you  spoke  of 
the  technical  work  he  had  taken. 

And  I  said  to  X ,  and  suggested  to  certain  others 

of  the  Trustees,  "Now  let  us  he  very  certain  that  Dr. 

E W has  not  put  up  a  scheme  to  put  Uncle 

John  out."  We  had  the  desire  to  protect  our  Master, 
the  founder  of  our  faith,  our  Uncle  John,  against  any 
wrong  attempt  for  personal  place,  revenge  or  spite 
on  the  part  of  anybody, — even  though  he  might  be  one 
of  our  number,  and  in  whom  we  had  implicit  confi- 
dence, as  you  had  had. 

And  I  said  to  X :    "I  want  you  to  look  me  in 

the  face.  How  did  you  come  to  make  this  statement, 
was  it  from  any  suggestion  or  inducement  from  any- 
body, or  did  it  come  from  you?" 

She  said:    "Mr.  L ,  it  came  from  me;  I  wrote 

the  statement  out  before  I  mentioned  it  to  anybody, 

except  Y ."    And  I  said,  this  may  go  as  far  as  a 

Court  because  what  you  say,  if  true,  intimates  that 
Uncle  John  has  committed  a  crime  of  White  Slavery, 
under   the   Mann   Act.     Do   you    realize    what    this 

means ?"    She  said,  "I  do."    She  said,  "Mr.  L ,  I 

do  not  want  to  go  into  Court,  but  if  my  duty  calls  me, 
I  will  go  into  Court  or  anywhere,"     She  said,  "I 

would  like  to  face  Uncle  John  and  want  Z to  be 

present." 

And  this  is  the  statement  that  was  read  under  those 


322  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

conditions  and  it  went  on  to  tell  about  how  you  ar- 
ranged that  she  should  live  at  "234' '  and  "215,"  and 
that  V was  there  too. 

w  *Jr  tt  *  ^ 

The  whole  pitiful  story  is  in  the  statement,  and  that 
statement  gives  details,  and  I  think,  as  a  lawyer,  that 
if  she  ever  went  before  a  jury,  with  her  evidence,  her 
statement  of  those  facts  (as  they  were  contained  in 
that  statement),  you  would  not  succeed  in  convincing 
the  jury  that  her  statements  were  untrue.  I  think 
that  as  a  lawyer  you  would  agree  with  me  that  if  she 
went  before  a  jury  with  the  story,  not  one  juror  would 
do  anything  else  than  believe  her  story. 

Now  it  was  that  story  of  those  facts  that  you  de- 
clined to  make  any  reply  to,  because,  as  you  said,  if  you 
made  any  kind  of  reply  it  would  involve  others  that 
you  did  not  feel  you  had  any  right  to  involve. 

We  were  all  anxious  to  find  a  way  out  of  it  for  you, 

and  we  asked  you  if  it  might  be  possible  that  X 

was  insane,  and  you  said,  "No." 

Or  hypnotic  influence;  you  said,  "No." 

X had  made  another  statement,  and  that  state- 
ment is  bached  up  by  other  people,  and  I  will  now  read 
this  statement: 

(Mr.  L now  reads  statement  and  three  affidavits 

of  Y ,  R.  S and  J.  B .) 

I  have  been  informed  that  this  information  of  the 

various  people  was  the  evidence  which  he  (Dr.  E 

W )  had  that  would  tend  to  corroborate  the  state- 
ment that  you  had  been  deceiving  Z . 

Z ,  at  your  request,  came  down  to  Chicago,  and 

met  you.    You  had  not  discussed  marriage  up  to  that 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  323 

time.  She  did  not  know,  according  to  what  you  told 
us,  that  you  had  any  intention  of  marrying  her. 

Dr.  E W meeting  her,  asked  her  some  ques- 
tions about  the  Hospital;  whom  she  left  in  charge  of 
the  Sanitarium;  etc.,  and  you  said  she  could  not  an- 
swer the  question  as  to  when  she  would  return  until 
you  had  had  a  talk  with  her;  until  you  asked  her 
whether  she  would  become  your  wife.     And  that  is 

the  way  in  which  Z came  to  be  your  wife,  and  it 

happened  after  these  things  occurred  which  I  have  just 
read. 

The  big  thing  back  of  all  the  money  in  the  world, 
back  of  all  the  houses,  back  of  all  the  lots,  is  whether 
a  man  can  do  the  things  which  you  are  alleged  to  have 
done  and  of  which  we  have  this  PEOOF;  (and  which, 
as  a  lawyer, — and  say  one  hundred  Jurors,  would  say 
to  be  true),  whether  those  things  are  consistent  with 
the  Living  of  a  Life  and  continuing  to  be  a  Master. 

That  is  one  of  the  things  that  has  brought  us  out 
here  to  see  you,  one  of  the  things  we  want  to  know. 

This  story  is  going  to  grow,  the  story  is  going  to  con- 
tinue as  we  cannot  stop  it  if  our  feet  are  not  planted 
upon  a  firm  foundation  and  we  absolutely  know 
whether  the  Principles  of  this  Philosophy  are  true  or 
false. 

We  may  have  to  announce  to  the  world,  as  well  as 
to  the  Student-body,  that  we,  the  Trustees  of  the  Great 
Work  in  America,  have  found  that  it  is  a  sham  and  a 
lie  for  graft  and  lust,  and  because  of  that  we  have  con- 
cluded to  give  this  statement  to  the  world  and  cease 
the  activities  in  America. 


324  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

We  are  here  for  advice  and  we  are  here  with  the 
sincere  purpose  to  conserve  the  Work. 

Here  is  a  sworn  affidavit.     I  may  say  that  Z , 

after  the  conference  with  Dr.  E W ,  threw  her 

arms  around  his  neck  and  sobbed  and  shook  his  hand 

convulsively,  and  Dr.  S 's  also.    They  let  her  sob, 

they  patted  her  hand  and  comforted  her.  And  it  was 
after  that,  Uncle  John,  she  wrote  you  whatever  letter 
she  wrote  you  which  you  say  you  destroyed,  and  which 

is  the  basis,  you  say,  of  your  calling  Dr.  E W 

a  monumental  liar,  because  he  had  at  that  time  the 

evidence  for  saying  that  Z was  not  the  only  girl 

whom  you  had  said,  or  claimed,  to  be  your  Soul  Mate. 

(Mr.  L read  another  affidavit.) 

Now,  Uncle  John,  this  stuff  and  more  has  come  to 
us.  You  have  no  doubt  that  we  do  not  relish  its  com- 
ing to  us.  We  did  not  ask  it,  we  did  not  look  for  it. 
One  after  another  these  people  have  come.  They  have 
come  with  every  impression  and  indication  of  sincerity, 
and,  now,  as  the  Trustees  of  this  Work,  we  have  the 
responsibility  upon  us  and  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  us  to  know  the  truth  and  what  is  the  best  thing 
to  be  done. 

Now,  this  Philosophy  has  become  a  part  of  the  vital 
fibre  of  the  life  of  every  one  of  the  men  who  are  here 
before  you.  I  think  you  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  the 
fundamental  motive  back  of  the  personal  life  of  every 
one  of  us.  We  would  like  to  know  for  our  personal 
gratification  because  the  foundation  seems  to  be 
crumbling  beneath  our  feet, — we  want  to  know  both 
for  our  own  faith  and  our  responsibility  to  the  other 
Students. 


CONCERNING  THE  CHARGES  325 

We  want  to  know  whether  there  is  any  system  here, 
as  you  have  claimed,  or  whether  we  have  got  to  find 
some  other  system.  But  we  are  here  as  Trustees  and 
conservers  of  the  spiritual  welfare  of  something  like 
4,000  people,  and  we  are  in  a  position  that  we  must 
know  what  kind  of  food  we  can  give  to  others.  This 
responsibility  rests  on  us,  and  is  it  not  natural  we 
should  know ;  and  we  have  put  these  statements  in  the 
form  of  sworn  statements,  so  that  you  can  see  how  im- 
portant we  think  they  are — there  are  a  number  of  other 
sworn  statements. 

There  are  two  or  three  ways  for  us  to  dispose  of 
this  matter  as  we  see  it.  We  can  find  out  by  publish- 
ing the  facts  in  "Life  and  Action' '  and  asking  every 
person  who  ever  contributed  to  you  to  let  us  know  the 
amount  as  well  as  the  circumstances,  and  in  this  way 
find  out  if  legally  as  well  as  morally  you  are  account- 
able. 

We  can  find  out  how  much  of  that  money  has  passed 
through  your  hands.  We  know  the  Banks  in  which 
your  funds  have  been  deposited.  I  believe  a  Master 
would  say:  "Here  is  my  bank  account,  here  are  my 
checks ;  this  is  the  most  serious  crisis  of  my  life,  and 
I  am  ready  to  work  with  you  to  a  satisfactory  con- 
clusion of  this  matter,  and  there  is  in  my  heart  no 
feeling  of  hostility,— I  honor  you  for  your  honesty 
of  purpose/ ' 

I  am  honest  in  all  I  have  said,  I  believe  that  Mr. 

H is  honest  in  all  that  he  has  said,  I  believe  that 

Dr.  H is  honest  in  all  he  has  said.    But  we  have 

got  to  know.    We  cannot  tell  other  people  who  have 


326 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

a  right  to  know,  that  things  are  all  right,  when  they 
are  all  wrong. 

If,  after  every  opportunity  that  has  been  given, 
and  after  our  urging  as  we  have  urged,  and  as  we 
now  urge  you  to  clear  up  this  situation,  you  do  not  do 
it,  we  will  be  forced  to  say:  "Things  are  all  wrong, 
Uncle  John  is  all  wrong,  he  has  had  the  opportunity 
and  he  has  declined  to  take  it." 

I  SAY  TO  YOU  NOW  THAT  I  REALIZE  THAT 
EXPOSURE  WILL  BE  THE  DEATH  OF  THIS 
WORK,  THE  END  OF  YOUR  REPUTATION  AND 
PERHAPS  THE  END  OF  YOUR  LIBERTY,  and  I 

think  there  is  no  other  way  than  for  you  to  tell  us  the 
truth,  and  set  our  feet  on  bed-rock,  spiritually  and 
financially. 

Could  I  do  anything  else, — could  we  have  come  to 
you  in  any  other  spirit  than  we  have  come, — could  we 
ask  you  to  do  any  other  thing  than  we  have  asked  you 
to  do?  If  there  is,  we  will  be  glad  to  know  it.  But  as 
business  men,  as  men  whose  intelligence  has  been 
trained,  perhaps,  in  advance  of  their  spiritual  develop- 
ment, we  feel  the  only  thing  is  for  you  to  tell  us  the 
facts  back  of  this.  This  then  is  worse,  or  ought  to  be 
worse,  than  a  criminal  prosecution,  for  it  deals  with 
your  soul. 


A'.id  to  all  these  serious  charges,  the  "master's"  only  reply 
is  that  he  intends  to  make  no  statement  :  that  any  defense 
he  might  make  would  be  unnecessary  to  his  friends  and  use- 
less to  his  "enemies." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Facts  Suppkessed 

From  the  preceding  chapters  you  will  readily  under- 
stand that  by  June  1st,  when  the  Committee  of  Four 
returned  from  California,  the  Board  of  Trustees  had 
accumulated  considerable  first-hand  knowledge.  They 
knew  nothing  about  the  existence  of  TK's  "  Great 
School,"  or  his  "Masters"  or  "Great  Friends,"  but 
there  were  some  500  students  who  believed  themselves 
students  in  such  a  school,  and  the  question  arose  as 
it  had  arisen  ever  since  April  1,  as  to  what,  if  any, 
information  and  facts  should  be  given  these  students. 
Should  they  be  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  true  situation 
or  should  they  be  told  the  truth?  Silence  or  knowl- 
edge— Bondage  or  Liberty — Darkness  or  Light? 

The  majority  of  the  Board  took  the  stand  that  no 
statement  whatever  giving  the  true  situation  should 
be  made.  Some  insisted  that  none  of  the  facts  should 
be  given  out — even  to  the  Chicago  students. 

1.  The  "work"  should  go  on. 

2.  The  student  body  and  the  world  should  be  left 
to  believe  that  TK  was  a  real  master. 

3.  That  all  his  tales  were  true. 

4.  That  he  possessed  genuine  spiritual  powers. 

5.  That  his  teachings  and  claims  had  been  demon- 
strated. 

&    That  his  record  was  clean. 

327 


328 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

TK's  students  and  readers  already  believed  every- 
thing he  had  written — believed  him  to  be  a  "master." 
Let  them  go  on  believing  it!  Why  tell  them  the 
Truth?    Let  the  students  reason  this  way: 

"These  Trustees  are  all  Ethical  Students;  they  are 
our  true  Friends,  they  are  all  Masons ;  as  a  matter  of 
Principle  and  Personal  Besponsibility,  they  would  tell 
us  immediately  if  everything  were  not  all  right.  They 
would  not  leave  us  to  believe  a  thing  that  they  know 
to  be  untrue.  If  TK  were  not  a  real  master,  if  his 
claims  were  not  all  verified  and  proven, — if  his  * '  Great 
School"  were  all  a  myth,  these  men  would  not  rest  a 
single  day  until  every  student  is  told  the  simple 
truth.' ' 

#     #     *     #     # 

Here  the  writer  wishes  to  record  that  only  one  man 
of  the  entire  Board  of  Trustees,  the  President,  stood 
for  giving  a  knowledge  of  all  these  facts  to  even  the 
Chicago  students. 

This  gentleman  took  the  stand  and  insisted  from  the 
beginning  that  not  only  the  Chicago  students,  but 
every  student  and  applicant,  and  every  man  and 
woman  who  had  ever  been  a  student  were  just 
as  entitled  to  the  truth  as  the  Trustees.  And 
regardless  of  all  arguments  and  efforts  on  the  side  of 
suppressing  and  covering  up  the  facts,  and  without  the 
consent  and  co-operation  of  the  Board,  he  called  a 
meeting  of  all  the  Chicago  students,  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  return  of  the  Committee  from  California, 
and  gave  to  them  a  detailed  and  complete  report  of 
the  whole  situation. 


THE  FACTS  SUPPRESSED  329 


And  not  one  student  but  felt  profoundly  grateful 
for  being  permitted  to  know  the  facts,  and  so  far  as 
Chicago  students  were  concerned,  the  " Great  School' ' 
myth  vanished  then  and  there,  and  in  its  place 
TRUTH  came  to  open  other  and  wider  realms  of 
Knowledge,  Service  and  Love. 


But  the  Trustees  were  still  left  with  a  "  Great 
School" — outside  of  Chicago, — students  who  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  situation, — who  still  believed;  still 
toiled  over  the  3,800  and  "57  varieties''  of  "Questions 
on  Natural  Science," — still  struggled  over  the  "Test" 
Course  and  the  TK's  little  Ethical  Puzzles. 

Could  the  "Great  Work"  be  carried  on? 

The  Text  Books  talked  of  a  "master,"  of  "Great 
Masters,"  "Great  Friends,"  of  "scientific  demonstra- 
tions," of  "records"  and  "proofs"  and  "evidences" 
— but  all  these  had  now  vanished — or  had  they  ever 
existed? 


What  information,  if  amy,  should  be  given  to  the 
students  outside  of  Chicago!  To  applicants,  and  Sub- 
scribers 1 

Upon  all  these  questions  the  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  persistently  and  faithfully  maintained  thai 
enuf  of  the  known  facts  should  be  given  out  to  enable 
all  students,  applicants  and  readers  to  judge  the  mat- 
ter for  themselves  and  thus  readjust  their  lives  to  the 
Truth. 


330  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Month  after  month  he  tried  to  secure  the  co-opera- 
tion of  the  Trustees,  but  the  majority  held  out  against 
what  to  him  seemed  to  be  the  only  right,  just  and 
kindly  thing  to  do  under  the  circumstances. 

At  last,  convinced  that  the  Trustees  meant  to  delib- 
erately suppress  the  facts  and  that  they  had  no  inten- 
tion of  ever  making  any  satisfactory  statement  regard- 
ing the  true  situation,  he  resigned  from  the  Presidency 
of  the  Board,  and  at  great  personal  expense  of  time 
and  money,  prepared  and  mailed  to  all  students  whose 
address  he  could  obtain,  the  letter  which  follows ; 


CHAPTER  XXX 

"The  Tbuth  Shall  Make  You  Free," 

A  Letter  by  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 

A  copy  of  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  every 
"Accepted  Student"  in  "The  School  of  Natural  Sci- 
ence" or  "The  Great  School,"  so-called,  as  far  as  it 
was  possible  to  reach  them. 

Oak  Park,  111. 
November,  1916. 

Dear  Friend: — This  letter  contains  information  to 
which  you  as  an  accepted  Student  are  clearly  entitled, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  this  information  is  of  as 
far  reaching  importance  to  you  as  it  is  to  me  or  any 
other  Student  or  "Friend  of  the  Work."  Because  of 
this  tremendous  importance  you  owe  it  to  yourself  to 
read  this  letter  at  a  time  when  you  are  free  from  in- 
trusion for  at  least  an  hour. 

I  shall  do  my  best  to  make  the  statements,  which  I 
feel  I  owe  you,  in  clear  and  simple  language,  without 
exaggerations  or  embellishments ;  and  I  shall  give  you 
every  opportunity  possible  to  investigate  for  your- 
self. 

Only  about  ten  per  cent  of  the  Students  had  first 
hand  information,  but  even  that  was  only  "from  mouth 
to  ear"  and  long  since  must  have  been  blurred  and 
dimmed.  All  the  rest  of  the  Students,  and  all  the 
"Applicants"  and  "Friends  of  the  Work"  have  re- 
ceived no  official  information  whatsoever.    Whatever 

331 


332  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

information  may  have  come  to  them,  must  have  come 
in  the  form  of  disquieting  rumors,  which  leave  the  un- 
happy recipients  suspended  in  the  midst  of  doubt,  un- 
certainty and  apprehension  without  giving  them  the 
means  so  necessary  for  the  re-establishment  of  equi- 
librium. 

That  body  of  men,  who  were  given  the  legal  l '  right, 
power  and  authority/  -  and  who  thereby  and  at  the 
same  time  assumed  grave  obligations  to  all  those  who 
are  as  vitally  interested  in  "The  Work"  as  they  are 
themselves  (or  ought  to  be),  utterly  failed  in  their 
duty  because  the  majority  of  them,  for  reasons  of 
their  own,  denied  the  Students  "the  right  to  know." 
It  is  because  of  their  failure,  as  a  body,  to  do  justice 
by  the  Students,  that  this  duty  falls  heavily  upon  one 
who,  through  personal  contact  and  correspondence,  has 
been  in  closest  touch  with  the  largest  number  of  Stu- 
dents, namely,  the  writer  of  this  letter.  He  is  not 
going  to  shirk  his  duty,  however  severely  and  unjustly 
he  may  be  criticised  for  discharging  it.  He  shall  face 
the  storm  of  criticism  and  abuse,  or  worse,  which  is 
bound  to  break  loose  from  certain  quarters,  with  the 
serenity  of  mind  and  tranquility  of  Soul,  which  are 
the  priceless  and  indestructible  reward  of  an  approv- 
ing conscience. 

To  those  who  have  had  no  warning,  in  the  form  of 
rumors  or  otherwise,  this  letter  will  prove  a  severe 
shock;  for  a  while  it  may  even  seem  to  sweep  away 
the  very  foundation  from  under  their  feet.  I  sincerely 
wish  I  could  spare  them  this  blow,  or  even  soften  it, 
but  I  have  been  unable  to  find  a  better  way  or  a  better 
method  than  the  straight,  unvarnished  statement  of 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  333 

facts,  which,  I  am  satisfied  will  in  the  end  prove  the 
least  harmful  and  the  most  constructive. 

It  is  more  than  13  years  since  I  first  came  in  touch 
with  "The  Harmonic  Series' '  and  more  than  eight  of 
those  years  just  passed,  I  have  devoted  exclusively  to 
what  I  believed  to  be  "The  Great  Work."  During 
those  eight  years  and  more,  I  gave,  without  reserve, 
of  my  time  and  material  possessions  and  neglected  my 
personal  affairs  and  my  chemical  work,  which  I  love, 
for  the  sake  of  the  work  of  Instruction  and  Corre- 
spondence, for  which  I  have  no  natural  inclination  and 
which  therefore  placed  tremendous  difficulties  and  ob- 
stacles in  my  path.  But  I  was  willing  and  eager  to 
give  the  best  that  was  in  me,  to  the  Great  Cause  of 
Humanity,  which  I  believed  was  most  ideally  repre- 
sented by  "The  Great  School"  and  its  "Sole  Repre- 
sentative," Mr.  John  E.  Richardson,  more  familiarly 
known  to  you  as  the  "TK,"  or  "Dr.  E.  J.  St.  John." 

During  my  activities  in  this  connection  I  came  in 
close  personal  contact  with  hundreds  of  the  Students, 
and  through  correspondence,  as  the  head  of  "The  De- 
partments of  Instruction  and  Correspondence,"  with 
almost,  if  not  quite,  all  of  you. 

While  that  work  was  exceedingly  difficult,  for  me, 
and  at  times  almost  overwhelming,  I  can  truthfully  say 
that  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  my  close  touch  with  so  many 
earnest,  eager  and  kindred  souls.  It  is  because  of  this 
close  relationship,  and  because  of  the  confidence  which 
that  relationship  established,  that  I  feel  so  keenly  the 
duty  which  I  owe  to  you,  my  Friends  and  Fellow  Vic- 
tims, namely,  to  bring  to  your  attention  the  facts  to 


334  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

which  I  have  been  leading  you  and  which  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

1.  During  a  severe  attack  of  Pneumonia,  from 
which  his  physician  did  not  expect  him  to  recover,  and 
in  the  presence  of  eight  or  nine  witnesses,  one  of  whom 
was  the  writer  of  this  letter,  the  TK  stated  that  he 
had  been  taking  "Heroin"  over  a  period  of  nine  years 
or  more.  He  was  at  the  time  evidently  in  intense 
agony  and  demanded  morphine  injections,  threatening 
to  Mil  himself,  unless  he  were  given  relief.  (Heroin 
is  a  Morphine  derivative  or  a  modified  Morphine. 
Chemically  it  is  Diacetyl-Morphine.)  He  explained  the 
use  of  the  narcotic  by  stating  that  it  had  been  pre- 
scribed by  his  old  college  professor  for  intense  pain 
at  the  base  of  the  spine,  and  that  he  did  not  learn 
the  nature  of  the  drug  until  after  the  Harrison  Law 
came  into  effect  in  1915,  when  he  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  reduce  the  dose. 

2.  On  April  3rd,  1916,  in  the  face  of  most  serious 
charges  brought  against  him  by  a  young  girl,  the  TK 
found  it  desirable  to  withdraw  from  all  connection 
with  "The  Work,"  and  whatever  "authority"  he  had 
he  then  transferred  to  seven  Trustees  in  due  and  legal 
form,  to-wit: 

"KNOW  ALL  MEN  BY  THESE  PRESENTS,  That,  hav- 
ing found  it  necessary  to  withdraw  from  any  further  active 
participation  in  the  Work  of  the  Great  School,  or  the  School  of 
Natural  Science,  so-called,  in  America,  and  wherever  else 
my  connections  with  such  Work  may  extend;  and,  reposing 
full  trust  and  confidence  in  the  integrity  and  ability  of 
(here  follow  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  seven  trustees, 
which  for  obvious  reasons  I  have  omitted. — H.  H.)  I  do  freely 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  335 

and  voluntarily  give,  grant  and  turn  over  to  said  (the  seven 
names  are  again  omitted.H.  H.)  and  each  of  them,  equally, 
and  to  their,  and  each  of  their,  successors,  the  unlimited 
and  exclusive  right,  power  and  authority  to  manage,  guide, 
control  and  direct  each  and  all  of  the  activities  of  said  Great 
School  in  America,  and  elsewhere,  as  above  mentioned,  to  the 
same  extent,  within  the  limits  of  their  ability,  as  I  have 
heretofore  done,  they  to  hold  and  exercise  said  powers  IN 
TRUST  AND  AS  TRUSTEES,  in  such  manner  as  to  them 
shall  seem  best  and  most  fitting,  for  the  sole  benefit  and  be- 
hoof of  such  Great  School  and  its  Work,  as  aforesaid. 

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  at  the  Village  of  Oconomowoc,  in  said  County,  the 
Third  day  of  April,  1916. 

Witness :  John  E.  Richardson,  L.  5. 

H.  G.  S. 

Geo.  E.  Robinson, 

State  of  Wisconsin,  ss. 

County  of  Waukesha. 

On  this  Third  day  of  April,  1916,  before  me,  a  Notary 
Public  within  and  for  said  County  and  State,  personally  ap- 
peared John  E.  Richardson,  to  ma  known  to  be  the  same  per- 
son named  in,  and  who  signed,  the  foregoing  instrument,  and 
acknowledged  the  same  to  be  his  free  act  and  deed. 

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  the  day  and  year  last  above  written. 

Geo.  E.  Robinson. 

Notary  Public,  Waukesha  County,  Wisconsin.  My  Com- 
mission expires  July,  1,  1917.' ' 

This  document  was  to  be  published  in  "Life  and  Ac- 
tion* '  together  with  an  " explanation' '  written  by  the 
TK  himself: 


336  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

THE  "EXPLANATION" 
By  TK. 

"To  Students  and  Friends  of  the  Work: 

As  a  brief  explanation  of  the  preceding  document,  let  me 
add,  that  for  more  than  thirty  years  I  have  labored  for  the 
establishment  of  the  Great  Work  in  America;  and  to-day  I 
am  able  to  realize  that  my  efforts  and  those  of  the  willing  and 
earnest  Students  and  Friends  who  have*  been  my  helpers, 
have  not  been  in  vain. 

The  Work  is  established. 

In  each  of  the  several  departments,  including  the  Indo- 
American  Book  Co.,  the-  Correspondence  Department,  the 
League  of  Visible  Helpers,  and  Edgemoor  Sanitarium,  trained 
and  educated  Students  are  in  active  charge  and  these  are  in 
every  way  capable  of  discharging  to  the  School  and  the 
Work  the  responsibilities  that  shall  rest  upon  them. 

In  view  of  these  facts  and  conditions  it  is  now  possible 
for  me,  as  well  as  expedient,  to  withdraw  from  all  further 
active  participation  in  the  management  of  the*  Work,  and 
give  my  remaining  time  and  efforts  to  long  neglected  lines  of 
collateral  and  supplemental  work,  which  otherwise  never 
could  be  accomplished. 

In  doing  this,  however,  it  is  understood  that  insofar  as 
health  and  time  will  permit,  I  shall  hold  myself  ready  and 
willing  to  render  any  help  possible-  to  the  Friends  above 
named  who  are  relieving  me  of  the. 'duties  above  referred  to. 

To  simplify  the  work  and  relieve  me  of  added  burdens, 
let  me  ask  all  who  read  this  announcement,  to  address  all 
communications  for  the  instruction  and  correspondence  de- 
partment to  H H ,  Oak  Park,  111.    Those  concerning 

books  and  other  literature,  to  Indo- American  Book  Co.,  5705 
South  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. ;  those  for  the  League,  to 
League  of  Visible  Helpers,  care  President,  Oak  Park,  111. 
(except  remittances  which  should  go  to  the  League  of  Vis- 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  337 

ible  Helpers,  in  care  of  Dr.  J.  L H ,  Treas.,  Chicago, 

111.)  ;  and  those  for  the  Sanitarium,  to  Edgemoor  Sanitarium, 
Oconomowoc,  Wis. 

I  earnestly  hope  this  disposition  of  the  Work  of  the 
School  will  result  in  great  good  to  the  School  and  the  Cause 
everywhere,  and  that  the  impulse  toward  success  will  increase 
as  the  years  go  by,  and  that  every  Student  and  Friend  will 
have  a  share  in  that  success." 

Witness:     H.  G.  S.  John  E.  Richardson. 

This  so-called  explanation  was  found  to  be  entirely 
misleading  and  could  not  be  published  without  further 
explanations,  which  would  have  called  forth  a  flood 
of  inquiry  which  the  majority  of  the  Trustees  were 
neither  prepared  nor  willing  to  satisfy. 

3.  The  TK  is  said  to  have  had  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  "Affinities.'' 

I  have  seen  the  written  statement  of  two  girls  de- 
scribing in  detail  their  intimate  relations  with  him.  I 
have  seen  also  the  affidavits  of  two  women  and  four 
men,  (all  students)  to  the  effect  that  a  third  girl 
entered  his  room  night  after  night  between  about  8 
and  10  p.  m.  and  did  not  leave  it  until  about  5  in  the 
morning. 

I  have  repeatedly  heard  two  " Friends' '  make  the 
statement  that  this  third  girl  told  them  that  she,  and 
not  "R.  A."  was  "TK's"  Soul  mate. 

I  have  it  on  reliable  authority  that  a  fourth  woman 
made  the  same  statement. 

I  heard  a  fifth  woman  twice  make  the  positive  state- 
ment that  soon  after  the  "RA's"  death  she  was  ap- 
proached by  the  TK  along  the  same  (affinity)  lines. 

And  there  are  still  further  unmistakable  indications, 
strongly  pointing  in  definite  directions, 


338  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

It  is  known  that  with  one  of  his  "Affinities"  the 
"TK"  traveled  across  the  continent,  occupying  the 
same  drawing  room  with  her,  the  door  of  which  was 
locked  during  the  nights.  When  confronted  with  this 
charge,  he  tried  to  excuse  himself  by  saying  that  such 
a  thing  was  quite  customary,  and  he  volunteered  the 
information  that  he  and  a  woman  whose  name  he 
mentioned,  when  traveling  together  to  Mackinac  Island, 
occupied  the  same  state-room. 

Lest  the  innocent  suffer  because  of  the  folly  of  a 
few,  it  would  be  but  an  exemplification  of  ordinary 
charity  for  all  of  us  to  refrain  from  speculating  as  to 
the  identity  of  these  unfortunate  victims. 

Great  injustice  and  injury  already  has  been  done 
to  at  least  one  of  our  young  and  attractive  lady  friends 
by  the  open  questioning  of  her  relations  with  the  TK 
on  the  part  of  at  least  one  "Friend"  of  her  own  sex. 
There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  young 
Friend  of  ours  was  innocent  of  the  implied  charge,  and 
there  is  no  indication  whatever  for  suspicion.  The 
same  is  true  in  the  cases  of  many  others. 

Therefore,  agam,  let  us  be  charitable  toward  the 
guilty  and  innocent  alike,  a/nd  refram  from  useless  and 
harmful  speculation. 

4.  On  April  6,  1916,  in  the  presence  of  the  writer 
and  other  witnesses,  but  without  their  approval,  the 
TK  married  a  girl  about  40  years  his  junior,  in  the 
Court  House  of  Chicago,  111. 

5.  His  letters  contain  many  untrue,  contradictory 
and  misleading  statements;  of  which  these  few  sam- 
ples are  characteristic: 


THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE' 


339 


Letter  from  TK  to  C.  B.  Oct. 
19,    1914: 

"The  Book  Co.  is  now  my  only 
source  of  income  and  at  present, 
it  is  only  just  'paying  expenses  of 
the  office  force." 

Letter  TK  to  W.  J.  C.  Jan.  3, 
1915: 

"The  Book  Co.  is  the  only 
source  of  income  in  all  the  world 
at  present  and  that  is  of  a  most 
uncertain  nature.  It  has  a  little 
more  than  paid  expenses  the  last 
six  months.' ' 


In  a  letter  dated  1/22/1915,  TK 
wrote: — "My  income  is  a  large 
one,  over  $20,000  last  year"     .     . 

In  Mr.  Crane's  financial  report 
to  the  TK  of  the  I.  A.  B.  Co.  from 
Jan.  1st  1914  to  Jan.  1st  1915  we 
find  this: 
' ■  Increase     value     of 

•books    $3,801.90 

Cash  dividend    5,500.00 

Total    dividend    .$9,301.90 

Deduct  difference  in  Bank 

Balance   of    353.39 

Leaves    a    dividend    for 

year   of   1914  of    $8,948,51 

Cash  dividend  paid  to  the 

TK  by  the  I.  A.  B.  Co. 

during    the   year    1913 

was    $6,000.00 

During  1915  it  was $7,500.00 


Letter  TK  to  C.  L.  July  20, 
1912: 

" 1   have    so   provided   that 

all  the  material  help  from  Stu- 
dents and  those  IN  the  Work  is 
placed  in  a  TRUST  FUND  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Great  Work  in 
America.     To   guard   every  point, 

Inhad  Mr.  ,  one  of  the  ablest 

lawyers  in  Chicago,  draw  the 
Trust  Agreement  so  that  it  is 
self -perpetuating  in  the  event  of 
my  death.' ' 

"Every  dollar  that  has  come  to 
me — including  my  own  personal 
means — has  gone  into  this  Trust 
Fund — and  it  is  from  this  that  I 
am  carrying  forward  this  entire 
Movement. ' » 


The  Truth  in  the  matter  is 
this: 

The  Trust  Agreement  is  dated 
Aug.  1st,  1908  and  as  a  conse- 
quence of  that  agreement  John 
E.  Richardson  deposited  with  the 
Savings  Dept.  of  the  Illinois 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  Chicago, 
111.,  on  Aug.  4,  1908  $50,316.97 
and  on  Aug.  5,  1908  $10,018.49. 

After  Aug.  5th,  1908  not  one 
penny  was  added  to  that  Fund 
outside  of  the  regular  Savings  Ac- 
count interest  of  3  per  cent,  which 
usually  was  promptly  withdrawn 
by  the  TK  and  on  July  17,  1914 
the  balance  of  $40,000  was  trans- 
ferred by  the  TK  to  his  Personal 
Savings  Acct.  with  the  same  bank. 


340 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


Letter  TK  to  L.  H.  Sept.  29, 
1913: 

"I  have  established  a  trust 
Fund,  under  the  legal  direction  of 
Mr.  C,  and  ALL  moneys  contrib- 
uted by  students  and  Friends  of 
the  Work,  to  me,  for  the  Work, 
are  placed  in  that  Fund,  and  are 
expended  only  in  accordance  "with 
the  terms  of  the  Trust." 

"The  establishment  of  this 
Trust  Fund,  however,  was  a  vol- 
untary matter  on  my  part;  and 
into  it  I  placed  every  cent  I  had 
at  the  time;  and  into  it  has  gone 
every  cent  I  have  received  since 
then,  over  and  above  actual  ex- 
penses of  living  and  carrying  on 
the  Work.  I  have  a  small  balance 
in  the  Fund  at  present." 

6.  While  simulating  poverty,  he  received,  fivm 
1906  to  1916,  in  the  neighborhood  of  $300,000.  (Three 
Hundred  Thousand  Dollars)  as  far  as  it  has  been  pos- 
sible to  trace  the  " contributions  to  the  Work." 


The  "small  balance"  in  that 
fund  at  that  time  was  $40,000. 
(Forty  Thousand  Dollars.) 


Early  in  May,  1916,  in  the 
presence  of  four  of  the  seven 
Trustees  and  three  other  Students 
the  TK  explained  to  us  in  detail 
how  he  had  spent  every  penny  of 
tihe  "Trust  Fund,"  and  he  stated 
most  emphatically  that  not  a  penny 
of  that  Trust  Fund  was  left  in  his 
possession. 


A  few  days  later,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  only  the  four  Trustees,  the 
TK  stated  "In  the  nature  of  a 
confession"  that  $40,000  of  that 
Trust  Fund  were  still  in  his  pos- 
session. This  statement  was  found 
to  be  true.  At  that  time  the 
$40,000  and  accrued  interest  were 
in  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank,  Chicago,  111.,  in  his  Per- 
sonal Savings  Acct.,  to  which  he 
had  transferred  that  sum  from 
the  "Trust  Fund"  July  17th, 
1914,  and  this  sum  was  paid  over, 
to  the  TK  by  the  bank  in  July, 
1916. 


^>>7 


TK 
His  "GREAT  MASTER"  and  his  "GURU  MASTER' 


Avkxi  i;  JSiaui  Kaxk 

JO-    I   I  .'J 

"■</<,  >/  y  ..  - ) . 

I!  ..  &d%m 

AvivXI  tt  STA'I'K  l^AZS'K 

'',//,.  '///,//.  ////.  -    '  /.0/        ■    is.  '.- 

AVi«;xirK  Statj!)  15a .vk 


JrC|*-*-  14-3 


VV)^  >    lATDO^AfERICA*  BOOK  CO. 

THE  CHlC»O0  CLEARING  r  KjUUt-£4SCi!st.      Af.tAJ.jt^CT 

^  i -  !  ~ ~ £ 


V,  i,r.,,iA,,i,.jfci 


THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE' 


341 


In  a  letter  to  one  of  the  Stu- 
dents, who  the  TK  had  good  rea- 
son to  believe  had  a  considerable 
"Surplus,"  he,  the  TK,  in  his 
subtle  and  effective  way  appealed 
to  the  generous  impulse  by  stat- 
ing that  his  daughter  lhad  been 
found  to  be  severely  ill  and  only 
the  climate  of  California  could 
save  her  life.  He  gave  the  Stu- 
dent to  understand  that  he  was 
"heart  broken"  because  he  could 
do  nothing  to  save  his  beloved 
daughter's  life,  because  all  he  had 
was  $200.00  in  the  Bank.  The 
Friend  so  addressed  immediately 
responded  with  $2,500.00. 


A  number  of  similar  letters 
written  by  the  TK  are  in  existence 
today  and  proved  very  profitable 
for  him. 


The  TK  had  at  that  time  more 
than  $50,000  in  2  banks. 


Among  the  TK's  receipts  and  checks  we  find  these 
illuminating  items  : 


The  contributions  to  the 
"work"  received  by  the  TK  from 
one  Student  alone,  between  1905 
and  1911,  aside  from  smaller 
items,  show  the  following  amounts : 

Dec.  26,  1905    $2,000 

Feb.  21,  1906   1,000 

Apr.  27,  1906   1,000 

June  20,  1906  1,000 

July  26,  1906   1,000 

Nov.  20,  1906   1,000 

Mch.  12,  1907   9,500 

Moh,  18,  1907  1,000 

May     1,  1907  1,000 

May  11,  1907   1,000 

June     3,  1907  20,000 

June  19,  1908   50,000 

June  15,  1911   5,000 

Totaling    $94,500 


The  TK's  checks  to  his  daugh- 
ter, Verna,  between  Jan.  5,  1909 
and  Oct.  9,  1915  aggregate 
$42,945.58,  among  them  is  one  of 
$28,000, — dated  Jan.  21,  1913,  en- 
dorsed by  Verna  and  stamped 
"Paid"  by  Avenue  State  Bank, 
Jan.  22,  1913. 


342 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


In  addition  to  the  $94,500.00  according  to  the  state- 
ments of  one  Bank  alone,  namely,  the  Avenue  State 
Bank,  Oak  Park,  111.,  TK  deposited  there,  between 
May  5, 1909  and  Oct.  11,  1915,  $123,989.68. 

7.  Statements  made  by  him  at  different  occasions 
to  Students,  and  in  his  "  Autobiographical  sketch  of 
the  Life  and  Work  of  John  E.  Richardson' '  are  at 
variance  with  official  records.  His  " Autobiography' ' 
was  written  in  1912  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  there  are 
only  8  copies  in  existence. 

I  shall  place  a  few  quotations  from  this  "Autobi- 
ography," and  the  real  facts  as  we  found  them,  side 
by  side,  and  then  let  you  verify  those  facts  and  com- 
pare them  with  his  statements : 

The  records  of  the  University  of 
Iowa  show  that  John  E.  Rich- 
ardson  was  a  Sub  freshman  in 
1873-74,  1875-76  and  1876-77. 
"He  was  registered  again  within 
the  year  1877-78  as  a  Freshman 
in  the  philosophical  course  of  the 
Collegiate  Department  and  made 
the  following  record:  Freshman 
mathematics  (99),  Virgil  (94), 
International  Law,  2nd  Latin 
(90),  Pros.  Comp.  P'd,  Geometry 
(100)."  He  left  the  University 
in   1878. 

The  ' « Examiner ' »  writes :  ■ '  The 
writer  has  been  connected  with 
the  Examiner  ever  since  it  was 
changed  from  an  evening  to  a 
morning  paper,  Oct.  4,  1880,  and 
the  party  referred  to  in  your  let- 
ter was  never  connected  with  the 
Editorial  Dept.  of  this  paper." 


"'My  college  work  was  along  the 
lines  of  an  independent  course 
and  was  finished  in  1878  without 
degrees  of  any  kind,  but  with  a 
certificate  from  the  President  giv- 
ing me  full  credit  for  all  work 
done,1 — which  covered  most  of  the 
curriculum  of  Law,  Medicine  and 
an  M  A." 


"In  September  of  that  year  I 
bade  her  (his  wife)  a  temporary 
goodbye,  and  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  in  the  political  inter- 
ests of  Gen.  Rosecrans,  I  directed 
the  editorial  policy  of  the  "Ex- 
aminer ' ' — Democratic  organ — for 
one  year  1880  and  1881  and  until 
Rosecrans  withdrew  from  the  race 
for  the  nomination." 


THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE* 


343 


" — I  have  said  nothing  of  the 
years  of  political  activities  and 
ambitions,  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
where  I  became  a  conspicuous 
figure,  and  where  I  undoubtedly 
could  and  would  have  become 
Governor  of  the  great  Common- 
wealth of  California,  had  I  yielded 
to  the  solicitation  of  my  many 
friends — " 


The  chief  of  Police  of  Stockton, 
Oal.  writes:  "Mr.  Bichardson  ran 
for  Superintendent  of  Schools  in 
the  early  '80s  and  was  beaten  by 
George  Ladd  by  one  vote."  This 
is  corroborated  by  another  gentle- 
man in  Stockton,  a  Mr.  B.,  who 
stated  under  oath  that  to  the  best 
of  his  knowledge  this  was  the  ex- 
tent of  "Richie  V  political  ac- 
tivities in  Stockton. 


After  describing  at  length  how  a 
successful  Attorney  in  Stockton, 
Cal.  in  1881  offered  him,  a  total 
stranger,  "an  equal  partnership 
with  him  in  an  established  prac- 
tice that  netted  him  over  $25,000 
annually' '    which    he    reluctantly 

accepted,  he  continues:     " 

and  thus  I  became  a  practicing  At- 
torney,— something  I  had  never 
contemplated  |for  one  moment, 
until  my  first  meeting  with  him,  a 
week  before. " 

"Our  relations,  both  business 
and  personal,  were  of  the  most 
cordial  and  pleasant  nature  and 
without  a  jar  of  any  kind.  Two 
years  later,  1883,  he  withdrew  from 
the  firm,  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  and  left  me  in  full  pos- 
session and  ownership  of  a  profes- 
sional practice  which  he  had  spent 
many  years  in  building  up  and 
which  netted  me  over  $30,000  an- 
nually. " 


The  Attorney's  register  at  the 
Court  House  of  Stockton,  Cal. 
shows  that  John  E.  Bichardson 
and  a  Mr.  Nutter  were  admitted  to 
the  practice  of  Law  on  Nov.  10, 
1885. 

Mr.  Nutter,  now  a  prominent 
practicing  attorney  of  Stockton, 
Cal.,  and  Mr.  B.  (a  former  county 
clerk),  both  of  whom  knew  John 
E.  Bichardson  personally  and 
called  him  "Bichie,"  stated  to 
four  Trustees,  that  until  Nov.  10, 
1885,  John  E.  Bichardson  was 
deputy  county  clerk  and  not  a  prac- 
ticing attorney. 

IMr.  Nutter  stated  that  after 
Nov.  10/1885  he  and  "Bichie" 
went  into  partnership,  which  in 
1886  was  dissolved  because 
* '  Bichie ' '  went  to  Bismarck,  N.  D. 
where,  according  to  Mr.  Nutter,  he 
thought  there  was  a  better  opening 
for  a  young  Attorney. 


344 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


' '  For  some  weeks  continuously 
immediately  prior  to  July  21st, 
1883,  I  had  been  intensely  en- 
gaged in  the  trial  of  an  important 
will  contest  involving  an  estate 
valued  at  about  $1,000,000.  (One 
Million  Dollars). 


"Then  it  was,  that  the  Great 
Master,  H-N-K,  came  to  me  and 
identified  himself,  as  a  'Master' 
and  Inner  Member  of  the  Great 
School.  He  had  come  from  the 
Central  Temple  in  the  fastnesses 
of  the  Himalayas,  in  far-off  In- 
dia." 

"The  Great  'Master  remained 
with  me  in  Stockton  from  July 
21,  1883  to  Aug.  21st,  1884,  dur- 
ing which  time  I  was  with  him  in 
his  room  No.  13  every  day  from  4 
p.  m.  until  late  into  the  night — 
usually  between  1  and  2  the  next 
morning. ' ' 

*  \  As  nearly  as  I  can  estimate,  I 
spent  9  hours  out  of  every  24 — on 
the  average — with  him — receiving 
instruction  and  doing  the  work  he 
laid  out  for  me." 


This  contains  several  misstate- 
ments. The  records  of  the  Court 
House  of  Stockton  show  that  John 
E.  Richardson  in  1883  was  deputy 
county  clerk,  and  was  not  admitted 
to  the  practice  of  Law  until  more 
than  two  years  later,  namely,  Nov. 
10,  1885. 

Furthermore,  the  only  will  con- 
test on  record  there  in  1883, 
bears  a  different  date  and  in- 
volved only  about  $25,000.  There 
is  no  case  on  record  ' '  involving  an 
estate  valued  at  about  $1,000,000. ' ' 

I  ihave  personally  seen  and  ex- 
amined the  records. 

So  far  no  one  has  been  found 
in  Stockton  who  remembered  ever 
having  seen  or  heard  of  an  East 
Indian  in  that  town.  In  such  a 
small  place  as  Stockton  the  pres- 
ence of  a  Hindoo  as  a  guest  of 
the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  over  a 
period  of  13  months  could  hardly 
pass,  unobserved  and  unremem- 
bered. 

In  reply  to  the  question  whether 
Mr.  Richardson  in  1883  and  1884 
had  devoted  daily  from  6  to  9 
hours  in  addition  to  his  regular 
work,  to  studies  of  an  occult  na- 
ture, Mr.  Nutter  replied  that  he 
did  not  see  how  that  could  have 
been  possible  for  the  reason  that 
he  (Nutter)  and  "Richie"  dur- 
ing that  period  studied  Law  to- 
gether in  "Richie's"  home  ev- 
ery day  from  4  to  11  p.  m.  and 
from  5  to  9  a.  m.  From  9  a.  m. 
to  4  p.  m.  they  were  engaged  as 
Deputy  County  Clerks  at  the  Court 
House. 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  345 

8.  In  "The  Great  Psychological  Crime,"  on  page 
383,  last  paragraph,  we  find  the  following  statement: 

"If  such  should  be  the  case,  then  for  your  especial 
benefit  in  this  connection  it  is  here  stated,  for  what 
it  may  be  worth  to  you,  that  under  and  in  accordance 
with  the  exact  methods  of  Natural  Science  six  hundred 
examinations  have  been  made  of  an  equal  number  of 
so-called  insane  inmates  of  one  of  the  leading  insane 
asylums  of  the  country.  Of  the  number  thus  examined 
349  were  found  to  be  in  a  subjective,  psychic  condition, 
under  the  hypnotic  domination  and  control  of  outside 
spiritual  intelligences.  These  were  treated  according 
to  the  diagnoses  in  conformity  with  the  methods  of 
Natural  Science.  The  results  show  349  cures.  In 
other  words,  out  of  the  entire  number  treated  not  a 
single  failure  resulted." 

Time  and  again  the  author  of  that  book  has  stated 
to  Students  that  these  cures  were  accomplished  in  the 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Stockton,  California, 
with  the  assistance  or  co-operation  of  Dr.  Brown,  now 
deceased,  who  was  then  Medical  Superintendent  of 
that  Institution. 

Four  of  the  Trustees  visited  that  Institution  in 
May,  1916,  and  were  unable  to  discover  any  corrobo- 
rative evidence  whatever.  Neither  the  present  Medi- 
cal Superintendent,  Dr.  Fred  Clark,  nor  Mr.  Taylor, 
who  was  Secretary  of  that  Institution  under  Dr. 
Brown,  ever  heard  of  so  large  a  percentage  of  cures, 
and  the  official  records  or  statistics  of  that  institution, 
which  date  back  to  1851,  fail  to  reveal  a  marked  in- 
crease in  cures  of  insanity  at  any  time. 

At  this  point  it  may  be  well  for  all  of  us  to  ask  our- 


346  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

selves  this  question:  Assuming  that  the  official  rec- 
ords of  the  State  Commission  in  Lunacy  of  California 
are  correct  and  reliable,  then  the  TK's  statement  on 
pages  383  and  384  of  the  G.  P.  C.  just  quoted  could 
hardly  be  considered  as  based  upon  facts,  and  if  one 
"exact"  and  scientific  statement  of  a  very  definite 
nature  is  unreliable,  to  say  the  least ;  then  how  much 
credence  are  we  justified  to  give  to  any  statement  in 
the  volumes  of  "The  Harmonic  Series"! 

9.  Edgemoor  Sanitarium  was  officially  closed  July 
1,  1916,  and  returned  to  the  donor,  for  the  reason 
that  the  revelations  of  the  preceding  months  had  re- 
moved the  basis  of  its  existence. 

It  is  but  fair  to  the  Students  to  know  that  no  benefit 
worth  mentioning  resulted  from  that  Institution  to 
anybody  except  the  TK.  To  him  the  generous  con- 
tributions for  that  Institution  meant  a  rich  harvest 
financially,  and  he  took  care  to  withdraw  his  balance 
of  more  than  $6,000.00  just  before  his  re-marriage  and 
departure  for  California. 

10.  And  now,  just  a  few  words  to  dispel  a  false 
rumor  to  the  effect  that  the  TK  had  not  received  a 
square  deal  at  the  hands  of  the  Trustees.  Let  me  say 
with  all  emphasis  possible  that  no  man  in  a  position 
similar  to  the  TK's,  could  have  received  more  courte- 
ous, considerate  and  generous  treatment  than  was 
accorded  to  the  TK.  The  evidence  was  placed  before 
him  in  the  Spirit  of  Kindness,  Consideration  and 
brotherly  Love  and  we  pleaded  with  him  to  tell  us  his 
side  of  the  question,  assuring  him,  that  he  was  among 
true  and  loyal  Friends  who  would  stand  by  him  and 
help  him  to  get  back  upon  the  narrow  path  of  Morality. 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE''  347 

But  he  remained  deaf  to  all  our  pleadings  and  de- 
nied every  charge,  characterizing  some  of  them  as 
11  lies' '  and  some  as  the  result  of  subjective  conditions. 
He  involved  himself  in  many  contradictory  statements. 
One  day  he  told  us  that  he  was  practically  penniless 
and  explained  in  detail  how  he  had  spent  every  dol- 
lar of  the  " Trust  Fund."  A  few  days  later  he  ad- 
mitted that  he  had  about  $18,000  in  his  possession: 
"That  is  all  I  have,  so  help  me  God/'  Still  later  he 
admitted  that  in  addition  to  the  $18,000,  he  had  in  his 
possession  $40,000  of  the  Trust  Fund,  making  a  total 
of  more  than  $58,000. 

And  after  all  the  deliberate  mis-statements  and  con- 
tradictions, at  the  close  of  our  sessions  with  him  at 
949  Galena  Ave.,  Pasadena,  Cal.,  early  in  May,  1916, 
he  stated,  in  reply  to  a  question,  that  he  was  still  a 
"Master"  of  the  Great  School  and  in  full  and  inde- 
pendent possession  and  control  of  all  his  spiritual 
powers,  which  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge,  he  HAD 
NEVER  LOST  FOR  ONE  MOMENT  since  his  initia- 
tion into  the  Great  School  in  Aug.  1884 

Throughout  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  our 
sessions  with  him  at  Edgemoor  and  at  Pasadena,  and 
in  his  interviews  and  letters  with  other  Students,  his 
sole  concern  appeared  to  be  to  shield  himself  without 
showing  the  least  consideration  for,  and  at  the  ex- 
pense of,  other  people,  especially  his  victims. 

He  is  assuming  the  role  of  a  martyr,  who  has  been 
grievously  wronged  by  designing  and  ambitious  men 
at  the  "Center,"  and  has  given  Students  to  under- 
stand that  he  is  going  to  be  back  in  full  authority 
before  long. 


348  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

I  understand  that  he  has  received  "hundreds  of  let- 
ters" from  students  all  over  the  country,  some  of 
which  I  have  seen,  full  of  expressions  of  gratitude,  love 
and  loyalty.  The  writers  of  those  letters  having  had 
nothing  but  the  most  incredible  rumors,  acted  with 
perfect  consistency,  and  are  not  in  the  least  to  blame. 
The  light  of  Truth  and  Knowledge  alone  can  dispel 
the  darkness,  which  breeds  error,  and  protect  against 
imposition. 

In  the  foregoing  I  have  given  to  you,  without  going 
into  unnecessary  details,  the  essential  data  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  enable  you  to  use  your  own  Reason, 
and  I  have  studiously  endeavored  to  avoid  any  expres- 
sions which  might  possibly  cloud  the  issue  or  preju- 
dice the  reader. 

The  revelations  which  I  have  made  to  you  in  this 
letter  did  not  come  all  at  once.  They  were  revealed 
bit  by  bit  in  the  course  of  several  months  and  conse- 
quently my  present  conclusions  were  not  reached 
hastily  but  on  the  contrary,  are  the  result  of  a  slow 
evolutionary  process. 

At  first  I  thought  the  TK  once  really  had  been  a 
" Master,' '  and  at  some  point  in  the  immediate  past 
had  given  way  to  the  pressure  of  evil  influences;  but 
slowly  and  reluctantly  I  was  forced  to  the  conviction 
that  he  never  was  a  " Master,' '  such  as  he  describes  in 
"The  Great  Work." 

At  this  point  will  naturally  arise  in  your  mind  a  few 
questions  such  as  these:  If  he  never  was  a  "Master," 
how  can  you  explain  his  writings,  which  surely  are  a 
lucid  presentation  of  the  loftiest  principles  and  ideals 
of  the  human  Soul?    How  is  it  possible  for  any  man  to 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE''  349 

write  "The  Great  Psychological  Crime,"  "The  Great 
Work,"  "The  Spirit  of  the  Work,"  the  12th  chapter 
of  "The  Gay  Gnani  of  Gingalee,"  entitled  "The 
Wages  of  Sin  Is  Death,"  and  at  the  same  time  secretly 
live  the  very  life  which  he  so  forcefully  condemned, 
and  violate  every  Moral  Principle  which  he  so  elo- 
quently preached? 

These  very  same  questions  have  been  turned  over  in 
my  own  mind  time  and  again,  but  I  have  as  yet  found 
no  conclusive  answer. 

I  can  see  but  four  causes  leading  to  such  a  life, 
namely,  paranoia,  general  moral  depravity,  subjec- 
tivity or  any  combination  of  these. 

As  to  the  "Technical  Work,"  I  have  been  driven 
to  the  conviction  that  it  is  a  subjective,  psychic  pro- 
cess and  consequently  not  dependent  upon  Morality. 

My  conviction  is  based  upon  the  following  experi- 
ences : 

A.  In  1909,  under  the  direction  of  the  then  only 
Student  who  had  been  doing  Technical  Work,  I  de- 
voted six  days  to  that  work,  and  during  those  days  had 
the  experiences  described  in  chapter  23  of  the  "Great 
Work,"  with  these  exceptions :  As  far  as  I  now  recall 
I  never  saw  red,  orange,  yellow  or  green,  nor  the  in- 
tense white  light  following  the  violet.  The  only  colors 
I  ever  saw  were  blue,  indigo,  violet  and  the  ' i  resolving 
color"  (a  smoky,  reddish-brown). 

Later  I  continued  the  Technical  Work  alone,  for  sev- 
eral months,  devoting  to  it  about  one  hour  out  of  every 
twenty-four,  and  although  I  had  a  few  glimpses  of 
what  appeared  to  be  individuals,  the  effort  was  so 
great  and  the  results  so  meager  in  comparison  (due 


350  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

to  difficulties  within  myself,  I  was  told),  that  I  felt 
I  could  not  afford  to  take  the  time  of  "The  Great 
Friends' '  (a  large  number  of  whom  the  TK  said  al- 
ways assist  the  Student  in  the  T.  W.)  without  first  im- 
proving myself.  A  few  years  later,  in  1912, 1  earnestly 
tried  again  for  a  few  months,  but  with  even  less  satis- 
factory results  than  in  1909,  in  spite  of  the  most  de- 
termined efforts  on  my  part. 

Since  that  time  I  have  seen  absolutely  nothing  worth 
mentioning  outside  of  the  purely  physical,  notwith- 
standing the  most  sincere  unremitting  efforts  to  "Live 
the  Life,"  improve  myself  and  serve  my  Fellowmen. 
At  that  time  I  ascribed  my  seeming  lack  of  success  in 
the  T.  W.  to  unpreparedness  on  my  part.  Whether 
the  individuals  I  saw  during  the  T.  W.  were  real  peo- 
ple or  mere  pictures  projected  upon  my  mind,  or  any- 
thing else,  I  am,  of  course,  now  unable  to  tell.  While 
they  appeared  to  be  real  and  tangible,  almost  physical, 
/  never  saw  them  move.  At  that  time  I  accepted  the 
TK's  statements;  now,  of  course  I  am  seriously  in 
doubt  as  to  the  nature  of  my  experiences. 

B.  A  number  of  the  Students,  among  them  some 
who  had  not  had  any  of  the  Courses  of  Instruction  and 
just  started  on  the  First  General  Examination,  saw 
the  colors  of  the  "Magnetic  Field,"  and  had  other  un- 
usual experiences;  and  I  know  that  the  attitude  of 
Soul,  of  some  of  them  was  not  constructive,  nor  were 
they  "Living  the  Life,"  as  was  proven  after  "The 
Great  Expose,"  or  "The  Great  Awakening." 

You  will  ask,  and  with  perfect  justice:  Why  is  it 
that  these  astounding  revelations  have  been  kept  secret 
for  more  than  eight  months  from  me,  an  accepted 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE''  351 

Student,  who  is  as  vitally  interested  as  yourself  or 
any  other  Student,  and  who  has  sacrificed  time,  posi- 
tion, money  and,  perhaps,  his  happiness ;  all  of  which 
he  might  have  employed  to  greater  advantage  else- 
where? 

This  is  my  answer:  As  one  of  the  seven  Trustees, 
and  as  the  President  of  that  Board,  I  urged  from  the 
very  beginning  that  the  Board  send  to  every  accepted 
Student  a  statement  of  facts  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  verify  their  truth  and  to  draw  his  own  intelligent 
conclusion. 

At  first  the  majority  of  the  Board  refused  to  give 
any  information  whatsoever  to  anyone  whomsoever 
outside  the  mere  verbal  statement  of  the  fact  that  the 
TK  had  withdrawn  from  the  work  because  of  im- 
morality. Later  a  few  minor  concessions  were  made, 
and  finally,  under  the  pressure  of  my  insistence,  they 
reluctantly  agreed,  that  a  number  of  facts  should  be 
given,  but  only  from  mouth  to  ear.  As  a  result,  today, 
more  than  eight  months  after  the  first  revelations  came 
to  our  attention,  only  about  10  percent  of  the  accepted 
Students  have  officially  received  the  facts  and  seen 
some  of  the  evidence. 

Only  when  I  had  exhausted  all  of  my  resources  and 
became  convinced  that  my  usefulness  as  a  Trustee  was 
at  an  end  did  I  take  the  next  logical  step  and  resigned 
as  President  and  as  a  member  of  the  Board,  sending 
to  every  member  a  duplicate  letter,  which  reads  as  fol- 
lows: 


352  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Oak  Park,  111.,  November  1st,  1916. 

To  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  "The  Great  School"  (so-called) 

and  to  each  member  thereof. 

Gentlemen: — I  hereby  tender  my  resignation  as  member 
and  president  of  this  Board,  to  take  effect  at  once. 

My  reasons  for  taking  this  step  are  as  follows : 

1.  In  the  light  of  my  present  knowledge  I  can  no  longer 
maintain,  defend  and  protect  with  earnestness,  zeal  and  loy- 
alty the  constructive  success  and  prosperity  of  the  said  { "  Great 
Work  in  America"  for  the  reason  that  I  found  it  to  be  based 
upon  fraud, 

2.  The  attitude  and  action,  as  well  as  the  inaction  of  a 
majority  of  the  trustees  regarding  the  rights  of  the  Instruc- 
tors, Students,  Applicants  and  "Friends  of  the  Work"  in 
matters  of  such  vital  importance  as  the  revelations  of  the  last 
seven  months,  has  been  from  the  beginning  and  is  now  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  Principle  of  Equity,  Justice  and 
Right,  as  that  Principle  appears  to  me.  More  than  seven 
months  ago  the  supposed  "Master"  TK  was  exposed,  and  to- 
day only  about  one-tenth  of  the  number  of  Students  have 
received  an  authoritative  statement  of  some  of  the  facts. 
About  nine-tenths  of  the  Students  and  ail  of  the  Applicants, 
"Friends  of  the  Work,"  and  readers  of  "the  books,"  num- 
bering many  thousands,  are  officially  still  in  ignorance  and 
are  still  sacrificing  time,  money,  opportunity,  health  and  hap- 
piness in  the  pursuit  of  an  ideal  which  the  TRUSTEES 
KNOW  TO  BE  A  FRAUD. 

3.  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  trustees,  August  30,  1916, 
the  majority  of  the  trustees  stated  that  they  cannot  and  will 
not  continue  as  trustees  and  it  was  decided  to  dissolve  the 
trust,  close  up  "the  Work,"  and  with  the  co-operation  of  Mr. 
J.  E.  Richardson,  distribute  the  assets.  To  the  present  day, 
November  1st,  1916,  no  further  action  has  been  taken. 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE   YOU  FREE"  353 

I  have  been  unable  to  get  the  trustees  together  for  action. 

My  efforts  to  get  action  through  correspondence  have  failed 
because  only  one  of  the  trustees  responded.  All  the  rest  of 
them  have  not  even  found  it  necessary  to  acknowledge  receipt 
of  the  legal  documents  sent  them  for  approval  or  criticism. 

4.  There  appears  to  be  a  conspiracy  on  the  part  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  trustees  to  hamper  and  defeat  the  efforts  of  the 
President  of  the  Board  to  obtain  action  in  the  interest  of 
Justice  and  fair  play,  and  to  force  his  resignation.  At  least, 
I  can  place  no  other  construction  on  the  facts  that: 

a.  Official  and  private  communications  by  the  President 
are  completely  ignored. 

b.  His  efforts  to  get  the  trustees  together  of  late  have 
been  fruitless. 

c.  When  he  succeeded  in  getting  four  of  the  remaining 
five  trustees  together  (two  having  resigned),  two  of  them 
claimed  there  was  no  " quorum"  basing  their  claim  upon  a 
large  written  array  of  legal  "precedents,"  and  consequently 
nothing  was  accomplished.  This  matter  of  "no  'quorum,'  " 
however,  did  not  prevent  three  of  these  four  trustees  a  short 
time  later  to  take  legal  steps  of  a  rather  drastic  and  far-reach- 
ing nature,  which  throws  a  peculiar  light  upon  their  sense  of 
proportion,  justice  and  consistency.  I  have  reference  to  the 
following  incident:  * 

d.  In  the  early  morning  of  Friday,  October  6th,  1916 
(before  7  o'clock,  I  was  told),  Mr.  J.  C.  McC,  one  of  the  trus- 
tees, in  my  absence  and  without  my  knowledge,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  correspondence,  papers,  documents,  furniture,  etc., 
of  the  department  of  Instruction  and  Correspondence  at 
"234,"  of  which  I  had  been  in  charge  for  more  than  18 
months,  and  placed  them  in  storage.  This  strange  act  on  the 
part  of  a  minority  of  the  trustees,  arbitrarily  closed  the 
department  of  Correspondence  and  Instruction  without  giving 
any  explanations  to  the  Instructors,  Students,  Applicants  and 


354  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Friends  of  the  Work"  and  relieved  me  of  all  responsibility 
in  connection  therewith. 


Had  I  followed  my  personal  wishes,  desires  and  inclinations 
in  the  matter,  I  would  have  resigned  long  ago;  it  was  only 
my  sense  of  duty  and  my  obligation  to  the  many  Students 
and  "Friends  of  the  Work"  which  kept  me  from  doing  so 
at  the  continued  sacrifice  and  neglect  of  my  personal  interests 
and  affairs. 

Now,  however,  matters  have  reached  a  point  where  I  can 
no  longer  continue  as  a  trustee  and  at  the  same  time  retain 
my  own  Self -Respect. 

Henceforth  I  shall  pursue  my  own  path,  guided  by  my  own 
Reason  and  Conscience,  and  in  line  with  my  own  sense  of 
Equity,  Justice  and  Right. 

If  I  have  unintentionally  harmed  or  wounded  any  member 
of  the  Board,  I  sincerely  ask  his  pardon. 

If  I  have  been  too  frank  and  too  direct  in  words  and  acts 
to  be  agreeable  to  some  of  the  members,  I  hope  they  are  big 
enough  and  broad  enough  to  ignore  personal  feelings  in  the 
presence  of  matters  of  almost  infinitely  greater  importance. 

For  any  courtesies  extended  to  me  by  tjhe  members  of  the 
Board  I  shall  always  remain  profoundly  grateful. 

The  discourtesies  are  forgiven  and,  I  hope,  will  soon  be 
forgotten. 

Sincerely, 

H.  H. 

To  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  any  misunderstanding,  and 
resulting  injury  to  members  of  the  Board,  I  desire  to  express 
my  belief  that  every  member  of  that  Board  did  the  best 
according  to  his  capacity  and  his  knowledge  of  the  internal 
affairs  of  "the  Work."  We  all  are  human  and  full  of  faults, 
and  it  would  be  unfair  and  foolish  to  expect  perfection  of 
imperfect  beings.    I  am  seriously  in  doubt  whether  any  other 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  355 

seven  students  would  have  done  better,  considering  the  gigan- 
tic problems  confronting  them. 

Immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  my  letter  of  resig- 
nation by  the  Vice  President,  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
was  called  by  him  for  the  following  morning,  Sunday, 
Nov.  5th,  but  so  far  as  I  have  heard,  not  being  present 
myself,  nothing  of  consequence  was  accomplished. 

On  Nov.  17th  another  informal  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  was  held  in  Cincinnati  at  which  I  was 
present  upon  invitation,  because  there  seemed  to  be  a 
reasonable  prospect  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  reso- 
lutions adopted  by  the  Board  August  30th  to  the 
effect : 

1.  That  the  TK  be  called  into  conference  as  soon 
as  possible. 

2.  That  his  written  consent  be  obtained  to  closing 
up  the  Work  so  far  as  his  and  our  official  connection 
with  it  is  concerned,  having  due  regard  to  the  wishes 
of  the  Students  with  reference  to  such  continuance  in 
the  Work  as  they  may  wish  to  make. 

3.  That  either  (a)  a  committee  be  mutually  ap- 
pointed to  adjust  all  claims  upon  the  property  now  in 
our  hands,  or  (b)  such  adjustment  be  sought  through 
a  friendly  suit  which  should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  pos- 
sible, or  (c)  such  committee  adjustment  to  be  finally 
confirmed  by  a  court." 

At  the  meeting  of  Nov.  17th,  at  which  were  present, 
outside  of  myself,  five  members  of  the  Board,  a  general 
plan  of  procedure  was  agreed  upon  and  a  committee 

composed  of  F T.  L .  L H and  J.  C. 

McC was  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  disposing, 


356  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

m  a  just  and  equitable  manner,  of  the  assets  under  the 
control  of  the  Board. 

The  TK  refused  to  come  to  Chicago  or  any  other 
place  and  finally  consented  to  give  his  power  of  at- 
torney to  one  of  the  oldest  Students  proposed  by  Mr. 

L ,  whose  identity  I  cannot  now  reveal  for  the 

reason  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  Masons 
in  the  United  States  and,  as  far  as  I  know,  has  not  yet 
accepted  the  power  of  attorney. 

In  the  course  of  the  past  months  I  received  a  number 
of  requests  from  Students  for  the  return  of  their 
correspondence  with  "234."  I  complied  with  that  re- 
quest in  a  number  of  instances,  after  urging  and  ob- 
taining the  consent  of  the  Board.  But  with  several 
of  such  requests  received  on  and  after  Oct.  6th,  1916, 
I  have  been  unable  to  comply,  because  on  that  date  the 
records  and  correspondence  of  the  School  at  "234" 

were  removed  from  there  by  J.  C.  McC with  the 

knowledge  and  consent  of  L H and  Dr.  E. 

M.  W ,  but  without  my  knowledge,  and  placed  in 

storage  with  the  Drechsler  Storage  Company,  Oak 
Park,  111.,  subject  to  the  sole  access  and  direction  of 
j.C.McC . 

I  understand  that  the  committee  of  three  just  men- 
tioned intend  to  communicate  with  every  Student  and 
"  Applicant' '  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the 
amount  of  his  contributions  to  "The  Work"  and  his 
choice  as  to  whether  his  records  with  "The  School" 
be  returned  to  him  or  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  presence 
of  competent  witnesses,  and  it  is  not  quite  impossible 
that  you  may  hear  from  them  some  time  during  the 
coming  year. 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  357 

Any  letters  in  connection  with  the  former  depart- 
ments of  Instruction  and  Correspondence  or  any  sub- 
jects not  covered  in  this  letter,  also  requests  for  the 
destruction  or  return  of  correspondence,  should  be  ad- 
dressed to  J C.   McC ,  care   Indo-American 

Book  Co.,  5707  South  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. 

And  now,  my  dear  Friend  and  Fellow-Student,  hav- 
ing acquainted  you  with  the  true  state  of  affairs,  I 
want  you  to  assume  that  portion  of  responsibility 
which,  I  think,  is  rightfully  and  justly  yours  as  much 
as  mine.  I  shall  embody  the  gist  of  that  responsibility 
in  a  few  questions  which  I  ask  you  to  consider  very 
carefully.  At  the  end  of  15  days,  or  as  soon  there- 
after as  you  may  reach  a  conclusion  which  is  entirely 
satisfactory  to  yourself,  but  not  exceeding  30  days,  I 
shall  be  glad  to  receive  your  answers  to  these  ques- 
tions, unless  you  decide  differently. 

These  are  the  questions: 

1.  How  much  of  the  data,  if  any,  given  to  you  in 
this  letter  have  the  Applicants  for  Studentship  in 
"The  School"  the  right  to  know;  and  in  what  form 
or  manner  should  such  data  be  conveyed  to  them? 

In  considering  this  question  I  wish  you  would  bear 
in  mind  the  fact  that  all  of  the  "Applicants"  during 
the  last  eight  months  have  been  making,  and  are  now 
making,  more  or  less  sacrifice  of  their  .time,  money, 
position,  opportunities  and  domestic  relations,  in  their 
earnest  desire  and  effort  to  qualify  for  Studentship. 
Many  of  them  are  giving  a  minimum  of  3  hours  every 
day  to  answering  the  3,857  "Questions  on  Natural 
Science  and  the  Harmonic  Philosophy,"  the  correct- 
ness and  "scientific"  value  of  a  large  percentage  of 


358  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

which  now  must  be  seriously  questioned  by  you  and 
me. 

75  it  right,  or  fair,  or  just,  or  kind  of  us  to  keep 
them  in  ignorance  and  let  them  continue,  under  mis- 
apprehensions to  make  sacrifices  which  we  now  know 
to  be  largely  useless  and  fruitless? 

It  is  my  personal,  unfaltering  conviction,  that  as  the 
former  head  of  the  men's  and  women's  departments  of 
Instruction  and  Correspondence  at  "234"  it  is  my 
duty  to  give  to  the  " Applicants' '  sufficient  informa- 
tion, regarding  the  matters  under  consideration  in 
this  letter,  to  enable  them  to  make  an  intelligent  re- 
adjustment of  their  lives.  Up  to  Oct.  6th,  1916  I  was 
prevented,  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  from  doing  my 
duty  by  you  and  the  "Applicants,"  and  when  on  that 
date  a  minority  of  that  Board  deprived  me  of  the  rec- 
ords and  correspondence,  they  gave  me  at  the  same 
time,  and  thereby,  a  plausible  excuse  for  shirking  my 
responsibility  to  the  Students  and  the  "Applicants." 
Such  an  excuse  might  be  perfectly  plausible  and  sat- 
isfactory in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  but  it  does  not  consti- 
tute an  excuse  before  the  tribunal  of  my  own  Con- 
science.     Hence  this  letter. 

2.  How  much  of  the  data  given  to  you  in  this  letter, 
if  any,  have  the  4,000  readers  of  Life  and  Action  the 
right  to  know;  and  in  what  manner  or  form  should 
such  data  be  conveyed  to  them? 

3.  How  much  of  the  data  given  to  you  in  this  let- 
ter, if  any,  have  the  readers  of  the  "Harmonic  Series" 
the  right  to  know ;  and  in  what  form  or  manner  should 
such  data  be  conveyed  to  them? 

To  form  an  intelligent  estimate  as  to  the  number  of 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE"  359 

readers  of  the  " Harmonic  Series"  the  following  data 
will  be  of  value : 

According  to  the  records  of  the  I.  A.  B.  Co.,  more 
than  24,000  copies  of  the  Great  Work,  more  than 
19,000  copies  of  Harmonics  of  Evolution,  and  more 
than  16,000  copies  of  the  Great  Psychological  Crime, 
have  been  sold.  A  number  of  these  books  have  been 
placed  in  Public  Libraries,  where  many  people  have 
access  to,  and  are  reading,  them. 

It  would  not  seem  unreasonable  to  assume  that  more 
than  100,000  people  have  read  one  or  more  of  the  three 
volumes  of  the  "Harmonic  Series"  and  that  many 
times  that  number  are  going  to  read  those  books  in 
the  years  to  come. 

While  it  may  be  true  that  a  large  percentage  of 
those  readers  will  never  be  seriously  affected  by  those 
books,  and  that  the  good  which  they  may  derive  from 
the  Truths  in  those  books  may  outweigh  the  possible 
harm  done  by  any  errors  or  deliberate  misstatements, 
nevertheless  it  is  in  all  human  probability  but  a  ques- 
tion of  time  before  another  "Sole  Representative" 
will  appear  upon  the  scene,  assume  full  authority, 
gather  in  the  Faithful,  instruct  them  in  the  meaning 
of  a  "legitimate  income"  and  relieve  them  of  all 
"Personal  Responsibility"  in  connection  with  their 
material  "Surplus." 

What  is  our  responsibility  along  that  line,  and  how 
can  we  prevent  such  a  calamity  and  protect  the  pres- 
ent and  future  generations  from  imposition  under  the 
guise  of  an  appeal  to  the  highest  and  noblest  aspira- 
tions of  the  human  Soul? 


360  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

4.  What  in  your  judgment  ought  to  be  done  with 
Life  and  Action? 

Should  it  be  discontinued  or  should  it  be  continued  ? 
If  so,  how  and  in  what  form? 

5.  What  in  your  judgment  ought  be  done  with : 

a.  The  books  now  on  hand  at  the  I.  A.  B.  Co.? 

b.  The  plates  of  the  books  written  by  Florence 
Huntley  and  the  TK? 

c.  The  plates  of  any  other  books  published  by  the 
I.  A.  B.  Co.? 

d.  The  copyrights  of  the  books  written  by  Florence 
Huntley  and  the  TK,  of  Life  and  Action,  of  the 
Courses  of  Instruction,  etc.? 

e.  The  copyrights  of  any  other  books  published  by 
the!  A.  B.  Co.? 

6.  Is  it  right  to  continue  the  sale  and  publication 
of  the  "Harmonic  Series' '  without  explanations,  or 
ought  an  explanation  to  be  embodied  in  each  and  every 
volume?  If  so,  what  explanation  or  announcement 
would  you  suggest? 

7.  Have  you  made  any  contributions  to  the  TK  for 
the  benefit  of  "The  Work"?  (This  excludes  any  con- 
tributions made  for  his  personal  use  and  benefit.  It 
excludes  also  contributions  made  to  the  L.  V.  H.  and 
Edgemoor  Sanitarium.) 

If  so,  mention  amounts  and  dates,  if  you  care  to 
entrust  me  with  such  information,  which  may  possibly 
serve  to  facilitate  the  not  too  easy  task  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Three.  I  hardly  need  assure  you  that  only 
constructive  use,  as  far  as  it  lies  in  my  power,  will  be 
made  of  any  such  information  given  to  me  personally. 

Lest  my  motives  for  bringing  this  letter  to  your  at- 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE''  361 

tention  be  misunderstood,  I  desire,  with  all  the  earnest- 
ness and  emphasis  at  my  command,  to  state  that  as  far 
as  I  am  able  to  determine,  my  Soul  is  free  from  resent- 
ment, animosity  or  ill  will  towards  anyone,  and  that 
my  sole  motive  of  this  elaborate  letter  is  to  give,  as 
concisely  and  accurately  as  possible,  a  statement  of 
facts  to  which  you,  as  an  " Accepted  Student,' '  are 
justly  entitled,  and  without  which  you  are  unable  to 
guide  your  future  action  and  your  future  life  hence- 
forth by  your  own  Reason  and  your  oivn  Conscience. 

In  the  almost  certain  event  that  any  of  my  state- 
ments in  this  letter  should  be  questioned  or  contra- 
dicted, I  wish  you  would,  before  passing  definite  judg- 
ment, re-read  this  letter  and  in  doing  so  bear  in  mind 
the  fact  that  I  have  made  every  statement  to  corre- 
spond with  my  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the 
respective  data,  events,  etc.,  as  nearly  as  the  limita- 
tions of  words  and  my  command  of  the  English 
language  would  permit. 

When  answering  my  questions,  if  you  deem  them 
at  all  worthy  of  an  answer,  I  wish  you  would  do  so  in 
the  fewest  words  possible,  and  if  you  can  avoid  it,  and 
wish  to  do  me  a  real  favor,  do  not  ask  me  any  ques- 
tions. The  reason  for  this  request,  which  upon  the 
surface  may  appear  unfair  to  you,  will  become  clear 
and  also  satisfactory,  I  hope,  when  you  begin  to  realize 
the  amount  of  time  and  effort  involved  in  the  writing 
and  reproduction  of  this  letter  in  sufficient  numbers 
to  reach  all  who  are  entitled  to  it.  It  would  be  a  very 
simple  matter  to  have  fifteen  hundred  or  more  copies 
of  a  letter  printed  in  any  printing  establishment,  but 
the  contents  of  this  letter  are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  pre- 


362  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

elude  such  outside  help,  and  with  that  explanation  you 
are  now  able  to  appreciate  some  of  the  difficulties 
which  had  to  be  overcome  in  order  to  get  this  letter 
before  you  and  all  the  other  Students.  In  view  of  this 
enormous  expenditure  of  time  and  energy,  I  cannot 
afford  a  similar  effort,  except  in  matters  of  extreme 
importance. 

Please  remember  that  you  are  but  one  of  many  hun- 
dreds, and  in  so  remembering  you  will  forgive  me,  I 
am  sure,  if  I  ask  you  to  kindly  accept  this  letter  as  a 
reply  to  any  of  your  letters  that  may  have  remained 
unanswered  during  the  past  few  months.  Even  if  I  had 
nothing  else  to  do,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  ade- 
quately to  reply  to  all  the  letters  I  have  received. 

It  is  not  my  desire  to  enter  into  any  controversy, 
and  if  I  should  not  reply  to  any  challenge,  you  matf 
take  it  for  granted  that  I  consider  the  contents  of  this 
letter  an  adequate  reply. 

In  the  very  nature  of  things,  one  who  has  occupied 
a  position  of  Responsibility  and  commensurate  In- 
fluence, such  as  I  happened  to  occupy  in  this  move- 
ment, is  bound  to  become  the  storm  center  toward 
which  the  bulk  of  the  attacks,  abuse,  and  criticism  are 
naturally  directed.  And  in  fact,  such  attacks  already 
have  been  made,  in  the  subtle  and  insinuating  manner 
which  recently  has  become  so  sadly  apparent  to  us. 

But,  as  in  the  center  of  a  storm,  so  here  too,  is  calm, 
serenity  and  peace,  born  of  the  clear  Conscience  of 
duties  fully  performed,  and  no  outside  tempest  can 
permanently  affect  them. 

To  me,  this  Work  was  real,  and  I  gave  my  best  to 
its  support  and  extension,  and  to  the  many  Students 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE   YOU  FREE"  363 

and  Friends.  As  a  result,  my  labors  were  not  in 
vain  and  bore  legitimate  fruit  in  the  form  of  intellec- 
tual and  spiritual  growth. 

Now,  that  the  spiritual  foundation  has  been  swept 
away  from  under  "The  Work,"  the  superstructure 
cannot  stand  and  endure,  no  matter  how  many  at- 
tempts be  made  to  "prop  it  up." 

Can  anyone  who  knows  the  facts,  really  and  truly 
believe,  down  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  his  Soul, 
that  back  of  such  a  man,  as  forms  the  main  considera- 
tion of  this  letter,  can  be  a  spiritual  organization  as 
exalted  and  sublime  as  we  thought  he  represented? 
Would  you  or  I,  or  any  intelligent  and  sane  man  or 
woman  choose  or  tolerate  such  a  representative  of 
their  own  affairs? 

Such  and  similar  questions  every  Student  will  sooner 
or  later  have  to  answer  to  his  own  satisfaction.  I 
have  so  answered  them  for  myself,  and  it  is  because  of 
these  answers  that  I  am  unable  to  continue  in  any 
capacity  in  connection  with  this  movement,  and  it  be- 
comes imperative  for  me  to  sever  any  and  all  con- 
nections with  it  as  soon  as  1  can  do  so  without  shirking 
responsibilities  already  assumed. 

This  severing  of  all  connections  with  this  particular 
"Work,"  I  sincerely  and  earnestly  hope,  however,  will 
not  result  in  the  severing,  or  even  loosening  of  any  of 
the  many  valuable  ties  of  Friendship  formed  therein. 

If  I  have  at  times,  especially  during  the  last  eight 
months,  and  possibly  in  this  letter,  given  the  appear- 


364  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

ance  of  a  lack  of  consideration  for  the  feelings  of 
others,  I  sincerely  hope  that  those  thus  affected  will 
pardon  such  seeming  disregard,  on  the  ground  that 
the  establishment  of  Truth  and  Justice  in  the  interest 
of  thousands  of  Students  and  Friends,  is  proportion- 
ately more  important,  to  me,  than  the  feelings  of  a  few, 
myself  not  excluded. 

With  this  explanation  I  hope  to  maintain  and 
strengthen  the  ties  of  Friendship  still  existing,  and  to 
repair  those  which  may  have  been  damaged. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  here  a  few  words 
of  cheer  and  encouragement  to  those  who  may  possibly 
be  so  seriously  affected  by  this  disheartening  revela- 
tion, as  to  become  utterly  discouraged  or  lose  the  basis 
of  their  Faith. 

Whether  there  is  such  an  institution  as  a  truly  Great 
School  of  ancient  and  modern  wisdom  and  learning, 
and  whether  there  are  real  " Masters,' '  I  do  not  know, 
however  great  my  desire  for  such  Knowledge  may  be. 
But  I  do  know  that  the  Moral  Principles  elucidated  by 
the  TK,  are  not  his  invention;  on  the  contrary,  they 
may  be  found  in  all  the  sacred  ivritings  of  the  human 
race,  as  far  as  we  know.  Those  Moral  Principles, 
therefore,  appear  to  be  universal  and  eternal  and  could 
not  be  affected  by  their  disregard,  abuse,  or  violation 
on  the  part  of  one  man  or  any  number  of  individuals. 
Those  Principles  are  as  true  today  as  they  ever  were. 
They  are  very  simple  and  few  in  number,  and  among 
them  are:  Unselfishness,  Self -Control,  Personal  Re- 
sponsibility, Equity,  Justice  and  Right,  Morality  and 
Service. 


"THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE   YOU  FREE"  365 

Even  though  they  are  but  few  in  number,  they  may 
be  still  further  condensed  and  more  simply  expressed 
in  the  words  of  the  simple  and  all-sufficient  Golden 
Rule :  i '  Do  unto  your  fellow  men  as  you  would  have 
them  do  unto  you." 

//  we  live,  think  and  act  by  that  simple  rule,  we  need 
have  no  fear  nor  apprehension  as  to  results.  Every- 
thing else  will  fall  in  line,  and  our  Life  will  be  rich  and 
serene  in  the  consciousness  of  duties  fully  performed 
and  in  "The  Peace  that  passeth  all  understanding." 

Life,  to  me,  is  like  a  term  in  School ;  and  all  the  ' '  dif- 
ficulties/ '  " obstacles/ '  "misfortunes/ '  "trials,"  etc., 
are  but  valuable  and  necessary  lessons  which  Mother 
Nature 'is  trying  to  teach  to  her  children. 

If  we,  Nature's  children,  once  clearly  recognize  this 
seemingly  undeniable  Truth,  then  the  sad  experience 
through  which  we  are  now  passing,  instead  of  injuring 
or  discouraging  us,  will  only  prove  to  be  but  another 
valuable  lesson  which  we  sorely  needed  and  from 
which,  if  met  in  the  right  spirit,  we  will  emerge 
"RicmV'-er  in  Knowledge,  Experience,  Wisdom  and 
Power.  (Excuse  the  gentle  sarcasm;  the  temptation 
was  too  great  to  resist.) 

You,  like  myself,  undoubtedly  recognize  the  one 
great  lesson  which  this  experience  contains  for  us  all, 
but  it  can  do  no  harm  to  mention  it  here  and  emphasize 
its  value:  Never  again  let  us  TAKE  ANYTHING 
FOR  GRANTED,  and  never  again  let  us  accept  a  self 
appointed  mediator,  in  whatever  guise  and  under  what- 
ever name,  between  our  Conscience  and  our  Creator. 

Henceforth  let  us  stand  solidly  upon  our  own  feet 
instead  of  ' '  feet  of  clay, ' '  and  let  us  carefully  examine 


366  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

his  credentials,  and  exhaustively  search  his  records, 
before  we  ever  again  accept,  at  his  own  valuation,  a 
self-styled  " Master,' '  or  a  "Sole  Representative"  of 
any  ancient  or  modern  School  of  Wisdom  and  Learn- 
ing, however  high  sounding  its  name  or  exalted  its  aim. 

"Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 
sheeps'  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
wolves." 

'  *  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits. ' ' 

But  let  us  remember,  wherever  there  is  an  imitation, 
a  sham,  or  a  counterfeit,  there  necessarily  must  be  a 
genuine,  real  and  true  opposite,  and,  Nature  being  just, 
we  are  bound  to  find  it,  provided  we  do  our  part  by 
living  that  Life  which  we  know  will  lead  us  ever  on- 
ward and  upward  to  "The  Land  of  Light  and  Liberty' \ 
of  our  dreams. 

SO  MOTE  IT  BE! 

With  malice  to  none  and  good  will  toward  all,  I  re- 
main, 

Cordially  and  fraternally, 

H.  H. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

Habmonics  of  Evolution 

The  impressive  feature  of  this  volume  is  a  challeng- 
ing kind  of  positiveness.  One  can  easily  understand 
that  the  author  feels  perfectly  sure  of  herself  at  every 
step  of  the  way.  She  writes  as  if  she  knew  from  actual 
personal  experience.  She  is  positive  with  that  kind  of 
positiveness  which  one  justly  feels  when  the  whole 
story  has  been  told,  when  all  the  facts  are  known,  when 
Time  has  proven  the  truthfulness  and  security  of  the 
assumed  position. 

The  volume  really  discusses  two  subjects: 

1.  Spiritual  Development  and  its  results. 

2.  The  Law  of  Affinity,  its  possibilities  and  effects 
upon  human  life. 

Introducing  the  subject  of  what  constitutes  spiritual 
development  and  what  it  will  enable  the  student  to 
prove,  Mrs.  Huntley  declares : 

"  There  is  no  death. 

"Life  after  physical  death  is  a  fact  scientifically 
demonstrable. ' 

"Life  here  and  hereafter  has  a  common  develop- 
ment and  a  common  purpose.' ' 

And  then  explaining  the  source  of  her  " authority' ' 
for  making  these  statements,  she  very  promptly,  auto- 
cratically and  most  unscientifically  shuts  off  all  further 
and  legitimate  inquiry  with  the  following: 

367 


368  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

"Having  made  this  statement,  any  further  discus- 
sion as  to  the  relation  of  the  writer  to  her  authority 
is  obviously  out  of  place.' ' 

Then  for  seventy-odd  pages  she  proceeds  to  write  in 
a  way  which  leaves  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  the 
impression  that  she  was  testifying  from  a  personal 
knowledge  based  upon  actual  demonstrations,  of  what 
she  herself  knew  of  the  spirit  world:  and  that  this 
knowledge  was  the  result  of  a  definite,  technical  spirit- 
ual development. 

This  impression  is  misleading  and  exceedingly  un- 
fortunate, because  Florence  Huntley  made  no  such 
demonstrations. 

1.  TK  possessed  no  "technical"  work  that  would 
make  such  demonstrations  possible. 

2.  TK's  only  two  " technical' '  students  were  men. 

3.  The  foregoing  being  true,  it  follows  that  what  she 
had  to  say  on  spiritual  development  was  purely  hear- 
say. 

4.  Had  she  been  able  to  see  or  otherwise  sense  the 
true  situation,  there  is  not  the  least  doubt  but  she 
would  have  made  every  possible  effort  to  extricate  her- 
self from  TK's  domination. 

5.  Florence  Huntley's  own  personal  testimony  to  the 
writer,  and  to  all  Chicago  students,  upon  many  occa- 
sions, was  always  to  the  effect  that  she  had  never,  at 
any  time,  had  any  psychic  or  spiritual  experiences  de- 
scribed by  TK  as  the  results  of  a  conscious,  voluntary 
and  independent  exercise  of  the  spiritual  senses. 

It  will  be  seen  then  that  what  she  has  to  say  on  the 
subject  of  spiritual  development  is  purely  hearsay,  and 
therefore  utterly  devoid  of  scientific  value. 


HARMONICS  OF  EVOLUTION  369 

We  now  come  to  a  consideration  of  the  "Harmonics 
of  Evolution"  as  a  sex  book,  and  its  possible  destruc- 
tive influences  upon  certain  types  of  men  and  women 
who  find  themselves  susceptible  to  "  scientific' '  excuses. 

Thruout  the  volume  the  author  sings  a  song  of  love 
triumphant,  of  the  victory  of  love  over  all  earthly  bar- 
riers. She  writes  from  a  personal  experience,  as  one 
who  has  personally  demonstrated  the  Law  of  Affinity 
and  found  its  operation  true,  sure,  scientific  and  capa- 
ble of  being  reduced  to  a  basis  of  mathematical  and 
musical  exactness. 

Thus  the  book  became  a  "scientific"  book,  the  first 
of  the  three  "scientific"  Texts  Books  of  the  TK's 
imaginary  "Great  School." 

But  Time  has  proven  that,  with  all  the  "exact" 
knowledge  of  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  Law  of  Affinity 
and  the  "scientific  demonstration"  which  TK  led  her 
to  believe  she  had  made,  she  was  grossly  deceived. 

TK  had  simply  twisted  and  tortured,  misrepre- 
sented and  misapplied  the  holy  Law  of  Love  in  a  way 
to  make  of  it  an  attractive  bait  for  his  "Great  School" 
and  a  disintegrating  factor  in  innumerable  homes 
wherever  his  ' '  teachings ' '  have  gone. 


Nearly  all  occult  movements  dominated  by  a  self- 
appointed  "master"  are  saturated  more  or  less  with 
the  subject  of  sex.  Hardly  a  year  passes  that  the  news- 
papers do  not  unearth  some  elderly  "master"  with  a 
lot  of  women,  usually  young  ladies,  attached  to  his 
occult  household.  And  without  exception  these  repro- 
bates hide  behind,  and  try  to  justify  themselves  by 


370  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

some  private  interpretation  and  violation  of  the  Law 
of  Affinity. 

As  a  consequence,  affinity  books,  pamphlets,  "  les- 
sons/ '  etc.,  both  for  public  and  private  circulation,  are 
to  be  found  in  nearly  all  these  occult  traps.  And  such 
is  the  nature,  scope  and  effect  of  almost  all  discussions 
of  the  subject  of  affinity  by  these  soul  trappers,  that 
it  sows  needless  misunderstanding,  discontent,  discord, 
divorce,  moral  disease  and  incalculable  harm  wherever 
it  goes. 

In  almost  every  instance,  the  subject  is  so  presented 
that  some  word,  some  paragraph  or  chapter  gives  the 
reader  a  mental  hold  so  that,  if  need  be,  and  he  chooses 
to  do  so,  he  may  torture  the  interpretation  into  a  per- 
sonal excuse  for  his  or  her  weaknesses  and  mistakes, 
use  it  to  stimulate  discontent  and  self-pity,  and  finally 
make  it  a  justification  for  open  or  secret  misconduct. 
For  a  certain  type  who  do  not  always  weigh  carefully 
the  responsibilities  of  life  and  value  correctly  the 
"Karonc"  possibilities  and  opportunities  of  their  en- 
vironment, the  subject  of  Affinity  nearly  always  leads 
into  winding  paths  of  spiritual  confusion,  moral  weak- 
ness, unhappiness,  humiliation  and  remorse. 
#     #     #     #     # 

In  this  connection  and  considering  the  number  of 
books  published  and  the  years  of  its  circulation,  it  is 
my  honest  conviction  that  no  sex  book  ever  published 
has  caused  the  sorrow  and  irreparable  injury  to  human 
lives,  accomplished  by  "Harmonics  of  Evolution." 
This  statement  is  based  upon: 

1.  A  personal  knowledge  of  the  correspondence  of 
the  " Great  School." 


HARMONICS  OF  EVOLUTION  371 

2.  A  personal  knowledge  of  the  correspondence  of 
the  Indo-American  Book  Co. 

3.  Personal  interviews  with  both  students  and  read- 
ers who  related  their  affinity  affairs. 

4.  The  newspaper  records  of  divorces  and  affinity 
scandals  in  which  the  "philosophy"  of  the  "Great 
School"  in  general,  and  of  the  "Harmonics  of  Evolu- 
tion" in  particular,  was  openly  charged  with  being  the 
primary  and  direct  cause. 

As  to  the  "scientific"  value  of  the  Affinity  Philos- 
ophy of  the  " Great  School,"  we  have  TK's  own  per- 
sonal testimony  in  the  following  statement  made  to 
the  Committee  of  Four  Trustees  at  Pasadena,  Cali- 
fornia, on  May  5,  1916. 

Question:  "Did  you  ever  state  to  anyone  that  the  R  A 
was  your  Soul  Mate?" 

Answer  by  tk:  "I  did  not.  It  is  a  subject  that  has  come 
up,  I  think  as  many  as  one  hundred  times,  from  various 
sources,  and  I  have  been  asked  various  questions  concerning 
affinities.  I  have  said  in  every  instance  that  this  is  a  matter 
that  no  one  can  prove  definitely,  and  especially  prove  to  any- 
body else,  and  for  that  very  reason  I  have  discouraged  all 
discussions  of  this  subject,  as  far  as  I  could. 

I  have  never  made  the  statement  to  any  living  mortal  that 
Florence  Huntley  and  I  were  Soul  Mates. 

I  knew,  however,  or  felt  sure,  that  it  was  inferred  by  some 
of  the  Friends,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  she  was  the  author 
of  'Harmonics  of  Evolution'  with  myself  as  her  instructor." 

In  contrast  with  this  beautiful  tribute  to  the  * '  scien- 
tific value ' '  of  his  affinity  philosophy,  there  is  in  exist- 
ence a  great  stack  of  letters  written  by  TK  to  Florence 
Huntley  between  1888  and  1894,  and  the  entire  burden 
of  this  evidence  is  a  crafty  effort  on  the  part  of  TK 
to  convince  Mrs.  Huntley  that  she  was  his  "soul- 
mate,"  his  "affinity." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

"The  Gkeat  Psychological  Crime" 

"The  Great  Psychological  Crime  stands  for  a  definite 
knowledge  and  a  definite  personal  experiment,  experience  and 
demonstration,  or  it  stands  for  nothing,  and  is  of  less  value 
than  its  material  make-up." — Florence  Huntley,  Editor  the 
G.  P.  C,  p.  402. 

In  producing  the  ' '  Great  Psychological  Crime, ' '  TK 
simply  takes  a  single  idea  and  by  repeating  the  same 
thot  over  and  over  again,  times  without  number,  works 
it  up  into  a  sort  of  engulfing  tidal  wave  in  the  form 
of  an  imaginary  wholesale  hypnotic  and  mediumistic 
destruction  of  the  whole  human  family.  All  of  which 
is  quite  in  line  with  his  other  theatrical  tales,  so  far 
as  reliable  and  scientific  data  are  concerned. 

The  following  criticism  of  the  '  l  Great  Psychological 
Crime ' '  is  taken  from  the  editorial  department  of  that 
wonderfully  helpful,  breezy,  spiritually  ozonated  mag- 
azine, "The  Nautilus."  This  comment  brings  up  a 
subject  which,  in  connection  with  the  GPC,  is  vital 
and  to  the  point. 

"I  have  read  'The  Great  Psychological  Crime,'  and  I  don't 
agree  with  it  in  all  its  conclusions. 

"The  I  in  every  human  being  is  the  citadel  which  cannot 
be  stormed  by  all  the  suggestions  of  hypnotists  and  mediums, 
or  by  the  devil  and  all  his  imps.  (The  devil  himself  is  merely 
a  personification  of  all  the  tearing-down  forces  in  creation.) 

"Getting  hypnotized  is  certainly  no  worse  than  getting 
drunk  and  befuddled  on  booze  or  cocaine,  or  any  other  drug, 

372 


"THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL   CRIME"  373 

and  it  isn't  half  as  bad  as  the  psychological  crime  of  getting 
drunk  on  the  old-fashioned  hell-fire  and  damnation  kind  of 
religion. 

"THE  GREATEST  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME  IN 
THIS  WORLD  IS  TO  DOPE  ONESELF  OR  ANOTHER 
WITH  FEAR. 

"What  I  don't  like  about  'The  Great  Psychological  Crime' 
is  that  it  fills  you  up  with  fear:  fear  of  spirit  control,  fear 
of  spiritualists,  fear  of  mediums,  fear  of  suggestions,  fear  of 
auto-suggestion, — in  fact  the  book  fills  you  up  with 
psychological  fear." 

There  is  nothing  more  destructive  to  human  intelli- 
gence and  its  possibilities  than  the  fear  created  by 
false  impressions,  hypnotic  suggestions  and  mislead- 
ing conclusions.  And  it  is  just  this  kind  of  fear  that 
is  planted  and  stimulated  and  whipped  into  a  sort  of 
insanity  by  TK's  " Great  Psychological  Crime."  It 
is  purely  imaginary,  growing  out  of  TK's  suggestions. 

Hundreds  of  people  with  indigestion,  cold  feet,  neg- 
lected dispositions  and  over-responsive  imaginations 
have,  upon  reading  the  GPC,  straightway  begun  to 
imagine  that  either  they  themselves  or  others  were 
being  pursued  by  obsessing  spirits.  Some  such  people 
have  lived  in  this  nightmare  of  fear  for  months  at  a 
time,  when  all  in  the  world  that  was  the  matter  with 
them  was  the  fact  that  they  had  stuffed  themselves 
with  TK's  fear-producing,  spirit-paralyzing  sugges- 
tions. 

I  have  had  "ethical  students' '  confide  in  me  that 
they  frequently  had  to  fight  off  obsessing  spirits."  It 
was  summer  time,  and  when  I  questioned  them  closely, 
I  found  that  their  secret  apprehension  and  imaginary 
" battles' '  with  " spirits' '  had  no  other  foundation  than 


374  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

a  tendency  to  fall  asleep  while  riding  on  street  cars, 
or  while  reading,  or  listening  to  some  lecture !  What 
pitiful  mental  bondage  to  an  absolutely  groundless 
apprehension.  And  these  were  students  of  TK's  so- 
called  "science." 

*     #     #     #     # 

TK's  "Great  Psychological  Crime"  is  built  entirely 
upon  the  theory  that  over  50%  of  all  insanity  is  due 
directly  to  obsession  or  spirit  control,  and  the  strong- 
est statement  to  be  found  in  the  book — the  one  calcu- 
lated to  command  and  absolutely  force  acceptance  of 
his  theory  is  found  on  page  383.  But  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  that  statement  we  will  first  quote  the  opening 
paragraph  of  "Mediumship  and  Insanity,"  Chapter 
XV,  p.  278,  as  follows : 

"In  one  of  the  largest  western  institutions  for  the  insane 
in  the  United  States,  six  hundred  diagnoses  have  been  made 
showing  with  absolute  certainty  that  in  fifty-eight  per  cent 
of  the  cases  thus  examined  the  sole  immediate  cause  of  in- 
sanity was  me'diumistic  subjection.  That  is  to  say,  these 
diagnoses  showed  fifty-eight  per  cent  of  those  examined  were 
at  the  time  under  domination  and  control  of  outside,  spiritual 
intelligences. ' ' 

Again  on  page  383,  in  his  statement  "To  the  Physi- 
cian," TK  says: 

"Altho  it  is  conceded  that  the  view  here  presented  may 
not  be,  to  you,  professionally  orthodox,  nevertheless  it  is 
earnestly  hoped  that  the  facts  recorded  will  be  deemed  suffi- 
cient to  warrant  at  least  a  non-professional  inquiry  on  your 
part  along  the  lines  indicated. 

"If  such  should  be  the  case,  then  for  your  especial  benefit 
in  this  connection  it  is  here  stated,  for  what  it  may  be  worth 
to  you,  that  under  and  in  accordance  with  the  exact  methods 


"THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL   CRIME"  375 

of  Natural  Science  six  hundred  examinations  have  been  made 
of  an  equal  number  of  so-called  insane  inmates  of  one  of  the 
leading  insane  asylums  of  the  country.  Of  the  number  thus 
examined  349  were  found  to  be  in  a  subjective,  psychic  con- 
dition, under  the  hypnotic  domination  and  control  of  outside 
spiritual  intelligences.  These  were  treated  according  to  the 
diagnoses  in  conformity  with  the  methods  of  Natural  Science, 
the  results  show  349  cures.  In  other  words,  out  of  the  entire 
number  treated  not  a  single  failure  resulted. 

This  record  speaks  for  itself.  Indeed,  it  speaks  more  elo- 
quently than  all  the  theories,  speculations,  suppositions  and 
assumptions  combined,  which  constitute  so  large  a  part  of  the 
medical  literature  pertaining  to  the  great  general  subject  of 
insanity.  This  statement  is  made  without  prejudice,  for  the 
difficulties  which  surround  and  have  accompanied  the  develop- 
ment of  this  particular  branch  of  medical  science  are  fully 
understood  and  appreciated.  As  far  as  your  specialists  have 
gone  their  work  has  been  most  creditable  in  every  particular. 

"In  view  of  the  record,  however,  it  would  appear  to  the 
writer  that  whatever  views  you  may  entertain  concerning  the 
causes  of  insanity  in  the  349  cases  above  referred  to,  the 
record  in  itself  is  worthy  of  your  thoughtful  consideration. 
The  simple  fact  that  all  these  cases  were  treated  upon  the 
theory  of  hypnotic  control  by  outside  spiritual  intelligences, 
and  the  treatment  prescribed  was  successful  in  every  instance, 
should  be  sufficient  to  establish  in  your  professional  mind  the 
reasonable  presumption  that  the  diagnoses  were  correct. 
Otherwise  the  logic  of  facts  is  without  meaning  or  value. ' ' 

Many  people  upon  reading  this  "record"  have  said, 
"Here  is  something  that  seems  final,  something  apart 
from  the  author's  mere  assertions.  Here  is  what  ap- 
pears to  be  an  actual,  tangible,  reliable  record  of  work 
done,  of  demonstrations  made, — and  under  conditions 
that  would  make  pretense  and  fraud  impossible. ' ' 


376 TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

And  TK  himself,  in  the  most  positive  possible  lan- 
guage at  his  command  says,  "This  record  speaks  for 
itself."  But  why  did  he  not  publish  the  actual  records 
of  the  State  Institution  in  which  these  cures  were  sup- 
posed to  have  been  demonstrated?  Why  of  these  349 
cured  patients  did  not  TK  produce  a  hundred,  fifty, 
twenty-five,  ten, — or  even  one  to  testify  to  the  truth 
of  his  claims?  Or  failing  in  this,  why  did  he  not  go 
into  any  one  of  a  hundred  or  more  hospitals  for  the 
insane  and  produce  even  one  such  cure  ? 

The  fact  that  not  a  single  cure  was  performed  at  the 
Edgemoor  Sanitarium  is  the  answer. 

#  #     •     #     « 

In  May,  1916,  four  members  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees visited  the  Stockton  (California)  State  Hospital 
for  the  express  and  specific  purpose  of  making  a  care- 
ful and  complete  investigation  into  these  very  claims 
made  by  TK  in  the  GPC.  The  records  of  the  Stockton 
institution  are  exceptionally  well  kept  and  complete  in 
every  detail.  Every  assistance  was  rendered  the  visit- 
ing committee  in  their  efforts  to  make  the  investiga- 
tion thorough  and  final.  And  when  the  work  had  been 
concluded,  not  a  single  sentence  or  even  a  word,  writ- 
ten or  oral,  or  trace  of  anything  of  any  kind  had  been 
found  to  indicate  that  John  E.  Richardson  had  ever 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  institution  in  any  capacity 

whatever. 

#  #     #     #     # 

And  in  the  face  of  his  knowledge  of  the  falsity  of 
his  so-called  "record,"  TK  in  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  6, 
p.  336,  for  August,  1915,  says : 


"THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL   CRIME"  377 

' '  The  article  to  which  you  refer  in  The  Great  Psychological 
Crime  was  written  from  the  viewpoint  of  many  years  of  active 
and  definite  experience  in  the  fields  of  medicine  and  the 
study  of  Therapeutics.  There  is  not  a  statement  contained 
in  it  that  is  not  fully  justified  by  the  known  facts  of  Natural 
Science. ' ' 

TK  here  probably  refers  to  his  two  years  experience 
as  an  Oxydonor  " Doctor.' '  See  Chapter  16,  pp.  219- 
238. 

As  to  the  "scientific"  value  of  "The  Great  Psycho- 
logical Crime," — what  is  there  in  the  book  to  entitle 
it  to  the  distinction  of  being  a  scientific  work?  Abso- 
lutely nothing  except  the  assumed  authority  of  its 
author.  The  book  carries  no  actual  records,  no  relia- 
ble statistics,  no  evidences,  no  proofs,  no  anything  but 
the  author's  personal  stories  of  imaginary  experiences, 
experiments,  demonstrations,  etc.,  all  of  which  so  far 
as  it  has  been  possible  to  investigate  them  at  all,  each 
and  every  personal  claim  has  been  proven  to  be  untrue 
and  entirely  without  foundation  in  fact. 

As  for  insanity  thru  obsession,  or  spirit  control,  it 
has  been  recognized  as  both  a  possibility  and  a  reality 
for  many  thousands  of  years,  and  the  subject  has  been 
treated  by  many  different  writers,  from  ancient  bib- 
lical periods  up  to  the  present  time.  But  to  arbitrarily 
fix  upon  obsession  as  the  cause  of  58%  of  all  insanity, 
and  this  too  upon  purely  fictitious  demonstrations, 
records,  etc.,  is  entirely  misleading  and  deplorably 
harmful  to  those  who  may  be  led  to  believe  in  this 
kind  of  " science.' '  It  is  probable  that  less  than  1% 
would  be  a  liberal  and  conservative  estimate  of  all 
insanity  caused  by  psychic  obsession. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
"The  Great  Work" 

"No  greater  fallacy  could  be  suggested  than  to 
credit  the  author  of  this  volume  personally  with  the 
honor  of  having  wrought  out,  from  the  recesses  of  his 
own  brain  and  consciousness,  the  definite  results  here 
referred  to.  He  would  be  most  willing  and  happy  to 
acknowledge  such  honor  if  he  were  justly  entitled  to 
it.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case." — TK  in  The  Great 
Work,  p.  259. 

From  the  fact  that  the  essays  on  Ethics  comprising 
"The  Great  Work"  appear  to  be  so  carefully  and 
rationally  worked  out,  coupled  with  the  admission  of 
their  Author  as  quoted  above,  many  people  have  found 
it  easy  to  readily  believe  that  the  work  was  not  the 
result  of  any  one  mind,  but  that  probably  it  may  have 
somehow  been  received — as  a  whole — complete  as  it 
appears — by  TK  from  some  ancient  "Great  School," 
as  the  wisdom  of  the  ages. 

378 


THE  GREAT  WORK"  379 


It  is  true : 

1.  That  these  principles  of  morality  represent  the 
fundamental  and  universally  accepted  standards  of 
Right  Living. 

2.  That  the  ideas  and  ideals  presented  in  these 
essays  are  to  be  found  in  the  moral  literature  of  the 
world's  great  teachers,  and  may  therefore  be  said  to 
represent  the  '  *  wisdom  of  the  ages. ' ' 

3.  That  the  application  of  such  principles  to  the 
*  *  Living  of  a  Life ' '  inevitably  results  in  compensatory 
spiritual  and  intellectual  progress. 

4.  That  they  are  not  the  product  of  any  one  mind. 

As  far  back  as  1899,  following  the  publication  of 
4 'Harmonics  of  Evolution/ '  there  had  begun,  thru  the 
efforts  of  Florence  Huntley,  the  integration  of  a  small 
group  of  Students.  This  led  to  the  establishment  of 
regular  weekly  meetings  which  were  continued  for 
many  years. 

The  men  and  women — a  dozen  or  less — comprising 
this  little  Group  were  without  a  single  exception  pro- 
found and  earnest  thinkers  and  students. 

Prom  my  personal  knowledge  of  and  acquaintance 
with  them  dating  back  over  a  period  of  eleven  years, 
I  gladly  testify  that  they  constituted  a  body  of  scholars 
which  for  clear  intelligence,  clean  characters,  pure 
motives  and  earnest  search  of  Truth  for  Truth's  sake, 
I  sincerely  believe  could  not  be  excelled  by  an  equal 
number  anywhere  in  the  world. 


380  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Now  these  men  and  women  were  engaged  for  all 
these  years  upon  the  same  identical  topics  and  work 
which  comprise  TK's  essays  on  Morality,  as  found  in 
"The  Great  Work."  For  instance,  week  after  week 
would  be  given  to  the  analysis,  study  and  discussion 
of  Consciousness;  other  successive  weeks  were  devoted 
to  the  same  critical  analysis,  study  and  discussion  of 
Will.  In  the  same  careful,  continuous,  methodical 
manner  this  little  Group  studied  the  Functions  and 
Primary  Purpose  of  the  Soul;  the  elements  and  prin- 
ciples of  Personal  Responsibility;  the  helps  and  hin- 
derances  to  intellectual  and  spiritual  development,  etc., 
covering  in  a  most  thoro  manner  all  that  is  discussed 
and  even  more  than  appears  in  TK's  " Great  Work." 

It  was  both  a  Group  and  an  Individual  work,  and 
the  results  obtained  and  conclusions  reached  on  the 
various  subjects  studied,  represented  the  combined 
work  of  all  the  members  of  the  Group. 

From  this,  you  will  understand  that  TK,  for  a  period 
of  over  six  years  had  the  benefit  of  all  these  meetings 
and  of  the  study,  the  analysis,  discussions  and  con- 
clusions of  this  zealous  body  of  intelligent  Students. 

When  therefore*  in  1906,  the  " master"  came  to  write 
his  " Great  Work,"  covering  the  findings  of  what  he 
called  his  "Great  School,"  on  the  subjects  of  "What 
Constitutes  Scientific  Demonstration,"  "Conscious- 
ness," "Will  and  Desire,"  "Personal  Responsibility," 
etc.,  could  there  be  any  reason  (other  than  inability  to 
write)  why  he  should  not  be  able  to  handle  these  sub- 
jects in  a  clear,  concise  and  systematic  manner? 

As  a  matter  of  fact  he  had  at  his  command  the  care- 
fully kept,  accumulated  data,  the  results  of  six  year* 


"THE  GREAT  WORK"  381 

of  hard  and  earnest  work  on  the  part  of  all  these  Stu- 
dents, and  there  is  probably  not  a  single  proposition 
or  paragraph  in  what  may  be  called  the  Ethical  por- 
tion of  "The  Great  Work,"  that  was  not  thoroughly 
covered  and  settled  by  these  students  years  before  TK 
began  his  writing  of  the  book. 

This  being  true,  so  far  as  the  origin  of  the  philos- 
ophy is  concerned,  John  E.  Eichardson  (TK)  is  no 
more  entitled  to  the  credit  for  this  work  than  any  other 
individual  member  of  that  Group. 

As  for  "The  Great  Work"  being  a  "scientific" 
work,  it  is  no  more  entitled  to  such  distinction  than 
Emerson's  Essays  or  a  dozen  other  books  on  ethics. 
Its  ethics  will  do  no  more  for  a  man  than  the  practice 
of  the  simple  Golden  Eule. 

Its  "scientific"  value  rests  solely  upon  TK's  as- 
sumed authority,  and  upon  the  same  kind  of  "verifica- 
tions," "records,"  "evidences,"  "proofs,"  "scientific 
demonstrations"  and  fiction,  pure  and  simple,  upon 
which  are  based  "The  Great  Psychological  Crime" 
and  "Harmonics  of  Evolution." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

The  "Master"  Consults  a  Medium 

Of  all  modern  liberal  philosophic  movements,  Spir- 
itualism, more  than  all  others  combined,  accorded  TK 
a  respectful,  courteous,  and  intelligent  hearing,  and 
this  too  up  to  the  point  of  simply  closing  their  eyes 
and  blindly  swallowing  all  his  extravagant  personal 
claims.  But  they  did  not  close  their  eyes  and  they 
did  not  swallow  his  stories. 

Spiritualists  thru  nearly  a  century  of  doing  their 
own  thinking,  have  learned  the  value  not  only  of  hold- 
ing themselves  in  readiness  to  hear  every  professor 
and  consider  every  new  philosophy,  but  at  the  same 
time  they  have  learned  the  necessity  of  demanding  the 
credentials  of  said  professor  and  the  evidences  of  the 
truth  of  said  professor's  philosophy. 

Those  of  us  who  were  readers  of  "The  Progressive 
Thinker"  in  1893-94  will  recall  that  practically  whole 
pages  of  that  excellent  publication  were  freely  thrown 
open  to  both  TK  and  his  followers,  and  to  all  who 
chose  to  enter  into  the  discussion  of  TK's  proposi- 
tions. For  months  this  open  forum  was  maintained, 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  readers  were  given  every 
possible  opportunity  and  encouragement  to  investigate 
TK  and  his  so-called  " school.' ' 

Such  an  opportunity  for  free  advertising  and  propa- 
ganda work,  TK  could  not  have  realized  from  any 
other  body  of  intelligent,  liberal,  progressive  students 

382 


THE  "MASTER"  CONSULTS  A   MEDIUM  383 

of  spiritual  philosophy  in  the  world,  but  even  so,  his 
" Great  School"  made  little  or  no  favorable  impres- 
sion upon  these  generous  people,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  he  wrote  from  ambush  and  had  no  evidences  or 
proofs  to  support  his  "scientific"  tales.  For  instance 
in  his  "Great  Psychological  Crime,"  pp.  230-31,  TK 
publishes  the  following  "statistical  facts": 

"But  what  of  the  statistical  facts?  Do  they  verify  or 
disprove  the  principle  here  declared?    Let  us  see. 

From  the  class  of  mediums  whose  development  has  been 
sufficient  to  establish  definite  and  unqualified  results,  science 
has  gathered  and  is  able  to  formulate  and  present  the  fol- 
lowing verified  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon  the 
medium,  viz.: 

1.  Seventy-three  per  cent,  of  the  professional  mediums 
referred  to  sooner  or  later  develop  abnormally  increased 
and  uncontrollable  sexual  passions,  while  as  high  as  ninety- 
two  per  cent,  show  marked  increase  of  the  sexual  appetite  or 
desire. 

2.  A  fraction  over  sixty  per  cent,  develop  hysterical  or 
ungovernable  temper,  while  as  high  as  eighty-five  per  cent, 
show  marked  increase  of  nervous  irritability. 

3.  Fifty-eight  per  cent,  develop  dishonesty  and  fraud, 
while  ninety -five  per  cent,  show  lack  of  moral  discrimination 
and  courage. 

4.  A  fraction  over  seventy  per  cent,  develop  some  inor- 
dinate vanity,  while  ninety-two  per  cent,  become  more  or  less 
egotistical. 

5.  As  high  as  ninety-eight  per  cent,  develop  some  discov- 
erable form  of  selfishness,  sensuous  desire,  emotional  weak- 
ness or  degrading  physical  appetite. 

6.  In  no  instance  does  the  process  develop  marked  indi- 
vidual improvement  from  a  moral  standpoint. 

Not  a  word  of  reference  is  made  as  to  where  or  how 
he  made  up  this  classification.  Not  even  a  suggestion 
or  promise  of  evidence  or  proof  is  offered.  TK  simply 
and  arbitrarily  fixes  the  "percent"  at  40,  50,  60  or 


384  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

98;  sets  it  down  as  fact,  dogmatically  assumes  that 
it  is  unanswerable,  and  lets  you  take  his  word  for  it, 
whether  you  want  to  or  not. 

And  this  "scientific"  method  of  convincing  people 
of  his  authority  as  a  "master,"  is  entirely  consistent 
with  and  characteristic  of  the  dogmatism  found  in  all 
his  personal  pretensions.  As  it  appears  to  the  writer, 
TK's  entire  movement  depended  upon  just  two  fac- 
tors, in  about  the  following  proportions: 

Deceptive  Suggestions,  98  per  cent. 

Impressional  Mediumship,  2  per  cent. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  for  his  "success"  he 
depended  scarcely  at  all  upon  anything  but  his  ability 
to  impress  his  readers  with  a  purely  assumed,  exter- 
nal cloak  or  veneer  of  sincerity  and  honesty.  He  pos- 
sessed no  spiritual  powers,  he  taught  nothing  new,  he 
cured  no  insanity,  he  did  not  heal  the  sick.  And  in 
order  to  anticipate  any  means  of  testing  him  out  he 
kept  himself  under  cover  and  argued  thus: 

I  am  a  master,  a  real  master. 

I  possess  ALL  the  evidences,  credentials  and  proofs 
to  back  up  my  claims. 

I  will,  however,  offer  only  one  evidence. 

This  is  an  "internal  evidence." 

Morality  is  right. 

Do  you  agree  with  me  that  morality  is  right? 

I  preach  morality. 

If  you  agree  with  me  that  morality  is  right,  then 
you  have  the  "internal  evidence." 

In  this  "sign"  you  have  the  evidence  of  my  mas- 
tership. 
.  This  is  the  only  sign  I  have  to  offer. 


THE  "MASTER"  CONSULTS  A   MEDIUM  385 


TK  always  guarded  himself  and  his  "school" 
against  Spiritualists,  sensitives  and  mediums,  because 
he  knew  they  would  quickly  detect  and  expose  his 
fraud.  On  the  other  hand  I  know  personally  several 
people  who  were,  thru  mediums,  warned  by  their 
friends  on  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  to  beware  of 

TK's  " school.' ' 

#     #     #     *     * 

In  his  books  TK  explains  very  definitely  his  ideas  of 
the  difference  between  "masters"  and  "mediums." 
He  claims  to  have  become  a  "master"  in  1883-84. 
To  have  been  in  constant,  conscious,  independent  com- 
munication with  the  Spirit  World,  and  able  to  with- 
draw from  his  physical  body  at  will,  ever  since  that 
time. 

He  explains  that  in  1883-84  he  learned  positively 
that  mediumship  is  destructive.  He  then  and  there 
gave  up  all  mediumistic  investigations  FOREVER. 

1.  He  was  a  ' '  master. ' '    He  did  not  need  a  medium. 

2.  For  him  to  consult  mediums  would  be  an  open 
acknowledgment  that  he  was  not  a  "master." 

3.  It  would  also  be  to  him  the  commission  of  what 
he  calls  a  "Great  Psychological  Crime." 

Nevertheless,  TK  did  consult  mediums,  and  we  here- 
with present  the  evidences. 

The  first  is  an  exact  photographic  reproduction  in 
TK's  own  handwriting,  over  his  own  signature,  of  a 
statement  which  appears  on  an  envelope  containing  a 
detailed  account  of  a  sitting  the  "master"  had  with 
one  of  the  justly  celebrated  Bangs  Sisters.  Kindly 
note  that  this  document  bears  the  date  of  September 
25,  1898. 


386 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


THE  "MASTER"  CONSULTS  A   MEDIUM  387 


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THE  ABOVE  IS  THE  SECOND  PAGE  OF  A  FIFTEFN-PAGE 
DESCRIPTION  IN  TK's  OWN  HAND  WRITING. OF  A  SEANCE 
HE  HAD  WITH  ONE  OF  THE  BANGS  SISTERS, ON  SEPT. 35. 
1698.   COULD  THERE  BE  ANY  MOPE  POSITIVE  EVIDENCE 
THAN  THIS, THAT  TK  CONSULTED  SPIRIT  MEDIUMS? 

NOTE  THAT  THE  "MASTER"  WANTED  TO  SEE  IF  HE 
COULD  "GET"  ANYTHING  SATISFACTORY  FROM  ANY  OF  HIS 
FRIENDS  ON  THE  SPIRIT  SIDE  OF  LIFE. 


388  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

The  second  evidence  submitted  is  also  an  exact 
photographic  reproduction,  being  the  second  page  of 
a  fifteen-page  description  of  the  seance.  This  also  is 
in  TK's  own  handwriting  over  his  own  signature,  and 
reads  as  follows: 

"On  Sunday  afternoon,  Sept.  25,  while  Mrs.  R.  was  away, 
I  asked  Verna  how  she  would  like  to  go  with  me  to  some 
"medium"  and  see  if  we  could  get  anything  satisfactory 
from  any  of  our  friends  on  the  spirit  side  of  life. 

"I  took  up  the  Sunday  Times-Herald,  and  ran  down  the 
column  of  advertisements  of  'mediums.'  I  came  to  the  ad- 
vertisement of  the  'Bangs  Sisters,'  whose  residence  was  (and 
still  is)   at  654  West  Adams  St. 

"I  did  not  know  them,  and  had  no  idea  as  to  their  merit. 
But  observing  that  they  were  the  nearest  to  us  in  point  of 
distance  of  any  whose  'ads'  appeared  in  the  paper,  I  sug- 
gested that  we  try  them. 

"We  reached  their  residence  about  3:30  p.  m.,  and  were 
admitted  to  the  parlor  by  a  young  man  who  said  the  ladies 
were  busy  just  then  but  would  soon  be  at  leisure. 

"We  waited  a  few  moments  and  an  old  gray-haired  lady 
who  said  she  was  the  mother  of  the  'Bangs  Sisters'  came  in." 


It  will  be  recalled  that  Florence  Huntley  became 
TK's  first  student  in  1887.  He  had  then  been  a  " mas- 
ter' '  for  three  years.  He  was  supposed  to  know  that 
mediumship  is  always  dangerous  and  inevitably 
destructive.  We  take  it  that  being  a  " master* '  he 
must  have  taken  great  pains  to  explain  the  nature  of 
mediumship  and  to  warn  his  "first  student' '  against 
consulting  mediums  or  having  anything  to  do  with  the 
mediumistic  process. 


THE  "MASTER"  CONSULTS  A   MEDIUM  389 

But  Florence  Huntley's  diaries  contain  many  evi- 
dences which  prove  conclusively  that  her  " master* ' 
either  did  not  know  what  he  claims  to  have  known  at 
that  time  or  he  failed  to  warn  her  against  the  process. 
The  following,  dated  July  22,  1894 — seven  years  after 
her  supposed  studentship  began — is  a  reprint  from  her 
diary : 

"July  22,  7:30  p.  m. 

"At  4,  I  went  by  agreement  to  Mrs.  M .    We  sat  with 

Ouiji,  and  the  results  are  interesting  enuf  to  make  note  of. 
I  shall  try  to  put  them  down  in  dialogue  form. 

Q.    "Who  is  it?"    A.    "R ," 

Q.     "And  this  is  S— !"    A.    "Yes." 

Q.    "S will  you  tell  me  how  or  by  what  force  you  are 

able  to  control  this  board?"    A.    "By  spiritual  influence  in 
various  ways." 

Q.  "Who  are  you  with  most  in  that  country  t" 
A.    "R ." 

Q.  "Would  you  like  to  return  to  earthly  conditions?" 
A.    "No." 

Q.  ' '  Can  you  tell  us  how  you  pass  your  time  ? "  A.  "  With 
R in  one  long  dream  of  bliss. ' ' 

Q.  "Have  you  any  special  pursuit?"  A.  "Yes,  music 
and  song." 

Q.     "Can  you  sing  now?"    A.    "Yes." 

Q.    "With  R ?"    A.    "Yes." 

Q.     "Do  you  know  M ?"  A.    "Yes." 

Q.  "What?"  A.  "I  do  not  approve  of  the  money  af- 
fairs. ' ' 

Q.     "Why?"    A.    "He  wronged  you  girls." 

Q.     "How?"     A.     "Unequal." 

"Then,  as  if  hurt  or  mean,  he  left  or  was  forced  away  by 
something  that  staggered  and  crawled.  It  was  horrible.  The 
very  motion  was  repulsive.  We  questioned — no  answer. 
Again  it  wriggled.  '  You  make  fun  of  me.  Good  Bye.  *  But 
it  remained  to  tell  us  it  was  a  murderer  and  begged  us  to 
pray  for  his  soul's  release.  It  disdained  acquaintance,  but 
repeated  its  cry  for  'help.'  It  was  horrible.  We  took  our 
hands  from  the  board  until  it  was  silenced. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

The  Philosophy  as  a  Whole 

"If  the  Harmonic  Series  is  not  based  upon  a 
definite  school  of  Knowledge,  the  books  fall  below  the 
level  of  speculative  philosophy.  They  are  canards, 
falsehoods,  elaborated  nonsense;  they  are  not  entitled 
to  so  much  respect  as  T.  J.  Hudson's  theories  and 
hypotheses." 

— Florence  Huntley  in  L.  &  A.,  Bv.  4,  p.  221. 

The  Harmonic  Series 

Harmonics  of  Evolution  pretends  to  be  a  reliable 
guide  to  finding  a  soul-mate. 

The  Great  Psychological  Crime  is  a  warning  against 
hypnotism  and  mediumship. 

The  Great  Work  contains  a  few  good  essays  on 
Morality,  Self  Control,  Will,  Self  Pity,  Vanity,  etc. 

However  desirable  it  might  be  to  have  a  knowledge 
of  the  contents  of  these  books,  even  if  it  were  all  true 
(which  it  is  not),  why  should  these  few  subjects  be 
taken  to  constitute  a  complete  " philosophy' '  by  which 
to  order  one's  life,  to  the  exclusion  of  hundreds  of 
other  books  covering  literally  hundreds  of  other  essen- 
tial phases  of  our  existence? 

390 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A    WHOLE  391 

As  to  any  particular  utility  of  the  Harmonic  Series, 
not  one  of  them  offers  what  can  be  called  definite 
instruction  on  any  of  the  subjects  discussed.  For 
instance,  TK  talks  about  the  "extension  of  conscious- 
ness,^ but  nowhere  does  he  tell  how  that  extension  is 
to  be  accomplished.  He  talks  about  Will,  Self-Con- 
trol, the  necessity  of  being  able  to  control  one's  mag- 
netism, of  solving  economic  questions,  and  so  on  with 
dozens  of  problems,  but  never  a  word  as  to  any  prac- 
tical methods  for  personal  development  and  intelligent 
self-help. 

Many  students,  however,  testify  that  their  acquain- 
ance  with  the  three  books  has  been  a  source  of  encour- 
agement and  help  to  them  in  their  daily  lives.  And 
this  is  easily  believable,  because  the  same  thing  has 
been  said  and  is,  every  day,  being  said  of  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  other  books.  But  while  acknowledg- 
ing such  help  as  may  have  been  received  from  the 
Harmonic  Series,  it  remains  true  that  many  people 
have  been  deceived  into  thinking,  accepting  and  even 
passing  on  to  others  as  Truth,  a  great  deal  of  what 
is  now  known  to  be  absolutely  untrue,  deceptive  and 
misleading. 

For  this,  no  one  should  criticise  himself  or  feel  dis- 
couraged. We  are  all  human,  and  when,  for  a  suffic- 
ient length  of  time  we  read  or  hear  others  saying  and 
repeating  over  and  over  again,  "the  Great  School/ ' 
"the  Great  Friends/ '  "Great  Masters,"  "he  is  a  real 
master,"  "he  cures  the  insane,"  "he  talks  face  to  face 
daily  with  masters  and  spirits, "  "  he  leaves  his  body  at 
will,"  he  lives  in  poverty,"  "he  is  the  greatest,"  etc., 
etc., — we  are  not  unlikely  to  find  ourselves  taking  up 


392  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

and  repeating  the  same  strain  of  suggestions,  even  tho 
unconsciously  to  ourselves.  That  it  is  a  kind  of  mental 
darkness  and  hypnotic  state  does  not  for  the  time  occur 
to  us. 

Normally  we  like  to  think  well  of  everything  and 
everybody.  If  our  own  motives  are  clean  and  pure, 
we  gladly  grant  the  same  state  to  others.  But  no  mat- 
ter how  clear  our  own  motives  may  be,  this  alone  will 
not  always  save  us  from  mental  blindness.  And  to 
go  on  from  day  to  day  under  false  impressions  is  men- 
tal blindness  and  spiritual  darkness  as  sure  as  there 
is  such  a  state  or  condition. 

Some  have  suggested  that  the  Harmonic  Series 
must  be  true  because  they  frequently  find  corrobora- 
tions of  the  teachings  in  other  books.  Why  not?  That 
is  where  a  great  deal  of  it  came  from.  Others  say 
these  books  contain  much  that  is  entirely  new.  But 
this  that  appears  new,  is  new  to  those  only  who  may 
not  happen  to  know  what  books  to  read  in  order  to 
make  the  necessary  comparisons.  Take  for  instance 
"Harmonics  of  Evolution";  practically  all  that  this 
book  contains  outside  of  its  imaginary  battle  with  Dar- 
win and  Drummond  and  its  seventy-odd  pages  adver- 
tising TK's  pseudo  mastership,  was  written  and  pub- 
lished over  half  a  century  ago.  The  volume  to  which  I 
refer  is  in  the  most  wonderful  English  imaginable; 
the  message  is  practical  and  scientific  and  the  appeal 
is  to  Eeason  and  Conscience  alone. 

Another  illustration  is  seen  in  what  TK  has  to  say 
regarding  India  as  the  source  of  all  civilization.  Any 
one  who  reads  that  really  wonderful  book,  "The  Bible 
in  India,"  will  have  no  difficulty  recognizing  and  iden- 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A    WHOLE  393 

tifying  some   of  TK's   " wisdom  of  the   ages,"   for 
therein  may  be  found  some  of  his  descriptive  phrases 

almost  word  for  word. 

#     #     #     *     # 

Now  a  few  plain  words  as  to  the  fruits  of  the  so- 
called  Great  School  philosophy  and  the  nature  of  the 
spiritual  influences  back  of  and  working  thru  TK : 

There  are  many  items  of  knowledge  of  the  most 
serious,  significant  and  damaging  nature,  which  tho 
known  to  a  half-dozen  or  so  "  students/ '  are  not  gen- 
erally known  or  even  suspected  by  the  student  body: 
items  which,  had  they  been  permitted  to  become  known 
would  probably  have  so  shocked  the  few  hundred  fol- 
lowers of  TK  that  they  would  have  been  glad  to  wash 
their  hands  of  the  whole  thing  and  escape  from  his 
occult  net. 

In  each  of  these  cases  the  particulars  were  known 
usually  to  but  three,  five,  seven  or  so  individuals,  each 
of  whom  were  students,  and  in  every  instance  cau- 
tioned and  pledged  by  TK  not  to  refer  to  or  discuss  the 
matter  under  any  circumstances, — not  even  with  their 
most  trusted  fellow  students.  In  this  beautiful  exem- 
plification of  the  efficacy  of  psychological  billying,  the 
particulars  were  always  hushed  up,  suppressed  and 
sealed,  so  far  as  any  harm  to  the  " Great  Work" — 
(TK)  was  concerned,  and  in  time  even  the  incident 
itself  was  almost  forgotten. 

For  instance  it  is  not  generally  known  that  sev- 
eral suicides  and  attempted  suicides  have,  during  the 
past  ten  or  twelve  years  occurred  beneath  the  l '  benefi- 
cent" and  "powerful  protecting  influences' '  of  TK's 
Great  School  and  Great  Masters.    In  some  instances 


394  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

these  unfortunate  experiences  came  to  students  while 
actually  and  actively  engaged  in  working  out  the  so- 
called  " Ethical  Section"  or  " Master's  Catechism." 
In  one  instance  a  student  who  had  completed  this  se- 
cret "spiritual"  instruction  and  was,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  one  of  the  only  twenty  guides  or  instructors  of 
other  students,  wandered  from  his  home  late  at  night, 
went  to  a  cemetery  and  there  committed  suicide  by 
cutting  his  own  throat. 

Would  this  suggest  that  TK  and  his  spirit  guides 
are  representatives  of  the  true  Great  School  of  Light 
and  Life?  That  his  so-called  ethical  instruction  will 
do  what  he  claims  it  will  do?  That  his  so-called 
"Great  Masters"  and  "Great  Friends"  are  interested 
in  and  guarding  the  welfare  and  lives  of  his  students 
and  instructors  ?  That  his  gang  of  '  '  spiritual  helpers '  ■ 
are  the  kind  that  men  and  women  should  pray  to  and 
depend  upon,  as  TK  advises? 

Why  did  TK  suppress  this  knowledge,  so  that  only 
a  few  even  of  his  Chicago  students  ever  even  heard  of 
the  incident?  The  answer  must  be  something  more 
than  that  it  was  "for  the  good  of  the  GREAT 
CAUSE." 

In  Life  md  Action,  Bv.  5,  p.  1,  TK  himself  in  a 
vein  of  what  he  evidently  intended  to  be  humorous, 
makes  record  of  a  case  in  which  an  osteopathic  phy- 
sician of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  after  writing  a  letter  in 
which  he  referred  to  TK  and  his  literature,  committed 
suicide. 

At  one  time  TK  found  it  necessary  to  explain  pub- 
licly that  certain  cases  of  insanity  were  insane  before 
reading  his  books,  and  not  as  a  result  of  such  reading, 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A    WHOLE  395 

which  was  an  acknowledgment  on  TK's  part,  that 
such  impressions  and  reports  were  m  circulation  and 
that  TK  himself  knew  of  them. 

In  another  instance  an  accepted  Ethical  Student 
Tbecame  mentally  deranged  under  the  blighting  impres- 
sion of  being  unworthy  and  lost.  From  her  distant 
home  she  was  brot  to  Chicago  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  having  TK  diagnose  and  prescribe  for  her 
condition.  She  escaped  one  day  from  her  attendants 
and  attempted  suicide  by  drowning  in  a  lagoon  in  one 
of  the  city  parks. 

When  besought  for  help  for  this  unfortunate  stu- 
dent, TK  would  not  even  see  the  patient  and  with  cold- 
blooded indifference  sent  word  that  he  could  do 
nothing,  and  that  his  " Great  Friends"  had  advised 
him  that  it  would  do  no  good  to  even  see  the  woman. 


On  March  9,  1917,  a  year  after  TK's  exposure  at 
Edgemoor,  there  came  into  the  office  of  the  Indo- 
American  Book  Co.,  a  poor  soul  who,  in  1910,  was  an 
accredited  Ethical  Student  in  TK's  Great  School. 
Her  person  was  neglected,  and  from  her  general  ap- 
pearance, her  voice  and  conversation,  her  disturbed 
vision  and  excited  condition,  it  was  evident  that  she 
was  mentally  unbalanced.  She  explained  that  she 
had  just  recently  spent  a  few  months  in  an  asylum  for 
the  insane  in  one  of  our  Southern  States. 

She  demanded  to  know  where  TK  was  and  upon  be- 
ing told  that  he  had  gone  to  California,  she  said: 
"Yon  lie.  He  lives  in  Oak  Park.  I  know  where  he 
lives,  and  I  am  going  out  there.' '     With  this,  she 


396  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

quickly  withdrew,  slammed  the  door  and  passed  down- 
stairs, to  where  a  sister  was  waiting  for  her. 

Going  to  where  TK  formerly  lived  in  Oak  Park, 
and  finding  both  residences  closed  and  unoccupied, 
they  then  went  to  the  home  of  a  former  student.  Here 
she  repeated  her  demand  to  know  where  TK  was,  and 
when  told  he  had  just  recently  married  and  gone  with 
his  new  affinity  to  California,  she  said:  "You  lie.  He 
told  me  I  am  his  affinity.  She  is  only  his  physical  mate, 
but  I  am  his  spiritual  affinity,  and  he  is  with  me  spir- 
itually every  day. ' '  With  this  she  exhibited  two  linked, 
plain  gold  band  rings  which  she  declared  were  en- 
graved with  the  date  of  her  first  meeting  with  TK, 
and  which  were  given  to  her  by  TK  in  1910,  the  same 
year  in  which  he  married  Florence  Huntley. 

This  poor  woman  formerly  lived  with  her  husband 
just  a  few  doors  from  TK's  residence  in  Oak  Park,  111. 
She  was  a  bright,  intelligent  woman  at  the  time  she 
became  a  * '  student, ' '  and  living  nearby,  soon  grew  to 
calling  almost  daily  at  TK's  home.  In  time,  she  se- 
cured a  divorce  from  her  husband,  and  later  left 
Chicago. 

The  story  she  told  on  March  9th  was  to  the  effect 
that  TK  himself  had  sent  her  a/way,  a  statement  not 
difficult  to  believe,  as  the  same  experience  happened 
to  more  than  one  woman.  She  further  volunteered  the 
information  that,  in  time,  she  met  and  married  a  Jap- 
anese, whom  she  did  not  love,  but  even  " loathed.' ' 
This  she  did,  as  she  explained,  because  she  saw  some 
kind  of  spiritual  light  shining  about  his  head,  and 
heard  a  "voice"  which  she  could  not  resist,  and  which 
she  knew  came  from  one  of  the  "masters"  of      TK's 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A   WHOLE  397 

"  Great  School/ '  commanding  her  to  marry  the  man 
"for  a  great  spiritual  purpose." 

She  had  not  seen  her  Japanese  husband  since  before 
entering  the  asylum,  and  upon  her  release,  had  taken 
her  little  Japanese  baby  (about  one  year  old)  and,  ac- 
companied by  her  sister,  had  made  their  way  to  Chi- 
cago. She  wished  to  find  TK  and  make  him  marry  her, 
as  she  claimed  he  had  promised  to  do. 

To  add  to  the  seriousness  of  the  situation,  her  sister 
also  appeared  to  be  quite  as  insane  as  she  herself  re- 
garding the  Great  School. 

Will  any  of  those  who  may  be  interested  in  perpet- 
uating TK's  "Great  School"  and  its  "Work,"  say 
that  the  influences  following  and  destroying  these  two 
women  were  good  influences?  That  the  fact  that  one 
of  the  women  had  been  an  accepted  ethical  student,  a 
close  personal  friend  of  TK  and  for  a  time  an  almost 
daily  visitor  in  his  home,  was  therefore  under  unusual, 
constructive  spiritual  guidance  and  protection?  Such 
a  thing  is  unthinkable  and  contrary  to  all  reason  and 
sense  of  right.  It  is  easier  to  reason  that  she  fell  un- 
der the  direct  hypnotic  influence  not  only  of  TK  him- 
self, but  also  of  his  rascal  band  of  dishonest  and  de- 
generate spirit  guides. 

But  these  cases  are  only  given  as  examples  of  the 
destructive  and  dangerous  influences  emanating  from 
or  working  thru  TK's  mediumship.  There  are  prob- 
ably many  dozens  of  similar  cases  known  only  to  TK 
and  the  immediate  few  whom  in  each  particular  in- 
stance he  succeeded  in  either  getting  rid  of,  or  pledg- 
ing to  secrecy  and  silence. 


398  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Just  this  week  a  letter  came  to  the  writer  from  an 
attorney  whose  sister  has  recently  been  brot  home 
after  several  months'  detention  in  a  private  sanitar- 
ium. He  attributes  her  insanity  to  the  deceptive  im- 
pressions carried  in  TK's  literature.  This  woman  was 
a  remarkably  beautiful  spirit;  practical,  talented,  in- 
telligent, and  a  successful  professional  woman.  Un- 
beknown to  her  family,  she  was  a  " student' '  of  the 
"secret"  work,  and  had  gradually  come  to  believe  in 
TK's  false  and  pretentious  claims  to  mastership. 


Will  such  as  are  in  favor  of  the  further  publication 
and  circulation  of  TK 's  false  and  misleading  literature 
say  that  these  books  do  no  harm?  What  is  it  in  these 
books  or  that  which  accompanies  them  that  has  al- 
ready wrecked  so  many  lives?  Why  all  these  suicides 
and  attempted  suicides,  these  pitiful  cases  of  insanity, 
to  say  nothing  of  affinity  scandals,  divorce  cases, 
money  swindles,  and  instance  after  instance  of  the 
most  vital  and  flagrant  moral  and  mental  degeneracy 
occurring  in  the  very  midst  of  TK's  so-called  ethical 
instruction  and  training? 

In  one  instance,  where  both  are  accredited  students, 
the  man  openly  takes  his  young  affinity  into  the  home 
of  his  legal  wife,  lives  with  her,  divorces  his  wife 
and  marries  the  new  "mate";  in  another,  the  wife  is 
the  aggressive  affinity  hunter,  leaves  her  husband  at 
the  direction  of  some  "spirit  voice,"  and  sallies  forth 
into  newspaper  fame  with  her  new  mate,  singing  hal- 
lelujahs to  the  philosophy  of  TK's  Great  Scheme  of 
Natural  Science. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A    WHOLE  399 

And  some  students  of  this  kind  of  stuff,  repeating 
after  TK,  still  call  it  " science,"  "exact  science," 
"moral  science,"  as  if  the  name  has  anything  to  do 
with  it. 

Actual  and  active  studentship  in  TK's  "  Great 
School"  usually  in  time  brot  reverses  of  one  kind  or 
another :  mental  or  physical  ill-health,  financial  or  bus- 
iness losses,  loss  of  friends,  misunderstanding  among 
relatives  and  friends,  domestic  discords,  disappoint- 
ments, and  difficult  daily  problems  of  all  kinds.  Some 
students,  from  no  apparent  reason  at  the  time,  failed 
in  almost  everything  they  undertook,  as  if  under  some 
sort  of  spell  or  curse.  TK  explained  these  experiences 
as  "tests"  necessary  to  what  the  students  imagined 
to  be  their  "spiritual  development," 

Many  people,  looking  on  from  the  outside  and  sizing 
up  these  unfortunate  results  of  contact  with  TK's 
" Great  School"  and  great  "moral"  philosophy,  sensed 
the  destructive  spiritual  influences  back  of  it  all,  and 
positively  and  steadfastly  refused  to  have  anything 
whatever  to  do  with  any  part  of  it  in  any  manner, 
form  or  degree. 

Because  of  the  way  in  which  his  literature  is  written 
and  the  false  hopes  which  TK,  as  a  prophet  of  dark- 
ness, holds  out  to  sincere  and  earnest  searchers  after 
Truth,  these  books,  in  their  present  form,  constitute  a 
snare  to  human  intelligence  and  a  menace  to  mankind 
generally. 


400  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Briefly  summarizing: 

1.  These  books  appear  simply  to  be  channels  thru 
which,  if  we  may  judge  them  by  actual  results,  certain 
well-defined,  deceiving,  misleading  and  evil  forces  have 
sought  to  influence  and  operate  upon  human  credulity. 
And  to  disguise  the  real  intent  and  purpose  of  the  evil 
intelligences  back  of  these  books,  they  are  cunningly 
clothed  in  an  external  cloak  of  "scientific"  morality. 

2.  "Harmonics  of  Evolution"  has  been  a  source 
of  wide  ill-faith  in  the  marriage  relation,  leading  di- 
rectly and  indirectly  to  innumerable  reckless  affinity 
entanglements  and  scandals  all  over  the  country. 

3.  This  literature  promises  what  is  not  to  be  had 
FROM  ITS  SOURCE,  and  never  was :  exact  knowl- 
edge, and  the  scientific  demonstration  of  the  conti- 
nuity of  individual  life  beyond  death. 

4.  In  their  present  form,  these  books  are  so  inti- 
mately saturated  with  the  false,  personal  claims  of 
TK  that,  unless  the  facts  are  exposed  to  the  clear, 
open  light  of  Truth,  the  entire  literature  may  be  made 
the  basis  of  further  deception,  fraud  and  exploitation 
for  possibly  hundreds  of  years  to  come. 

5.  Many  people  have  already  wasted  valuable  time, 
from  a  few  months  to  many  years,  neglecting,  retard- 
ing and  suppressing  their  real  spiritual  development, 
in  a  vain  attempt  to  realize  TK's  promises. 

Many  people,  misled  by  TK  into  a  false  sense  of 
responsibility,  have  in  the  past  ten  years  spent  a  great 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  AS  A    WHOLE  401 

deal  of  time  and  money  advertising,  selling  and  dis- 
tributing TK's  books.  In  this  way  they  have,  in  many 
instances,  innocently  led  their  relatives,  friends,  ac- 
quaintances, and  even  strangers  into  conditions  of 
mental  blindness,  in  which  they  live  from  day  to  day 
under  false  impressions  and  false  hopes. 

If  this  has  been  your  experience,  then  no  greater 
responsibility  in  this  world  rests  upon  your  soul  than 
to  make  every  possible  effort  you  can  to  see  that  these 
people  get  a  knowledge  of  the  Truth  about  these  books 
and  TK's  whole  movement. 

Once  the  Truth  is  made  known,  your  debt  of  respon- 
sibility will  probably  be  discharged,  for  men  and 
women  are  no  more  inclined  to  take  their  mental  and 
spiritual  food  and  drink  from  morally  unclean  chan- 
nels than  they  are  to  take  their  physical  food  and 
drink  from  unclean  vessels. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Florence  Huntley 

Florence  Huntley  was  the  brains  of  TK's  entire  lit- 
erary success — such  as  it  was.  She  was  educated;  she 
was  a  trained,  talented,  successful  newspaper  woman; 
she  was  by  nature  an  altruist,  a  philosopher,  a  thinker, 
a  genius  for  dissecting  and  analyzing  intricate  psych- 
ological problems.  She  alone  was  the  enthusiast.  TK 
was  not  a  thinker.  He  was  not  a  man  of  warmth, 
feeling  or  enthusiasm.  But  for  his  scheming,  he  was 
really  a  physical  and  mental  idler;  a  leech  upon  the 
intelligence,  the  sympathies  and  confidences  of  other 
people. 

Florence  Huntley  edited  everything  of  any  merit  he 
ever  wrote.  He  produced  nothing  after  "The  Great 
Work,"  in  1906.  He  gave  out  the  impression  that  he 
was  one  of  the  busiest  men  on  earth — but  doing  what? 
He  dictated  some  copy  for  his  magazine  once  every 
two  months;  otherwise  he  had  practically  nothing 
to  do.  He  healed  no  sick,  cured  no  insane,  visited  no 
poor.  Most  of  his  "personal  letters"  were  form  let- 
ters written  by  his  stenographers.  Thus  he  lived  for 
years  in  secret  idleness,  playing  billiards,  walking  or 
riding  out,  hunting  four-leaf  clovers,  etc.,  and  occa- 
sionally spending  an  hour  or  a  few  hours  visiting 
sociably  with  some  out-of-town  student,  applicant  or 
friend — talking  of  the  "work"  or  any  old  subject, — 
just  playing  the  part. 

402 


FLORENCE  HUNTLEY 


403 


To  the  earnest  men  and  women  who  have  for  years 
been  denied  the  " great  and  priceless  privilege"  of 
meeting  the  " master,* '  on  account  of  his  being  "busy 
and  overworked,"  it  may  be  some  relief  to  know  that 
for  many  years  TK  spent  practically  whole  days  at 
a  time  reading  modern  novels  and  light  fiction  as  well 
as  all  the  sporting  news. 


Vandal" 
Business 


Writing  to  his  daughter,  Sept.  13,  1908,  from  San 
Francisco,  TK  said:  "Sh — ,  don't  tell  anybody — but 
I  saw  Billy  Papke  knock  the  stuffm'  out  of  Stanley 
Ketchel.    It  was  immense!" 


404  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

On  Jan.  30,  1910 — twenty-three  years  after  their 
first  meeting,  Mrs.  Huntley  and  Mr.  Richardson  were 
married. 

Upon  that  occasion,  TK  was  as  pale  as  the  white- 
ness of  death. 

And  well  he  might  be,  for  there  was  a  young  woman, 
whom  just  a  few  weeks  previous  to  this  time,  he  had 
secretly  assured  was  his  true  soul-mate, — to  whom  he 
had  explained  that  Florence  Huntley  was  his  mate  in 
an  intellectual  sense  only. 

TK  knew  all  this,  but  he  did  not  know  what  moment 
of  that  day  this  young  woman  might  come  in  and 
before  all  the  wedding  guests  declare  her  betrayal  and 
demand  an  explanation  of  his  hypocritical  and  crim- 
inal deception.  And  it  was  this  uncertainty,  this  awful 
apprehension  and  fear  that  chilled  his  blood  and 
blanched  his  hands  and  face  to  a  sickly,  chalky  white- 
ness. 


Florence  Huntley  lived  for  eighteen  years  in  a 
roseate  hue  of  romance — an  intense  devotion  to  what 
she  sincerely  believed  to  be  a  great  work  for  humanity. 

Who  of  us  can  picture  her  bewilderment,  her  piti- 
ful disappointment,  her  sorrow  and  suffering,  her 
anguish  and  remorse  when  she  opened  her  spiritual 
consciousness  to  discover  the  true  situation, — to  real- 
ize that  her  earthly  life  had  been  wasted  and  worse 
than  wasted  in  an  earnest,  loyal,  blind  support  of  a 
scheming  grafter,  a  man  who  had  shamelessly  and 
cruelly  deceived  her  into  becoming  a  party  to  a  great 


FLORENCE  HUNTLEY  405 

fraud  upon  human  intelligence, — as  she  herself  has 
explained  from  the  spiritual  side  of  life, 

A  short  time  before  her  death  she  became  aware  of 
TK's  real  nature.  And  as  the  awful  consequences  of 
his  destructive  influences,  together  with  her  own  inno- 
cent part  in  carrying  them  into  the  world,  began  to 
awaken  and  unfold  before  her  mind,  her  soul  sank 
helplessly  beneath  the  (personal  humiliation,  regret 
and  pain.  Gladly  would  she  have  given  her  life  to  be 
able  to  retrace  the  path,  to  undo  the  wrong,  to  extri- 
cate herself,  to  recall  her  part  in  this  awful  tragedy 
of  deception  and  fraud,  and  to  put  herself  on  record 
before  all  the  world  and  especially  before  all  who 
trusted  and  believed  in  her. 

Such  was  her  nature,  her  honesty  and  honor,  her 
sense  of  right  and  her  intention,  that,  had  time  and 
circumstances  permitted  her  to  overcome  the  awful 
sense  of  personal  helplessness  and  shock  of  soul,  she 
would  have  given  the  truth  to  the  world. 

But  she  was  alone  in  the  agony  of  her  Gethsemane. 
She  had  awakened  to  her  condition  of  spiritual  dark- 
ness ;  she  had  lived  in  this  darkness  for  years, — in  the 
belief  that  it  was  Light.  The  burden  of  her  spirit, 
now  crushed  and  bleeding,  was  more  than  the  weary 
body  could  endure,  and  at  last,  exhausted  by  the  fruit- 
less struggle,  she  fell  asleep. 

The  manner  of  her  death  was  somewhat  unusual. 
For  several  days  she  wept  beneath  the  cross  of  her 
secret  sorrow,  and  finally  on  Sunday  afternoon,  Jan. 
28,  1912,  she  began  to  experience  a  severe  headache, 
and  a  few  hours  later  lapsed  into  unconsciousness 


406  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

which  lasted  nearly  four  days,  and  from  which  she 
awakened  in  the  new  world  of  spirit. 


What  of  TK's  first  wife— 

The  first  martyr  to  his  "Great  Work!" 

For  nearly  twenty  years  she  bore  her  earthly  cruci- 
fixion upon  the  cross  of  poverty  and  neglect.  She 
knew  that  her  husband  had  a  " soul-mate, ' '  an  "affin- 
ity." She  knew  too  who  that  soul-mate  was.  But 
there  was  no  earthly  hand  to  strengthen,  no  lips  to 
comfort  or  encourage,  no  earthly  ear  to  heed  the 
piteous  cry  of  pain  of  her  soul. 

Thus  for  years  she  suffered  alone,  an  absolutely 
needless,  unjust  and  cruel  mental  and  spiritual  cruci- 
fixion :  an  affliction  and  martyrdom  which  by  any  other 
than  a  "modern  Master  of  the  Law,"  could  have  been 
remedied  in  ten  minutes  by  the  simplest  application 
of  kindness. 


For  eight  years  these  two  women  lived  within  thirty 
minutes  ride,  and  for  six  years,  within  five  minutes 
walk  of  each  other *s  home:  one  in  the  false  belief  of 
a  sunshine  of  self-denial,  self-sacrifice  and  romance; 
the  other  in  the  ever  deepening  shadows  of  an  inward 
pain,  neglect  and  sorrow.  Both  of  them  martyrs  to 
an  injustice  almost  unparalleled  in  the  history  of 
human  relations. 


FLORENCE  HUNTLEY  407 

You  ask  if  TK  knew  his  first  wife  suffered?  This 
question  may  best  be  answered  by  quotations  from 
two  letters  to  Florence  Huntley,  in  TK's  own  hand- 
writing. 

April  15,  1890. 
Beloved  : 

*  *  *  *  But  at  present,  to  avoid  the  possibility  of 
publicity,  it  is,  perhaps  best  for  you  to  write  to  me  only  when 
I  have  assured  you  it  is  safe. 

Let  me  say  this  much  more — Mrs.  R.  suffers  intensely,  and 
her  woman's  love  is  deeply  wounded  by  the  knowledge  that 
I  still  write  to  you.  I  never  fully  realized  the  depths  of  her 
affection  for  me  until  this  has  occurred,  and  though  it  will 
pain  you  as  it  does  me,  it  is  right  for  me  to  tell  you  that 
the  knowledge  of  my  love  for  you  has  been  a  shock  to  her 
which  may  prove  fatal.  Her  health  has  failed  ever  since, 
and  the  poor  girl  is  a  physical  wreck. 

This  is  all  too  brief  to  give  you  a  clear  idea,  but  your 
intuition  will  tell  you  the  rest.  Unless  a  change  comes,  she 
can  not  last  long,  and  it  is  the  saddest  thing  of  my  life  to 
feel  that  it  is  the  result  of  a  broken  heart. 

Through  death  and  eternity,  I  am,  your  own 

Zanoni. 
*    *    *    *    * 

June  7,  1890. 
My  Dearest,  My  Own  : 

The  condition  of  my  business  demands  every  moment  of 
my  time,  and  the  continued  sickness  of  Mrs.  R.  makes  it 
necessary  for  us  to  break  up  house-keeping.  She  is  miser- 
able, poor  girl,  and  has  given  up  all  hope  of  recovery.  I 
shall  very  likely  remove  her  to  her  father's  home  in  Iowa 
for  the  summer  at  any  rate,  and  I  trust  forever.  Not  that 
I  wish  her  any  harm,  but  she  can  never  recover,  and  must 
necessarily  suffer  all  the  rest  of  her  days.  And  in  the  spirit 
of  pity  and  compassion,  I  pray  for  her  release  from  pain, 
which  can  come  only  with  death  and  which  it  would  seem 
must  come  ere  long. 

With  my  whole  heart  and  soul,  now  and  forever,  I  am 
still  your,  Zanoni. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 
What  It  Cost  One  Woman 

When  TK  and  Mrs.  Huntley  returned  to  Chicago,  in 
1902,  Mrs.  H.  took  the  second  flat  in  a  three-story 

building  at  Kedzie  avenue.     The  owner,  Mrs. 

M ,  a  widow,  conducted  a  successful  dry  goods 

business  on  the  ground  floor,  and,  together  with  her 
mother,  occupied  the  first  flat. 

The  second  flat  had  always  rented  for  $30.00  per 
month,  but  because  of  her  confidence  in  TK's  proposed 
"work"  for  humanity,  the  owner  reduced  the  rental 
to  $12.50,  which  amount  TK  was  supposed  to  pay. 

At  this  time,  TK  was  thot  to  be  without  means  of 
support,  and  to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  write  a 
certain  proposed  book,  his  landlady  and  benefactor 
paid  him  $40.00  per  month  for  about  twelve  hours' 
bookkeeping. 

TK's  wife  and  daughter  lived  about  two  blocks  dis- 
tant. He  had  his  office  in  Mrs.  Huntley's  "Paradise 
Flat/'  and  for  six  years  was  there  practically  every 
day. 

At  the  time  Mrs.  M made  an  asylum  for  the 

"work,"  her  property  was  valued  at  $14,000.00.  She 
had  decided  to  dispose  of  her  business  and,  upon  her 
rentals  of  $130.00  monthly,  was  planning  to  retire  and 
devote  her  entire  time  to  the  care  of  her  aged  mother 
and  such  work  as  she  might  do  among  the  poor  and 
needy. 

TK,  however,  induced  her  to  continue  with  her  Dry 

408 


WHAT  IT  COST  ONE   WOMAN  409 

Goods  business,  so  as  to  have  larger  means  for  helping 
the  " Great  Work."  This  she  did,  but  with  the  $40.00 
monthly  payments  to  TK  and  the  loss  of  rent  from  her 
second  flat,  a  situation  arose  which  she  found  difficult 

to  meet.    Finally,  Mrs.  M opened  another  store, 

but  with  so  many  claims  upon  her  time  in  assisting 
with  the  development  of  TK's  book  business,  her  own 
business  affairs  had  to  be  neglected,  until  it  became 
necessary  to  dispose  of  the  first  store,  and  later  the 
second.  By  this  time  she  found  herself  practically  pen- 
niless, except  for  the  rentals  from  her  property.  This, 
too,  was  now  very  inadequate.  Unbeknown  to  Mrs. 
Huntley,  the  " master"  had  made  but  one  payment 
for  her  "Paradise  Flat";  and  for  his  book  business 
(now  occupying  the  entire  ground  floor),  he  paid  prac- 
tically no  rent  at  all,  on  the  grounds  that  it  was  for 
the  good  of  the  "Great  Cause." 

In  the  meantime,  TK's  business  was  growing,  and 
tho  he  was  simulating  poverty,  he  was  secretly  accu- 
mulating a  fortune. 

In  1902-3,  Mrs.  M was  paying  TK  $40.00  a 

month  charity.  Now,  with  her  business  entirely  gone, 
she  began  working  for  TK  at  a  salary  of  $10.00  per 
week,  under  circumstances  so  difficult  that  by  1909  she 
broke  down  under  the  strain.  Mrs.  Huntley,  about  this 
time,  moved  to  Oak  Park,  111. 

Here,  TK  conceived  the  idea  of  getting  his  benefac- 
tor out  of  his  way,  and  arbitrarily  decided  to  send  her 
and  her  mother  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  "in  the  interest  of 
the  Work."  But  before  her  departure,  TK  secured 
from  her  a  power  of  attorney. 


410  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Thus,  as  representative  of  the  Book  business  and 
other  interests  of  the  " Great  School,"  TK  was  sup- 
posed to  continue  paying  her  $10.00  per  week  salary. 
Writing  April  6,  1908,  TK  refers  to  this  matter  of 
salary  as  follows : 

"I  am  going  to  assume  that  you  will  need  $80.00 
per  month  to  sustain  you  and  care  for  your  mother. 
You  will  have  $30.00  rental  from  R,  and  $20.00  from 
S.    This  leaves  $30.00  for  the  Book  Company  to  pay." 

By  this  psychological  confusion  of  details  and  tak- 
ing advantage  of  her  confidence  in  him,  he  manages  to 
pay  less  than  half  of  what  the  monthly  rental  for  his 
business  should  have  been,  and  at  the  same  time  to  se- 
cure her  efficient,  faithful  services  without  paying  her 
a  single  cent  of  the  meager  salary  he  had  promised. 

TK  was  legally  responsible  to  Mrs.  M for  $40.00 

per  month  salary  and  at  least  $100.00  per  month  ren- 
tals. Instead,  however,  of  sending  her  this  $140.00,  he 
sends  her  only  $80.00  per  month,  and  retains  the  dif- 
ference of  $60.00  each  month.  Later,  he  increased  her 
monthly  allowance  to  $100.00,  which  still  relieved  him 
from  paying  the  $40.00  salary  agreed  upon. 

Here  we  have  an  illuminating  illustration  of  TK's 
spiritual  ethics  as  attorney,  tenant  and  employer  com- 
bined. 

At  the  end  of  twenty-one  months,  when  Mrs.  M 

returned  to  Chicago,  TK's  book  business  occupied  both 

the  ground  floor  and  the  second  flat.  Mrs.  M was 

thus  forced  to  rent  an  apartment  elsewhere.  Later 
TK  planned  to  move  his  book  business,  and  began  in 
his  subtle  way  to  urge  the  sale  of  her  property.  When 
he  had  carried  the  suggestion  far  enuf,  he  one  day 


WHAT  IT  COST   ONE    WOMAN  411 

astounded  his  Friend  and  Benefactor  by  asserting  that 
she  owed  him  for  money  spent  for  minor  repairs  on 
her  property,  the  enormous  sum  of  $4,300.00* 

Under  pressure  of  care,  accumulated  interest  on  an 
original  mortgage  of  $6,000.00,  amounts  borrowed  on 
account  of  failure  of  rent  payments,  working  for  sev- 
eral years  for  practically  no  salary,  etc.,  Mrs.  M 

finally  disposed  of  the  property,  and  still  believing  in 
TK's  integrity,  handed  over  to  him  $2,000.00  in  cash. 
But  for  the  fact  that  her  mother  was  entirely  depend- 
ent upon  her,  she  would  probably  have  given  TK  all 
she  had  left. 

Later  in  1915,  when  the  " Elder  Brother* '  began 
calling  for  funds  for  his  Sanitarium,  this  same  bene- 
factor, now  working  for  a  meager  wage,  paid  TK  first 
$50.00,  and  later  on  $100.00 — practically  all  she  had 
in  the  world — on  this  alleged  debt. 

To  briefly  review,  we  find: 

1.  That  when  Mrs.  M became  acquainted  with 

TK  and  his  Great  School,  she  possessed  property 
valued  at  $14,000  and  a  successful  business  with  in- 
come sufficient  to  nicely  take  care  of  her  aged  Mother 
and  herself. 

2.  Twelve  years  later  when  the  " Elder  Brother" 
got  thru  with  her  affairs,  she  was  practically  penni- 
less. 

3.  In  six  years  TK  paid  for  Mrs.  Huntley's  "Para- 
dise Flat"  just  one  payment  of  about  $50.00. 


*  The  writer  has  before  him  the  affidavit  of  TK 's  Business  Manager 
for  the  years  under  consideration,  1909-10-11.  This  gentleman  personally 
looked  after  all  repairs  connected  with  the  property,  and  he  states  under 
oath  that  the  total  amounts  expended  did  not  exceed  $500.00. 


412  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

4.  For  six  years  he  paid  practically  no  rent  for  his 
book  business. 

5.  When  she  sold  her  property,  he  again  took  ad- 
vantage of  her  confidence  in  him  as  a  "  master/ '  and 
coolly  extorted  from  her  $2,000.00  in  cash,  upon  the 
basis  of  a  purely  fraudulent  claim. 

After  TK's  exposure  and  his  whole  " Great  School' ' 

was  revealed  as  a  fraud,  Mrs.  M wrote  to  him 

asking  for  a  refund  of  the  $2,150.00  extorted  from  her. 
but  received  no  reply.  Failing  in  this  she  turned  to 
the  Board  of  Trustees. 

These  seven  gentlemen  are  all  men  of  affairs,  in 
business  and  professional  life.  Their  aggregate 
wealth  is  probably  several  million  dollars.  As  trustees 
they  have  in  their  possession  some  $40,000,00 — of  the 
former  " Great  School's"  funds. 

If  you  were  one  of  these  Trustees,  what  would  you 
do  in  a  case  of  this  kind? 

Mrs.  M makes  no  claims  for  the  loss  of  her 

former  business;  for  the  six  years  unpaid  rent  for 
" Paradise  Flat";  for  ten  years  in  which  little  or  no 
rent  was  paid  by  the  "Book  Co.";  for  the  years  in 
which  she  received  little  or  no  salary;  for  the  $40.00 
monthly  charity  paid  to  TK. 

All  that  she  asks  is  a  refund  of  this  last  $2,150.00, 
and  this,  not  for  herself,  but  for  what  it  may  mean  to 
her  in  the  care  of  her  mother. 

The  former  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  has 
from  the  beginning  taken  an  open  stand  that  this  and 
all  just  claims  made  against  the  funds  of  the  so-called 
"Great  School,"  should  be  paid  promptly. 

What  would  you  do  in  a  case  like  this? 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
The  $40,000.00  Trust  Fund 

About  June  1st,  when  the  Committee  of  Four  re- 
turned from  California,  there  was  on  deposit  in  the 
Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  in  the  name  of  John 
E.  Richardson  (TK)  over  $40,000.00. 

This  sum  was  the  remainder  of  a  $50,000.00  donation 
made  by  Dr.  H.  H.  ,  in  1908,  with  the  under- 
standing that  it  was  to  be  made  the  nucleus  of  a  Trust 
Fund  for  the  specific  purpose  of  carrying  on  what  he, 
at  that  time,  believed  to  be  a  beneficent  work  of  edu- 
cation for  mankind.  The  donation  was  made  as  the 
result  of  Dr.  H 's  confidence  in  John  E.  Rich- 
ardson (TK)  as  a  Brother  Mason  and  upon  TK's  pub- 
lished and  personal  misrepresentations  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  a  " master.* ' 

All  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  under- 
stood : 

1.  That  this  $40,000.00  was  the  remainder  of  the 
original  $50,000.00  donated  by  Dr.  H . 

2.  They  knew  that  the  Bank  records  show  that  John 
E.  Richardson  (TK)  had  in  1914,  transferred  this 
$40,000.00  from  the  Trust  Fund  to  his  own  personal 
savings  account.* 


(See  pages  303-304.) 

413 


414  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

3.  They  knew  that  by  the  recent  disclosures  of 
TK's  personal  record,  he  had  forfeited  the  right  to  all 
money  donated  for  the  good  of  his  "  Great  Cause." 

4.  They  knew  that  when  it  was  discovered  that  the 
reason  for  the  continuance  of  the  Edgemoor  Sani- 
tarium was  merely  a  false  pretense,  Dr.  H was  the 

first  to  suggest  and  use  his  personal  and  official  influ- 
ence for  the  immediate  return  of  that  valuable  prop- 
erty to  its  donor. 

Every  member  of  this  Board  of  Trustees  is  a  Mason, 

and  knew  that  Dr.  H is  a  man  whose  hands  and 

conscience  are  clean;  that  his  honor  and  honesty  are 
unquestioned;  that  as  a  Mason  his  reputation  for 
Equity,  Justice  and  Right  are  of  the  highest  order. 

Under  these  circumstances  would  it  not  be  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  the  members  of  this  Board  of 
Trustees  would  have  taken  the  initiative  to  see  that 
this  sum  of  $40,000.00  be  returned  to  Dr.  H-— -? 
Would  it  not  seem  a  matter  of  the  simplest  Fraternal 

justice  for  them  to  have  gone,  as  a  body,  to  Dr.  H 

voluntarily,  and  offered  their  services  to  this  end? 
With  practically  no  effort  on  their  part,  and  abso- 
lutely no  personal  loss  or  inconvenience,  they  could 
have  done  this.  And  there  is  not  one  chance  in  ten 
thousand  but  that  the  entire  amount  would  have  been 

legally  transferred  by  the  Bank  to  Dr.  H .     This 

is  exactly  what  any  body  of  men,  making  no  preten- 
sions to  Masonic  Fraternalism  or  special  ethical  in- 
struction and  training,  would  have  done. 

In  this  instance,  however,  not  a  single  member  of 
the  entire  Board  of  Trustees  ever  even  suggested  such 
a  thing. 


THE  $40,000.00  TRUST  FUND  415 

But  what  did  happen? 

Dr.  H informs  me  that  when  in  June  he  con- 
templated attaching  this  fund,  he  was  told  by  the  At- 
torney for  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Mr.  F.  T.  L.,  that  an 
attachment  was  entirely  unnecessary.  He  was  further 
assured  that  the  money  was  perfectly  safe.  That  the 
Bank's  Attorney  had  been  shown  the  legal  documents 
which  transferred  everything  from  TK  to  the  trustees 
and  that  the  Bank  would  not  dare  to  turn  this  fund 
over  to  TK  without  being  specifically  authorized  by 
the  Board  of  Trustees  to  do  so. 

Dr.  H further  informs  me  that  upon  his  confi- 
dence in  Mr.  L 's  word  as  an  attorney,  a  Mason, 

and  a  fellow  student  in  the  "  Great  School/ '  and  be- 
cause he  wished  to  save  the  other  trustees  from  the 
publicity  which  an  attachment  would  have  precip- 
itated, he  decided  to  order  an  attachment  only  as  a 
last  resort. 

And  then  what  happened? 

A  few  weeks  passed,  and  early  in  August  Dr.  H 

went  to  the  Bank  and  inquired  about  the  $40,000.00. 

The  Attorney  for  the  Bank  informed  him  that  the 
money  was  gone. 

"Gone,"  said  Dr.  H ,  dumfounded. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Attorney.  "It  was  sent  to  Mr. 
Richardspn  in  July.  We  received  a  communication 
from  Mr.  Richardson  inclosing  a  letter  he  had  received 

from  Mr.  F.  T.  L ,  the  Attorney  for  your  Board  of 

Trustees.    In  this  letter,  Mr.  L states  that  he  had 

never  at  any  time  made  any  claim  upon  the  fund,  and 
did  not  know  of  any  one  else  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 


416  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


who  had  ever  made  any  such  claim.    Upon  the  strength 
of  that  letter,  we  sent  the  money  to  Mr.  Richardson. ' ' 


The  $40,000.00  was  gone. 

It  had  been  turned  over  to  John  E.  Richardson. 

The  Bank  had  acted  in  perfect  good  faith.    They 

knew  that  Mr.  L was  the  Attorney  for  the  Board 

of  Trustees,  and  that  he  had  declined  personally  to  the 
Bank's  Attorney  to  make  any  claim  against  the 
$40,000.00. 

But,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  TK. 

TK  sent  that  letter  on  to  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and, 

Upon  the  strength  of  that  letter,  the  Bank  immedi- 
ately forwarded  the  $40,000.00  to  John  E.  Richardson 
(TK)  at  Pasadena,  California. 

We  herewith  submit  the  letter  written  by  Mr.  L 

to  TK,  the  original  of  which  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank. 

July  20th,  1916. 
Mr.  John  E.  Richardson, 

Pasadena,  Cal. 
Dear  Uncle  John: — 

Your  recent  letter  is  before  me.  In  reply  I  have  to  say 
that  never  at  any  time,  have  I  made  any  claim  to  the  Illinois 
Trust  &  Savings  Bank  upon  the  fund  there.  So  far  as  I  per- 
sonally know,  no  one  else  of  the  Seven  has  ever  made  such 
claim. 


THE  $40,000.00  TRUST  FUND  417 

Just  before  we  started  for  California,  Dr.  H and  I 

went  to  the  Bank  and  asked  for  information  as  to  your 
account,  exhibiting  the  transfer  to  us  by  you,  which  was 
intended  for  public  exhibition.  Upon  the  basis  of  that  docu- 
ment, we  asked  if  there  was  any  money  in  the  bank  to  your 
credit,  and  were  informed  by  them  that  the  account  had  been 
closed  out.  Any  further  information  was  refused  us.  This 
is  the  only  transaction  I  ever  had  with  the  Bank,  except  that 
Mr.  Dunbar  of  that  bank  recently  called  me  up  over  the 
telephone.  In  that  conversation,  I  consistently  refused  to 
make  any  claim  upon  the  fund,  and  referred  to  the  fact  that 
he  should  carry  out  whatever  arrangement  he  had  with  you. 

In  my  opinion,  the  bank  is  simply  seeking  for  an  excuse  to 
hold  on  to  your  deposit.  You  know  $40,000  is  a  considerable 
deposit,  and  bankers  hate  to  see  it  go  out  of  their  bank. 

With  my  kindest  regards,  and  best  wishes,  I  am, 

Cordially  yours, 


The  following  was  dictated,  word  for  word,  from  the  Spiritual  Side 
of  Life  by  one  who  knows  TK  and  the  entire  history  of  his  present 
earthly  activities. 


"TK." 

As  sleek  a  mortal,  as  ever  donned  man's  attire. 
Covetous,  to  the  minutest  degree. 
Possessed  of  a  subtlety,  that  is  uncanny. 
The  poise,  dignity,  and  bearing  of  the  elect. 

A  reserve  so  ■ '  crusted, "  as  to  not  allow  of  a  pin  hole  of 
penetration  to  the  innerself,  the  revelation  of  which 
would  make  man  stagger,  and  give  vent  to  silent  furies 
and  mutterings. 

Astute  in  manner  and  dealings. 

Has  a  way  with  his  fellowmen,  bordering  upon  the 
hypnotic.  He  plays  with  their  thought,  so  to  speak, 
until  he  brings  them  to  his  way  of  thinking  and  deal- 
ing,— the  least  unto  the  greatest. 

The  roles  he  assumes  in  the  Drama  of  Life  are  only 
those  which  have  for  their  harvest,  the  fruits  of  gain, 
(personal  gain). 

Money  is  his  creed,  his  deity. 

One  of  the  most  assumptive  of  men,  of  the  leech  type. 

His  is  the  lure  of  the  hypocrite. 

With  sanctimonious  mien  and  the  denominational  "I" 
he  journeys  forth  in  search  of  ''wise"  men,  mostly 
"wise  men  of  the  East/' 

Being  well  read,  he  babbles  fluently  on  borrowed  tales 
and  speeches. 

Men  eat  of  his  crumbs  greedily, — hungeringly,  until 
they  stand  forth  at  the  Portal  of  Submission,  ready 
to  give  their  all,  their  life,  if  need  be,  for  the  ' '  cause. ' ' 

He  is  more  sensual,  than  spiritual, — gratification  marks 
his  innermost  fiber. 

His  Motto— "Do  Others." 

His  Principle — An  easy  life,  in  the  easiest  way. 

His  Prayer — Get  thee  behind  me — conscience. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
TK  and  Freemasonry. 

The  facts  embodied  in  this  chapter  should  be  of  the 
most  immediate  and  vital  concern  to  every  Master 
Mason,  and  particularly  so  to  every  Mason  who  has 
in  any  way  ever  been  identified  with  TK's  so-called 
" Great  School."  A  knowledge  of  these  facts  carries 
with  it  to  every  Mason  a  life-long  Personal  Responsi- 
bility to  the  Fraternity,  to  humanity  and  to  himself 
to  undo  as  far  as  may  be  possible  the  widely  sown 
influences  employed  by  TK  in  his  attempts  to  fasten 
upon  the  Masonic  Fraternity  his  many  fraudulent 
claims. 

TK's  fixed  general  attitude  toward  contemporary 
movements  was  always  one  of  intolerance,  without 
kindly  interest,  friendly  feeling  or  willingness  to  co- 
operate in  any  manner  whatsoever.  Toward  Free- 
masonry, however,  he  openly  professed  the  warmest 
friendship  and  fraternal  devotion, — the  more  surely 
and  easily  to  impose  upon  his  own  Masonic  Brethren, 
and  those  men  and  women  outside  the  Fraternity  who 
justly  regard  Masonry  in  a  kindly  light. 

On  page  67,  TK  tells  us  that  he  came  to  Chicago  in 
1891  and  formed  a  business  association  with  which  he 
remained  until  1900.  It  is  quite  noticeable  that  he 
passes  over  this  period  of  ten  years  of  his  life  without 
the  least  hint  as  to  the  kind  of  business  he  was  en- 
gaged m. 

419 


420  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

It  will  be  recalled  that  his  first  Chicago  "Business" 
venture  was  selling  ' '  Oxydonors. ' «  In  time  the  Gov- 
ernment denied  that  business  the  use  of  the  mails,  and 
we  next  find  Mr.  Richardson  promoting  what  he  called 
"The  First  National  Masonic  Savings  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation." This  association  was  incorporated  May  16, 
1891,  with  the  modest  capitalization  of  $50,000,000.00. 
For  two  years  it  appears  to  have  done  a  good  business 
on  the  original  name,  but  on  Sept.  6, 1893,  the  title  was 
changed  to  the  "Masonic  Mutual  Savings  and  Loan 
Association." 

Stock  and  insurance  in  both  of  these  "associations" 
were  sold  in  Illinois,  Michigan,  Ohio  and  other  states. 
The  "Masonic  Mutual,"  however,  with  its  $50,000,- 
000.00  capitalization,  failed  in  1895,  and  in  the  same 
year  we  find  Mr.  Richardson  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
as  Secretary  of  two  more  "associations":  This  time 
the  "United  States  Masonic  Benevolent  Association" 
and  the  "Guaranty  Fund  Life  Association." 

These  two  associations  were  later  licensed  in  Illi- 
nois, but  their  licenses  were  revoked  Jan.  30,  1896, 
because  of  failure  to  comply  with  State  Laws.  A  re- 
ceiver for  the  "Guaranty  Fund  Life  Association"  was 
appointed  by  the  Attorney  General  in  1897. 

The  "United  States  Masonic  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion" in  1897  changed  its  name  to  the  "United  States 
Life  Association."  It  continued  until  about  1900, 
when  its  business  was  reinsured  by  the  "Illinois  Life 
Insurance  Company"  of  Chicago. 

Thus  for  a  period  of  about  ten  years  TK  was  "Sec- 
retary" and  general  promotor  and  manager  of  what 
might  be  called  progressive  insurance  "associations." 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY 


421 


v 

A  NftMC. 


ILLINOIS 


SAVINGS  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATION.         I 
Certificate  no.  ** 


CHICAGO, 


Special  *  Notice 


PAYMENTS  by  maif  must  be  by  Bank  Draft  oh  Chicago  or 
New  York,  by  Post  Office  or  Express  Order  or  by  Registered  Letter. 

THE  ASSOCIATION  will  not  be  responsible  for  MONEY 
sent  by  mail. 

REMITTANCES  to  the  Home  Office  should  be  addressed  to 
"John  E.  Richardson,  Secretary,  702  Phenix  Building,  Chicago,  III." 


422  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  423 

He  also  sold  both  stock  and  insurance,  and  from  the 
following,  taken  from  Mrs.  Huntley's  diary  for  Sept. 
13,  1894,  we  may  judge  that  he  was  a  pretty  smooth 
salesman: 

''Last  night  we  went  out  in  a  semi-roasted  condition  to 
visit  some  people  who  wanted  to  purchase  stock.  What  a  com- 
fort it  is  to  see  the  Grand  Master  do  up  shrewd,  obstinate, 
old  men  and  fat,  stupid,  young  ones!" 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  just  how  many  peo- 
ple lost  money  in  these  various  "  associations/ '  but  it 
is  sufficient  to  know  that  TK's  " Great  Work"  was  not 
his  first  experience  in  working  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 


In  1901  TK  disappeared  from  the  field  of  his  for- 
mer Masonic  Insurance  operations.  In  1902  he  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  and  went  into  his  "obscurity."  He 
now  has  ten  or  a  dozen  "students."  These  are  his 
visible  assets;  he  is  their  "master."  He  depends  on 
them  to  vouch  for  his  mastership,  and  guard  his  iden- 
tity and  his  business.  Unsuspectingly  they  stand  be- 
tween him  and  those  whom  he  is  planning  to  exploit. 

His  first  book  was  published  in  1903.  It  closed  with 
a  powerful  appeal  "To  the  Master  Mason,"  and  from 
that  time  forward  thruout  all  his  writings  he  gave 
Freemasonry  second  place  to  his  fictitious  "Great 
School,"  and  used  the  fact  of  his  Masonic  membership 
to  command  and  hold  the  confidence  of  Brother 
Masons  whom  he  used  in  every  way  possible  to  further 
his  real  business. 


424  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Fully  90%  of  all  TK's  students  were  Masons,  or  in 
some  way  connected  with  the  Fraternity.  The  great 
majority  became  interested  in  his  literature  because, 

1.  He  was  a  Mason. 

2.  He  assumed  the  role  of  a  Masonic  scholar,  his- 
torian and  authority. 

3.  His  frequent  use  of  familiar  Masonic  terms  and 
phrases  in  connection  with  his  " secret' '  work. 

4.  His  bold  statement  that  his  " Great  School"  was 
the  parent  of  Freemasonry. 

5.  He  openly  advertised  that  his  secret  instruction 
constituted  the  "Lost  Word"  of  Masonry. 

#     #     #     #     # 

The  7th  of  the  48  "Preliminary  Questions"  sub- 
mitted to  all  applicants  reads : 
7:  a.  Are  you  a  Mason? 

b.  If  so,  to  what  bodies  do  you  belong? 

c.  Briefly,  what  are  your  present  views  as  to 

Freemasonry  and  the  Masonic  Fraternity? 

d.  Bo  you  recognize  it  as  a  descendent  of  the 

Great  School? 

e.  Why? 

w     *     •     •     • 

In  Life  and  Action,  Bv.  6,  p.  318,  under  "Questions 
and  Answers,"  TK  states  publicly  what  he  thinks  of 
the  33°  S.  R.  Masonry,  as  compared  with  his  private 
"Great  School." 

Question: — "Are  those  of  your  readers  who  are  interested 
from  the  viewpoint  of  Freemasonry,  justly  entitled  to  infer 
that  the  Great  School  is  only  another  name  for  the  33°  in 
S.  R.  Masonry?" 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  425 

Answer  by  tk: — "Hardly  so.  They  are,  however,  entirely 
justified  in  assuming  that  the  Great  School  is  an  institution 
which  has  long  ages  past,  demonstrated  all  that  constitutes 
the  ethical  foundation  of  the  33°  in  Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 
They  are  also  justified  in  assuming  that  the  Great  School  is 
the  original  source  from  which  all  the  degrees  of  Masonry 
were  derived.  But  the  Great  School  stamds  for  something 
vastly  more  than  the  33°  in  S.  R.  Masonry." 

In  The  Great  Work,  p.  48,  TK  speaking  specifically 
of  his  "Lost  Word,"  says: 

"And  so  it  has  remained  lost  from  that  day  to  this.  And 
so  it  will  continue  until  the  Masonic  Fraternity  shall  make 
it  possible  for  the  Great  School  to  restore  to  it  the  'Lost 
Word '  of  direct  instruction.  Can  this  be  done  ?  It  not  only 
can,  but  will  be  done.  Moreover,  the  preliminary  work  to 
thai  end  is  already  well  under  way." 

To  know  just  what  is  here  meant  by  the  "Lost 
Word,"  you  have  only  to  recall  Chapters  13,  14  and 
15.  And  it  is  this  amazingly  empty  pretension  to  a 
"scientific  instruction"  which  TK  declares  to  be 
11  vastly  more  than  the  33°  S.  R.  Masonry!" 


At  the  head  of  practically  every  Masonic  publica- 
tion in  America  is  a  thotful,  intelligent,  cool-headed 
Editorial  Management,  and  to  this  one  fact  more  than 
all  else  combined,  is  due  the  credit  for  the  protection 
of  the  literature  of  the  Fraternity. 
Take  for  instance  TK  and  his  "Great  School." 
For  a  period  of  about  fourteen  years  he  made 
Masonry  his  special  field  of  literary  and  financial 
operations.  By  an  almost  uncanny  use  of  the  influ- 
ences of  a  dozen  or  so  men  whom  he  had,  in  his  way 
"convinced,"  he  pulled  every  possible  wire  in  his 


426  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


efforts  to  worm  himself  and  his  writings  into  the 
Masonic  literature  of  the  age.  For  years  he  sent  out 
a  constant  stream  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Masonic 
leaflets,  booklets,  etc.  But  in  spite  of  this  "  campaign 
of  education/ '  so  far  as  we  know  (outside  of  a  few 
book  reviews)  the  Masonic  Press  of  the  country  was 
content  to  see  and  examine  some  of  TK's  "evidences," 
"records"  and  "proofs"  before  committing  them- 
selves to  advertising  his  "  Great  School." 

But  suppose  that  these  publications  had  accepted 
TK  as  a  "real"  master, — an  "Avatar,"  or  Deity 
incarnate,  as  one  entire  book  tries  to  prove  him  to  be. 
Suppose  they  had  announced  to  the  world  that  a  "mas- 
ter" had  come  to  restore  the  "Lost  Word,"  that  he 
held  the  key  to  the  origin  of  Freemasonry,  that  his 
fictions  had  all  been  scientifically  demonstrated,  etc., 
— and  in  due  time  this  same  "master"  was  found  to 
be  a  pretender,  a  charlatan  and  ordinary  money 
grafter.  Can  any  man  measure  or  even  imagine  the 
far-reaching,  disintegrating,  destructive  results  that 
TK's  pseudo  "scientific"  literature  would  have  had 
upon  Freemasonry,  had  the  Masonic  Press,  or  even 
one  influential  Masonic  publication  been  thrown  open 
to  his  "Great  Cause"? 

Personally,  the  writer  can  imagine  no  greater  calam- 
ity possible  to  the  Masonic  Fraternity  than  this,  and 
it  is  our  candid  opinion  that  this  very  thing  was  the 
intent,  the  spirit  and  purpose  back  of  TK's  activities. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  427 

The  following  is  reproduced  from  a  large  eight-page 
folder  addressed  "To  Master  Masons."  Tens  of  thou- 
sands of  these  were  sent  out  annually  advertising  "the 
parent  of  modern  Masonry. ' ' 

THE  GREAT  WORK 


Dear  Sir  and  Brother: — 

We  send  you  this  leaflet  because  you  are  an  honored  member  of  the 
Ancient  Craft  of  Free  Masonry,  and  you  also  doubtless  are  one  who  is 
seeking  further  light. 

The  GEE  AT  ANCIENT  SCHOOL  (one  of  whose  members  is  the 
author  of  this  volume)  is  the  parent  of  modern  Masonry. 

If  you  are  still  hungry,  thirsty  and  unsatisfied,  and  are  turning  from 
the  lifeless  dogmas  of  the  past  and  are  seeking  "Living  Truths"  and  a 
rational  philosophy,  please  read  and  study  this  book. 

The  following  quotation  from  one  of  his  letters  dated 
Feb.  23,  1907,  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  extent  of 
TK's  Masonic  advertising  campaigns. 

"We  have  the  'Grand  Lodge  report'  of  only  two  states,  viz.: — New 
York  and  Michigan.  If  you  can  give  us  lists  of  names  from  any  other 
states,  we  will  .appreciate  every  name  you  can  send  us.  I  want  to  send 
out  at  least  100,000  letters  to  Masons  within  the  next  three  months  and 
wijl  do  so  just  as  rapidly  as  we  can  get  the  names. ' ' 


428  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

To  many  of  his  students,  TK  confided  that  he  was 
at  one  time  Grand  Lecturer  for  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
California,  but  the  following  does  not  bear  out  this 
claim. 

GRAND  LODGE,  F.  &  A.  M. 
of  California 

San   Francisco 


JOHN    WHICHER.    Grand    Secretary 

December  4,  1916. 


Dear  Sir  and  Brother: 

John  E.  Richardson  was  never  Grand  Lecturer  of  our 
Grand  Lodge,  and  he  did  not  fill  any  office  in  the  Grand 
Lodge  between  1878  and  1890. 

Fraternally  yours, 

(Signed)     John  Whicker, 

Grand  Secretary. 

In  an  article  published  in  " The  Oconomowoc  (Wis.) 
Enterprise/'  for  March  3, 1916,  TK  took  special  pains 
to  explain  that  all  the  officers  and  Trustees  of  "  Edge- 
moor  Sanitarium"  were  "prominent  members  of  the 
Masonic  Fraternity, ' '  and  in  speaking  of  himself,  said : 

"Mr.  Richardson  holds  a  life  membership  in  all 
Masonic  bodies  of  both  York  and  Scottish  Rites."* 

In  a  letter  dated  3-28-1911,  TK  says : 

"I  am  as  deeply  and  actively  interested  in  the  Cause  of 
Freemasonry  and  its  influences  in  behalf  of  'Life,  Liberty 
and  the  pursuit  of  Happiness,'  as  I  was  more  than  20  years 

ago  when  H Lodge  No.  4  voted  me  a  'Life  Member'  as 

a  token  of  appreciation  for  'Services  rendered'  the  Cause." 


*  This  is  untrue,  as  Mr.  Richardson  does  not  hold  a  life 
membership  in  the  Order  of  Knights  Templar. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  429 


w 


1638  1639.1640  and  1641  Monadnock  Block 

WMSOII  OlAMO**  «««  ••«!•  »  CUJTOH  «0»»t  .tfM 


Ckicafo. 


June  4th.  int»4. 


United  States  masonic 

Beneooleht  Association 


163ft  (o  1641  monadnock  Block 


f^K^^-lfttC 


celpt  of  which,  we  will  enter  the  proper  credits  in  her  pass  book  and 
forward  her  certificate  of  stock  and  pass  book  to  her  address  as  given. 

in  answer  to  your  question  cs  to  bow  payments  are  to  be  made 
where  we  have  no  board  established,  the  only  nethod  is  to  remit  direot 
to  the  hone  office.     In  this  o&se  it  is  always  oe3t  to  reDit    by  either 
bank  draft  tff  P.  0.  order,  and  in  either  ease  the  remittance  should  be 
made  to  " John_E*_Kichard8on ,  Sucrotary";and  in  each  oase,  the  pass  book 
should  accompany  the  remittance  so  that  we  may  enter  tie    proper  oredlt 
at  this  office. 

Thanking  you  for  your  favor  and  wishing  you  continued  Bucoesa, 
t  remain. 

Cordially  and  fraternally 

Secretary. 


Early  in  its  history  his  home  Lodge  found  itself  in 
need  of  immediate  funds,  and  to  raise  the  amount 
needed,  offered  paid-up  memberships  for  $20.00.  TK 
took  advantage  of  this  situation  and  thus  secured  per- 


430  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

petual  exemption  from  dues.  This  then  was  the  "  serv- 
ices rendered/ '  and  some  of  the  older  members  of  his 
Lodge  refer  to  these,  not  as  "Life  Memberships/ '  but 
as  "$20.00  memberships. ' ' 

Now  regarding  Mr.  Richardson's  "Life  member- 
ship" in  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies,  we  quote  as  follows 
from  a  letter  dated  March  15,  1910,  and  addressed  to 
a  student  and  Brother  Mason: 

"Let  me  tell  you  in  confidence  something  that  I  am  sure 
will  please  you  and  will  explain  also  some  of  the  added  stren- 
uosity  of  my  present  life.  Without  seeking  it  in  the  slightest 
degree,  the  Supreme  Commander  of  the  Scottish  Rite  South- 
ern Jurisdiction  nominated  me  for  the  Scottish  Rite  Degrees. 
He  makes  this  a  complimentary  and  honorary  gift  to  me  and 

has  appointed  Brother to  communicate  the 

degrees  to  me  some  time  in  the  early  part  of  April.  Then 
the  22nd  of  April  I  am  to  go  to  Nashville  where  the  Convo- 
cation for  the  purpose  of  conferring  the  same  degrees  upon 
about  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  candidates  opens. 

"This  is  very  important  to  Masonry  in  this  country,  I  am 

sure,  for  Brother amd  I  are  really  working  together 

for  the  revision  of  the  ritualistic  service  of  the  entire  Scottish 
Rite  work,  and  you  can  well  understand  what  it  means  inas- 
much asi  my  purpose  in  that  work  is  to  bring  it  into  exact 
allignment  with  the  ritualistic  work  of  the  Great  School,  as 
well  as  with  its  spirit  and  purpose/' 

We  now  quote  from  a  letter  to  another  student  fol- 
lowing the  convocation. 

"In  strict  confidence,  let  me  tell  you  of  something  in  which 
I  believe  you  will  be  interested,  because  of  its  bearing  upon 
the  future  of  the  Work. 

"In  recognition  of  my  own  Work,  the  Grand  Commander, 
entirely  of  his  own  motion,  and  to  my  great  and  pleasurable 
surprise,  tendered  me  honorary  membership  in  the  Order. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  431 

The  degrees  were  communicated  to  me  by  Bro. (acting 

for  the  Gr.  Com.)  here  in  my  own  home  early  in  April, 
requiring  10  days  hard  work.  We  then  went  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  for  6  days  saw  the  degrees  conferred  on  87  fine 
men.  Today  I  received  my  'Patent'  from  the  Supreme  Coun- 
cil making  me  a  32°  S.  R.  Mason. 

"In  a  way  which  I  cannot  fully  convey  to  you  by  letter, 
this  opens  the  Masonic  field  for  my  own  work,  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  mean  vastly  more  to  the  Cause  than  it  is  possible 
for  me  to  tell  you.  But  you  will  get  some  idea  when  I  tell 
you  that  I  regard  this  as  the  most  important,  vital  and  far- 
reaching  step  thus  far  taken  m  this  country." 

Now  the  facts  are : 

TK  was,  in  1910,  just  entering  upon  a  carefully- 
planned,  nation-wide  Masonic  advertising  campaign. 
For  years  previous  to  this  time  he  had  been  * '  educat- 
ing" a  number  of  men  and  unsuspectingly  using  their 
Masonic  influences  to  further  whatever  schemes  he 
wTished  to  carry  out. 

His  book,  "The  Gkeat  Work,"  was  the  bait  that 
caught  most  of  these  men. 

In  fact,  he  made  it  a  business  to  get  this  book,  in 
one  way  or  another,  into  the  hands  of  such  Masons  as 
he  particularly  wished  to  "  convince. ' ' 

Thus  it  happened  that  a  prominent  and  influential 
Mason,  upon  the  word  of  Masons  who  were  supposed 
to  have  personally  investigated  the  whole  matter, 
became  interested  in  TK  and  his  so-called  "  philo- 
sophy/ '  And  just  as  he  had  deceived  and  used  many 
another  Brother  Mason,  so,  step  by  step,  TK  deliber- 
ately deceived  and  misled  this  man,  until  in  time  he 
came  to  regard  Mr.  Bichardson  as  a  "spiritual  mas- 
ter,' \  and  the  head  of  an  ancient  spiritual  school  of 
Masonic  Light. 


432  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Upon  the  basis  of  these  misrepresentations,  TK,  in 
his  subtle  way,  impressed  the  suggestion  that  mem- 
bership in  S.  R.  Masonry  would  be  very  acceptable  to 
himself  and  his  " Great  Cause.' '  This  suggestion  was 
duly  carried  to  the  Supreme  Grand  Commander,  and 
thus  upon  his  confidence  in  the  one  who  made  the  rec- 
ommendation, and  the  published  endorsements  of 
Masons  who  were  supposed  to  know  TK,  he  was  nom- 
inated for  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees,  and  received  his 
Patent  from  the  Supreme  Council. 

In  view  of  these  circumstances,  it  is  plainly  evident 
that  TK  obtained  and  to-day  holds  his  "Life  Member- 
ships in  S.  R.  Masonry  upon  the  basis  of  deliberate 
and  intentional  misrepresentation. 


Is  TK  a  Deity  incarnate? 

Did  TK  knowingly  and  intentionally  publish  to  the 
world  that  he  is  a  Deity,  a  God,  incarnated  as  a  man? 

"The  New  Avatar,"  a  book  of  226  pages  and  pub- 
lished in  1911,  is  devoted  entirely  to  identifying  TK 
as  the  "New  Avatar  of  Natural  Science." 

TK  himself  read  the  manuscript  of  this  book  and 
therefore  knew,  before  it  was  published,  just  what  it 
contained.  In  announcing  this  volume  to  his  readers, 
TK  said: 

"The  subject  of  ' Avatars'  (which  means  'the  des- 
cent of  a  Deity  to  earth  and  his  incarnation  as  a  man1) 
is  one  that  is  rather  new  to  our  Western  mind.    But 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  433 

in  the  Orient  it  is  a  subject  of  the  most  profound 
interest  and  vital  importance. ' ' 

One  prominent  Masonic  magazine  in  reviewing  this 
book  "The  New  Avatar,' '  said: 

"Dr.  B declares  that  we  possess  in  America  to-day  one 

who  can  fill  all  the  requirements  that  he  has  pointed  out,  as 
related  to  an  Avatar  such  as  he  describes,  not  as  a  reincarna- 
tion of  Buddha,  but  as  'a  Master'  who  has  made  the  demon- 
stration of  life  after  death,  as  a  member  of  the  'Great  School' 
initiated  many  years  ago,  and  who  has  devoted  his  life  to  the 
service  of  his  fellow  men. ' ' 

Here  is  a  situation  in  which  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  books,  magazines,  etc.,  have  been  distributed,  con- 
veying the  impression  that  TK  is  an  exalted  moral 
Being,  an  embodiment  of  the  most  lofty  moral  prin- 
ciples— a  "master.' '  Upon  these  fraudulent  preten- 
tions he  manages  to  secure  a  life  membership  in  S.  R. 
Masonry.  He  even  plans  to  secretly  tamper  with, 
" revise' '  and  change  the  "ritualistic  service  of  the 
entire  Scottish  Bite  work."  He  deceives  a  number  of 
Masons  into  blindly  writing  articles  and  books  endors- 
ing and  advertising  his  pretentions.  And  much  of 
all  this  literature  is  to-day  in  Masonic  homes  and 
libraries. 

Many  Masons  have  expressed  the  opinion  that  no 
more  subtle,  underhanded,  far-reaching  injury  has 
been  done  Masonry  in  two  centuries  than  the  publica- 
tion and  circulation  of  TK's  books.  The  effects  may 
not  show  plainly  just  now,  nevertheless  this  literature 
will  be  a  source  of  keen  embarrassment  to  Freema- 
sonry for  possibly  a  hundred  years  to  come, — espe- 
cially so  if  the  books  are  permitted  to  be  republished. 
Here  and  there  will  arise  other  charlatans  pretending 


434 


TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


to  be  "masters"  and  "sole  representatives ' '  of  the 
so-called  "Great  School,' '  and  the  work  of  deception, 
misdirection  and  exploitation  will  go  merrily  on. 

Already  from  one  "Masonic"  source  it  is  announced 
that  $2,500.00  has  been  pledged  to  revive  and  carry  on 
TK's  "Great  Work,''— that  either  TK  himself  or 
some  other  "master"  will  in  due  time  be  on  the  job  to 
"head"  the  new  movement, — that  TK's  so-called  "text 
books"  are  to  be  republished, — that  his  "Lost  Word" 
is  yet  to  be  restored  to  Masonry,  etc. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  435 


The  following  is  taken  from  The  Builder  (Masonic)  of 
Anamosa,  Iowa,  for  July,  1915.  It  is  a  clear,  sane,  kindly, 
fraternal  comment  covering  TK's  pretentions,  and  Time  has 
proven  the  wisdom  of  every  word  used  in  this  statement. 

''First,  the  Great  Work  professes  to  be  an  exposition  of 
the  teachings  of  an  ancient  School  of  Natural  Science  which 
has  existed  from  the  beginning  of  time,  having  in  its  keep- 
ing records  reaching  back  beyond  the  days  of  Moses,  if  not 
further;  which  school  was  the  inspiration  of  Buddhism,  early 
Christianity,  and  Freemasonry.  Surely  these  are  amazing 
statements,  and  yet  not  one  item  of  evidence  is  offered  in 
support  of  them. 

"Second,  the  Great  Work  purports  to  tell  us  the  origin  of 
Freemasonry.  Masonry  we  learn  is,  or  was,  until  it  turned 
out  abortive;  one  of  the  efforts  of  the  said  Great  School  to 
instruct  mankind  and  lead  it  into  the  light.  Here  again  no 
evidence  is  set  forth,  but  only  bare  affirmations  of  a  man  who 
does  not  even  sign  his  name.  *  *  *  If  the  origin  of 
Masonry  is  obscure  that  is  no  valid  reason  for  accepting  the 
theory  of  TK,  which  is  still  more  obscure. 

"Some  of  us,  because  we  love  Freemasonry,  flatly  refuse 
to  accept  any  such  account  of  its  origin  when  no  facts  are 
forthcoming  to  prove  it. 

"Now  consider!  This  book  calmly  tells  us  that  Masonry- 
is  only  a  makeshift  substitute  for  something  withheld  by  a 
mythical  Great  School,  a  faded  sham,  an  echo,  an  imitation, 
if  not  a  counterfeit — not  the  real  truth  that  makes  men  free 
and  fraternal,  but  a  thing  almost  worthy  of  contempt  along- 
side the  alleged  Great  School.  Indeed  Masonry  is  only  used 
in  this  book  as  a  kind  of  tail  to  fly  the  kite  of  the  Great 
School  in  which  the  author  is,  apparently,  an  instructor. 

"Seldom  have  we  seen  a  book  which  so  belittles  the  noble 
order  of  Freemasonry — not  intentionally  so,  perhaps,  but 
actually  so  none  the  less — and  some  of  us  resent  it. 

"In  these  despites,  we  find  Masons  accepting  the  whole 
book  as  if  it  were  a  revelation.  It  is  indeed  strange.  And 
this,  too,  without  a  particle  of  evidence  save  the  dicta  of  a 
man  whom  they  never  saw  and  whose  name  they  do  not  know. 
If  this  is  what  is  meant  by  Masonic  Research,  then  we  might 
as  well  set  fire  to  our  libraries  and  set  sail  into  fairyland,  the 
while  we  make  contest  as  to  who  can  spin  the  most  extrav* 


436  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


agant  fancy  and  call  it  history.  *  *  *  We  believe  that 
the  " Great  Work"  has  done  great  injury  to  the  cause  of 
authentic  Masonic  research — not  intentionally  so,  but  actu- 
ally so  in  fact — in  that  it  has  started  many  Masons  on  the 
wrong  track,  and  would,  if  it  were  accepted  as  a  standard, 
expose  the  Order  to  just  ridicule.' ' 


To  appreciate  why  the  facts  disclosed  in  this  book 
were  not  discovered  and  exposed  years  ago,  you  must 
realize  that  practically  all  of  TK's  public  activities 
were  carried  on  by  correspondence.  He  "worked  in 
obscurity  and  under  assumed  names."  All  mail  con- 
nected with  his  "business"  reached  him  thru  his 
Book  Co.,  or  "234."  Probably  not  more  than  a  hun- 
dred students  ever  knew  where  he  lived.  Even  in 
1916  he  had  in  Chicago  only  58  students.  Of  this  num- 
ber 15  had  completed  the  "Ethical  Section" — five,  ten, 
fifteen  years  ago.  These  were  the  ' '  Old  Group. ' '  17 
were  on  the  ES;  11  were  on  the  "Test  Course;"  15 
were  harmlessly  copying  answers  to  the  3857  ques- 
tions. 

Now  about  Nov.  1st  each  year  it  was  the  custom  for 
these  four  groups  to  hold  a  joint  meeting.  At  this 
time  TK  was  present,  shook  hands  all  around,  jollied 
the  bunch  good-naturedly;  and  only  a  few  saw  any- 
thing more  of  the  "master"  for  another  year.  Some 
of  the  Old  Group,  and  possibly  a  dozen  or  so  others, 
met  him  occasionally,  but  only  by  appointment,  and 
then  for  but  a  few  minutes  at  a  time. 

As  for  his  business  affairs,  these  were  carried  on 
under  the  same  "cloak  of  secrecy"  as  everything  else. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  437 

No  one  except  his  book-keeper  and  manager  really 
knew  anything  about  the  extent  of  his  income  from 
his  publishing  business,  and  these  men  were  led  to 
believe  that  all  profits  were  used  by  TK  to  support 
various  secret  works  of  education  and  charity  in  which 
he  was  supposed  to  be  engaged. 

Besides  these  safeguards,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  " students' '  were  all  active,  busy  people. 
They  seldom  met  one  another  except  in  their  respect- 
ive groups.  It  was  then  only  to  exchange  hasty  greet- 
ings, read  or  study  together  for  an  hour  or  so,  and  say 
Good  Night  until  the  next  week.  Thus  they  really 
knew  very  little  more,  and  in  the  majority  of  instances 
even  less,  about  TK  and  his  private  affairs,  than  stu- 
dents a  thousand  miles  from  Chicago.  Outside  of  a 
half  dozen  employees  it  was  rarely  that  any  local  stu- 
dent ever  even  heard  of  any  new  books,  changes,  etc., 
until  the  announcement  appeared  in  the  magazine. 

To  further  camouflage  his  "affairs"  he  carefully 
"educated"  his  students  for  years  until  in  matters 
pertaining  to  his  activities,  they  were  psychologized 
blind,  deaf  and  dumb  to  everything  except  his  own 
suggestions. 

The  following  is  just  one  example  of  his  methods 
of  "training"  his  students  so  they  would  not  meddle 
in  his  "private  and  personal  matters."  This  is  from 
a  form  letter  sent  to  all  accepted  students. 

"Be  on  guard  constantly  against  the  approach  of  stran- 
gers who  may  ask  questions  or  seek  information  about  any- 
thing whatsoever,  outside  what  is  contained  in  the  books. 

"Never  answer  impertinent  questions,  even  from  your  per- 
sonal friends. 


438  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 


"Never  answer  questions  concerning  the  Authors  of  the 
Books  personally,  nor  discuss  the  TK  or  RA,  or  Mrs.  Hunt- 
ley, or  Dr.  St.  John,  with  anybody.  The  Books  are  public 
property  and  always  a  proper  subject  of  discussion  or 
inquiry ;  but  the  lives  and  affairs  of  their  Authors  are  strictly 
private  and  personal  matters  and  not  proper  subjects  of  con- 
sideration or  discussion  with  anybody,  nor  at  all." 


In  June,  1915,  the  writer  was  employed  by  TK  as 
manager  of  his  publishing  business. 

Up  to  that  time  I  knew  nothing  whatever  of  either 
his  business  affairs  or  the  extent  of  his  "  spiritual' ' 
activities  except  as  gathered  from  his  literature. 

Directly  entering  upon  my  duties,  my  whole  time 
and  attention  was  given  to  the  production  side  of  the 
business.  In  the  clerical  and  shipping  departments 
everything  continued  just  as  under  the  former  man- 
agement. I  knew7  that  TK  was  receiving  a  great  deal 
of  money  from  the  Book  Co.,  but  I  was  told  that  it 
was  only  an  insignificant  amount  compared  with  what 
he  needed  and  was  paying  out  for  the  Sanitarium. 
Thus  it  was  that  no  investigations  were  made  into 
TK's  financial  affairs  or  his  business  "systems"  until 
after  the  Edgemoor  disclosures  in  April,  1916. 

Following  TK's  "withdrawal"  my  services  were 
continued  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  when,  the 
latter  part  of  May,  the  facts  were  laid  before  the  Chi- 
cago students,  it  was  generally  understood  that  the 
Trustees  would  publish  a  satisfactory  statement  to  all 
subscribers.  I  personally  had  every  confidence  in  the 
individual  members  of  the  Board.  I  fully  believed  and 
had  every  right  and  reason  to  expect  that  all  sub- 
scribers and  customers  would  be  treated  fairly  in 
every  particular,  including  money  matters. 


TK  AND  FREEMASONRY  439 


I  understood  that  all  who  purchased  books  after  the 
Trustees  knew  that  the  literature  was  not  what  it  was 
represented  to  be,  would  later  on  be  given  an  oppor- 
tunity to  have  their  money  refunded,  if  they  so  chose. 
It  was  also  understood  that  all  subscription  money 
would  be  refunded,  and  it  was  upon  these  grounds 
alone  that  I  continued  my  services  for  the  Board. 

On  Aug.  30,  1916,  a  Trustees '  meeting  was  held  and 
a  " Liquidating  Committee"  of  three  members,  includ- 
ing two  attorneys,  elected  themselves.  It  was  now  to 
be  expected  that  everything  would  be  settled  promptly 
and  justly. 

But  what  happened? 

Subscription  money  was  accepted  for  three  months 
after  the  magazine  suspended,  and  the  sale  of  books 
continued  without  a  word  of  explanation  to  any  one. 

During  all  this  time  I  urged  at  every  opportunity 
that  some  statement  be  published  and  that  all  money 
be  refunded.  In  Feb.  1917,  I  resigned  and  thereupon 
the  Book  Co.  was  closed. 

Nearly  two  years  have  now  passed  and  these  Trus- 
tees still  hold  subscription  money  belonging  to  about 
3,500  people,  and  without  a  single  word  of  explanation 
or  apology.  From  July  1,  1916,  to  Feb.,  1917,  they 
sold  over  $8,000.00  worth  of  books  to  people  who  would 
never  have  purchased  them  had  they  known  what  the 
Trustees  knew.  As  I  recall  now,  only  four  "text" 
books  were,  during  those  months,  sold  to  people  who 
had  a  knowledge  of  the  true  situation,  and  these  did 
not  have  all  the  facts. 


440  TK  AND  THE  GREAT  WORK  IN  AMERICA 

Only  after  it  became  clearly  evident  that  no  state- 
ment would  be  issued  by^the  Trustees,  that  the  facts 
ivould  be  suppressed  permanently  and  that  all  avail- 
able evidences  would  probably  be  destroyed,  was  the 
publication  of  this  volume  undertaken. 

Every  effort  has  been  made,  as  far  as  consistent  with 
the  definite  establishment  of  the  true  situation,  to 
save  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  other 
Students  formerly  associated  with  these  activities — 
from  any  and  all  avoidable  publicity  and  embarrass- 
ment. 

The  Trustees  now  have  in  their  possession  in  the 
neighborhood  of  probably  $40,000.00, — money  that 
belonged  to  TK's  former  " Great  School,' ' — money 
that  now  belongs  to,  and  should  have  been  refunded 
long  ago  to  those  whom  TK  exploited. 

With  the  idea  of  determining  those  contributors  who 
are  entitled  to  refunds  from  these  assets,  the  "  Liqui- 
dating Committee' '  last  March  sent  out  about  1,700 
requests  for  information.  After  waiting  nearly  a  year, 
it  now  appears  that  the  work  of  gathering  this  data 
was  merely  a  "joke,"  and  that  this  money  after  all,  is 
not  to  be  refunded  pro-rata,  or  any  other  way. 
f  f  ?  $  $  ?  f  ?         ~f 

All  of  which  reminds  us  that  "$40,000.00 
is  a  considerable  sum"  and  that  its 
final  disposition  will  be  keenly 
watched  by  all  the  Friends 
who  are  interested. 

Finis 


We 
SUPPLEMENT 


a  a  a 


A 

Brochure 
by  the 
Chevalier  de  B- 


IN  THE  LONG  RUN. 

In  the  long  run  fame  finds  the  deserving  man. 

The  lucky  wight  may  prosper  for  a  day, 
But  in  good  time  true  merit  leads  the  van, 

And  vain  pretense,  unnoticed,  goes  its  way. 
There  is  no  Chance,  no  Destiny,  no  Fate, 
But  Fortune  smiles  on  those  who  work  and  wait, 
In  the  long  run. 

In  the  long  run  all  hidden  things  are  known; 

The  eye  of  truth  will  penetrate  the  night, 
And  good  or  ill,  thy  secret  shall  be  known, 

However  well  'tis  guarded  from  the  light. 
All  the  unspoken  motives  of  the  breast 
Are  fathomed  by  the  years,  and  stand  confest — 
In  the  long  run. 

—Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 


We  HARMONIAL  PHILOSOPHY 
AND  ITS  FOUNDER 


A  Tribute 
By  The  Chevalier  De  B- 


/?2?s 

o 

WRITTEN   IN   1876 

N  AMERICAN  SOIL  was  born,  and 
under  American  skies  were  first  poured 
out,  the  vaticinations  of  a  Seer,  who 
stands  second  to  no  prophet,  religious 
teacher,  reformer,  writer,  or  phenome- 
nal wonder-worker,  that  the  pages  of 
history  have  ever  borne  witness  to. 
That  seer  is  Andrew  Jackson  Davis. 

During  a  brief  residence  in  America,  some  few  years 
since,  the  author,  being  on  a  visit  to  a  friend  in  a 
charming  country-seat,  found  himself  made  free  of  a 
noble  library  of  several  hundred  volumes.  In  one  por- 
tion of  that  enchanting  study,  just  where  the  beams 
of  the  sinking  sun  would  fall  most  favorably  through 
the  softened  lustre  of  the  stained-glass  windows,  stood 
a  rich  ormulu  table,  where,  in  singular  contrast  to  the 
luxurious  objects  surrounding  them,  were  piled  a 
large  mass  of  plainly  bound  volumes,  most  of  them 
large  and  evidently  sufficiently  popular  with  their  pos- 
sessor, for  they  bore  more  conclusive  marks  of  wear 
than  any  of  the  gorgeously  bound  volumes  that  the 
room  contained. 


On  opening,  with  some  curiosity,  the  most  ponder- 
ous of  these  books,  the  eye  came  upon  the  most  won- 
derful elucidations  of  Universal  Laws.  Turning  to 
other  pages  the  author  found  astounding  and  deeply 
occult  descriptions  of  God,  man,  creation,  the  Solar 
and  Astral  systems,  the  mystery  of  force,  life,  being, 
the  order  of  creation, — in  fact,  eloquent,  burning 
words  and  thots  almost  beyond  earthly  comprehen- 
sion for  their  sublimity,  in  every  department  of 
human  possibilities."  When  this  volume  was  glanced 
thru,  others  were  opened,  and  hours  swept  on  like 
seconds. 

The  Author's  mind  beamed  and  glowed  thru  all 
those  plain,  cheap  books — books  which  should  have 
been  bound  in  rubies  and  sapphires — and  the  reader 
became  at  last  almost  overwhelmed  at  the  breadth  of 
information,  the  intense  insight  into  Being,  and  the 
majesty  with  which  some  mind  more  than  mortal  had 
swept  creation,  and  reduced  its  vast  research  into  the 
holiest  and  most  lofty  language. 

Hours  passed  on.  The  early  morning  that  had  in- 
vited the  student  into  that  choice  retreat  now  deepened 
into  the  gray  mists  of  evening,  yet  still  the  lingering 
gaze  wandered  thru  the  wonderful  stack  of  shabby 
books.  At  last  the  master  of  the  mansion,  opening 
the  library  door,  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise  at 
finding  the  guest  whose  presence  he  had  missed  for 
upwards  of  twelve  hours,  still  at  home. 

"Who  is  the  author  of  these  wonderful  books ?" 

"Oh,  those,"  replied  the  host,  with  seeming  indif- 
ference, "those  books  were  all  written  by  a  poor  shoe- 


maker's  boy  of  Poughkeepsie.  That  one" — pointing 
to  the  largest,  the  one  which  had  first  attracted  the 
attention  and  awakened  the  astonishment  of  the 
reader,  "was  written,  or  rather  dictated,  when  the  lad 
was  about  sixteen  years  of  age ;  he  was  too  ignorant  to 
have  written  it;  he  could  not  have  even  spelled  the 
words'.*' 

"In  what  school  was  he  brot  up?" 

"Utter  destitution." 

"But  who  taught  him  all  this  wonderful  wisdom?" 

"God  and  the  angels.  He  never  had  any  human 
teachers.    Of  that  I  am  a  living  witness." 

"But  hoiv  were  these  volumes  written?" 

"At  first  they  were  taken  down  by  a  Scribe,  as  he 
dictated, — because,  I  tell  you,  he  who  discoursed  of 
suns,  stars,  systems,  astronomy,  geology,  physiology, 
and  every  other  known  science  was  too  uneducated 
to  be  able  to  even  write  down  the  words  he  spoke,  and 
then,  after  graduating  in  the  spiritual  schools  of — 
God  alone  knows  where — but  in  no  seat  of  learning  on 
this  earth — he  wrote  the  rest  himself,  every  line  of 
them." 

"But  if  God  and  the  angels  instructed  him  is  there 
no  record  as  to  how  he  learned?" 

"Yes,  one  to  which  scores  of  living  men  and  women 
will  testify.  As  a  little  shoemaker's  lad  of  the  hum- 
blest and  poorest  condition,  he  became  an  independent 
clairvoyant." 

"Aye,  indeed!  God's  spirit  poured  into  the  soul, 
and  it  becomes  clairvoyant;  it  ascends  to  the  spheres 
of  Deific  knowledge !  Why,  this  is  ancient  Magic,  but 
when  did  any  ancient  Magian,  any  mind  however 


aspiring,  vast  or  illuminated,  ever  achieve  such  a 
height,  depth  and  breadth  of  comprehension  as  this 
man  has  achieved?  Can  this  wonder  of  the  age  exist 
and  the  world  not  know  of  it?" 

"The  time  was  when  these  revelations  startled  ma- 
terialism out  of  its  blank  negations  and  compelled 
the  attention  of  multitudes. ' ' 

"But  surely  so  noble  a  philosophy,  received  thru  an 
inspiration  so  unmistakably  divine,  so  free  from 
human  bias  or  mortal  intervention  must  still  commend 
itself  to  every  civilized  nation  of  the  present  age." 

"Some  few  there  are  in  every  country  where  these 
plain,  black  volumes  have  made  their  way,  who  regard 
them  as  we  do.  Many  even  believe  they  are  the  voice 
of  earth's  Tutelary  Angel,  speaking  from  between  the 
Cherubim  and  Seraphim  of  past  and  future  ages,  but 
they,  like  us,  must  wait  until  the  age  is  more  receptive 
to  these  sublime  truths.'' 


In  after  years,  when  the  author  had  time  and  oppor- 
tunity to  study  the  vast  stores  of  spiritual  thot  and 
the  profound  philosophy  embodied  in  the  voluminous 
writings  of  this  great  modern  Prophet,  the  admiration 
they  excited,  determined  him,  if  he  ever  again  visited 
America,  he  would  seek  out  this  marvel  of  the  age, 
even  as  the  Disciples  of  classic  Greece  sat  at  the  feet 
of  her  master  spirits  to  learn  wisdom. 

The  time  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  cherished  pur- 
pose came,  and  in  company  with  an  ardent  disciple  of 
the  Harmonial  Philosophy  from  a  distant  land,  the 
author  commenced  his  search. 


Few  spiritualists  seemed  to  know  even  of  the  where- 
abouts of  the  Poughkeepsie  Seer.  Surely,  we  thought, 
he  must  be  at  the  head  of  some  great  Church,  Temple, 
Synagogue,  a  mechanic's  institute  at  the  least,  or  a 
popular  lecture  hall;  some  place  where  spiritually 
starved  souls  could  feed  upon  the  Divine  revelations 
of  Nature  as  taught  by  one  of  her  purest  and  most 
faithful  interpreters!  But  no!  the  great  Alchemist 
who  had  transmuted  the  Magic  of  early  ages  into  the 
Gold  of  Spiritual  Science,  the  Seer,  Philosopher  and 
greatest  phenomenon  of  this  or  any  age,  had  to  be 
sought  for  in  a  little  shop  in  an  obscure  street,  where, 
without  followers  or  disciples,  and,  to  judge  from 
appearances,  with  but  very  few  customers — amidst 
his  neat,  well  ordered  collection  of  books,  ranged  on 
their  shelves  in  curious  little  delicate  curves,  and 
tastefully  adorned  with  illuminated  mottoes,  and 
autumn  leaves — stood  the  great  Seer — selling  books 
for  a  livelihood. 

The  placid  mien  and  gentle  tones  of  the  unassuming 
salesman  betrayed  none  of  the  pangs  of  grief,  indig- 
nation and  humiliation  which  two  foreigners  felt  for 
him  as  with  hearts  too  full  for  utterance,  they  made 
their  silent  purchase,  and  withdrew. 

"That  man  is  nobler  far  in  the  quiet,  cheerful  dig- 
nity with  which  he  accommodates  himself  to  the  sordid 
necessities  of  a  petty  trade,  than  when  he  stood  as 
the  interpreter  of  Angels,  dictating  'Nature's  Divine 
Revelations.'  "  Thus  spoke  one  of  the  deeply-moved 
visitors. 


"The  age  is  not  worthy  of  him;  he  lives  a  century 
before  his  time,"  rejoined  the  other. 

"Aye!  but  his  Works  will  live  after  him.  The 
Truths  he  reveals  are  eternal,  and  their  revelator  will 
yet  become  immortal,"  was  the  reply.  Even  so. 
Time,  the  touchstone  of  truth,  will  do  justice  to  him — 
to  all ;  and  so,  Andrew  Jackson  Davis,  farewell !  But, 
whilst  the  Magic  Staff — Penetralia,  Stellar  Key, 
Arabula,  Harmonia  and  Divine  Revelations — are  in 
print,  or  even  in  memory,  never  let  any  critic  presume 
to  say:  "Spiritism  has  no  philosophy.' ' 

In  the  volumes  enumerated  above,  it  has  the  best, 
broadest,  holiest  and  yet  most  practical  philosophy 

THAT  WAS  EVER  ENUNCIATED  SINCE  GoD  SAID  I  ' '  Let  THERE 
BE  LIGHT,  AND  THERE  WAS  LIGHT. ' ' 

Our  sketch  of  supermundane  Spiritism  would  not  be 
complete  without  this  humble  tribute  to  one  who  forms 
its  noblest  illustration — to  one  with  whom  the  writer 
has  never  exchanged  a  word  on  earth,  and  in  all  human 
probability  never  will,  but  who  rejoices  to  believe  that 
name,  so  coldly  slipping  out  of  human  remembrance 
and  appreciation  now,  will  be  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  unborn  generations,  and  in  the  shining  role  of 
immortality  be  held  sacred  as  the  Founder  of  a  Divine 
and  Natural  Harmonial  Dispensation. 


/ 


Sylvester  A.  West,  M.  D. 


mlllllllllllll!H'!i 


HIIIIII iiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIH 


"When  the  Pilgrim  arrives  at  the  goal  of  Scientific  Knowl- 
edge, no  matter  what  path  he  may  have  pursued,  the  Angels 
bring  forth  and  place  upon  his  brow  a  Royal  Diadem,  which  in 
these  days,  we  call  'Common  Sense.' "  —Andrew  Jackson  Davis. 

^e  Harmonial  Association 

The  first  Harmonial  Association  was  organized  May  3, 
1881.    It  was  a  Spiritual  Association  and  its  objects  were  : 

1.  To  promote  the  discovery  and  diffusion  of  accurate 
scientific  knowledge  concerning  things  spiritual. 

2.  Mutual  improvement  in  Ethical  Principles. 

3.  To  make  practical  the  pleasant  ways  of  Wisdom. 

4.  To  cultivate  love  and  reverence  for  pure  Truth 
wherever  found. 

In  brief:  To  encourage  the  harmonious  growth  of  the 
individual  character— spiritually,  intellectually  and  so- 
cially_to  the  end  that  nobler  people,  juster  laws,  sweeter 
homes,  better  schools  and  wiser  governments  may  be 
secured,  and  life  here  and  hereafter,  be  rendered  more 
Worthy,  Beneficent  and  Beautiful. 

It  is  plainly  evident  that  TK  in  naming  his  "Harmonic  Philos- 
ophy" and  "Harmonic  Association"  simply  appropriated,  by^  a 
slight  revision,  the  beautiful  spiritual  conceptions:  Harmonial 
Philosophy  and  Harmonial  Association,  first  published  to  the 
world  by  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  nearly  fifty  years  before  the 
appearance  of  any  of  TK's  literature. 

A  number  of  the  former  Students  and  Friends  of  the 
"Great  School"  have  organized  a  revival  of  THE  HAR- 
MONIAL ASSOCIATION.  Membership  is  open  to 
every  one  who  wishes  to  engage  in  the  truly  Great  Work 
of  practical  self-improvement  and  service  to  humanity. 
There  are  no  dues  to  pay,  no  arbitrary  pledges  of  any 
kind,  no  authority  but  your  own  Reason,  no  leadership 
except  your  own  Spirit. 

A  beautiful  hand  illumined  Membership  Certificate 
(suitable  for  framing)  with  appropriate  Harmonial 
Motto  and  your  full  name  inscribed  thereon  will  be  pre- 
sented free  of  charge  to  all  members. 

We  invite  you  to  join  with  us  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Harmonial  Dispensation. 

Address :    Dr.  S.  A.  West 
720   North   May-field  Avenue,   Chicago,   Illinois 


^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- 


PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM 


Great  Harmonia 

A  Monthly  Magazine 

Devoted  to  the  most  Practical  Philosophy  ever  presented 
to  mankind.  Useful  24  hours  daily  and  applicable  to  each 
and  every  task,  diversion  and  essential  activity  of  Life. 
A  powerful  appeal  to  every  ennobling  impulse  of  the 
human  Soul. 

The  Great  Harmonia  is  just  the  kind  of  a  magazine  that 
every  up-to-date  intelligent  man  and  woman  has  been 
searching  and  wishing  for — because  we  do  not  deal  in 
speculations.  We  explain  clearly  the  accurate,  provable, 
scientific  methods  of  procedure  which  lead  directly  to 
the  Living  of  the  Harmonial  Life.  This  is  the  Keynote 
to  a  definite  personal  demonstration  of  the  underlying 
Laws  and  Principles  of  Nature  as  taught  by  Andrew  Jack- 
son Davis. 

The  Great  Harmonia  will  teach  you  how  to  control, 
apply  and  enjoy  the  Seven  Factors  of  Health: — Dress, 
Food,  Water,  Air,  Light,  Electricity  and  Magnetism. 
How  to  make  your  Life  exactly  what  you  will  it  to  be. 
How  to  overcome,  re-form,  re-construct  every  relation 
and  condition  of  Life.  The  crowning  achievement  of  the 
power  of  Mind  over  Materialism. 

A  Home  Section,  An  Open  Forum,  Questions  Depart- 
ment, Children's  Lyceum,  etc.,  etc. 

ARE  YOU  WITH  US? 
$1.00  per  year — 12  issues.     Satisfaction  guaranteed  or 
your  money   cheerfully   and  promptly  refunded  at  any 
time  during  the  year.     Address  : 

Dr.  S.  A.  West,  Editor  and  Publisher, 
720  North  Mayfield  Avenue  Chicago,  111. 


!DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH 


v^v 

fe^ 

For  Sale  by 

DR 

S.   A.  WEST 

720  North  Mayfield  Ave. 

CHICAGO 

Supplemental  Lists  and  announcements  of  Philosophic. 
Historic,  Occult,  Economic,  Juvenile  and  Fictional 
"Books  Worth  While," — and  personally  recommended, 
will  be  issued  from  time  to  time.  You  will  be  glad  to 
have  your  name  on  our  mailing  list.  LET  us  be  sure  we 
have  your  CORRECT  ADDRESS.    Thank  you  ! 


pllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 


"Books  that  should  be  bound  in  Rubies  and  Sapphires." 


Andrew  Jackson  Davis 

The  Greatest  Seer  of  our  modern  age,  was  born  August 
11,  1826.  He  became  an  Independent  Psychic  in  1847, 
and  from  that  time  on,  his  whole  life  was  devoted  en- 
tirely to  laying  the  foundation  for  the  Harmonial  Spir- 
itual Dispensation  on  the  earth  plane.  He  wrote  and 
published  some  thirty  volumes,  constituting  the  most 
remarkable  and  comprehensive  Library  of  Spiritual 
Knowledge  ever  given  to  man. 

For  a  number  of  years  his  books  have  been  out  of 
print,  and  it  is  rarely  that  any  of  them  may  be  found, 
even  in  the  largest  second-hand  book  stores.  Only  after 
two  years'  search  and  at  considerable  expense,  did  we 
succeed  in  securing  a  complete  set  of  these  volumes  for 
our  own  library.  Recently,  however,  we  learned  of  the 
existence  of  a  stock  of  some  of  these  books,  and  at  once 
closed  a  deal  for  the  entire  lot.  These  are  all  NEW  and 
in  perfect  condition,  uniformly  bound  in  black  cloth, 
stamped  in  pure  gold.  The  prices  quoted  are  less  than 
what  you  would  have  to  pay  for  them  second-hand. 


Kindly  notify  us  of  change  of  address,  so  we  may  send  you  our 
new  Announcements. 


•Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiu 


illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllN 

BEYOND  THE  VALLEY 

This  wonderful  volume  satisfies  a  natural  longing — the 
universal  desire  to  comprehend  the  activities  of  psychic 
and  spiritual  principles  as  they  manifest  themselves  in 
the  life  of  a  Seer.  The  history  of  Mr.  Davis'  life,  as  un- 
folded and  influenced  by  Guardian  Angels,  amid  the  cir- 
cumstances and  entanglements  of  human  society.  A 
rational  and  easily  readable  narrative  filled  to  repletion 
with  those  extraordinary  psychological  events  which 
attract  and  instruct  every  thotful  reader. 

Records  of  many  wonderful  spiritual  scenes,  blended 
with  the  trials  and  changes  in  the  personal  life  of  the 
author,  all  of  which  are  entirely  authentic  and  beyond 
refutation.  Six  full-page  engravings,  illustrating  the 
author's  experiences  while  using  his  spiritual  powers. 
Two  of  these  illustrate  most  interestingly,  the  mode  of 
separation  and  departure  of  the  Soul  in  physical  death, 
as  viewed  from  the  Spiritual  side  of  life. 

Over  400  pages.     56  chapters.    Price,  $2.00. 


PENETRALIA 

Styled  by  the  author,  "the  wisest  book"  from  his  pen, 
deserves  to  be  brot  prominently  before  the  public.  Ques- 
tions of  the  most  momentous  import  answered  from  the 
spiritual  plane  in  simple  language  and  familiar  illustra- 
tions. "Penetralia"  reaches  down  to  the  very  foundation 
of  Nature's  triune  Temple,  and  conducts  the  philosoph- 
ical reader  thru  intellectual  labyrinths  innumerable.  It 
sings  the  sweet  anthemnal  song  of  Eternal  Harmony,  and 
awakens  aspirations  toward  Heavenly  Wisdom,  Love 
and  Liberty.    Over  500  pages.    Price,  $2.00. 

We  wish  to  keep  our  Mailing  List  up-to-date, 
— and  you  will  want  to  keep  in  touch  with  us. 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH^ 


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN 


THE  REFORMER 

This  volume  contains  Truths  eminently  serviceable 
in  the  elevation  of  the  race.  It  is  devoted  to  the  consid- 
eration of  "Physiological  Vices  and  Virtues,  and  the 
Seven  Phases  of  Marriage."  It  covers  ground  never 
before  occupied  by  any  reformatory  writer,  and  teaches 
the  most  important  truths  upon  the  most  vital  ques- 
tions that  can  agitate  any  mind — those  of  Marriage  and 
Parentage. 

It  is  a  work  that  appeals  first  to  man's  consciousness, 
by  a  clear  representation  of  existing  evils;  and  next,  to 
the  higher  faculties,  by  pointing  out  the  "Highway  of 
Freedom"  from  all  these  evils.  Satisfying,  as  it  does,  the 
understanding,  it  affords  valuable  aid  to  the  individual  in 
rooting  out  bad  habits.  It  is  a  safe  book  for  youth,  for 
it  has  not  the  least  indelicacy  of  sentiment  or  expres- 
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ANSWERS    TO    EVER-RECURRING    QUESTIONS 

A  multitude  of  questions  have  been  propounded  to  Mr. 
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