[Die “Echtheit” der ‘Theosophischen Gesellschaft in Deutschland.’]
Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
“If envy was like fire,
So the wood would not be half as expensive,
But if there were still so much envy
That’s how what God wants, happens.”
(Old German proverb.)
Only a few years have passed since the death of H. P. Blavatsky, and the “Theosophical Society” she founded has already splintered into parties, each of which claims to be the “only real one.” It is only natural that the same spectacle is repeated that took place soon after the introduction of Christianity, with the Christian church splitting into various sects, each of which claimed to be the “only one that saves,” although it goes without saying that only that congregation represents the genuine Christian church, which bears within itself the spirit of true Christianity, lives in this spirit and acts according to it; for the genuineness of a thing depends not on its outward form, on its name, or on its maker, but on the inward content and essence of the thing. The basic principle of the theosophical society is mutual tolerance, and every society is in truth theosophical which acts according to this principle, and the true theosophist differs from the pseudo-theosophist above all in that he is able to recognize the difference between the essence of a thing and its transitory form. The authenticity of a piece of gold does not depend on the coinage it bears, but on its gold content, and any society or association ceases to be what it wishes to represent as soon as it acts contrary to the principles stated in its constitution.
The “Theosophical Society” was, as is well known to every initiate, neither created and launched by the “person” of H. P. Blavatsky, nor by H. S. Olcott. These people should only be tools for the external realization of an ideal, for the realization of which attempts have been made repeatedly for centuries, but which just as often failed due to the personal vanity and lust for power of the “leaders” involved. The enlightened ones who gave the impetus to this movement did not care that the “Theosophical Society” had an ancestral gallery or that the members were followers of Mr. X or Mrs. Y, but their purpose was, in every country and everyone, without distinction of “religion” and consequently also without distinction of belief in authority, to form a nucleus in which the generally theoretically recognized ideals of all mankind, the principles of love and wisdom, could be realized and grow. It didn’t matter whether one swore to the Pope’s standard and the other to Luther, Moses, Buddha or Confucius. The only condition was that each should allow the other the right of free opinion and the same degree of tolerance that he claimed for himself. Any society that acts according to this principle lives in the spirit of its enlightened founders and is therefore genuine. Wherever action is taken against this spirit, its name is just an empty appearance.
As for the authenticity of the external form of the “Theosophical Society in Germany” and its descent from H. P. Blavatsky, this question answers itself for anyone who wants to take the trouble to study without prejudice, the history of the development of the Theosophical Society. A discussion of the reasons which caused unfortunate divisions and schisms cannot be carried out without offending certain personalities, and would be contrary to the principle of theosophy, which teaches us to tolerate injustice rather than give rise to quarrels. The questions to be considered in these divisions are the touchstone which shows who is ripe for a really theosophical brotherhood or who still needs the authority mania for support. May each examine the spirit of the matter and adopt that form which suits him best.
Franz Hartmann
Note:
[1] The “Standard” of the Theosophical Society in Germany [Die “Echtheit” der ‘Theosophischen Gesellschaft in Deutschland.’ Franz Hartmann, M.D. Theosophischer Wegweiser 1, no. 1 (October 1898), 227-229] {This article was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos. Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}