4. The Writings of Madame Blavatsky.
Madame Blavatsky is known to the reading world as the writer of two voluminous works of a philosophical or mystical character, explanatory of the Esoteric Doctrine, viz., “Isis Unveiled,” published in 1877, and the “Secret Doctrine,” published in 1888. In the composition of these works she claimed that she was assisted by the Mahatmas who visited her apartments when she was asleep, and wrote portions of the manuscripts with their astral hands while their natural bodies reposed entranced in Thibetan Lamaseries. These fictions were fostered by prominent members of the Theosophical Society, and believed by many credulous persons. “Isis Unveiled” is a hodge-podge of absurdities, pseudo-science, mythology and folklore, arranged in helter-skelter fashion, with an utter disregard of logical sequence. The fact was that Madame Blavatsky had a very imperfect knowledge of English, and this may account for the strange mistakes in which the volume abounds, despite the aid of the ghostly Mahatmas. William Emmette Coleman, of San Francisco, has made an exhaustive analysis of the Madame’s writings, and declares that “Isis,” and the “Secret Doctrine” are full of plagiarisms. In “Isis” he discovered “some 2,000 passages copied from other books without proper credit.” Speaking of the “Secret Doctrine,” the master key to the wisdom of the ages, he says: “The ‘Secret Doctrine’ is ostensibly based upon certain stanzas, claimed to have been translated by Madame Blavatsky from the ‘Book of Dzyan’—the oldest book in the world, written in a language unknown to philology. The ‘Book of Dzyan’ was the work of Madame Blavatsky—a compilation, in her own language, from a variety of sources, embracing the general principles of the doctrines and dogmas taught in the ‘Secret Doctrine.’ I find in this ‘oldest book in the world’ statements copied from nineteenth century books, and in the usual blundering manner of Madame Blavatsky. Letters and other writings of the adepts are found in the ‘Secret Doctrine.’ In these Mahatmic productions I have traced various plagiarized passages from Wilson’s ‘Vishnu Purana,’ and Winchell’s ‘World Life’—of like character to those in Madame Blavatsky’s acknowledged writings. * * * A specimen of the wholesale plagiarisms in this book appears in vol. II., pp. 599-603. Nearly the whole of four pages was copied from Oliver’s ‘Pythagorean Triangle,’ while only a few lines were credited to that work.”
Those who are interested in Coleman’s exposé are referred to Appendix C, of Solovyoff’s book, “A Modern Priestess of Isis.” The title of this appendix is “The Sources of Madame Blavatsky’s Writings.” Mr. Coleman is at present engaged in the preparation of an elaborate work on the subject, which will in addition contain an “exposé of Theosophy as a whole.” It will no doubt prove of interest to students of occultism.