Vol 1 Page 193
[Col. H. S. Olcott replied in the pages of the Spiritual Scientist to the very outspoken criticism of Prof. Hiram Corson in regard to his Inaugural Address of November 17, 1875. He protested against the rather rude and unfair remarks of Prof. Corson. The last paragraph of his reply is quoted below, and the italicized words in it are those which have been underlined by H.P.B. when she pasted the cutting of this reply in her Scrapbook, Vol. I, p. 113:]
“As for the Theosophical Society, our present experience with a certain person, who shall be nameless since his conduct has been such as to forfeit his right to recognition, has been a lesson that we mean to profit by. We are considering a proposition to organize ourselves into a secret society* so that we may pursue our studies uninterrupted by the falsehoods and inpertinences of outside parties. When we have secured the proof palpable of the Unseen Universe and its laws, we may publish it to the world, unless we should then be satisfied that some other critic as courteous and fair as Mr. Corson would denounce us as guilty of ‘assumption,’ ‘pretention,’ or ‘brag.”’
[On the right margin of the column, H.P.B. inserted the following note in pen and ink which refers to the asterisk she inserted in Olcott’s text:]
Page 194
Till the row with Sotheran the Society was not a secret one, as will be seen by this. But he began to revile our experiments & denounce us to Spiritualists & impede the Society’s progress & it was found necessary to make it secret.
[Below the signature of Col. Olcott, H.P.B. pasted a small colored picture, showing a big monkey sitting and searching diligently for parasites on the neck of a little monkey child. Above the head of the big monkey, just under the signature, she pasted the six-pointed star with an open eye in the center of it, and wrote the following explanation in pen and ink:]
Prest Moloney in his future capacity of the Hindu Hanuman tenderly searching for and delivering his younger Brothers of the Enemy- parasite.
—————