Judge, William Quan, 1851-1896; Theosophists -- United States -- Correspondence; Theosophy
Living in Brooklyn until 1893, Mr. and Mrs. Judge then removed to New
York in order to be nearer to the Theosophical Headquarters, Mr. Judge
at that date, and for the first time, giving up his arduous labours at
the law, in order to devote himself wholly to Theosophical work.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Judge heard of Madame Blavatsky in this
wise. He came across a book which greatly interested him. This was
_People from the Other World_, by H. S. Olcott. Mr. Judge wrote to
Colonel Olcott, asking for the address of a good medium, for at this
time the tide of occult inquiry and speculation had just set in,
and the experiences of numbers of people, including those of Madame
Blavatsky, at the "Eddy Homestead," were the talk of all the world.
Mr. Judge was invited to call upon H. P. B. while no medium was
forthcoming, and thus the conjunction was formed, in this incarnation,
which H. P. B. later on declared to have existed "for æons past."
Henceforward, Mr. Judge spent much of his time with H. P. B. at Irving
Place, New York: he was one of a number of people present at her rooms
one evening when she turned to him, saying: "Ask Col. Olcott to form
a Society." This was done at once. Mr. Judge was called to the Chair,
nominating Col. Olcott as permanent Chairman, and was himself nominated
as Secretary. This was the beginning of the Theosophical Society, on
the date of 7th September, 1875.
When Madame Blavatsky went to India, Mr. Judge was left to carry on
the T.S. in New York as best he could; a difficult task indeed when
she who was then the one great exponent had left the field, and the
curiosity and interest excited by her original and striking mission
had died down. The T.S. was henceforth to subsist on its philosophical
basis, and this, after long years of toil and unyielding persistence,
was the point attained by Mr. Judge. From his twenty-third year until
his death, his best efforts and all the fiery energies of his undaunted
soul were given to this Work. We have a word picture of him, opening
meetings, reading a chapter of the _Bhagavat Gîtâ_, entering the
Minutes, and carrying on all the details of the same, as if he were not
the only person present; and this he did time after time, determined
to have a Society. Little by little he gathered about him a number of
earnest seekers, some of whom still work in the New York and other
Branches, and through his unremitting labour he built up the T.S. in
America, aiding the Movement as well in all parts of the world, and
winning from The Master the name of "Resuscitator of Theosophy in
America." His motto in those days was, "Promulgation, not Speculation."
"Theosophy," said he, "is a cry of the Soul."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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