Sequence: Theosophic Messenger (1899-1912); absorbed The American Theosophist (1908-1909)-->The American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913)-->The American Theosophist (1913-1914)--> The Messenger (1913-1927)-->The Theosophical Messenger (1927-1932)-->The American Theosophist (1933-1996)-->The Quest

Theosophic Messenger, The.
A Monthly Magazine for the Interchange of Theosophical Opinions and News.
1899--1912
San Francisco, CA, then Chicago, Il, and then Los Angeles, CA. Language: English.
Publisher: American Section of the Theosophical Society. Editor: W.J. Walters. Succeeds: American Theosophist (absorbed 1909) Succeeded by: The American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913)-->American Theosophist (1913-1914); The Messenger (1913-1927)-->The Theosophical Messenger (1927-1932)-->The American Theosophist (1933-1996)-->The Quest
1/1, October 1899-14/3, December 1912.

Absorbed L.W. Rogers' American Theosophist, founded 1908, after the issue for October 1909, avowedly to further "cooperation” among American Theosophists at Annie Besant's suggestion, but more cynically to lessen competition and ensure conformity in the American Section. At the end of 1912, in order to increase the journal's circulation and to more formally distinguish Theosophical material from matters of more general interest the journal became the American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger, which in turn split in June 1913, becoming (1) the American Theosophist (1913-1914) and (2) the Messenger (1913-1927). Fifty cents a year, 12-128 pp. The journal had become the official organ of the American Section of the Theosophical Society in 1907 under General Secretary, Weller Van Hook, and immediately placed itself in the midst of the "Leadbeater Affair” by inviting Leadbeater to contribute to the journal despite his resignation, and actively defended Leadbeater in its pages. Walters had earlier edited Mercury (absorbed by Theosophical Review), and also edited The Golden Chain, a Theosophical paper for children. The journal contained reports of the activities of the American Section and of Theosophy worldwide and contributions by Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, Alexander Fullerton, L.W. Rogers, H.S. Olcott, Henry Hotchner, M.L. Scott-Eliot, Mary Weeks Burnett, A.P. Warrington, Jacob Bonggren, C. Jinarajadasa, Weller Van Hook, Mary K. Neff, Marie Russak, Claude Bragdon, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, et al. Notable obituaries of the early American Theosophists. Table of contents prepared by the Campbell Theosophical Research Library, Sydney, Australia, online at www.austheos.org. LOC; NYPL; Columbia University; Princeton Theological Seminary; University of Pennsylvania, etc.

[1] American Theosophist, The.
1908--1909 Monthly
Albany, NY. Editor: L.W. Rogers. Succeeded by: Theosophic Messenger-->The American Theosophist
1/1, April 1908-2/7, October 1909. 16 pp., $1.00 a year.

L.W. (Louis William) Rogers (1859-1953) was a railroad man, union organizer and socialist agitator before he turned to Theosophy and the occult. (He once said that he had been introduced to occultism when Eugene V. Debs, of all people, gave him a book on the subject.) He joined the Theosophical Society (Adyar) in 1903 and at the time he started this journal he held no office in the society (he became President of the American section in 1920). Rogers's goal in establishing the journal was to spread the word on Theosophy and to give "especial attention to elementary teaching . . . designed to meet the necessities of those who know little or nothing of the philosophy." Part of this was the recurring column called "Hints to Young Students of Occultism." The journal was totally given over to the prevailing "Neo-Theosophy" or "psychism" of the times, concentrating on clairvoyance, self-development, unfoldment of psychic powers, etc., and never even mentioned the name of H.P. Blavatsky except to note her role in starting the Theosophical Society. Rogers' views on the goals of what he thought of as occultism can be seen in his Self-Development and the Way to Power (Los Angeles: L.W. Rogers, 1916). Contributions by Claude Bragdon, C. Jinarajadasa, C.W. Leadbeater, et al. In the last issue of the journal, October 1909, Rogers announced the discontinuance of the journal, at the request of Annie Besant, to put his energies into Theosophic Messenger, which in turn became the American Theosophist (1913). The same issue also carried an article by Leadbeater suggestively entitled "Our Relation to Children." NYPL; Princeton Theological Seminary; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Wilmington University, etc.

American Theosophist and the Theosophic Messenger, The / The American Theosophist.
A Journal of Occultism.
Other titles: The American Theosophist
1913--1914 Monthly
Krotona, Hollywood, then Los Angeles, CA. Publisher: American Section of the Theosophical Society. Editor: A.P. Warrington.
Succeeds: Theosophic Messenger (1899-1912); absorbed The American Theosophist (1908-1909)-->The American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913) Succeeded by: The Messenger (1913-1927)-->The Theosophical Messenger (1927-1932)-->The American Theosophist (1933-1996)-->The Quest
14/3, January 1913-16/1, October-November 1914.

Continued volume numbering of Theosophic Messenger. From January to May 1913 the journal was called the American Theosophist and the Theosophic Messenger. In June 1913, in order better to distinguish official pronouncements of the Theosophical Society from matters of more general interest, the journal was split and became the American Theosophist (which ceased with October-November 1914) and the Messenger: Official Organ of the American Theosophical Society (which lasted until 1927). $1.50 a year, 100 pp. Warrington was the President of the American Section of the Theosophical Society, 1912-1920. He moved the headquarters from Chicago to Hollywood (Krotona) in 1912, where this journal was published. It contained reports of the activities of the American Section of the Theosophical Society and the society worldwide, extensive discussion of J. Krisnamurti, supplements by the General Secretary, . Contributions by Marie Russak, C. Jinarajadasa, L.W. Rogers, Annie Besant, Weller van Hook, Clara M. Codd, L.A. Bosman, Marie Russak, Jacob Bonggren, Claude Bragdon, Mary K. Neff, and other Theosophists of the period. The table of contents of this is now online at http://www.austheos.org.au. Archivo General de la Guerra Civil Española; Munich BSB; Stanford University.

Messenger, The.
Official Organ of the American Theosophical Society.
1913--1927 Monthly
Chicago, IL, then Krotona, Hollywood, CA, then Mount Morris/Wheaton, IL. Publisher: Theosophical Press / Theosophical Publishing House. Editor: A.P. Warrington; L.W. Rogers; assistant editor, Gail Wilson' May S. Rogers; May S. Rogers. Succeeds: Theosophic Messenger (1899-1912); absorbed The American Theosophist (1908-1909)-->The American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913)-->American Theosophist (1913-1914) Succeeded by: The Theosophical Messenger (1927-1932)-->The American Theosophist (1933-1996)-->The Quest
Corporate author: Official Organ of the American Theosophical Society
1/1, June 1913-15/6, November 1927. $1.00 a year, 24-28 pp.

This journal was the result of the split in June 1913 of what had been the merger of L.W. Rogers' American Theosophist and the Theosophic Messenger in order to better distinguish official pronouncements of the Theosophical Society from matters of more general occult interest, with this journal becoming the official organ of the American Theosophical Society. Rogers (1959-1953) was a Theosophist and New Thought leader, the tenor of whose thought is exemplified in titles of his books: Self-Development and The Way to Power, Hints to Young Students of Occultism, etc. Contributions by Bessie Leo, H.N. Stokes, L.W. Rogers, A.P. Warrington, Marie Russak Hotchener, Albert E.S. Smythe, et al. Noted in William C. Hartmann's Who's Who in Occult, Psychic and Spiritual Realms (1925). Princeton University; University of Pennsylvania; Harvard University; Boston University; University of Chicago.

Theosophical Messenger, The.
Official Organ of the American Theosophical Society.
1927--1932 Monthly
Wheaton, IL.
Succeeds: Theosophic Messenger (1899-1912); absorbed The American Theosophist (1908-1909)-->The American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913)-->American Theosophist (1913-1914); The Messenger (1913-1927) Succeeded by: The American Theosophist (1933-1996)-->The Quest
15/7, December 1927-20/12, December 1932. 32 pp., $1.00 a year.

This was the continuation of the sequence of official journals of the American Theosophical Society and featured reports of the doings of the lodges in the American Section and worldwide and articles by Geoffrey Hodgson, George S. Arundale, L.W. Rogers, et al. Columbia University; Princeton Theological Seminary; University of Pennsylvania; Harvard University, etc.

[2] American Theosophist, The.
Official Organ of the American Theosophical Society.
1933--1996 Monthly
Wheaton, IL.
Editor: Sidney A. Smith, Virginia Hanson, Dora Kunz.
Succeeds: American Theosophist (1908-1909)-->American Theosophist and Theosophic Messenger (1913-1914)-->The Messenger (1913-1927)-->The Theosophical Messenger (1927-1932)
Succeeded by: The Quest Corporate author: Under the Auspices of the Theosophical Society Adyar
21/1, January 1933-1996. 24 pp., $1.00.

Contributions by all of the leading Theosophists of the period. The table of contents is now online at austheos.org.

Substantial portions of this collection are based on a large donation by the Portland, Oregon lodge of the Theosophical Society.