Starting with Atkinson's preface, here are some paraphrased extracts given below. The major newspapers of the 1890's, in Dunedin, contained "a staggering wealth of literature concerned with theosophy. Almost every day in the Otago Daily Times or the Evening Star something was written about theosophy and this in papers limited to four sides." Atkinson says that this was an exciting find for her. She found that "there existed, or had existed groups of intellectuals, philosophers, call them what you will, who possessed a quite singular ability to make people sit up and take notice of them."

What is life?' and Why are we all here?' are the oft-heard questions.

"The theosophists adopted new solutions to these old problems and this brought them into conflict with a community whose minds were accustomed to thinking along different directions. The result was a flow of correspondence to the local newspapers and through these letters one learns an extraordinary amount about the way in which both theosophists and the Dunedin public viewed the world and their place in it ...

"In the late 1880's, a Dunedin name appeared on the roll of membership at the Society's new headquarters at Adyar, India. The name was Augustus William Maurais and he was soon to play a dynamic part in the life of the Dunedin Theosophical Society. At that time however, he studied alone, poring over the few books available ... and unconscious of the stirrings taking place elsewhere in the community.

"Across the harbour, the Pairmans, Robert and Susannah, were studying theosophy. Once a week, their friends and fellow students were invited to join them for an evening's discussion of theosophy. Mrs Pairman's sister, Louisa Stone was one of them, the others were ... John Oddie and Frank Allan."

"All were later dedicated members of the Theosophical Society." (Atkinson's reference here, is Christine Dalziel's 'Early History', 1934. Dunedin T.S.) Reading on from this point one comes to the conclusion that a great deal of what Jung calls synchronicity was taking place at the time. For instance: "One day, travelling on the train from Sawyers Bay to Dunedin, (Augustus) Maurais noticed that the elderly gentleman seated across from him was reading a theosophical magazine. Introductions were quickly made and the stranger proved to be Grant Farquhar, wealthy partner in the tannery factory at Sawyers Bay and a keen enthusiast on all matters theosophical ... Since the numbers were growing, Maurais thought the time was ripe to call a meeting for all those interested in discussing the formation of a local branch of the Theosophical Society. On December 20th 1892, eight people met in the draper's shop belonging to Thomas Ross, another gentleman who had entered upon the scene.

"It was an unsatisfactory meeting. Of those present, Messrs Rough, Duncan and White pronounced themselves to be 'advanced spiritualists', So far as Rough was concerned, spiritualists had no need of theosophy and his proposals for the organisation of a local branch left no place for the Wisdom Religion. Discussion drifted, a few hotly disputed comments were made about karma and its denial of free-will, and the meeting closed with no definite action decided upon and not a little ill-feeling harboured on both sides."

"In February, 1893. Maurais called another meeting at the draper's shop. The spiritualists were not invited. A precedent was set: spiritualism was to be ignored. Ironically, it was to be a bogey which haunted the Dunedin Society for many years. At the time, however, with a dissenting group removed. the five men present, Messrs Ross, Allan, Pairman, Oddie and Maurias, agreed to apply for a charter in order to form a local branch.

"Seven men signed the application for a charter, that being the number required before such an application could be made. They were: Maurais, Farquhar, Pairman. Allan, Oddie, Hawcridge, and Ross. All except Hawcridge, whose contribution amounted to little more than a signature on a piece of paper, were committed to the theosophical cause and it was agreed they would meet once a week to discuss theosophy. Organisation moved ahead quickly and in March, Farquhar was elected President and the hard- working Maurias took the position of Secretary."

"So began the Dunedin Theosophical Society. Small beginnings certainly. Only a handful of books and magazines on theosophy were available and meetings, for lack of space and money, were convened in the Pairmans underground cellar. Membership remained small, amounting to some 18 people in that first year and of these only half at the very most were ever likely to turn out for the meetings. Nevertheless, the Society took firm root, lasting friendships were made, some lively discussion took place. The Society had some grim times ahead of it, so the unity it discovered in those early months of 1893 stood it in good stead.

Of the two lists of members included in the appendix (1893 & 1899), ten members of the original list of 1 8 were still members in 1X99. In this latter year the membership was 31. Later, in 1900 there were 39.

The Charter of the Dunedin Lodge of the T,S, was signed by Colonel Olcott on 23rd May, 1893. "Jogging along peaceably, the calm of the Theosophical Society was shattered in the spring of 1893 by the sermon delivered by a famous local Presbyterian minister. From his pulpit, the Reverend Rutherford Waddell launched a virulent attack upon theosophy - or rather upon the character of its own deceased founder: Madame Blavatsky" ... (From then on) "scarcely a day went by when the morning or evening newspapers did not print a letter written either by a theosophist or by one of theosophy's critics. To readers it was like a game of tennis as ideas, criticisms. arguments bounced back and forth between the two parties. A large part of the correspondence centred around the scandals and frauds associated with theosophy."

Maurias, writing in the Evening Star-' in 1894 pointed out that "the body of knowledge itself was more important to theosophists than the beings, human or spiritual, who had conveyed it." This was one of the Society's most powerful arguments. "...the invariable response was" study The Secret Doctrine, criticise its ideas, not attack the personality of the woman who compiled it." Sometimes, the Society shifted into a position of attack.

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