| Sections: General Index Present Section: Index |
 |
The Contribution of Samuel Hopgood
Hart
to the Cause
of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland
THE FIFTIETH anniversary of the passing of
Samuel Hopgood Hart (1865-1958) is a golden moment for acknowledging his immense
contribution to a great cause – the promotion of the message of those legendary
advocates of spiritual perfection and pure diet, Anna Kingsford and Edward
Maitland. It is, in no small measure, thanks to Hart’s dedication to keeping
alive the sacred flame, first kindled by these pioneers of a new spiritual
enlightenment, that their priceless legacy has survived up to the present
day and is still finding resonance in the hearts and minds of seekers after
truth.
Hart’s association with the cause of Kingsford and Maitland, which was to have
such significant and far-reaching consequences, dates from 1894. It was in that
year that the young
“For some considerable time before then, I had felt very dissatisfied with and
opposed to much of the teaching of the Church of England – in which Church I
had been brought up – dissatisfied with it because it failed to meet my highest
aspirations, and opposed to it because I knew that in some respects it was
unsound, if not untrue, and I was certain that none of the Nonconformist
Churches were any better, and the claims of the
Catholic Church I had never seriously considered. What I wanted was a true and satisfactory doctrine, and, I felt that none of the so-called Christian
Churches had such to offer: but I in no wise identified the Christianity of the
Churches with the teaching of Jesus Christ, and, at the time of which I am
writing, I had recently read some theosophical writings that had greatly
interested me, particularly a book entitled Esoteric Buddhism, and Mrs. Besant’s little book on Reincarnation, and I felt that,
with the theosophists, I was on the track that would ultimately lead me to the
goal that I sought. In this state of mind I was contemplating joining the
Theosophical Society, but speaking to a friend upon the subject, she advised me, before
joining that Society, to see Edward Maitland, of whom, until then, I had not
heard. She did not know him personally, but she had heard of him through a
friend of hers who knew him, and it was through this friend that I obtained the
necessary introduction.
“It was on the evening of April 19, 1894, that I first visited Mr. Maitland. I
saw him at his chambers at No.1, Thurloe Square
Studios, Thurloe Square, South Kensington, where he then resided.
“I shall never forget this meeting. Mr. Maitland was kindness itself, and he
seemed so pleased to be able to help me. He told me of his and Anna Kingsford’s
work, and he read or rather recited to me some of her Illuminations – for he
knew all her chief Illuminations by heart. In particular, I remember him
repeating part of the Illumination
“Concerning Inspiration and Prophesying”, and part of the “Hymn to Iacchos”; and he spoke of the
mystical sense underlying the account in the Old Testament of the children of
Israel in Egypt and their flight therefrom, and, in
fact, underlying all sacred scripture. In all that he said, he made no appeal to
external authority, but he spoke as one who knew, and I could not doubt
that what he said was true, although much of it was then new to me, and I could
not fully grasp the meaning of it all. This, I think, struck me more than
anything else about Mr. Maitland. There were others
who were kind and considerate, and whose sincerity could not be questioned, but
Mr. Maitland was all this and more – he had the light. I had found the man who knew the truth, and whose word,
without any authority in support of it, was sufficient (to carry conviction with
it).
“Mr. Maitland invited me to join the
Esoteric Christian Union, which he had founded in 1891, and he referred me to his and
his late colleague’s (Anna Kingsford’s) writings, and asked me to come and see
him again. From that time Edward Maitland was one of my greatest friends. In the
following September, I joined the Esoteric Christian Union, and in that truly
divine book, The Perfect Way, I found what I had
for so long sought, and what has ever since been my greatest treasure.” (Letter to the Editor of The Occult Review, October 1907.)
The deep friendship that ensued from the meeting recounted above was pivotal to
carrying forward the work of Kingsford and Maitland to future generations. For,
on the passing of Maitland a few years later in 1897, Hart was already primed to
assume the role destiny had decreed for him of ensuring that the message would
continue to spread as far and wide as possible. To this end he acquired all the
copyrights of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland and took upon himself the
mammoth task of reissuing all their significant works. These gradually appeared
over the years as follows:
·
The
Bible’s Own Account of Itself by Edward Maitland in a Second
Edition, complete with Appendix,
edited by Samuel Hopgood Hart (Birmingham: The Ruskin Press, 1905).
·
The
Story of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland and of The New Gospel of
Interpretation by Edward Maitland in a Third and Enlarged Edition, edited by
Samuel Hopgood Hart (Birmingham: The Ruskin Press, 1905).
·
“Clothed With the Sun” being the Book of the Illuminations of Anna (Bonus)
Kingsford, edited by Edward Maitland, in a Second Edition, edited by Samuel
Hopgood Hart (Birmingham: The Ruskin Press, 1906), and a Third Edition, edited
by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1937).
·
Dreams and Dream-Stories by Anna (Bonus) Kingsford, edited by Edward Maitland, in a
Third Edition, edited by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1908).
·
The
Perfect Way; or, The Finding of Christ by Anna (Bonus) Kingsford and
Edward Maitland in a Fourth Edition, with additions, and a Preface by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1909) and a
Fifth Edition, with additions, and a
Biographical Preface by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1923).
·
Anna
Kingsford: Her Life, Letters, Diary and Work by Edward Maitland (Two Volumes)
in a Third Edition, edited by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins,
1913).
Hart was also responsible for issuing two new works, that brought together in
one place an assortment of writings by Kingsford and Maitland, most of which had
previously been published separately in a variety of publications. These works
were:
·
Addresses and Essays on Vegetarianism by Anna (Bonus) Kingsford and Edward Maitland, Biographical Preface, and edited by
Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1912). (A “New (Second) Edition”
of this work was said to have been “in preparation” in 1937 but appears to have
fallen through for reasons unknown.)
· The Credo of Christendom and other Addresses and Essays on Esoteric Christianity by Anna (Bonus) Kingsford and some letters by Edward Maitland, Biographical Preface and edited by Samuel Hopgood Hart (London: John M. Watkins, 1916). (In the Biographical Preface to this work, Hart says: “None of Edward Maitland’s Lectures to the Hermetic Society are included in the present volume. I hope, in the near future, to publish these in a companion volume.” [Footnote 3, p. 27.] Also, in nother footnote within the main body of the book, he says: “I hope, shortly, to bring out a volume of Anna Kingsford’s and Edward Maitland’s Addresses and Essays on Vivisection, which will include much material of the greatest value for the anti-vivisection cause.” [Footnote 1, p.157.] However, for whatever reasons, neither of these proposed publications appears to have ever made it into print.)
All of the above-listed ten editions, which were issued over a period of
thirty-two years, include prefaces by Hart. These prefaces are highly regarded,
and rightly so, because they are well written and show a deep love and
understanding of the subject and a scholarly attention to detail. The latter
attribute also stands out very strikingly in Hart’s editorship of the actual
works of Kingsford and Maitland, providing the reader with a wealth of helpful
comments. As regards Hart’s prefaces, it should be noted that his
Preface to the Fifth Edition of The Perfect Way is a significantly
expanded version of his Preface to the Fourth Edition of that work; and his Preface to the Third Edition of “Clothed With The Sun” is a slightly expanded
version of his Preface to the Second
Edition of that work.
In addition to these ten editions, which came out in hardback, a number of softback editions, mostly known as Popular Editions, were
also issued by the publishers John M. Watkins (
The other parallel motivational factor in Hart’s life, besides the profound
influence that the thinking of Kingsford and Maitland had exercised on him, was
undoubtedly his sympathy for the allied causes of vegetarianism and animal
welfare. Hart said in a letter to the Editor of The Vegetarian (Issue of 1st June 1895) that he first wanted to
become a vegetarian after reading the life and teaching of
Gautama
Buddha, but it was his association with the cause of Kingsford and Maitland that
swung the balance decisively in this direction. This is made clear in an account
of the Annual Meeting of the
Croydon
Vegetarian Society that appeared in The Croydon Advertiser (Issue of 15th
January 1927). The author of this account, referring to Hart’s presidential
address entitled “Why I became a Vegetarian”, says:
“The President prefaced his remarks by explaining that he had been a vegetarian
for twenty-seven years, his conversion to the reformed diet dating back to 1894,
when he met the late Edward Maitland. He made his first start as a vegetarian in
1898, and in 1900 had become a thorough vegetarian. But he was there that night
to tell them why he had thought it worthwhile to encounter innumerable
difficulties in order to become a vegetarian. In The Perfect Way or The Finding of Christ, written by Edward
Maitland and Anna Kingsford in 1882, it was stated that there were three veils
between God and man, and one was the veil of blood. If they would be as perfect
as each should strive to be, if they would live in tune with God, they should
put away blood from among them.”
Further clarification on Hart’s sense of gratitude to The Perfect Way for its crucial formative role in
his life is to be found in the following extract from a letter of his that was
published in The
Vegetarian of February 1905:
“...let me urge all the readers of your paper, who would not only read, but understand the Bible, to get The Perfect Way, referred to in Mrs.
Hart’s letter of December last. It is one of the Divinest books that has ever been given to the world.
It is the key of the Bible and of all the great religions of the world. It is
impossible to understand the Christian religion and its scriptures, and its
rites and ceremonies, without a knowledge of the
principles taught by The
Perfect Way. It is the book that made me join the Vegetarians and that has
enabled me to understand many things that, before I read it, were unintelligible
to me. I can never repay to the writers of that book the debt of gratitude that
I owe to them for having written it.”
Hart actively promoted the causes of vegetarianism and the esoteric Christianity
of Kingsford and Maitland over many years through lecturing and contributing
articles and letters to a wide variety of publications. The latter often led to
lively debates in the letter pages of these publications, which gave useful
publicity to these causes. Hart also served, first as President, and then as
Vice-President, of the Croydon
Vegetarian Society, and subsequently as a Vice-President of the
Vegetarian Society, which was then based at Wilmslow,
Among Hart’s numerous articles, lectures and letters on Kingsford and Maitland
that appeared in print at one time or another, the following selection will
serve to indicate how enduring a theme this was for him:
Ÿ
The
Late Mr. Edward Maitland (obituary article published in Light, 16th October 1897)
Ÿ
The
Late Edward Maitland (letter to the Editor of The Occult Review, October 1907)
Ÿ
Food
and Illumination (article published in The Vegetarian Messenger, September 1920)
Ÿ
Edward Maitland and Vegetarianism (lecture delivered at a meeting of the Croydon Vegetarian Society on 10th
November 1924 and subsequently published in two parts in The Vegetarian News, February 1925 and
March 1925)
Ÿ
Anna
Kingsford – Her Life and Work (published initially as articles
in Light, 13th September, 20th September and 27th
September 1930, then in expanded form as a booklet)
Ÿ
Anna
Kingsford and Vegetarianism (article published in The Vegetarian Messenger, April 1931 – apparently it was to
be reprinted as a pamphlet, obtainable from the
Vegetarian Society, 39 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester)
Ÿ
Edward Maitland and Vegetarianism (article published in The Vegetarian Messenger, January 1932)
Ÿ
Edward Maitland – His Life and Work (article published in the Quarterly Transactions of the British
College of Psychic Science Ltd., Vol. X. No. 4. January 1932)
Ÿ
The
Food of Perfection (article published in
Ÿ
In
Memoriam Anna Kingsford (published as a booklet giving the full text, with some
additions, of a Lecture read to the Leeds Vegetarian Society on 15th
September 1946, to commemorate the Centenary of the birth of Anna Kingsford)
As regards his interest in animal welfare, Hart was instrumental in setting up
the Sutton Branch of the National Anti-Vivisection Society in January 1898. He
acted as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer for the Branch, which by the beginning
of 1900 had 149 members. His uncle, Charles Scambler
Owden, was also a member of the Sutton Branch
Committee. His brothers also seem to have held similar views, providing further
evidence that Hart’s family background was helpful and supportive of his
sympathies.
For instance, James Hopgood Hart, a younger brother, wrote a letter to the
Editor of The Vegetarian (Issue of 16th November 1895) decrying the evils
of the leather trade, and Philip Ewing Hart, another younger brother, also had a
letter published in the same issue of that paper protesting "the amount of
unnecessary cruelty that goes on in the public schools of Christian England
towards our dumb brothers, the animals and birds, etc.” Later on Hart was to become a friend and supporter
of the famous animal rights campaigner, Louise Lind-af-Hageby, who founded the Animal Defence
and Anti-Vivisection Society in 1903. In a letter to the Editor of the Daily News, published in the issue
of 29th April 1913, Hart said that “Miss Lind-af-Hageby has proved herself to be far and away the most
efficient fighter against the horrors of the vivisectional laboratory, since the
days of the late Dr. Anna Kingsford, and she is a worthy successor to that
highly gifted and inspired lady, whose memory still lives in our hearts”.
Eadith Kingsford, the daughter of Anna Kingsford, was very
appreciative of Hart’s promotion of the message of her mother and Edward
Maitland. In a letter that appeared in Light (Issue of 18th October 1930) she said: “During
their earth-lives my mother and Mr. Maitland did not see their books widely
acclaimed; on the contrary these were in some quarters mercilessly criticised
and condemned.” So for her it was indeed gratifying to see their efforts being
recognised at last and “crowned with success”. “This success”, she added, “is
largely due to Mr. Hopgood Hart’s admirable editing of those works and his
lectures and writings on these subjects.”
Samuel Hopgood Hart’s contribution to our understanding of the cause of Anna
Kingsford and Edward Maitland can never be overestimated and will always stand
out as a shining example of dedication and spiritual integrity of the first
order. His editorship of the writings of Kingsford and Maitland together with
his prefaces to their works and his articles about them and their philosophy
deserve due recognition for the labour of love they represent and for the
wonderful collective fund of information they have provided and always will
provide to those who aspire to tread the higher path of spiritual attainment.
Brian
G. McAllister
July 2008
P.S. Acknowledgement and thanks are due to Fiona M. Bartlett, the great-great-niece of Samuel Hopgood Hart, for very kindly making available Mr. Hart’s Newspaper Cuttings Book, which has proved an invaluable aid in compiling this essay. B.G.M.
|
|
