RETURN RECEIPT - The Rosicrucians in America. The False vs. the True Order of the Rosy Cross,

tieceiocd from the Postm aster the Registered or In su red Article^ the o rig in a l number o f which appears on the fa ce of^this Card-.

(Signature or name of addressee)

(Signaturo of addressee’s agent)

Date o f delioery 19^ J ^ r

Form tiBJ 1 II. 8. OO VEBNI^NT I’M Im in tin g o r r i c «

W estern Union showed delivery of our telegram to M r . Lewis at 8.35 o’clock A. M . on December 30, 1933, receipt of which is

also shown by his reply thereto hereinafter set forth.

Our foregoing letter was forw arded to M r . Lewis by Registered A ir M a il on December 30, 1933. T he returned registry card signed by his personal signature acknowledged receipt of same on J a n u a r y 2, 1934.

M r . Lewis did not wait for the receipt of our letter of confirma

tion. Lie would have nothing to do with a real investigation that would completely and finally settle all issues— and, as M r . Lewis fully realized, would also completely and finally settle him and his clandestine Order. T h erefore, h e m a d e h a s t e t o c a l l o f f all n e g o  t i a t i o n s . So, on J a n u a r y 1, 1934, he dispatched to us his telegram, as fo llo w s :

•■“27 I I O ^ S A H J G S E C A L PF 1 215P R C CLY!:'ER=

QUAKERTO-"!! PEHN3

V'E REGRET TH A T YOU HA V E A G A I N REFUSED TO A ^RE E TO OUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE C H A L L E N G E YOU I S S U E D IM YOUR L A T E S T r O O K L E T T i l l ' I S SECO'ID

T I ’E ’7E HAVE A C C E P T E D YOU.R BO AS TE D CH ALL ENG E A! 10 EACH T H E YOU E I T H E R EVA: EN THE I ".SUE OR A S IN I H I S CA S E SOUGHT TO -OD I.FY YOUR

•i1? I ' M ' A L CH AL L EN G E S T O P S I N C E V'E HAVE R E E " VERY L I B E R A L IN OUR a c c e p t a k c e s o f y w h f l a u n t e d d e s i r e s c o.- '-a’ a s p u b l i c a t i o n s o f o u r l e t t e r s "'Ei.iE i: c VS ALE-0* COL.OA V!t ARE NO'1 F I N A L L Y A'-'1- Ci'1 V I . E T E L Y T:-IIUV)P:I " I T - . ANY ;" E ‘ :o r I AT IONS '71 TH .YOU PEN I ' ■ ' f ' - ' A R L ANY

CO NS ! \ T I >1, OF YO'.IR I N S I N C E R E AND Si lA L L O "- N -!/■'.LF-NRES S T O P . I T

|p. OH | TE E V I PEN f TH AT YOU H AVE NEVER TR U LY T E S I R E D AN OPEN P U B L I C L>E;;ATE=

»H SPENCER L E W I S .

A Se l f- Ex e c u t e d Po r t r a i t o f t h e

Ba r o n M u n c h a u s e n o f t h e Oc c u l t

Is not this telegram a rem arkable phototype and perfect model of its sender? Did ever mortal man draw a more perfect picture of himself or more completely demonstrate and emphasize his predominating traits than M r . Lewis has in this te leg ra m ? It shows clearly the inner workings of his mind and reveals the shal

low and insincere mask of all his petty scheming and bold designing.

He is in a tight place— all his scheming has gone wrong. Instead of the expected and hoped-for refusal of his challenge to debate, he has received a proposal for a genuine and complete investiga

tion that will ascertain and make known the full truth and nothing but the truth— that will ruin him and destroy A. M . O. R. C.—

Great heavens-— he cannot accept that proposition. ITe cannot sub

mit to such a test-— to a real test. W atc h him squirm— see him w iggle— and how does he try to wiggle out?

Lie says: “W e regret that you have again refused to agree to our acceptance of the challenge you issued in your latest booklet.”

T h a t is a twister. H e uses 21 twisted words in a labored attempt to conceal the truth, to confuse and mislead the reader. L e t us untwist his statement and get the facts straight. M r . Lew is has never accepted our proposition— let him call it a challenge— to give us an opportunity to prove the truth of our contentions before any c o m p e t e n t and i m p a r t i a l tribunal— and, moreover, he never will. W e did not challenge him to an open public deb ate; th at was his idea, he challenged us— now he is ashamed of it and would saddle it on to us. W e are standing by our proposition. It is M r . Lewis that is on the run. H ow much do you suppose he really regrets our refusal to debate with him ?

Let us follow his telegram . H e further s a y s : “T his is the sec

ond time we have accepted your boasted challenge and each time you have either evaded the issue or, as in this case, sought to modify your original challenge.” Poor M r . L e w is ! ITe would have you believe that we have mistreated him'— he seeks your sympathy.

H e would have you believe it was us and not he who was squirming

— how he would like to shift the blam e! U nfortunately for him, the facts are that in both instances he issued the challenges for a public debate— in neither case did we accept his challenge. W e have not modified our original proposition— we are still standing on our original proposal as the reader m ay see for himself— it is clearly evident that it is M r . Lewis that is shifting and attempting to confuse.

Then he s a y s : “ Since we have been very liberal in our acceptance of your flaunted desires, as publications of our letters were (w ill) revealed ( r e v e a l) , we are now finally and completely through with any negotiations with you pending toward any consideration of your insincere and shallow challenges.” Is that not a perfect picture of assumed injured innocence and righteous indignation?

Yet he labors in vain to shift the blame or to justify himself. A fter much profound w iggling and twisting, he wiggles himself out of his own bad situation— and how? By simply declaring himself out and all bets off. In other words, he ran aw ay—H E d a r e n o t S T A N D A R E A L T E S T — so he ran, and as he ran he declared us to be running from him. Did you ever sit in a fast-moving train looking out of the window when the whole country-side seemed to be mov

ing aw ay from yo u? It was just an illusion, yet it very aptly illus

trates M r . L e w is’ situation. H e has always been on the run and has alw ays declared or intimated that others were running from him.

And finally he says: “ It is quite evident that you have never truly desired an open public debate.” Yes— quite evident. This last statement contains the only true implications and correct state

ment of fact contained in his telegram . W e never intend to join in public debate with M r . Lewis. W e have, we trust, set forth herein ample and sufficient reasons in justification of our course.

Notwithstanding the foregoing telegram and M r . L e w is ’ action in declaring all negotiations off, we desired to give him every oppor

tunity to join in a real investigation before a committee or tribunal entirely capable and competent to judge and determine every issue, with ample authority to make full and complete investigation of all and every fact and, above all, a tribunal that is wholly im partial and without interest, except in doing justice— with full power to render a final judgment and decree binding on both parties. T h e re fore, accordingly, on J a n u a r y 24, 1934, we forwarded to him by Registered M a il our promised counter-proposition and plan of investigation, v e r b a t i m , as follows:

A C H A L L E N G E A N D T H E A N S W E R

Fr a t e r n i t a s Ro s a e Cr u c i s

T h e R o s icru cia n O rd er, o r

R o sicru cia n B r o th e r h o o d TH E SEE

B e v e r l y H all

Q u a k ertoivn , P a.

LtJan u ary 24, 1934.

“ M r. H . Sp e n c e r Le w i s, San |ose, California.

“ D ear S ir:

“Supplementing our telegram and letter of December 29, 1933, and in accordance therewith, we make further reply to your letter of December 12, 1933, and submit herewith our counter-proposition and plan of investigation, which will afford you a fa ir and adequate opportunity to establish in a proper w ay your claims to Rosicrucian authenticity and authority, without exposing your secret work, and that will finally, effectively and conclusively settle all issues between us.

“ Since you started your Rosicrucian organization, about the y e a r 1915, without due w arra n t of authority, we have m aintained that you and your organization are clandestine; th at we only possess the rightful authority, and that ours is the authentic Rosicrucian F r a ternity, Brotherhood or Order. On the other hand, you have made the same claim for yourself and your organization. Both cannot be right. This controversy has grown to undue proportions. T o continue it will serve no good purpose. It should be settled. It is our sincere hope that it can be settled and ended. It is with this hope that we make this offer of settlement, without in the least degree receding from our position.

“ It seems to us, that if you are acting in good faith, if your claims are well founded and can be proven, that you will accept our offer and re gard the plan of inquiry as a golden opportunity to establish your Rosicrucian authority, authenticity and your exclusive right to establish and maintain the authentic Rosicrucian F ratern ity, Order or Brotherhood in America. If you elect to evade the issue, to refuse a fair and proper investigation, and you are not willing to abide by the results of such an investigation, then how can you

expect anyone to believe that there is a scintilla of merit or truth in your Rosicrucian claims?

“W e also feel confident that all just, fair-minded, thoughtful persons will, at once, agree that the plan of investigation is fair, just and adequate, that it affords and offers to you a fortunate and genuine opportunity to prove and conclusively establish your claims, under a binding agreement on our part, that, if you do so establish your claims, you will have the exclusive right to carry on and main

tain the only Rosicrucian organization in America, without further hindrance or criticism on our part, and that if you cannot stand a searching investigation and cannot establish the truth of your claims under this plan, then, that you should, sportsmanlike, confess the truth that you have no Rosicrucian authority, discontinue the use of the name, all Rosicrucian appellations and symbols in your work and conduct it honestly under a name, appellation and symbols that will mislead and deceive no one.

“ M a n y sincere men and women, more or less interested in the occult sciences, have joined your organization, upon your repre

sentation that it is the authentic Rosicrucian Order and Brother

hood. M a n y of them still believe that they have received from you the true Rosicrucian teachings and inner work, and that they have become and are Rosicrucians. On the other hand, many other equally sincere and earnest seekers have joined our organization upon our representation that ours is the authentic F ratern ity and that we alone have and can give the true, authentic Rosicrucian teachings. In simple justice to our respective followers and also to the m any interested seekers who desire to affiliate themselves with the F raternity, yet do not because they are confused by our conflict

ing claims— the issue should be and must be settled, once and for all time.

“ W e have courted and earnestly desired the strictest, most sweeping and complete investigation of our respective claims. W e have said many times, and here repeat, that we would gladly wel

come the opportunity to prove and fully demonstrate our claims and the truth of all statements which we have made concerning you and your organization, before any i m p a r t i a l and c o m p e t e n t tribunal.

W e mean exactly that. An im partial tribunal means one that is fair. A competent tribunal, in this case, means one capable and qualified to judge Rosicrucian evidence, to determine Rosicrucian authority and authenticity, that understands fraternal usage and law, and that can reach a correct conclusion and render true

judg-29

A C H A L L E N G E A N D T H E A N S W E R issues involved concern our respective Rosicrucian pi actices, methods, teachings, authenticity and au th o rity; th at these issues cross-examination; all documentary evidence should be given caie- ful examination and thoughtful consideration. T o conclusively establish the authenticity of the Randolph Rosicrucian foundation in America in 1858 and our Rosicrucian authority and authenticity

m ay require the examination of many documents in corroboration of our statements or testimony; to show your many changing, con

fusing claims and shifting positions to be without merit and to completely refute and disprove all your many different and diverse claims of foreign authority, will require the examination of many documents, the testimony of many witnesses in America and the depositions of many foreign witnesses abroad. A ll of this will require time, but if we are afforded the same opportunity, which we now offer to you, we are prepared to prove every claim we have m ad e; to disprove and completely refute all your claims to Rosicru

cian authenticity and authority.

“ It must be remembered that the authentic Rosicrucian F r a ternity, O rder or Brotherhood is a secret society; that its inner work is secret and ever has been, and is now closely guarded and fully protected by the sacred, binding oath of its members; that no mem

ber who has prepared and proved himself worthy, who received the deeper and profound secrets and who, in reality, became a Rosicrucian, has ever violated his oath or exposed the real, deeper and profound secrets of the order— although it must be admitted that some neophytes have proven unworthy, have been false to their vows and have exposed some of the prelim inary and probationary work. H owever, this has not injured the Order. T herefore, it must appear to every reasonable creature, since one of the real and important questions at issue is the a u t h e n t i c i t y o f t h e s e c r e t w o r k — that the issues between us cannot possibly be discussed in public debate and that a real Rosicrucian cannot and will not answer pub

licly a n y questions that a n y b o d y m ay ask.

“ If you are a real Rosicrucian and your organization has and imparts the real, authentic Rosicrucian work, I have not the right, nor the slightfcst desire to expose it and to destroy its usefulness.

On the other hand, if ours is the Authentic Order, then, in all justice and fair play, you have no right to demand of us, as you did, that we appear in public and ‘reveal the activities of our o rgan iza

tion and the points of our w ork ,’ which we have carefully con

cealed from all public investigation.

“All those who have the slightest understanding of fraternal laws and the elementary, fundamental principles upon which all genuine secret, frate rn al or occult societies and orders are founded, will know and understand that they do not give undue publicity to their activities nor seek to secure members by high-pressure advertising or publicity stunts. T h ey will, also, readily under

A C H A L L E N G E A N D T LI E A N S W E R stand that true and genuine Rosicrucians do not v u lg a rly flaunt themselves before the curious and gen erally uninterested public in spectacular publicity stunts, by broadcasting a public debate over the air. This in itself, aside from all other reasons, is a valid and sufficient reason for our refusal to accept your challenge of public debate ‘under all of the provisions (a s stated by yo u) and with no exceptions,’ although we are quite willing and anxious to have a real and proper investigation and to meet you on every issue, w ith out the slightest evasion or mental reservation.

“W e believe that you will read ily agree th at there is no finer selected from said Committees are well qualified, fully equipped and most competent to pass upon the issues correctly and to ju stly their Committee on Jurisprudence having the qualifications herein set forth and specified, to act as a tribunal, to determine, in the manner and upon the conditions as h ereinafter set forth, all issues and all controversies now existing between us.

“ W e have suggested three members to constitute the tribunal, which we believe to be sufficient for all purposes. H ow ev er, we are in no sense adverse to a tribunal composed of five or seven members,

to be designated and appointed by the Grand M asters of four other Grand Lodges of any other States in the United States or by the I ligh Officer of any Grand Body of the higher degrees of M asonry, either of the Y ork or Scottish Rites, provided that such members, so designated and appointed, shall possess the qualifications herein prescribed and that no two members of the tribunal shall be from the same State. If you prefer a tribunal of five or seven members, you m ay designate the M asonic officers who m ay appoint such addi

tional members of the Tribunal.

“T h e use of the word ‘parties’ herein shall be understood to mean yourself and your organization as one party, and myself and my organization, as the other party.

“ W e p r o p o s e t h a t t h e p a r t i e s h e r e t o e n t e r i n t o a n A G R E E M E N T A N D S T I P U L A T E A S F O L L O W S :

“ 1. T h a t there shall be appointed, in the manner as above set forth, a Committee or Tribunal whose members shall be learned in F ratern al Jurisprudence, each of whom shall have been, or is now, a member of the Committee on Jurisprudence of the Grand Lodge or Grand Body whose Grand M aster, or H igh Officer shall appoint him. Provided, of course, that no person who has been or is now a member of the organizations of either party, and/or who has been associated with either party, and/or who entertains any prejudice against Rosicrucianism or Rosicrucians or the parties or either of them, and/or who has formed or expressed any opinion on the merits of the controversy between the parties shall be elig

ible to serve on the Tribunal. The fact that some of the officers and members of either p arty are also M asons shall not in itself disqualify any M ason to serve as a member of said Tribunal.

“ 2. T h a t each member of said Tribunal shall take and sub

scribe to an oath to fa irly and im partially try all issues submitted to them and to render true decisions on the facts, in accordance with justice and g en erally accepted fraternal law and practices and to keep secret and not to divulge any evidence produced before them.

“ 3. T h a t we submit all issues and all matters of controversy between us to said Tribunal, which shall have full power and unlimited jurisdiction to try and determine all issues, to determine all questions of procedure and to make rules and regulations gov

erning its hearings, the conduct of the parties, their counsel and the employees of the Tribunal. A m ajority of the Tribunal shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of all hearings necessary to

A C H A L L E N G E A N D T H E A N S W E R be had before the Tribunal, and a m ajo rity of those present at any hearing may decide any question of procedure. . ()vif.evc? ! . a m a "

jo rity of the T rib u n al shall be necessary to make the final findings of fact and to render final judgment.

“4. T h a t the final findings o f fact and judgm ent o f the I nbunal, which findings and judgm ent must be in writing, shall be binding and conclusive on the parties.

“ 5. T h a t the parties shall equally advance all expenses of the T ribunal and, as soon as the members of the 1 nbunal ai e appointed, each party hereto shall deposit with the tem porary chan man the sum of One Thousand ($ 1 ,0 0 0 .0 0 ) D ollars, a total of Two Thou

sand ( $2,000'.00) Dollars, to be used by him for the d e fra y in g of the prelim inary expenses of the first meeting of the T n b u n a . That the Tribunal, at its first meeting, shall estimate the probable cost and expenses of the hearings and shall give to each p a rty notice thereof. T h e re a fte r each party shall pay to the Secretary- T re asu re r of the Tribunal such sums from time to time as he shall determine and demand, and said funds so paid shall be used for the d e fra y in g of all expenses of the investigation and the compensation pei diem

In document The Rosicrucians in America. The False vs. the True Order of the Rosy Cross, by Dr. Clymer (Page 25-50)