The Passing of H.P.B.

May 8th, 1891.
By Laura M. Cooper
(Extracted from the magazine Lucifer 1891, pp.606-611)

Having been my privilege to be with H.P.B. during her last illness, and at the moment of her death. I have been asked to contribute my share to the “Memories” which have been written for the benefit of the brother and sister Theosophists, who, being far away, have not had the advantage of seeing and being with H.P.B. constantly.

It was on Tuesday, the 21st of April, 1891, that I went to stay at Headquarters (in London) for the few days which, owing to the unexpected events that followed, turned into a visit of some weeks. H.P.B. seemed in her usual state of health, and on Thursday, the 23rd attended the Lodge and remained chatting with the friends who surrounded her for sometime after the proceedings of the evening were over; she then adjourned to her room where, according to their habit, members who live at Headquarters followed to sit with her while she took her coffee before retiring for the night.

The following day, Friday, passed quietly over, giving no warning that a fortnight from that date our beloved H.P.B. would leave us. The next evening, Saturday, she was very bright. Dr. Mennell (her physician) called and was perfectly satisfied with her condition. My sister, Mrs. Cooper Oakley and I, with one or two others, remained talking with her until eleven o’clock, when she retired with a cheery “Good night, all”---apparently in her usual health.

The next morning, however, H.P.B’s maid came early to my room to tell me she had passed a very restless night and had been seized with shivering attacks. I went down shortly after, and the first glance showed me that she was evidently in a high state of fever. The doctor was immediately sent for, and the day passed with H.P.B. alternately in a heavy sleep, or in a state or restlessness. Late in the afternoon Dr. Mennell came, pronounced the illness to be influenza; the fever was very high, her temperature being 105….

From that memorable Sunday night, April 26th, began the succession of misfortunes, the illness of one members of the household after another, which culminated in the passing away of our beloved H.P.B. The hours slowly passed in alternations of restlessness and sleep, and with the morning came little or no change for the better. H.P.B. had her large armchair brought from her sitting-room and placed by her bed, that she might be able to gain a little ease by changing from one position to another. ….She spent a most suffering day, and when Dr. Mennell came early in the evening he was distressed to find the fever was still very high; he changed the medicine, giving a preparation of salycene, it being absolutely necessary to reduce the temperature, and decided to call again about midnight to see the result; he left strict orders that before each dose the temperature should be carefully taken, for in the event of a sudden fall taking place it would have been dangerous to continue the medicine. Before he came again that night a third dose fell due, but owing to the decrease in H.P.B.’s temperature I felt justified in not giving it, especially as the discomforts incidental to the drug were beginning to cause her much uneasiness. And it was a relief, when Dr. Mennell came, to find the right course had been taken, for he was satisfied with her condition. She passed a fairly quiet night, and on Tuesday morning the fever had almost gone; that day and the following night all seemed on well, for though the weakness was very distressing, no complications had as yet appeared, and she was able to take plenty of nourishment.

Towards the end of Thursday, the 30th, H.P.B. began to suffer very much from her throat and as the hours went by she had increasing difficult in swallowing; her cough became very troublesome and her breathing very labored. On Friday morning she was not better, and when Dr. Mennell arrived he found a quinsy had formed in the right side of the throat; hot poultices were applied and some relief was gained. During the evening the quinsy broke, and when Dr. Mennell came again he was comparatively satisfied with H.P.B.’s condition. The improvement, however, was not of long duration; a bad night followed, and in the morning it became apparent there was a second formation in the throat. This proved to be an abscess on the bronchial tube. A wretched day and night succeeded, and the morning  of Sunday, May 3rd. found H.P.B. very ill indeed, for the pain of swallowing made it very difficult for her to take the necessary amount of nourishment, and her weakness increased in consequence. Monday and  Tuesday passed much in the same manner; the abscess disappeared, but the bronchial tubes being  much affected, the difficulty in breathing still continued, and almost constant fanning had to be kept up to relieve the dreadful oppression from which she was suffering. How bravely she struggled against her illness only those who were with her can realize.

On Wednesday, the 6th of May, she partially dressed and walked into the sitting-room, remained there for her luncheon, resting for sometime on the sofa; in the evening Dr. Mennell found her going on fairly well, all fever had entirely left her, but the great weakness and the difficulty in breathing caused him considerable anxiety. Several times H.P.B.  told Dr. Mennell she felt she was dying and that she could not keep up the struggle much longer; but he, knowing the illnesses she had previously conquered, did not give up hope; indeed, I may say this feeling was shared throughout the house, for though we realized how seriously ill H.P.B. was, we could not believe she would leave us……

That Wednesday night was the turning point in her illness; about midnight a change for the worse took place, and for an hour or tow it seemed as if H.P.B. must go; she had not perceptible pulse, and it seemed almost impossible for her to get breath. After a time the attack passed off; she became a little easier, and for the time the danger passed.

Very early on Thursday morning, Mr. Wright went for Dr. Mennell who returned with him and remained for sometime to watch the effect of the medicine he gave---during the day H.P.B. rallied and bout three in the afternoon dressed, and with very little assistance walked into the sitting-room; when there she asked for her large armchair to be brought her, and while it was being placed in its old position near her writing table she stood merely leaning slightly against the table. The chair was turned facing into the room and when H.P.B. was sitting in it she had her card table with cards drawn in front of her, and she tried to “make a patiente”; notwithstanding all these brave efforts it was quite apparent that she was suffering  intensely, and nothing but her powerful will could have sustained her in the struggle; the intense difficulty in breathing had brought a strained pathetic expression into H.P.B’s dear face most pitiful to see, and it seemed to show even more when she attempted any return to her old habits. Dr. Mennell came shortly after 5 o’clock and was much surprised to find her sitting up, and he congratulated her and praised her courage; she said, “I do my best, Doctor”; but her voice was hardly above a whisper and the effort to speak was exhausting, as her breath was very short, but she was less deaf and liked to hear conversation. ….

The night that followed, her last with us, was a very suffering one; owing to the increased difficulty in breathing, H.P.B. could not rest in any position; every remedy was tried without avail, and finally she was obliged to remain seated in her chair propped with pillows. The cough almost ceased, owing to her great exhaustion, though she had taken both medicine and stimulant with regularity. About 4 am.  H.P.B. seemed easier, and her pulse was fairly strong, and from that time until I left her at 7 o’clock all went quiet and well. My sister then took my place, while I went for a few hours’ rest leaving word for Dr. Mennell to give me his opinion of H.P.B. when he called.  This he did shortly after nine, and his report was satisfactory; the stimulant was having a good effect and the pulse stronger; he saw no cause for immediate anxiety, advised me to rest a few hours, and told my sister she could go to her business.

About 11:30 I was aroused by Mr. Wright who told me to come at once, as H.P.B. had changed for the worse and the nurse did not think she could live many hours: directly I entered her room I realized the critical condition she was in. She was sitting in her chair, and I knelt in front of her and asked her to try and take the stimulant ; though too weak to hold the glass herself, she allowed me to hold it to her lips and she managed to swallow the contents; but after that we could only give a little nourishment in a spoon. The nurse said H.P.B. might linger some hours, but suddenly there was a further change, and when I tried to moisten her lips I saw the dear eyes were already becoming dim, though she retained full consciousness to the last. In life H.P.B. had a habit of moving one foot when she was thinking intently, and she continued that movement almost to the moment she ceased to breathe.

When all hope was over the nurse left the room, leaving C.F. Wright, W.R. Old, and myself with our beloved H.P.B.; the two former knelt in front, each holding one of her hands, and I at her side with one arm round her supported her head: thus we remained for many minutes, and so quietly  did H.P.B. pass away that we hardly knew the second she ceased to breathe; a great sense of peace filled the room, and we knelt quietly there until, first my sister, then the Countess arrived. I had telegraphed to them and Dr. Mennell when the nurse said the end was near, but they were not in time to see H.P.B. before she left us.

No time was lost in vain regrets, we all tried to think and to do what she would have wished under the circumstances and we only could be thankful she was released from her suffering. The one ray of light in the darkness of our loss seems to be that had there not been the instruments in the Society to carry on the work, she would not have let us. She has bequeathed to us all, as legacy, the care of the Society she founded, the service of the cause to which her life was given, and the depth of our love and our loyalty will be measured by the strenuousness of our work.

Her unvarying fidelity to her great mission, from which neither contumely nor misrepresentation ever made her swerve was the keynote of her strong and fearless nature.  To her who knew so well its true and inner meaning, Theosophy was an ever-present  power in her life, and she was ceaseless in her endeavors to spread the knowledge of the living truths of which she had such full assurance, so that by their ever-widening influence the wave of materiality in Science and Religion might be checked, and a real and lasting spiritual foundation laid for the true progress and brotherhood of mankind.

With such an example before us, then our duty as Theosophists is clear. We  must continue the work that H.P.B. has so nobly commenced, if not with her power---which to us is as yet impossible---at least with an enthusiasm, self-sacrifice, and determination such as alone can show our gratitude to her and our appreciation of the great task she has committed to us.

We must, therefore, each individually take up our share of that task. Theosophy is not dead because today we stand by H.P.B.’s dead body. It lives and must live, because Truth can never die; but on us, the upholders of this Truth, must ever rest the heaviest of all responsibilities, the effort so to shape our own characters and lives that truth may be thereby  commented to others.   Most fortunately for all of us, H.P.B. leaves the work on a firm foundation and fully orgazined.

In spite of failing health and bodily pain, our beloved leader to the very last moments of her life continued her unceasing exertions for the cause we all love so well. Never did she relax one moment from her vigilance over its interests, and she repeatedly impressed upon those who surrounded her the principles and methods by which the work was to be carried on, never contemplating for one instant that the death of her body could be any real hindrance to the performance of the duty which would then more than ever be incumbent on every earnest member of the Society. This duty, which lies so clearly before us, and of which H.P.B. has set us so striking an example, is to spread the knowledge of Theosophy by every means in our power, especially by the influence of our own lives.

Much as we love and reverence our leader, our devotion to the work must not rest on the transient bases of affection for a personality, but on the solid foundation of a conviction that in Theosophy itself, and in it alone, are to be found those eternal spiritual principles of right thought, right speech, and right action, which are essential to the progress and harmony of mankind.

We believe that if H.P.B. could stand here in the body and speak to us now, this would be her message to all the members of the Theosophical Society, not simply to those who are  present, but to all who without distinction of race, creed, sex, are with us in heart and sympathy today. She would tell us, as she has told many of us already, that a “clean life, an open mind, a pure heart, an eager intellect, an unveiled spiritual perception, a  brotherliness for all, a readiness to give and receive advice and instruction, a courageous endurance of personal injustice, a brave declaration of principles, a valiant defense of those who are unjustly attacked, and a constant eye to the ideal of human progression and perfection which the Sacred Science  depicts---these are the golden stairs up the steps of which the learner may climb to the Temple of Divine Wisdom.”

And now in silence we leave the body of our teacher and go back to the everyday world. In our hearts we shall ever carry with us her memory, her example, her life. Every Theosophical truth that we utter, every Theosophical effort that we make, is one more evidence of our love for her, and what should be greater even than that, of our devotion to the cause for which she lived. To that cause she was ever true----to that truth let none of us ever be false. In the hearts of those who are endeavoring  to make Theosophy a real factor in their lives, there must remain an overwhelming sense of gratitude to her who has inspired them with the will to do so; and this sense of gratitude, love and respect will never be content until it can find fit expression. No material memorial, nothing that money can purchase will ever be judged a sufficient tribute to her memory. There is but one way in which the debt can be paid, and that is by making the Theosophical Society a world-wide success and Theosophy known throughout the whole globe.  The work to be done is one not only of head and hands but also of heart, the well-spring of all right actions and the real magnet-point of our humanity.

The tremendous burden of responsibility that lay so heavily on H.P.B., but which she so gladly bore for the learns to sense the “fitness of things,” their underlying harmony, on all occasions. Right thought, right feeling, right judgment and right action are the signs of such an one, and will indubitably lead to that consummation of brotherhood which we have before us as our ideal. Let us, then, who would fairly earn the title of Theosophists, see well to this and follow the example of H.P.B. in sacrificing ourselves for the good of others.
“As a mother, even at the risk of her own life, protects her son, her only son: so let there be goodwill without measure among all beings. Let goodwill without measure prevail in the whole world, above, below, around, unstinted, unmixed with any feeling of differing or opposing interests. If a man remain steadfastly in this state of mind all the while he is awake, whether he be standing, walking, sitting, or lying down, then is come to pass the saying ‘even in this world happiness has been found.’”

The Testament of H.P. Blavatsky

This is the last will and statement of me Helena Petrovna Blavatsky of Adyar, Madras, India. I desire my body to be burned in the compound of the Theosophical Society Headquarters at Adyar, Madras and the ashes to be buried in the said compound and that none who are not Theosophists should be present at the burning.

I desire that yearly, on the anniversary of my death some of my friends should assemble at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society and read a chapter of Edwin Arnold's Light of Asia and Bhagavad Gītā.

After payment of my just debts (if any); and funeral and state expenses I give devise and bequeath unto Colonel H.S. Olcott of Adyar, Madras; my books, for the use of the literary committee of the Theosophical Society. Also my property in "Isis Unveiled" and the "Secret Doctrine" and "The Theosophist" also one of the two pairs of candlesticks given me by my aunt, also to Damodar, Babajee and Ananda, my three silver mugs. Also to Dr. Hartmann one of the pairs of the candlesticks given me by my aunt. Also to my nieces all my dresses and clothing (but not sheets or bedding) also to Louisa Mitchell the shawl now in the possession of Mr. Holloway. Note that the oval silver box is in the property of Damodar and as to the residue and reminder of my property, I give devise and bequeath the same unto Colonel Henry S. Olcott requesting him to distribute any small articles of no great value which I may die possessed of, to such friends and acquaintances as are Theosophists, according to his own discretion, and I hereby appoint Colonel Henry S. Olcott and Damodar K. Malavankar, or the survivors of them to be executers of this Will as witness this 31st day of January 1885 Adyar, Madras, India.

H.P. Blavatsky

Signed and acknowledge by the said Helena Petrovna Blavatsky the testator as and for her last will and Testament in the presence of us being present at the same time; who at the testator's request and in the presence of each other, have hereunto subscribed our names as witness.

P. Shreenivas Row.
E.H. Morgan.
T. Subba Row.
C. Ramaiah.

(Copied by A. Etirajulu Reddi, Ag. 5th clerk. Examined by K. Ananthachariar, Head Clerk. T.C. Ryru Kurup, Registrar).