Earthly, sensual, devilish

"Mrs. Annie Besant and the Moral Code: A Protest" is a small pamphlet published in 1909. The author, Joseph H. Fussell was a member of the Theosophical Society Pasadena and the former secretary of William Q. Judge, one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society. When Fussell's protest was issued, the Theosophical movement was split in two main branches, often called "Pasadena" and "Adyar".

The pamphlet deals with the scandals surrounding C. W. Leadbeater, who had resigned from the Theosophical Society Adyar in 1906 after accusations of sexual impropriety, only to be readmitted a few years later. Annie Besant was the leader of the Adyar society and arguably the main party responsible for pardoning Leadbeater, hence the pamphlet is directed against her. Leadbeater had taught masturbation to teenage boys, and there are also hints of darker activities. According to rumour, Leadbeater insisted that his teenage wards sleep in the same bedroom as himself, against their protests...

Although Fussell's short pamphlet isn't particularly interesting in and of itself, it does show that sexual scandals aren't the exclusive preserve of Christian televangelists. The broader implications of Leadbeater's antics are also disturbing. After all, it was Leadbeater who "discovered" Krishnamurti when the latter was still a boy. While Besant did positive things as a political activist (including agitating for Indian Home Rule), her knowledge of human psychology obviously left something to be asked for.