THE O. E. LIBRARY CRITIC

Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

December 1935—January 1936

At the Periscope

AMORC vs. Clymer

AMORC has issued what it terms White Book D in rebuttal of charges made by Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer in his recent book reviewed in the August-September Critic. This is a report of an AMORC Committee and is obviously biased, while its language is not always of the choicest. Nevertheless, it contains 12 facsimiles of documents, some of which seem to prove that Dr. Clymer’s charge that Imperator Lewis [H. Spencer Lewis] is associated with the notorious Aleister Crowley is baseless. The “Baphomet cross” used by Lewis is shown to have been used by various occult fraternities at a time when Crowley was a child, and earlier, while the order O.T.O. appears to have existed long before Crowley’s activities. Other arguments are not so convincing, while the AMORC committee seems to be obsessed with the notion that calling bad names in argument, and that being a farmer or printer is proof of inherent weakness. My opinion is that aside from AMORC members the document will do AMORC more harm than good. But those who want to hear both sides may obtain a copy of “White Book D” by writing to AMORC, Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, Calif., and of Dr. Clymer’s book by addressing him at Beverly Hall, Quakertown, Pa., both free.