E-mail David Christopher Lane
directly at dlane@weber.ucsd.edu
Author: David Christopher Lane Publisher: Alt.religion.eckankar Publication date: 1996
E-mail David Christopher Lane
directly at dlane@weber.ucsd.edu
I
want to go back to the home base now.
Twitchell's Travels to India and the Problems with Steiger's Time-line as given in IN MY SOUL I AM FREE. Brad Steiger, Twitchell's official biographer, writes in the famous book, IN MY SOUL I AM FREE, that Paul first went to Paris, France at the age of 15, just after he graduated high school. However, he had to come abruptly home to attend the death of his mother, Effie. Paul Twitchell then went back to Paris and then on to India. Steiger says Twitchell was 16 when he was at Sudar Singh's ashram in India. Steiger further says that Twitchell spent over a year with him. MISSION CONTROL: WE GOT A DATE-LINE PROBLEM..... Here it comes: 1. "Wilson Gantt, dean of admissions and registrar, says the school's records show Twitchell graduated from Tilghman High School in Paducah in May 1931 and entered Murray that September. He remained a full-time student until March of 1933." (Quoted from Tipton's article on Twitchell). Yet Twitchell claims in Steiger's book that he went to Paris after high school and not onwards to college. Indeed, even when he came back from Paris he didn't go on to college but back again to France and then onwards to India for a year. Yet the official high school and college records of Paul Twitchell show that this time-line, as illustrated in IN MY SOUL I AM FREE, DID NOT occur. What this means is that Twitchell NEVER took a year off, as he claims, between High School and College. Indeed, right after he went to Murray school he attended another College and registered in 1933 at the recorded age of 22. Thus, given Steiger's narrative, the supposed trip of Twitchell's to Paris and India COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED as it is retold IN MY SOUL I AM FREE. Rather, we know that Twitchell did not graduate at 15 like he claims, but much older (anywhere from 18 to 22). We know further, given Twitchell's account, that he lied about his claim of going to India between high school and college. We also know that he did not go to India at the age of 15 or 16. Remember that Twitchell's mother died in 1940, making Paul at least 27 if not 28 or older. And in the midst of all this we got SUDAR SINGH. I think we should re-title IN MY SOUL I AM FREE. New title? IN MY SOUL I AM BULL SHITTING! P.S. What is the poor reseacher to do? When you take Twitchell's narrative seriously it proves itself contradictory and wrong. But all of that does not matter, some may protest. That this does not matter, I would argue, is the biggest problem confronting Eckankar and its future. :
