Horatio Dresser
Encyclopedia
Horatio Willis Dresser (1866–1945) was a New Thought
religious leader and author.
to Julius
and Annetta Seabury Dresser. His parents were involved in the early New Thought movement through their study with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. During his teens, Dresser's father was embroiled in a controversy with Mary Baker Eddy
, the founder of Christian Science
, whom he accused of stealing Quimby's concepts and using them as a basis for Christian Science.
Horatio Dresser was admitted to Harvard in 1891, but dropped out in 1893 upon the death of his father. Ten years later he returned to Harvard, completing his Ph.D. in 1907.
.
Dresser taught at Ursinus College
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
from 1911-1913. In 1919, Dresser became a minister of the General Convention of the Church of the New Jerusalem, a denomination built around the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
, briefly serving as a pastor of a Swedenborgian church in Portland, Maine.
He died March 30, 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts.
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
religious leader and author.
Early life
Dresser was born January 15, 1866 in Yarmouth, MaineYarmouth, Maine
Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located approximately ten to fifteen miles north of Portland. Its population was 8,349 at the 2010 census....
to Julius
Julius Dresser
Julius A. Dresser was an early leader in the New Thought movement. Along with his wife Annetta, Dresser was the first proponent of the "Quimby System of Mental Treatment of Diseases", named after Phineas Parkhurst Quimby...
and Annetta Seabury Dresser. His parents were involved in the early New Thought movement through their study with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. During his teens, Dresser's father was embroiled in a controversy with Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, the founder of Christian Science
Christian Science
Christian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
, whom he accused of stealing Quimby's concepts and using them as a basis for Christian Science.
Horatio Dresser was admitted to Harvard in 1891, but dropped out in 1893 upon the death of his father. Ten years later he returned to Harvard, completing his Ph.D. in 1907.
New Thought
In 1895, Dresser became involved with the Metaphysical Club of Boston, a group which Dresser would later refer to as the "first permanent New Thought club". That same year, Dresser published his first book, The Power of Silence. In 1896, Dresser founded the Journal of Practical Metaphysics. Two years later, this journal was merged into The Arena, for which Dresser was subsequently an associate editor. The following year, 1899, Dresser founded another New Thought magazine, The Higher Law. He was a past president of the International New Thought AllianceInternational New Thought Alliance
The International New Thought Alliance is an umbrella organization for New Thought adherents "dedicated to serving the New Thought Movement’s various branches, organizations and individuals".- History :...
.
Controversy
In 1921, after the Library of Congress made Quimby's papers available, Dresser compiled and edited a selection of Quimby's works, The Quimby Manuscripts. In this work, Dresser re-opened the controversy concerning Quimby and Mary Eddy Baker, attacking Baker in a chapter as well as the appendix of the book; for example:Personal life
Dresser married Alice Mae Reed in 1898. He was described, in an enthusiastic 1900 Atlanta Constitution article, as:Dresser taught at Ursinus College
Ursinus College
Ursinus College is a liberal arts college in Collegeville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.-History:1867Members of the German Reformed Church begin plans to establish a college where "young men could be liberally educated under the benign influence of Christianity." These founders were hoping to...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
from 1911-1913. In 1919, Dresser became a minister of the General Convention of the Church of the New Jerusalem, a denomination built around the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
, briefly serving as a pastor of a Swedenborgian church in Portland, Maine.
He died March 30, 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts.