The Power of Silence · 2 of 10

Preface to Tenth Edition

The following pages contain the substance of a course of lectures delivered in Boston, during the winter of 1893–94, and not originally intended for publication. The chapter entitled “The Immanent God” was, however, issued in pamphlet form, and was so kindly received that the remaining papers were revised and published (May, 1895) in the present volume, which proved to be only the first of a series of volumes devoted to different phases of the inner life. The seventh book in this series, “Living by the Spirit,” although written six years later than the present volume, is a logical introduction to it, and presents the general doctrine of the series in simplest form. “In Search of a Soul” (1897) is an application of the doctrine to the problems of psychology, self-culture, and the spiritual life. “Voices of Hope” (1898) deals largely with religious questions from the point of view of optimism. “Methods and Problems of Spiritual Healing” (1899) is a study of modern systems of mental therapeutics. “The Perfect Whole” (1896) and “Voices of Freedom” (1900) are devoted to the problems of individuality and the relationship of God and man. “Education and the Philosophical Ideal” (October, 1900) is an application of the doctrine to all phases of the educational life, beginning with earliest childhood and ending with preparation for the future life. This volume also contains the most satisfactory philosophical statement of the author’s teaching.

For the theory of self-help and the meaning of suffering in the present volume the author is indebted to his parents, and to the teaching of P. P. Quimby (1802–1866), whose pioneer work lies at the basis of the modern spiritual therapeutic movement. In answer to those who have sought to classify the author in relation to this modern movement, he can only say that his position is that of an independent truth-seeker, who regards the new faith as only one of many phases of the great revelations of the century.

Context

Dresser is staking out a particular position in the very crowded religious marketplace of the 1890s. Christian Science, Theosophy, the Emmanuel Movement, Spiritualism, and a dozen schools of mental healing were all jostling for the same audience. By calling himself an independent truth-seeker who regards the new faith as one of many phases of the great revelations, he is refusing the role of sectarian founder that Mary Baker Eddy had taken. This refusal had a cost. Eddy built an institution that survives to this day. Dresser stayed scholarly, unaligned, and read mostly by readers already interested in the inner life. The decision shaped his whole career and the reception of New Thought as a more diffuse movement than Christian Science ever was.1890s American religious marketplace; Christian Science vs. New Thought split; Dresser's lifelong independent stance.

Contents Prefacevi Preface to Tenth Edition