A History of the New Thought Movement by Horatio Dresser: A Foundational Chronicle

Historical Context

The New Thought movement emerged in the late nineteenth century as a diffuse but powerful current of metaphysical spirituality, rooted in the interplay of transcendentalism, mesmerism, and the healing practices of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. Horatio Willis Dresser (1866–1954) wrote A History of the New Thought Movement in 1919, at a moment when the movement had matured into a recognizable network of teachers, periodicals, and institutes. Dresser was uniquely positioned to chronicle this history: his father, Julius Dresser, had been a patient of Quimby and later helped spread Quimby’s ideas alongside his wife Anetta. Horatio himself became a philosopher and a leading New Thought author, and his book stands as the first full-length scholarly account of the movement’s origins and development.

The broader intellectual climate that gave rise to New Thought included the optimism of American transcendentalism, the scientific curiosity about mesmerism and hypnotism, and the religious ferment of the Burned-Over District. Quimby, a clockmaker from Maine, developed a system of mental healing in the 1840s and 1850s that emphasized the power of belief and the correction of false ideas. His methods influenced Mary Baker Eddy, who founded Christian Science, as well as the mental science and divine healing movements that later coalesced into New Thought. Dresser’s history captures this lineage, arguing that Quimby was the true pioneer of the movement, a claim that would shape later historiography.

Main Narrative

Publication History

A History of the New Thought Movement was published in 1919 by Thomas Y. Crowell Company in New York (source: [4]). The book ran to multiple editions, and it remains available through digital archives such as the Internet Archive and the Online Books Page. The 1919 copyright date is confirmed by the Library of Congress catalog record. Dresser wrote the book after decades of involvement in the movement, and it drew on his personal papers, his father’s correspondence, and the published records of early New Thought organizations.

Author

Horatio Willis Dresser (1866–1954) was an American philosopher, minister, and author. He was the son of Julius Dresser and Anetta Seabury Dresser, both of whom had been healed by Phineas Quimby and became early promoters of mental healing. Horatio studied at Harvard and later received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote numerous books on philosophy and religion, including The Power of Silence and Living by the Spirit, but his historical work on New Thought remains his most enduring contribution. His insider perspective—as the child of pioneers and a participant in the movement’s later institutional phase—gives the book a unique authority.

Historical Setting

The book was written at a time when New Thought was consolidating. The International New Thought Alliance (INTA) had been founded in 1914, and periodicals such as Unity and The Nautilus were reaching large audiences. Dresser wrote in the shadow of World War I, and his narrative reflects a desire to establish the movement’s intellectual respectability. He positioned New Thought as a scientific and philosophical response to the materialism of the age, tracing its roots back to Quimby and forward to the organized societies of his day.

Main Arguments

Dresser’s central argument is that the New Thought movement had a coherent, traceable lineage beginning with Quimby. The book’s chapter list, as preserved in the 1919 edition (source: [2]), reveals its structure:

• Chapter 1 – The New Age
• Chapter 2 – Quimby the Pioneer
• Chapter 3 – Quimby’s Method of Healing
• Chapter 4 – The First Author
• Chapter 5 – The Beginnings of Christian Science
• Chapter 6 – The Mental Science Period
• Chapter 7 – The New Thought
• Chapter 8 – The First Organizations
• Chapter 9 – The First Conventions
• Chapter 10 – International New Thought Alliance
• Chapter 11 – Other Organizations
• Chapter 12 – The Movement in Foreign Lands
• Chapter 13 – Looking Forward
• Chapter 14 – Kindred Movements

Dresser argued that Christian Science was a derivative and divergent branch of the Quimby stream, and that the broader New Thought movement represented a more inclusive and philosophical interpretation of mental healing. He emphasized the role of individual teachers and small groups, rather than a single centralized authority, and he stressed the practical, therapeutic nature of the movement’s teachings.

Key Concepts

The book introduces and clarifies several key concepts of New Thought: the primacy of mind over matter, the idea that disease originates in false belief, the practice of affirmative prayer and mental treatment, and the importance of inner peace and self-mastery. Dresser also discusses the relationship between New Thought and Christianity, arguing that the movement was not a new religion but a new way of understanding and practicing spiritual truth. He highlights the contributions of figures such as Emma Curtis Hopkins, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, and Nona Brooks, though the book’s focus remains on the early decades.

Reception

Upon publication, the book was reviewed favorably in both New Thought and mainstream religious periodicals. It was praised for its scholarly approach and its balanced treatment of controversial topics, particularly the split between Quimby’s heirs and Mary Baker Eddy. Some critics, however, felt that Dresser overemphasized Quimby’s role and downplayed the influence of other teachers. The book nevertheless became a standard reference, and it is still cited by historians today.

Influence

Dresser’s history shaped the way subsequent generations understood the movement. His insistence on Quimby as the pioneer established a narrative that was later amplified by other historians, though some have questioned the direct line from Quimby to all New Thought groups. The book also helped legitimize New Thought as a subject of academic study, and it provided a model for later histories by authors such as Charles S. Braden and J. Gordon Melton.

Editions

The 1919 first edition was published by Thomas Y. Crowell Company. A second edition appeared in 1921, and the book has been reprinted in facsimile and digital formats. The Internet Archive hosts multiple scans, including a 1921 edition, and the Online Books Page provides links to these files (source: [4]). The Open Library lists four editions, with the most recent digital edition created in 2025 (source: [3]).

Where to Read

The full text is freely available online. The Internet Archive offers multiple formats, including PDF, EPUB, and plain text (source: [1]). The Online Books Page provides a stable link to the archive.org files (source: [4]). The lessonsintruth.info website also hosts the complete text with the chapter list (source: [2]). Physical copies can be found through library catalogs and used-book dealers.

Why It Matters in New Thought History

Dresser’s book matters because it is the first comprehensive attempt to write the movement’s history from within, by an author who had access to primary materials and personal connections. It established the canonical narrative that Quimby was the originator, that Christian Science was a sectarian offshoot, and that New Thought’s genius lay in its diversity and adaptability. The book also documents the formation of key institutions—the International New Thought Alliance, the first conventions, and the growth of periodicals—that continue to shape the movement. For students of New Thought history, Dresser’s work remains an indispensable starting point, both as a source of factual information and as a lens through which to understand how the movement saw itself at a pivotal moment.

Primary Sources

• A History of the New Thought Movement by Horatio W. Dresser (1919) – The book itself is a primary source for the movement’s self-understanding and early institutional history.
• Phineas Quimby’s unpublished manuscripts – Letters and notes from the 1840s-1860s that Dresser used to reconstruct Quimby’s methods.
• Julius Dresser’s writings – Pamphlets and articles from the 1860s-1880s that promoted Quimby’s ideas and documented early mental healing.
• The Christian Science Journal (early issues, 1880s) – Shows the divergence from Quimby’s teachings and the formation of Christian Science.
• Proceedings of the First New Thought Conventions (1899-1901) – Recorded in various periodicals, these documents show the movement’s early organizational efforts.
• Archives of the International New Thought Alliance – Including its constitution, bulletins, and conference reports from 1914 onward.