Webster Edgerly wrote more than 50 books, some still in print, which have been read by hundreds of thousands of people - so why is he almost completely unknown?
This site examines the strange case of the Magnetism Man.
Who was Webster Edgerly?
Albert Webster Edgerly was a self-help guru, a crank and a racist bigot. Possessed of seemingly boundless energy, from his twenties until his death he wrote and published many books and founded a series of organisations dedicated to health and self-improvement, mainly under his pseudonym "Edmund (or Edmonde) Shaftesbury". As the begetter of the "Ralston Health Club" he also used the name "Dr Everett Ralston".
In about 1900, William Danforth invited "Dr Ralston" to participate in his Purina Wholefood Company. At that time Edgerly's Health Club had a sizeable following and he was noted for his pronouncements on diet, which were compatible with Danforth's own philosophy. The company took a new name, Ralston Purina, under which it still traded until relatively recently, when it was acquired by Nestlé.
Edgerly attempted in 1905 to put his utopian ideas into practice when he founded a community of Ralstonites at "Ralston Heights". As is ever the case with such endeavours, it was not a success.
His most successful venture was probably the "Magnetism Club", whose key text, Instantaneous Personal Magnetism continues to be read today.
Update: now available to buy, my new edition of Edgerly's Lessons in Acting.
More at this site: a review of Edgerly's writings; Edgerly bibliography.
Scribbled by Alfred Armstrong 17 years 6 months ago
Comments
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Simon, I don't think I'd like to have met Edgerly on the basis of what I know about him, though I would dearly loved to have seen him perform in his play about Columbus. I can't describe myself as an "enthusiast", either - more a fascinated yet horrified witness.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Morgan Yochem replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
terry pullum replied on Permalink
Lawrence Dugan replied on Permalink
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Lawrence, many of Edgerly's books can be readily found in online second hand bookshops (try addall.com) or ebay. I don't know which ones Terry is referring to, but I would guess it is the Magnetism series (Instantaneous Personal Magnetism, Advanced Magnetism, Mental Magnetism, Sex Magnetism and Universal Magnetism) as these were heavily promoted through magazine mail order ads throughout the 20th century.
terry pullum replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Norman Dixson replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
hamish replied on Permalink
Savory replied on Permalink
Regine Gray replied on Permalink
Hi
I am interested in receiving your documentation on your own life lessons. I myself am a keen reader of Shaftesbury's books. Please do share.
Many thanks
Kind regrads
Regine Gray
Simon Bignell replied on Permalink
Norman Dixson replied on Permalink
David Edgerly replied on Permalink
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Any relation, David?
I am no fan of corporate attitudes, but frankly, Webster Edgerly's idealism was tarnished from the start. His use of pseudonyms, his claim to a non-existent professorship, his dubious treatment of his acting school pupils, his racist tendencies, his misrepresentations of the origins of Ralstonism, his inconsistencies, exaggerations and baseless claims ... need I say more?
Anyone who could make a claim such as that in the preface of the nauseating Brain Tests that "it surpasses in importance the whole fabric of knowledge taught by the greatest universities" is either a megalomaniac or a conman. I think he was a bit of both.
It would be terrific if Purina would open their archives and tell the full story of the relationship with Webster Edgerly, but I can well understand why they would not want to do that.
David Bates replied on Permalink
George Scott replied on Permalink
David Bates replied on Permalink
AP George replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
David Bates replied on Permalink
Carol Macpherso... replied on Permalink
Teresa Herrington replied on Permalink
Hi Carol:
I just came across your post to David Bates. I am Leila (Steele) And Jack Moysey daughter. Havard and Beatrice MacPherson were my Great Uncle and Aunt. I have very fond memories of Bushkill, PA. I inherited Havard's paintings recently when my father passed away November 4, 2015. We also have a plate by Aunt Bea that my mother had in their china cabinet.
I would love to learn more about them. My mother passed when I was seven and my Uncle John has of course orally given me much information but I never knew Aunt Bea came with such an intriguing past. I was disappointed when Sue and I could not find the copy of her book. She gave us one when I was little and I remember it being on the book shelf for years but it was not there anymore.
Terry
David Bates replied on Permalink
John Orlando II replied on Permalink
Michael Crown replied on Permalink
robert edwards replied on Permalink
David, I am not looking for information about Edgerly, but rather about Earl Kenneth Bates, in particular about his painting called "Fourteen," which may be of the artist's son (your father?). My email is rolined@gmail.com. Thanks, Robert
David Bates replied on Permalink
edwin mkulunzi replied on Permalink
David Bates replied on Permalink
Mary replied on Permalink
Larry replied on Permalink
Edgerly Researcher replied on Permalink
I am following that same family line. Can you contact me privately?
Edgerly Researcher replied on Permalink
Hi, Larry: Please contact me privately regarding the Puffer family line at edgerly11 at gmail. Thanks!
Victory Chase replied on Permalink
Kelly replied on Permalink
I came across a book " Shakespeare's midsummer night's dream" published 1885 with signature "Webster Edgerly" in the front of the book. I found this site looking for copy of signature for comparison. Does any body know where I might find it?
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
terry pullum replied on Permalink
I have a set of books from the 30's 4 sale.. if interested -- I am on facebook....
Lonnie Schram replied on Permalink
I have a diploma, dated1899,from the Shaftesbury College of Expression. Has "Edmund Shaftesbury, founder of the method" in lower left corner, along w/embossed seal stating college name + Baltimore Md. Have been unable to find information on school, any help would be appreciated.
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Edgerly Researcher replied on Permalink
Lonnie: I should be able to tell you a bit more about that school. I assume you might be able to see my email without me posting it?
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Hi, if you posted your email here no one else can see it but me. But I can pass it on if you like.
Theresa replied on Permalink
Does anyone know if the Kennedys (as in JFK) were part of this Ralstonite group? They most definitely lived in the same area and with the emphasis on physical fitness(as well as the charismatic personalities) in the Kennedy clan, I find it an interesting idea.
FrancoisTremblay replied on Permalink
I think you should be writing a book on the subject that would eventually end up on this site.
Rickey Joyce replied on Permalink
Been studying his books since 1976. By 1978 I had read about 15 of his books. Looking to leann something about Magnetism because I had something in The Sufi Message book that not to many people now about magnetism. Being I self improvement buff I was looking for information that would explain it. the first IPN was excellent. The book broke the subject down very well and I was very pleased with it. I read the book a fwe times. The second one I read was Advanced Magnetism was very interesting but it did contain a few racist comments. The third book I read was Sex Manetism which really teaches you all about life and did not have any racist comments, but the forth book Mental Magnetism was very racist but the information was very deep thought provoking. I knew what this man was a White Supremacist to the core. But I did not care about that I just wanted to learned what he was teaching about Mental Magnetism. I do not have to agree with everything a persons says in order for me to learn from them. After I read those first four books by Shaftesbury I went on to 12 more of his books and read them more than once.His drugless cure did go over with Big Pharma and his put down of all of the toxic chemicals put in the foods did not make the darling of the corporate food boys either. It was clear from the beginning that this mans words where only intended to be read by other White Supremacists. I wanted to know more about this man back in 1976 so I kept reading his books hoping he would drop some personal infor about himself. I learned the he was a newspaper man and in view very skilled in the art of propaganda. Being a student of the psychic world I was very interested in his books on Thought Transference , Future Seeing, and The Great Psychic. I guess you could say reading the Shaftesbury books was my way of going to college at home. to date I have read 16 of his book over the last 37 years and all of want to do is read his Life's Secret's Revealed and that would be my way of completing my course. In spite of his racist comments his way way ahead of his time and fantastic predictions in The Great Psychic about the coming of TV and other wireless devices that we take for granted today. His commenets about Blacks in Africa were not as racists as what he taught in his Yourself Behind Closed Doors and some parts of his Brain Tests. His commenets i Brain Tests about the white race coming out of the grround when the time is right because there was no way the white man could be the child of the Negro. But now we know because of the discovery of "Lucy" in East Africa and DNA science that all races did come out of East Africa. His book The Goal Of Creation he showed some growth on the race subject and was more objective about the races from Africa. I saw some growth. That one was published in 1928 two years after his death. I consder myself one his students and realized he was one of the great teachers in spite of his racists ideas. He eveb did some ground breaking work with Bell and the telephone and with Thomas Edision. One time by in the middle 80's I was talking to a Phd in Physics about some ideas from Future Seeing, and he told me I just gave him a philosophical breakdown Equals Mc squared. Then I realized why they had to suppress Shaftesbury. I
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Hi Rickey, thanks for your comments. If you have evidence that Edgerly worked with Bell or Edison I'd be very interested to see it. By evidence I mean something other than what Edgerly himself may have claimed.
Rickey Joyce replied on Permalink
Hi Alfred, Yes he claimed that in his book The Great Psychic. He did not have a note on that page in an index in the back of the book indicating the specific papers. I re-called him making a self-doclosure of people being critical about his books not having bibliographies about his sources. Seems like people were asking that same question when he was alive. Today in 2013 it is still not resolved. If I find any outside proof of that claim I will pass it on.
David Bates replied on Permalink
Alfred Armstrong,
While your points in your opening are well taken I think the negativity (especially considering that you have published books on the subject) detour many people from offering points of interest and information that you may not even be aware of. I am in no way defending many of his diatribes but to make a cartoon-like characture of the man causes people who may well know even more than you on the subject to express their views. Many of the views you mention in your scathing opening were a product of crass commercialism and a time when we had just ended the practice on slavery in this country. Please understand that by taking my suggestion we could all increase the body of information about the man and his writings. I realize that your first entry was many years ago, and I would be curious to know your current feelings on the subject.
Remaining an interested party,
David Bates
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
David, Edgerly literally made a cartoon-like caricature of himself. Obtain if you can a copy of Lessons in the Art of Facial Expression and then try to take him seriously. Nothing I have read about the man has swayed me from my early opinion that he was a charlatan through and through. If you choose to believe otherwise, that's your prerogrative. Feel free to create your own website where you say so. On mine, I shall say what I like.
David Bates replied on Permalink
I was going through a very small box of little books from Edgerly's library and found a volume entitled (all old English type as it appears) "A METHOD TO LEARN TO PASSIONS"(from text)Proposed in a CONFERENCE on their general particular EXPRESSION. Written in French and iIIustrated with a great many Figures excellently defined by Mr. Le Brun, chief Painter to the French King, Chancellor and Director of the royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. By John Williams, Efq. This book contains a collection beautiful etchings in single page and fold-out pages of wonderful etchings showing the many facial positions and emotions that I think Webster used to create his drawings. He took no care in copying them and what you see are his takes on some truly beautiful etchings. The other thing I found is that I have only one complete autograph, the rest are either just Webster or Papa on books given as Christmas gifts.
Alfred Armstrong replied on Permalink
Interesting, though Edgerly's book is actually composed of photographs of himself pulling faces, with timings as to how long it supposedly took him to achieve them. If there is a relationship between the two, it sounds like one of the sublime to the ridiculous. On which point, have you read the New York Times review of Christopher Columbus? If not, you should.
David Bates replied on Permalink
The book is dated 1734 printed in France. Measuring approx, 4" by 8"
Dr. Everett Ralston replied on Permalink
Does anyone know where I can contact any of Edgerly's family or where I might find out more about him? Kind regards.
Dr. Everett Ralston replied on Permalink
for those interested, there is now a Facebook Group for Webster Edgerly: https://www.facebook.com/groups/344637548946643/
Dr. Everett Ralston replied on Permalink
Does anyone know where I can contact any of Edgerly's family or where I might find out more about him? Kind regards.
Add new comment