One Simple Idea (44 page)

Alan Watts initially suggested to me that Arnold Josiah Ford may have been Neville’s Abdullah; I am grateful to him for this original insight. My sources on Ford include U.S. Census data for 1920 and 1930, along with the written sources “Arnold Josiah Ford” by Sholomo B. Levy from
African American Lives
edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Oxford University Press, 2004);
Garveyism as a Religious Movement
by Randall K. Burkett (Scarecrow Press, 1978); and
The Black Jews of Harlem
by Howard Brotz (Schocken Books, 1964, 1970). The latter two historians are quoted from their respective books. Jill Watts is quoted on Ethiopianism from her
God, Harlem U.S.A
. (1992). Sources differ on when Ford departed for Ethiopia; some place his departure in 1930, but a
New York Times
article—“Harlem Church Group Restrained by Court,”
December 9, 1930—clearly shows Ford in New York by the end of that year. A 2008 article in
Tadias
, an excellent online journal of Ethiopian and African-American affairs, dates Ford’s departure to 1931, following Selassie’s land grant. See “African American and Ethiopian Relations” by Tseday Alehegn, August 10, 2008. At present, 1931 is the most persuasive date of Ford’s departure.

Ernest Holmes’s meeting with Einstein is recounted in Fenwicke Holmes’s biography
Ernest Holmes
(1970). The reemergence of the placebo question during World War II is noted in
The Anti-Depressant Era
by David Healy (Harvard University Press, 1997), and
The Psychopharmacologists II
, interviews by David Healy (Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1998).

Napoleon Hill’s “I gave a beggar a dime” remark is from his original eight-volume set of
The Law of Success
, published in 1928. Elbert Hubbard is quoted from his 1914 essay, “A Peace Picnic,” reprinted in
Selected Writings of Elbert Hubbard
(Wm. H. Wise & Co., 1922). Hill’s reference to “the richest man” is from his book
The Master Key to Riches
(Willing Publishing Company, 1945). Carnegie is quoted on Swedenborg from
Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie
(Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1920). Carnegie is quoted on the “law of competition” from his essay “The Gospel of Wealth” as reprinted in
The “Gospel of Wealth” Essays and Other Writings
edited with an introduction by David Nasaw (Penguin Classics, 2006); I benefited from Nasaw’s insightful introduction. The story of Hill covering up the bellhop’s death is from
A Lifetime of Riches: The Biography of Napoleon Hill
by Michael J. Ritt Jr. and Kirk Landers (Dutton, 1995). The book is basically an authorized biography; it is to the authors’ credit that the episode is included.

Sources on Dale Carnegie include “How to Win Friends and Influence People: Dale Carnegie and the Problem of Sincerity” by Gail Thain Parker,
American Quarterly
, Winter 1977; “He Sells Hope” by Margaret Case Harriman,
Saturday Evening Post
, August 14, 1937; “If You Want to Gather
Honey” by Peter Baida, American Heritage
Magazine
, February/March 1985; and “Dale Carnegie, Author, Is Dead,”
New York Times
, November 2, 1955. For the earlier spelling of Carnegie’s name, see
The Art of Public Speaking
by J. Berg Esenwein and Dale Carnagey (Home Correspondence School, 1915). On the publishing collaboration between Dale Carnegie and Leon Shimkin, I drew upon the commemorative booklet
Simon & Schuster: Our First Fifty Years, 1924–1974
(Simon & Schuster, 1973);
You’re Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery
by Richard Stengel (Simon & Schuster, 2000);
Dale Carnegie: The Man Who Influenced Millions
by Giles Kemp and Edward Claflin (St. Martin’s Press, 1989); and “Leon Shimkin: The Businessman as Publisher” by John Tebbel,
Saturday Review
, September 10, 1966. Stengel (2000) related the account of the title change; a differing version appears in the memoir of Carnegie’s fellow Missourian writer Homer Croy,
Country Cured
(Harper & Brothers, 1943), which reports Carnegie making the change over the phone with a Simon & Schuster art director. However, Stengel’s account is more fully consistent with Shimkin’s role in shaping the book. The “subtle cynicism” of Carnegie’s approach is noted in “Miscellaneous Brief Reviews,”
New York Times
, February 14, 1937.

Rabbi Joshua Loth Liebman is quoted from his
Peace of Mind
(Simon & Schuster, 1946), unless otherwise noted. Liebman’s record on the bestseller list is from the reference book
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
by John Bear (Ten Speed Press, 1992). Liebman’s earlier book title is referenced in Rebecca Trachtenberg Alpert’s invaluable
From Jewish Science to Rabbinical Counseling
(1978). Fulton Sheen is quoted from Andrew R. Heinze’s insightful article, “Peace of Mind (1946): Judaism and the Therapeutic Polemics of Postwar America,”
Religion and American Culture
, vol. 1. no. 1, 2002. Ellen M. Umansky’s
From Christian Science to Jewish Science
(2005) is also vitally helpful on Liebman’s career.

For background on the life and career of Norman Vincent Peale I benefited from discussions with Rick Hamlin, the executive editor of the magazine Peale founded,
Guideposts
, conducted on August 18, 2011, and with Peale’s successor at Marble Collegiate Church, Rev. Arthur Caliandro, conducted on August 23, 2011. Caliandro, a minister of great
substance and sensitivity, passed away on December 30, 2012. The conclusions reached in the chapter are strictly my own. I am also grateful to Sally Rhine Feather and Susan Freeman for providing me with key primary documents from the Duke University Libraries Special Collection of Parapsychology Laboratory Records, 1893–1984, which includes correspondence between psychical researcher J. B. Rhine and both Peale and Blanton (material I hope to more fully explore in another volume), as well as early promotional literature from the Religio-Psychiatric Clinic. Peale’s record on the bestseller list is from Bear (1992). Peale’s reference to “scientist of the spiritual life” is from
A Guide to Confident Living
(Prentice-Hall, 1948). Blanton’s statement on the transformative powers of the unconscious is from his and Peale’s coauthored book (in which he and Peale wrote alternate chapters),
Faith Is the Answer: A Psychiatrist and a Pastor Discuss Your Problems
(Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1940). The numbers of clients at the clinic are from Carol V. R. George’s indispensable biography,
God’s Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking
(Oxford University Press, 1993). Peale’s quotes on Ernest Holmes are from “The Pathway to Positive Thinking: Recollections by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale” by Elaine St. Johns,
Science of Mind
, June 1987. I further explore the Holmes-Peale relationship in my
Occult America
(2009) and in “The Mystic and the Minister,”
Science of Mind
, October 2010. The intersections between Peale and Florence Scovel Shinn are explored in “Peale’s Secret Source” by George D. Exoo and John Gregory Tweed,
Lutheran Quarterly
, Summer 1995. Peale’s father is quoted from
The Tough-Minded Optimist
by Norman Vincent Peale (Prentice-Hall, 1961). The rescinded invitation to Dale Carnegie is noted by George (1993). The corporate subscriptions to
Guideposts
are noted in
The American Myth of Success: From Horatio Alger to Norman Vincent Peale
by Richard Weiss (University of Illinois Press, 1969), an important study on the shaping of a success mind-set in America.

Peale’s reference to a “sinister shadow” is from George (1993). The Citizens for Religious Freedom statement is from “Protestant Groups’ Statements,”
New York Times
, September 8, 1960. Peale’s reference to a “philosophical” discussion is from George. Peale’s reference to “the general
subject of religious freedom” is from his memoir,
The True Joy of Positive Living
(Ballantine, 1984). His statement “I never been too bright” and the congregation’s reaction are from “Minister Backed by Congregation” by Homer Bigart,
New York Times
, September 19, 1960. Peale’s 1960 comments “I don’t care a bit” and “Protestant America got its death blow” appear in George, who provides an extremely valuable record of this period. Peale’s statement “as time passes men’s ideas change” is from a letter of February 5, 1936, to congregant Edward M. Porter. Porter’s grandson, James Porter, shared this correspondence and other valuable material from his family’s attendance at Marble Collegiate.

George Santayana is quoted from his memorial to William James in Santayana’s
Character and Opinion in the United States
(Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1920). Peale’s friendship with Tehilla Lichtenstein is noted by Umansky (2005). Peale’s quote “you couldn’t get me near a politician” is from “Norman Vincent Peale: The High Priest of Positive Thinking Is Undiminished by Age, Untouched by Self-Doubt,” by D. Keith Mano,
People
, April 12, 1982. Peale’s assessment of New Thought is from a 1989 interview with George (1993). An overall help in grasping Peale’s career, and an important critique of it, is Donald Meyer’s
The Positive Thinkers
(1965, 1980, 1988).

Gerald Ford’s evaluation of Reagan is from
Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power
by Lou Cannon (Public Affairs, 2003).
Newsweek
’s assessment of Reagan was “What Would Reagan Really Do?” by Andrew Romano, July 19, 2010. Reagan’s statements about his acting career are from Cannon (2003). Eden Gray’s (1901–1999) recollections of Reagan were related to me by documentarian William Kennedy, who knew Gray, in an interview of January 27, 2011. Reagan’s quotes about Jeane Dixon and his musings on the qualities of Aquarians appeared in a syndicated article by freelance journalist Angela Fox Dunn; the version I used is “Reagan: A Personal Profile,”
Spokesman-Review
(Spokane, WA), July 20, 1980.

Reagan’s childhood recollections are from his memoir,
Where’s the Rest of Me?
coauthored with Richard G. Hubler (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1965). Lou Cannon calls Nelle a “determined improver” in his
Reagan
(Putnam,
1982). Dunn (1980) says Nelle “encouraged positive thinking.” Nelle’s poem is quoted from Bob Colacello’s
Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House
(Warner, 2004). Colacello’s account is one of the most insightful chronicles of Reagan’s rise. Lou Cannon is quoted (“within the Reagan household”) from his
Governor Reagan
(2003). The reference to a “class of destiny” is from Cannon’s
Reagan
(1982).

D. D. Palmer’s reference to “the spiritual world” is from his posthumous book
The Chiropractor
(Press of Beacon Light Printing Company, 1914). B. J. Palmer’s reference to the serpent, and other details of his garden, are from his massive volume (one of several he produced),
The Bigness of the Fellow Within
(Palmer College of Chiropractic, 1949). Reagan recalled the college walls having slogans in his memoir (1965). B.J.’s “THINK! SPEAK!” appeared in his grandson David D. Palmer’s book,
The Palmers
(Bowden Bros., 1977). B.J.’s reference to “INNATE” is from
Reagan’s America: Innocents at Home
by Garry Wills (Doubleday, 1986).

Parts of my section on Reagan and Manly P. Hall previously appeared in my “Reagan and the Occult,”
Washington Post
, April 30, 2010. Edmund Morris is quoted from his important and often-misunderstood biography of Reagan,
Dutch
(Random House, 1999). That book and Morris’s “Portrait of the President as a Young Man,”
New York Times
, April 2, 2006, expanded my understanding of Reagan’s spiritual life. Also helpful in that regard were conversations with documentarian Stephen K. Bannon. Manly P. Hall’s earliest writing on the “unknown speaker” appeared in his journal
Horizon
, February 1943, which served as a precursor to his 1944 account in
The Secret Destiny of America
(Philosophical Research Society). For more on Hall’s career, see my
Occult America
(2009).

Reagan’s statements about cancer are from “The Presidency: A Conversation with Ronald Reagan” by Hugh Sidey,
Time
, August 25, 1985. I am indebted to Cannon’s
Governor Reagan
(2003) for directing me to that passage. Reagan’s references to World War I are from Cannon (2003). For Reagan’s affinity for science fiction see
Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars, and the End of the Cold War
by Frances FitzGerald (Simon & Schuster, 2000). Lucille Ball’s recollection of Reagan’s UFO account is from
Lucy in
the Afternoon: An Intimate Memoir of Lucille Ball
by Jim Brochu (William Morrow & Co., 1990). Senator Charles Schumer is quoted from “The Senator and the Street” by Jeffrey Toobin,
The New Yorker
, August 2, 2010. Quimby’s quote on “man’s happiness” is from
The Quimby Manuscripts
(1921).

For a helpful digest of current prosperity-themed ministers and life coaches see John S. Haller Jr.’s
The History of New Thought
(Swedenborg Foundation Press, 2012). On the controversies surrounding Robert H. Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral, sources include the following articles from the
New York Times
: “Opening of Crystal Cathedral Is a Feast for the Eyes and Ears” by Robert Lindsey, May 15, 1980; “Founder Retires from Megachurch” by Associated Press, July 11, 2010; “Dispute over Succession Clouds Megachurch” by Laurie Goodstein, October 23, 2010; “Ailing Megachurch Selling Its Property” by Ian Lovett, May 27, 2011; “Crystal Cathedral’s Founder Quits Its Board” by Associated Press, March 10, 2012; and “Founding Family Decides to Leave Crystal Cathedral” by Ian Lovett, March 11, 2012. From
USA Today
, see “Catholic Diocese Buys Crystal Cathedral for $57M” by Douglas Stanglin, November 18, 2011. On the development of Schuller’s career see “Mountains into Gold Mines: Robert Schuller’s Gospel of Success” by Dennis N. Voskuil,
The Reformed Journal
, May 1981.