{"id":195,"date":"2019-12-05T19:04:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T19:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/?page_id=195"},"modified":"2020-01-12T19:24:44","modified_gmt":"2020-01-12T19:24:44","slug":"papers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/papers\/","title":{"rendered":"Influencers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Any authentic and\nin-depth look into the New Thought Movement must lead the seeker to the Judge\nThomas Troward. For many, his name comes up as being a major influence on\nErnest Holmes. In fact, Dr. Tom Sannar says in his book\n\u201cNew Complete Works, Life, and Summaries of Thomas Troward,\u201d <\/a>that Troward\nwas the second great influence on Holmes and Ralph Waldo Emerson was the first.\n Knowing that he was one of the top two\ninfluences isn\u2019t enough for the serious metaphysician. To truly grasp what that\ninfluence was, requires one to know and understand that not only how this man\ncame to be such an influence on Holmes, which is where many stop in their\nstudies, but even more importantly is finding out how Judge Troward become one\nof the most influential people in New Thought overall. Anyone serious about New\nThought today must take a look behind the veil of history to glean from his\nteachings directly. This brief document will give you a taste of just how\nrelevant his influence can be today and how it came to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1847 Thomas was born. His\nparents, Albany and Frederica, though British were living in India where his\nfather Albany was serving as a full colonel in the Indian Army. In 1857 the\nfirst major large scare uprising as part of the rebellion against British rule\nand occupation began. Thomas now 10, most certainly would have been seeing and\nhearing about these events, as both general news and due to his parents being\nBritish. His father\u2019s military service most certainly impacted his young life\nas well. Not much is stated about his young life but imagine the internal\nconflict of knowing you are in a country where some people do not want you\nbecause you and your parents are British, and the crown is the enemy.  At some point however, he returned to England\nfor school. The exact time that he returned to England isn\u2019t stated but he\ngraduated college in 1865. After graduating, he went back to school to study\nlaw. I suspect that part of his early childhood experiences in India are what\ninspired Thomas to study law. Well versed in literature, having received honors\nand medals, on a path to a law degree, and one who was skilled as an artist and\npainter, Thomas was a young man with what we today refer to as well rounded.\nHis left brain of analytical skills and his right brain of visual and intuition\nwere both being actively engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1869 at the age of\ntwenty-two, he returned to India where he began working as an assistant\ncommissioner. This was after having taken an extensive and difficult Indian\nCivil Service Examination. It is reported that people were shocked by his test,\nby the originality of his answers on one section in particular; that section\nhappened to be, \u201cmetaphysics.\u201d Continuing to demonstrate his superb work ethic\nand knowledge, he was promoted rather quickly to the level of Divisional\nJudge.  He remained and served in that\nposition for the 25 years. During this time he also married his first wife and\ntogether they had three children. With his second wife, whom he married after\nhis first wife had died, he had another three children. Without the foresight\nand work of Sarah Ann, his second wife, the written works of Judge Troward, may\nvery well have been lost. After his death, it was Sarah Ann who helped to get\nhis works published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through a forward written\nin \u201cTroward’s Comments On The Psalms,\u201d she says of her husband, “When he\nretired from the Bengal Civil Service in 1896, he decided to devote himself to\nthree objects — the study of the Bible, writing his books, and painting\npictures… He believed that the solution to all our problems was there (in the\nBible) for those who read and meditated with minds at one with its Inspirer.\u201d\nHer commentary about her husband give us a huge glimpse behind that veil. We\nsee a man with a vision not simply a curiosity. This was a judge, a man of law,\nand pragmatic thinking and he believed the problems of man found solution in\nthe bible. That is quite an insight and based upon how he did with the\nmetaphysics section of the assessment years earlier, it is safe to assume that\nthe solutions he was referring to were not seen or knowable by the casual\nChristian but by one, as Annie Troward said, one \u201cwho read and meditated with\nminds at one with its Inspirer.\u201d Through the reading, the meditating, and\naligning the mind with its Inspirer, the metaphysical meanings of the Bible\nwould then be known, and it was there that the solutions would also be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rumor has it that during\na vision he was given insight into the development of a philosophical system of\npractice that would give peace of mind to those who studied it as well as\noffering practical results of physical health and happiness as well. Whether\nthis vision theory is accurate or not is not really relevant because what is\nknown is that Judge Troward was an avid reader. He consumed a great many texts\nduring his lifetime and many of them were the various sacred texts of the\nworld\u2019s religions and systems of philosophy. Despite the time of their births,\nit is most auspicious that both the writer, song composer, playwright,\nessayist, painter Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) and Hindu guru Swami\nVivekananda (1863-1902) lived during the time of Judge Troward. Keeping in mind\nthat Troward lived from 1847-1916 and considering the scope of his reading, it\nwould not be such a fanciful leap to believe that he read the works of each of\nthese men when they came of an age that their works were part of the public\nconsciousness. This leap is made even more credible since it is known that he\nread various texts of raja Yoga which is the system of Yoga practiced and\ntaught by Swami Vivekananda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The philosophy that Judge\nTroward created, Mental Science, was well established before his now famous\nEdinburgh lectures were delivered at Queens Gate in Edinburgh, Scotland in\n1904.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to note\nthat the term mental science had already existed as it was used by Quimby however\nthe difference being that Quimby\u2019s does not rest on religious doctrine and as\nwe have seen Troward believed the Bible contained the solutions for mankind\u2019s\ntroubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people today say\nthat reading his works is difficult and rest assured it is said that the small\nand very attentive audiences he spoke to, hardly understood what he was saying\nto them.  Considering his very\nintellectual and well-versed nature it would be easy to see that he may have\nbeen speaking in terms that they were not at the time ready or able to truly comprehend.\nHe was a man with an eclectic background that many of his listeners would not\nbe able to directly relate. He spoke the native language of India and had read\ntexts about subject matter that the average man or woman of England would have\nhad no knowledge of even existing let alone understanding or applying to their\nlives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having seen the\nchallenges occurring in both India and England during Victorian rule (June 1837\nto January 1901), his philosophy most certainly was developed to address some\nof the ills of society. The rebellions in India to end British rule, classism,\nand discrimination in India coupled with the poverty, the high moral standards\nand battles against such things as prostitution which came to be known as, \u201cThe\nGreat Social Evil,\u201d slavery had been abolished in 1838 but the effects, both\nthe positive and the negative, of a post slavery system continued. Not only did\nthis new era bring greater \u201cfreedoms\u201d but it also brought greater overall health\nand lower mortality rates. \u201cWith a healthier environment, diseases were caught\nless easily and did not spread as much. Technology improved because the\npopulation had more money to spend on medical technology (for example,\ntechniques to prevent death in childbirth, so that more women and children\nsurvived), which also led to a greater number of cures for diseases. However,\nthere was a cholera epidemic in London in 1848\u201349, which killed 14,137 people,\nand another in 1853 killing 10,738. Reformers rushed to complete a modern\nLondon sewerage system. Tuberculosis (spread in congested dwellings), lung\ndiseases from the mines and typhoid remained common.\u201d (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Victorian_era#Mortality_rates)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the\nchallenges, Troward was most certainly influenced by the Ideology that came to exist\nduring the Victorian era. The previous era, the Georgian period, was defined by\nrationalism which the Victorian era demonstrated a marked resistance with an\nincreasing turn towards romanticism and mysticism with regard to religion,\nsocial values, and arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Roads to Truth,\nSherry Evans says, \u201cTroward writes that the purpose of Mental Science is to\ndiscover the relationship between the individual power of volition and the\ncosmic law that maintains and advances humanity. He believes that mental\nscience provides a sensible basis for believing that we can each have power\nover our life.\u201d (Evans 145) This sounds very similar to two of the We Believe statements\nthat Holmes penned in 1927. \u201cWE BELIEVE that the Universal Spirit, which is\nGod, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that we\nare surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our\nthought and acts upon it.  WE BELIEVE in\nthe healing of the sick and control of conditions through the power of this\nMind.\u201d Troward\u2019s idea of a spiritual prototype and the idea of the mental\nequivalent which Holmes spoke of, both outline the idea that whatever it is\nthat we seek to manifest or demonstrate, be that physical health, a\nrelationship, finances, etc. before it can become a physical experience in the\nexternal plane, it must first be conceived in the internal or spiritual plane.\nHistory certain identifies that Holmes was influenced by Judge Troward, however\nas Charles Braden says, \u201cJust how much of what Holmes teaches is from Troward\nit is difficult to say. . .  [Holmes] has\ndigested Troward\u2019s thought so completely and made it so much his own that it is\ndoubtful if he himself could have told precisely when or where in his own\nteaching he was setting forth Troward\u2019s thought.\u201d (Braden 420)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me the biggest\ndifference between the teachings of Holmes and Troward lies in their use of the\nBible. Troward, as stated before, believed that the Bible contained the\nsolutions for what ailed mankind and Holmes, while using the Bible as \u201ca\u201d\nsource text, did not place it on such a high pedestal. Holmes, being the great\nsynthesizer, seems to be more \u201cinterfaith\u201d in his perspective and approach to\nthis thing called New Thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Troward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mind is a center of\nDivine operation. The Divine operation is always for expansion and fuller\nexpression, and this means the production of something beyond what has gone\nbefore, something entirely new, not included in the past experience, though\nproceeding out of it by an orderly sequence of growth. Therefore, since the\nDivine cannot change its inherent nature, it must operate in the same manner\nwith me; consequently, in my own special world, of which I am the center, it\nwill move forward to produce new conditions, always in advance of any that have\ngone before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe action of Mind\n(thought) plants that nucleus which, if allowed to grow undisturbed, will\neventually attract to itself all the conditions necessary for its manifestation\nin outward visible form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holmes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is a mirror and\nwill reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is infinite energy\ncoupled with limitless creative imagination. It is the invisible essence and\nsubstance of every visible form. Its nature is goodness, truth, wisdom and\nbeauty, as well as energy and imagination. Our highest satisfaction comes from\na sense of conscious union with this invisible Life. All human endeavor is an\nattempt to get back to first principles, to find such an inward wholeness that\nall sense of fear, doubt and uncertainty vanishes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, Troward\u2019s scope\nof experience is of major impact. Rather than myopically looking at one\nphilosophy or religious path, he looked at many and did his own synthesis of\nwhat he found to be the relevant truths to helping mankind. This encourages me\nto take up the mantle and keep the evolving of thought moving higher and\nhigher; there is no reason that I should stop and \u201ctake his word for it,\u201d but\nrather read his works just as he read both ancient and modern texts and\nformulate them in a way that is practical and applicable to the people of today\njust as he did during his era.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braden,\nCharles Samuel. Spirits in rebellion: the rise and\ndevelopment of New Thought<\/em>. Southern Methodist\nUniversity Press, 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evans, Sherry. The roads to truth: in search of new\nthought\u2019s roots.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern lights\nPublications, 2005. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sannar, Tom. New Complete Works, Life, and Summaries of\nThomas Troward.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Thought Ministries,\n2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Troward: Early Teacher of Mental Science. thomastroward.wwwhubs.com\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge-Thomas-Troward-Raymont-Anderson<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Any authentic and in-depth look into the New Thought Movement must lead the seeker to the Judge Thomas Troward. For many, his name comes up as being a major influence on Ernest Holmes. In fact, Dr. Tom Sannar says in his book \u201cNew Complete Works, Life, and Summaries of Thomas Troward,\u201d that Troward was the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-195","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237,"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195\/revisions\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nthistory.tonilamotta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}