Background
Julius Dresser was born February 12, 1838, in Portland, Maine.
Julius Dresser was born February 12, 1838, in Portland, Maine.
As a young person he entered Waterville College to become a minister in the Calvinistic Baptist Church. In 1860, while still in college, Dresser became sick and went to see Quimby for his reputed healing power. He was healed, and became an advocate of Quimby"s practice, which he called the "Quimby System of Mental Treatment of Diseases".
In 1863, Dresser met Annetta Seabury at Quimby"s office.
Their first son, Horatio, was born in 1866. In 1866, at the age of 28, Dresser become editor of a Portland newspaper in 1866.
Later that year the family moved to Webster, Massachusetts, where Dresser edited the Webster Times. That year Quimby died, too, and soon after Julius moved to California.
In 1883 they began teaching classes, and they became successful through this work.
Controversy
When Quimby died in 1866 another student of his wrote to Dresser and implored him to continue Quimby"s practice by assuming leadership of the burgeoning movement. However, Dresser replied in a letter that he was disenchanted with Quimby"s method, and soon after he moved away. In 1882 Dresser studied Eddy"s practice through the teaching of Edward J. Arens, a former Christian Scientist.
He immediately and publicly accused her of stealing Quimby"s ideas without crediting him.
Dresser first refuted Eddy"s claims in his 1887 book, The True History of Mental Science. In the 1890s Dresser took Eddy to court.