APRESENTATION of the causes and progress that have become history in the unfolding of any great movement that has lent itself to the betterment of mankind, is always a source of encouragement and inspiration to a newer generation. To this end we will briefly review the important facts that have been interwoven in the development of the Magnetism Club of America.

Edmund Shaftesbury today is known to about four million men and women who are studying his works; yet in the fortyfive years or more that he has been a teacher, he has refused to advertisehis productions; and it is only at the present time that thepublishers who now control his writings have undertaken to invite a larger following by public advertisements. His four million students came from the friends and acquaintances of those who had become students in the same way and who had mentioned these works and spoken of their merits to others.

As one instance out of many, a person who owned a copy of this book of Personal Magnetism and who was spending a few weeks at a fashionable summer hotel, left the book on a table for a few days while temporarily absent, and learned that nearly four hundred other guests had obtained the address of the publishers, and had ordered the book. In another case a physician kept a copy on the table in his waiting room, and in the course of time more than two hundred of his patrons procured the address and ordered copies for themselves. It is gratifying and also encouraging to prospective students and to those who are about to begin this study, to know that the BOOK ITSELF IS MAGNETIC!

A very capable , smart, successful but strictly honest business man who was told that this system was in itself full of magnetism, refused to believe the claim, and said, "I will pay five hundred dollars to the author if he can induce me to buy the book."- The following questions were put to this merchant:

"Will you decide the matter as an honest man without any quibble?"—"Yes."—"Will you take time to read the book carefully?''—"Yes."—"If after reading it, you find that its value to you is fully a thousand times more than its cost, will you then buy it?"—"Yes."—In a short time a check for five hundred dollars was his answer.

It is not only encouraging but gratifying to the coming students to know that the book has a most positive and powerful magnetic influence over the lives of those who read or who study its pages.

And this influence is ennobling, uplifting and inspiring.

Edmund Shaftesbury when engaged in his first literary duties as reporter for a great daily, correspondent for others, writer for magazines, and author of scientific treatises, as well as teacher and lecturer along these lines all of which harmonized in the plan he had in mind, was brought in contact with many great personages, and had the opportunity for analyzing the causes of their greatness. No man that ever lived possessed a keener insight into the problems of life; and we have never heard of any person who was gifted with so great an analytical power of the causes, natural and acquired, that produced the successful people of the world. He compiled for his own use in experimentation and study, private biographies of more than one hundred of the greatest men and women of two generations ago, all personally acquired by actual contact with these people. A few only of these names will be mentioned here, and among them will be included some who were either close friends or students, or endorsers of the training systems created by Shaftesbury.

These names are published for The sole purpose of giving encouragement to new pupils and of arousing in them the latent impulses of ambition to aim high in the purposes of life in the belief that noble examples are truer guides than the allurements of unfulfilled hopes.

Across the water we find the following great personages among many others:;

CHARLES BRADLAUGH, an English orator of convincing personal magnetism.

JOHN BRIGHT, a leading statesman and convincing orator.

CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, for many years a masterful man, and successful leader in the Irish cause.

WILSON BARRETT, regarded in his day as the most magnetic of English actors. By his personal magnetism he was ableto hold his audiences thrilled until after midnight in his rendition of the unabridged play of Hamlet, which no other actorin our memory had essayed. Mr. Barrett purchased every bookof Shaftesbury, and eagerly sought these systems of education on his annual visits to Washington.

REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON, well remembered as the most magnetic preacher in the last century of English history.By his personal magnetism he built up a following that took him from his humble beginning at Waterbeach to the great Tabernacle where many thousands constantly crowded in order to hear him. Later in his career he organized classes of young men studying for the ministry, and proclaimed the two greatest facts in this profession: first, that the right kind of a prayeris always answered; and that every successful preacher must develop the power of personal magnetism.

HON.WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE, the great prime ministerwhoso personal magnetism won for him the highest honorsin the gift of the nation. He not only possessed the Shaftbury works, but, at the solicitation of Queen Victoria, presented herwith one of them that she admired. These facts were published at the time.

American names here listed are but a very few of the many that might be included, but are omitted for lack of space.

EDWIN BOOTH was not only the foremost actor of his time, but by far the most magnetic. He studied the Shaftesbury systems.In return the manager of Mr. Booth was in the employ of Shaftebury at one period. CHARLES SUMNER, a statesman of the grandest character. BENJAMIN F. BUTLER, of very magnetic personality, in whose office Shaftesbury when a young man spent two years. JOHN A. LOGAN, an intensely magnetic orator and states-man, as well as successful warrior. LAWRENCE BARRETT, associated with Edwin Booth at JOHN B. GOUGH, the most energetic of all lecturers and platform orators, a personal friend of Shaftesbury.

CARDINAL GIBBONS of Baltimore, the greatest dignitary of his church, whose personal letter in approval of the Shaftesbury systems was published for many years in a university catalogue.

ARCHBISHOP JOHN J. KEANE, personal friend of Shaftesbury, who nearly forty years ago when at the head of the greatest post-graduate university in America, employed him as instructor of men, and afterwards in an open letter recommended his books, which letter was published for many years.

ALEXANDER MELVILLE BELL, with whom Shaftesbury collaborated in certain writings. His son was the inventor of the telephone.

DWIGHT L. MOODY, the most magnetic of evangelists and yet a quiet and impressive speaker as compared with other orators. He organized great classes of Bible students and young preachers, and extolled the value of magnetism.

BISHOP JOHN PHILIP NEWMAN, the greatest and most magnetic of pulpit orators in his day next to Beecher. He was known as Gen. Grant's pastor in Washington. He was not only a friend of Shaftesbury, but did him the exceptional honor of seeking his personal instruction.

BISHOP PHILLIPS BROOKS, student of Shaftesbury's works while yet a leader in the Episcopal Church. His approval of these works was published in the form of a letter nearly forty years ago, in which he called them the "new education."

HENRY WARD BEECHER was in the front rank of pulpit and platform oratory in the period in which he lived, and for the successful use of a winning personal magnetism he had no equal in American history. By this power in an extensive tour of England when public feeling ran high against this country in its darkest hours, he turned that feeling into one of lasting friendship. We have seen him while facing an adverse and hostile audience spend an hour or more in his efforts to get a fair hearing, and eventually end the discourse with the same audience rising and cheering him to the echo. These incidents are stated to make clear the fact that there is such a power as personal magnetism, and that it can overcome all obstacles and break down all barriers. In the years 1875 and 1876, when Beecher was instructing classes in theology in a university attended by Shaftesbury, a strong friendship sprang up between thetwo, one a world-famous orator, the greatest of his times, and the other a young man, seeking the secrets of greatness.

From the quiet little prayers at a rude table in a plain room up to the sublime heights of the loftiest oratory, in voice, manner and presence this remarkable man lived in an atmosphere of personal magnetism that thrilled and inspired those who came under its influence; and, as far as the author of these books waspermitted to analyze the sources of this power, it came from a natural possession of gifts that sprang from laws that arewithin the reach of most men and women.

As wo have said, it is our purpose to create in every student of this system the ambition to succeed in life; and we know the valueof high examples and past triumphs. Nothing stimulates thedesire to win in the battle of existence so much as the history of past achievements. It is also of prime importance to makeknown the fact that Shaftesbury created his opportunities for discovering the underlying causes and secrets of success in the lives of great men. By association and study he became eminently fitted to develop just, such a course of training as would employ the laws of magnetism in his unfolding of these giftsin his students.

Another fact that is of still greater importance is the reception given his methods by the greatest men and women of his time. It was said of his first edition of the book of PersonalMagnetism that, if it were left as by accident in any public place single copy would in a few months attract the casual attention of readers, and so bring a demand for a large number of copies, each one of which would exert a similar influenceand this in time would account for the building up automatically of a following of four million readers without a singleline of public advertising.

What was the reception given him from the beginning? He was overrun with applicants for his personal instruction.

Now it is a fact that as much value can be obtained from the books as from personal teaching; for the latter consists solely of the statement in lecture form of the laws and processes by which personal magnetism can be acquired. He made this fact known; yet thousands within reach insisted on individual instruction.In his personal teaching he numbered, among others, Cabinet Officers, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, Governors, Financiers, Members of Society, Lawyers, and almost every class of professional people.

Now we come to the most encouraging fact in this introduction.

Omitting all those persons who came in person to him for lessons, and looking only to those men and women who secured their help solely from his books, we find the following results:

MINISTERS.—Records furnished by persons in a position to know the facts, tell us that up to a recent period, but including the years long gone by, no less than 2,781 pastors of small churches working at low salaries, by the development of personal magnetism rose to eminence, step by step, going from place to place, always up, up, up, improving themselves, doing more effective work, winning greater compensation, and accomplishing greater good in the world. The value of these records is in the fact that these pastors acknowledge the power of this system of study as the cause of their success; practically all of them admitting that without it they would still be in the same old rut where so many of their fellow preachers have been for a third of a century. And there are thousands of other cases of which we have received no record.

LAWYERS.—We teach that lawyers must win the confidence of the public by strict honesty and fairness of dealing; must win confidence in themselves; and then must develop and employ the natural habits of personal magnetism that bring these two influences together; and on this triple alliance must build the highest efficiency. Reports from 7,793 attorneys who began in the humblest station in their profession, and who spent years in the struggle for existence, during which time many of them tried to piece out matters by taking up insurance as a pot boiler, show that every one of them rose to the very heights of success, hundreds of them becoming great leaders, winning fame and wealth. Bear in mind that we are referring only to those of our students who unreservedly have admitted that they owe their advancement in the world to our instruction in personal magnetism. Thousands of others have won success by this aid, but have not said so.

DOCTORS.—Every highly successful physician, no matter of what line, needs a large fund of well developed and finely controlled personal magnetism. This is not hypnotism, but is the exact opposite of hypnotism. The latter deadens, depresses with abnormal nerves, and helps only in certain classesof pernicious or vicious maladies. Personal magnetism builds life , is open, uplifting, brightening and cheering. Reports from 12,624 doctors who have studied our works solely by themselves, and who have put them into practice, acknowledge that our system has been the one real cause of their rise out of medioere conditions to the highest success in their profession.

Countlessothers in the past forty-five years have undoubtedly accomplished groat results from the same aid, but have failed DENTISTS-The really great dentists of the world have perfect nerve control; not in their charges merely; but in their manipulation of the delicate instruments required in doing fine work. Here is one letter which is very much like another that we published many years ago: "The book of personal magnetism does much more than is claimed for it. In fact it would not be possible state its full value; nor a tenth of it. That it insists that every student shall acquire perfect nerve control is one of its great merits in my profession; for, from a rather crude operator a year ago, I am now so far improved in my skill that this alone is worth many thousands of dollars to me in increased income."—But this is only an incidental part of the training. Yetthere have been fashionable schools for young ladies that have employed this phase and one other, namely, perfect poise of manner, as aids to an elegant training. Still these are incidentals only.

BUSINESS MEN AND WOMEN.—The law of demand and supply keeps many ugly-mannered merchants alive; but in a competitive world, where the patrons may exercise a choice in their dealings, the most effective drawing power is that of personal magnetism, adapted, of course, to the channels of these setivities. One must know what to use and how to use it in each division of life. It seems beyond belief that, in the past forty five years morethan four hundred thousand persons engaged in business have reported newly acquired success which' they have acknowledged to be due to this study as set forth is the present book and its similar predecessors. And there is a vast army of clerks and employees who have risen steadily is their positions, until every one of them without an exception has become an employer. Here we have the real value of personal magnetism.

SOCIETY is a great field for the exercise of the powers of attraction. Men and women have learned that assumed sweetness, gentleness and kindliness are misfits; they are a veneer that rubs off when least expected to do so. A young woman or young man who possesses the actual charm of personal magnetism, even if poor or less expensively attired than others, will not be ignored or treated with indifference. This is one of the reasons why certain phases of this study have been regularly taught in fashionable schools for the training of girls in social conduct. There is much herein that is sure to benefit any student who aspires to social qualities and charming manners, regardless of the usages of good form which belong to other lines of training, not included in this work.

The present system has for many years been recognized as the standard work of its kind. This prominence comes from its genuine merit as a training method; its adherence to the practical usefulness of the system; and to its unfailing helpfulness to every student of its pages. In dealing with millions of patrons we have never yet met with any dissatisfied person.

Having thus set forth the history of this system from its inception and having presented the great names that inspired the author to undertake the formation of a method that was sure to help humanity beyond that of any other influence in life, we will now let him speak for himself in the forthcoming lessons.

One prediction is to be made at this stage:

Since it is true that this book itself is charged to the full with the power of magnetism, we venture to assert that a single reading of its pages will not only draw the reader to it in an inseparable partnership, but will also in and of itself have aroused in such reader a very marked degree of acquired personal magnetism. This is saying much; but wait and note the result.

One reading of this work will effect a complete and revolutionary change in the reader.

This cannot be said of any other work of human origin.

But the reader hereof will see life differently, will understand life better, will grasp the meaning of countless influences that work for and againstsuccess in the activitiesof existence and will acquire a keen perception into human naturo, and interpret human motives more accurately. If a single reading of thin book will accomplish so much, what, is to be said of the adoption of this simpler principles; what of the adoption of the deeper teachings, what of the absorption of the grand truths that crown In these inquirieswe are anticipating the lessons that follow; but it is our purpose to present in intensive form the great powers of the system.

Three great merits have uniformly won success:

1. The lessons meet the mental equipment of the most highly culturedmen and women, and yield to them unlimited pleasure

2. The same lessons are so written and prepared that they can be just as easily mastered by the unlearned mind as by the most learned.

3. Owners of this system of training very quickly found that they could acquire personal magnetism, and could make practicaldaily use of it as if it were born naturally in them; and by its use could achieve the most pleasing and gratifying success in all departments of life.