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Periodical: The Progressive Thinker

Summary: From Pat Deveney's journal database:

Progressive Thinker, The.
Spiritualism--Progress, the Universal Law of Nature; Thought, the Solvent of her Problem / A Weekly Devoted to Spiritualism.
Science, Supplemented by an Exalted Morality, The Bible of the Future
1889--1941 Weekly
Chicago, IL. Publisher: Progressive Thinker Publishing House.
Editor: John Reynolds Francis; Mrs. Francis; Mrs. M.E. Cadwallader; C, Rudolph Malmberg.
Corporate author: Official Organ of the National Spiritualists Association 1/1, November 30, 1889-1941 (?) 4 then 8 pp.

In its early issues, the journal outlined its purposes as follows:

"The PT will be devoted to Spiritualism, Biology, Electro-Psychology (as formulated by the illustrated Dr. Dods), and its differentiations, Mesmerism, Animal Magnetism, and Hypnotism; Somnambulism, natural and induced, as presented by Dr. Fahnstock; Telepathy; Visions while awake, in sleep, or in Trance; Psychometry, as ably presented by Prof. Buchanan; cremation, a Spiritual and Sanitary necessity; Brain Waves, Psychic Waves, or Soul Force; Ethics as a Factor in Religion, and as annunciated by the Philosopher and Seer, Hudson Tuttle; the Various Stages of Death, in the Transition of the Spirit to Higher Spheres; the signs of Death; the Danger of Premature Internment, etc., etc."

Francis (1832-1910) began his career as a liberal, abolitionist newspaper publisher in Bloody Kansas. For his pains he was captured and almost killed by Captain Quantrill's Raiders, before escaping. In 1869 he moved to Chicago to become an editorial writer and then associate editor for the Religio-Philosophical Journal and was eventually fired by Col. Bundy, the editor, because he "always abused the Bible and superlatives." The Progressive Thinker is important in later American spiritualism because it was the the pre-eminent spiritualist journal from the mid-1890s on, acting for a time as the (unofficial) organ of the National Spiritualists Association. The journal combined traditional reform elements (Col. Ingersoll's agnosticism, anti-Catholicism, free speech and women's rights) with spiritualism, tempering the latter with regular coverage of the exposure of fraudulent mediums and, over time, with regular contributions on New Thought and occultism. The Progressive Thinker Publishing House also published and distributed as "premiums" for subscribers a wide variety of works, including Nicholas Notovitch's The Unknown Life of Jesus, Emma Hardinge Britten's Art Magic and Ghost Land and A.A. Farnese's A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (1901). From the 1890s into the early twentieth century the journal regularly publicized the work of Olney H. Richmond and his influential Order of the Magi (OOM). See the note under Star of the Magi. It also featured (1893-1894) the early contributions of John E. Richardson ("T.K."),the proponent of the Great Work. See the note under Life and Action. Regular contributions by Abisha Hudson (Sra Roca) and W.P. Phelon (the journal serialized his novel The Witch of the Nineteenth Century), and by leading spiritualists of earlier times, including J.R. Buchanan, Moses Hull, J.M. Peebles and Hudson Tuttle. In the early days the journal ran novels, most notably Maria Monck which detailed the horrors and sexual abuse said to be prevalent in convents of the time. For a short biography of Francis and his photograph, see Effa Danielson, "A Sketch of the Rise of Spiritualism," Occult Digest, March 1928. Mrs. Mercy (Mary) E. Cadwallader bought the journal from Francis's widow and ran it for another quarter century, 1910-1935. NSAC, Lily Dale; Skidmore Library, Lily Dale (later issues); Microfilom (1890-1910) at Kansas Historical Society; LOC; NYPL; University of Texas, Austin..

NB: The volume structure of the periodical is irregular: there are, as far as we can determine, no Volumes 10 or 11, and Volume 13 includes a single issue.

As such, pay attention to issue numbers rather than volume numbers. From Issue 200 onward, this run is complete.

Issues:Progressive Thinker V1 N1 Nov 30 1889
Progressive Thinker V1 N2 Dec 7 1889
Progressive Thinker V1 N3 Dec 14 1889
Progressive Thinker V1 N4 Dec 21 1889
Progressive Thinker V1 N5 Dec 28 1889
Progressive Thinker V1 N6 Jan 4 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N7 Jan 11 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N8 Jan 18 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N9 Jan 25 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N10 Feb 1 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N11 Feb 8 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N12 Feb 15 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N13 Feb 22 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N14 Mar 1 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N15 Mar 8 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N16 Mar 15 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N17 Mar 22 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N18 Mar 29 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N19 Apr 5 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N20 Apr 12 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N21 Apr 19 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N22 Apr 22 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N23 May 3 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N24 May 10 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N25 May 17 1890
Progressive Thinker V1 N26 May 24 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N27 May 31 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N28 Jun 7 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N29 Jun 14 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N30 Jun 21 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N31 Jun 28 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N32 Jul 5 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N33 Jul 12 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N34 Jul 19 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N35 Jul 26 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N36 Aug 2 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N37 Aug 9 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N38 Aug 16 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N39 Aug 23 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N40 Aug 30 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N41 Sep 6 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N42 Sep 13 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N43 Sep 20 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N44 Sep 27 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N45 Oct 4 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N46 Oct 11 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N47 Oct 18 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N48 Oct 25 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N49 Nov 1 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N50 Nov 8 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N51 Nov 15 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N52 Nov 22 1890
Progressive Thinker V2 N53 Nov 29 1890
Progressive Thinker V3 N54 Dec 6 1890
Progressive Thinker V3 N55 Dec 13 1890
Progressive Thinker V3 N56 Dec 20 1890
Progressive Thinker V3 N57 Dec 27 1890
Progressive Thinker V3 N58 Jan 3 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N59 Jan 10 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N60 Jan 17 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N61 Jan 24 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N62 Jan 31 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N63 Feb 7 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N64 Feb 14 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N65 Feb 21 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N66 Feb 28 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N67 Mar 7 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N68 Mar 14 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N69 Mar 21 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N70 Mar 28 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N71 Apr 4 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N72 Apr 11 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N73 Apr 18 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N74 Apr 25 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N75 May 2 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N76 May 9 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N77 May 16 1891
Progressive Thinker V3 N78 May 23 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N79 May 30 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N80 Jun 6 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N81 Jun 13 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N82 Jun 20 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N83 Jun 27 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N84 Jul 5 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N85 Jul 11 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N86 Jul 18 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N87 Jul 25 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N88 Aug 1 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N89 Aug 8 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N90 Aug 15 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N91 Aug 22 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N92 Aug 29 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N93 Sep 5 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N94 Sep 12 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N95 Sep 19 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N96 Sep 26 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N97 Oct 3 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N98 Oct 10 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N99 Oct 17 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N100 Oct 24 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N101 Oct 31 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N102 Nov 7 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N103 Nov 14 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N104 Nov 21 1891
Progressive Thinker V4 N105 Nov 28 1891
Progressive Thinker V5 N106 Dec 5 1891
Progressive Thinker V5 N107 Dec 12 1891
Progressive Thinker V5 N108 Dec 19 1891
Progressive Thinker V5 N109 Dec 26 1891
Progressive Thinker V5 N110 Jan 2 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N111 Jan 9 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N112 Jan 16 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N113 Jan 23 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N114 Jan 30 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N115 Feb 6 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N116 Feb 13 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N117 Feb 20 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N118 Feb 27 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N119 Mar 5 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N120 Mar 12 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N121 Mar 19 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N122 Mar 26 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N125 Apr 16 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N126 Apr 23 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N127 Apr 30 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N128 May 7 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N129 May 14 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N130 May 21 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N131 May 28 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N132 Jun 4 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N133 Jun 11 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N134 Jun 18 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N135 Jun 25 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N136 Jul 2 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N137 Jul 9 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N138 Jul 16 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N139 Jul 23 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N140 Jul 30 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N141 Aug 6 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N142 Aug 13 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N143 Aug 20 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N144 Aug 27 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N145 Sep 3 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N146 Sep 10 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N147 Sep 17 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N148 Sep 24 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N149 Oct 1 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N150 Oct 8 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N151 Oct 15 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N152 Oct 22 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N153 Oct 29 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N154 Nov 5 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N155 Nov 12 1892
Progressive Thinker V5 N156 Nov 19 1892
Progressive Thinker V6 N157 Nov 26 1892
Progressive Thinker V6 N158 Dec 3 1892
Progressive Thinker V6 N159 Dec 10 1892
Progressive Thinker V6 N160 Dec 17 1892
Progressive Thinker V7 N161 Dec 24 1892
Progressive Thinker V7 N162 Dec 31 1892
Progressive Thinker V7 N163 Jan 7 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N164 Jan 14 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N165 Jan 21 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N166 Jan 28 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N167 Feb 4 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N168 Feb 11 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N169 Feb 18 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N170 Feb 25 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N171 Mar 4 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N172 Mar 11 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N173 Mar 18 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N174 Mar 25 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N175 Apr 1 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N176 Apr 8 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N177 Apr 15 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N178 Apr 22 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N179 Apr 29 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N180 May 6 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N181 May 13 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N182 May 20 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N183 May 27 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N184 Jun 3 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N185 Jun 10 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N186 Jun 17 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N187 Jun 24 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N188 Jul 1 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N189 Jul 8 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N190 Jul 15 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N191 Jul 22 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N192 Jul 29 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N193 Aug 5 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N194 Aug 12 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N195 Aug 19 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N196 Aug 26 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N197 Sep 2 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N198 Sep 9 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N199 Sep 16 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N200 Sep 23 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N201 Sep 30 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N202 Oct 7 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N203 Oct 14 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N204 Oct 21 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N205 Oct 28 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N206 Nov 4 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N207 Nov 11 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N208 Nov 18 1893
Progressive Thinker V7 N200 Sep 23 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N201 Sep 30 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N202 Oct 7 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N203 Oct 14 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N204 Oct 21 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N205 Oct 28 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N206 Nov 4 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N207 Nov 11 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V7 N208 Nov 18 1893 Alt
Progressive Thinker V8 1893-4 N209-261
Progressive Thinker V9 1894-5 N262-295
Progressive Thinker V12 1895-6 N296-337
Progressive Thinker V13 1896 N338
Progressive Thinker V14 1896 N339-364
Progressive Thinker V15 1896-7 N365-390
Progressive Thinker V16 1897 N391-416
Progressive Thinker V17 1897-8 N417-442
Progressive Thinker V18 1898 N443-468
Progressive Thinker V19 1898-9 N469-494
Progressive Thinker V20 1899 N495-520
Progressive Thinker V21 1899-1900 N521-546
Progressive Thinker V22 1900 N547-572
Progressive Thinker V23 1900-1 N573-598
Progressive Thinker V24 1901 N599-624
Progressive Thinker V25 1901-2 N625-650
Progressive Thinker V26 1902 N651-676
Progressive Thinker V27 1902-3 N677-702
Progressive Thinker V28 1903 N703-728
Progressive Thinker V29 1903-4 N729-751
Progressive Thinker V29 1903-4 N752-760
Progressive Thinker V30 1904 N761-780
Progressive Thinker V31 1905 N781-806
Progressive Thinker V32 1905 N807-832
Progressive Thinker V33 1905-6 N833-859
Progressive Thinker V34 1906 N860-884
Progressive Thinker V35 1906-7 N885-910
Progressive Thinker V36 1907 N911-936
Progressive Thinker V37 1907-8 N937-962
Progressive Thinker V38 1908 N963-981


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