SELF RELIANCE ASSOCIATION

SELF RELIANCE ASSOCIATION. From 1836 into 1837, Ralph Waldo Emerson presented a series of lectures on the philosophy of history at Boston's Masonic Temple. Later lectures – such as "The American Scholar" and the Divinity School Address– by Emerson led to public censure of his radical views, the staunch defense of individualism in "Self-Reliance" being a possible reaction to that censure. (1)

"Self-Reliance, one of Emerson's most famous essays," was first published in his 1841 collection, Essays: First Series. The themes included: (2)

                   Emerson urged his readers to follow their individual will instead of 
                          conforming to social expectations.
                   Emerson emphasized following one’s own voice rather than an intermediary's, 
                          such as the church.
                   Emerson encourages his readers to be honest in their relationships with others.
                   Emerson suggests the effects of self-reliance: altering religious practices, 
                           encouraging Americans to stay at home and develop their own culture, 
                           and focusing on individual rather than societal progress.

In 1913, Dr. G. M. Orvis, was the president of the local association. Orvis had given up his pastorate at Summit Congregational Church in that year to focus on the organization. Among its members was Dr. James ALDERSON. In an newspaper article of the time, the "prime object" of the Association was to "develop manhood on a self relying basis in connection with a successful business career."

Incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin, the local association was organized to: (3)

                  a. to master the business for making a living,
                  b. to establish, maintain and increase an individual
                     bank account or other form of personal surplus,
                  c. to obtain for himself the best possible physical
                     health and strength,
                  d. to acquire for himself the best education and
                     practical business ability and common sense
                     that is possible for him to have,
                  e. to apply all his power of intellectual personality
                     and character for the advancement of the 
                     industrial, civic and moral interests of the age,
                  f. to accumulate from the experiences of individual
                     members and from other sources such information as
                     may be useful in the development of the science of
                     making a living--the science of a useful life for
                     the average person

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Source:

1. "Self-Reliance," Wikipedia, Online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Reliance

2. "Ralph Waldo Emerson," Online: https://emersoncentral.com/texts/essays-first-series/self-reliance/

3. "Self Reliance Association Meets," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, January 10, 1913, p. 7