Ronnie Pontiac

Letters to the Sage Ronnie Pontiac

Alexander Wilder (1823-1908) was the closest confidant and advisor to Thomas Moore Johnson (1851-1919) during the lifetime of The Platonist (1881-1888), edited by Johnson and with many long articles by Wilder. Yet their correspondence spans a much longer period, 1876-1908, documenting a 32-year friendship between two men passionately devoted to Platonic thought and well-informed about many colorful acquaintances in late 19th century esoteric and metaphysical circles. The letters from Wilder to Johnson mention many individuals in the Theosophical Society and the Concord School of Philosophy. Revival of Platonism was the shared agenda of both men, but their discussions range from Spiritualism to Sufism, mutual correspondents in India and England, American politics of the day, and alternative medicine, of which Wilder was a leading educator and proponent.