Henry Clay Hodges (industrialist)

Henry Clay Hodges (March 2, 1828 – August 31, 1919) was an American businessman, real estate developer, manufacturer, publisher, and New Thought writer. He was among Detroit's wealthiest and most prominent citizens during the late nineteenth century, helping develop major sections of the city through large-scale real estate projects while also leading several important industrial enterprises, including the Detroit Radiator Company and the Detroit Lubricator Company.

In the later part of his life, Hodges became known for his involvement in astrology, psychical research, and the New Thought movement. He was the author of the six-volume Science and Key of Life series and the related volume Two Thousand Years in Celestial Life. In 1904 he financed the establishment of a Church of the New Thought in Detroit, and in 1906 acquired Herbert A. Parkyn's Suggestion magazine, continuing its publication as The Stellar Ray.

Early life and education

Henry Clay Hodges was born on March 2, 1828, in South Hero, Vermont. His father was a native of Washington County, New York, and his mother belonged to the Phelps family of Connecticut. He was educated in the local common schools and spent much of his youth working while pursuing his studies independently.

At twelve years of age he began working on a farm, and at sixteen entered the carriage-making trade, remaining in that occupation for approximately six years. During this period he devoted much of his spare time to reading and self-education. In November 1850, at the age of twenty-two, he left Vermont and traveled west.

After a brief stay in Detroit, Hodges settled in Marshall, Michigan, where he taught in country schools and for a time served as steward and clerk of the Railroad Hotel. He later returned to teaching and also began the study of law in 1852, supporting himself in part through teaching during the winter months. Following a prolonged illness from fever, he sought a change of climate and relocated to Wisconsin.

In 1853 Hodges returned to Michigan and settled in Niles, where he entered the employ of J. C. Frost & Company, a firm engaged in the Vermont marble trade. He later became the company's western agent and moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, after a branch office was established there. This marked the beginning of the business career that would eventually bring him to Detroit and place him among the city's leading businessmen and developers.

Insurance career

In 1862 Hodges moved to Detroit and became State Agent for the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. The following year he entered into partnership with his brother, Charles C. Hodges, and Edward Barker under the firm name Barker, Hodges & Brothers. The firm served as general agent for Connecticut Mutual throughout Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Following Barker's retirement in 1864, the business was reorganized as Hodges Brothers & Company.

Over the next several decades the Hodges brothers built one of the most successful life insurance agencies in the Midwest. Their territory eventually expanded into Ontario, with the firm handling nearly ten million dollars in premium receipts. Through this enterprise Hodges became one of the leading figures in Detroit's insurance industry and accumulated the capital that enabled his later ventures in real estate, manufacturing, and publishing.

Detroit real estate development

Woodbridge estate development

While continuing his insurance activities, Hodges became heavily involved in Detroit real estate. Beginning in 1865, the Hodges brothers acquired and developed property in several sections of the growing city. Their most significant undertaking came in 1871 when they acquired a large portion of the former Woodbridge estate north of Grand River Avenue. The property consisted of extensive acreage that was then largely undeveloped. Hodges and his associates transformed the tract into a residential district through subdivision, landscaping, and construction.

The project included the opening and improvement of Lincoln Avenue and Trumbull Avenue, two thoroughfares that became closely associated with the city. Numerous residences were erected throughout the district, and the area emerged as one of Detroit's most desirable residential neighborhoods. Hodges would also be involved in the creation of Detroit's Grand Boulevard.

The Hodges Building and the Henry Clay Hotel and Brunswick Hotel

Among Hodges' most prominent commercial projects was the Brunswick Hotel. Completed in 1878, the hotel stood at the corner of State and Griswold streets and became one of Detroit's notable downtown buildings. Hodges later erected the Hodges Building at the same intersection and constructed the Henry Clay Hotel, two prominent Detroit buildings that bore his name.

Industrial enterprises

While Hodges first achieved prominence through insurance and real estate, a substantial portion of his fortune and public reputation came from manufacturing and industrial development. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century he became associated with several of Detroit's leading industrial enterprises, helping expand the city's role as a center of manufacturing before the rise of the automobile industry.

Detroit Lubricator Company and Detroit Radiator Company

In 1879 Henry C. Hodges and his brother Charles purchased the business of John L. Cook, a manufacturer of lubricating devices. From this acquisition grew the Detroit Lubricator Company, which became one of the most successful manufacturers of its kind in the United States. The company's lubricators were used throughout the world in applications ranging from heavy industrial machinery and railroad equipment to marine engines and surgical apparatus.

In 1882 Hodges and his brother incorporated the Detroit Steam Radiator Company, an early manufacturer of cast-iron steam radiators. As demand for heating systems expanded throughout the United States, the company grew rapidly and was eventually consolidated into the Detroit Radiator Company. Hodges served as president and chief executive officer of the Detroit Radiator Company and under his direction the business expanded into one of the largest manufacturers in its field, being widely used in homes, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and later in the rapidly developing automobile industry. The company ultimately became part of the American Radiator Company, one of the largest radiator manufacturers in the nation.

Several of Hodges' sons later assumed leadership positions within the companies, including Clarence B. Hodges, who became president, and Frederick W. Hodges, who served as secretary and treasurer.

Wyandotte Rolling Mills and the Detroit-Arizona Copper Mining Company

Hodges also became closely associated with the Wyandotte Rolling Mills Company, one of Michigan's most important iron and steel enterprises. He served as vice president and managing director of the company and later succeeded Captain Eber Brock Ward as president. Under its leadership the company participated in the production of materials used throughout the Great Lakes region and was involved in the construction of steamers operating on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence waterway system.

In addition to his manufacturing interests, Hodges participated in the development of mining ventures in the American West. He was among the organizers of the Detroit-Arizona Copper Mining Company and served as its president. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Hodges' companies employed hundreds of workers and supplied products throughout North America, making him one of Detroit's most wealthy and prominent businessmen before his attention increasingly turned toward the New Thought movement.

Hodges' six-volume Science and Key of Life series

Hodges devoted much of his later life to the study of astrology and the influence of the stars and planetary movements on the mind. In 1901 he published his first book on astrology through his Astro Publishing Company, titled Science and Key of Life. Over the next several years he continued writing on the subject, eventually expanding the work into a multi-volume series.

Hodges envisioned a future in which astrology would guide every aspect of society, from school curricula to government policy, and even believed that marriage certificates should only be granted to couples whose astrological readings aligned, a practice he claimed would eradicate the problem of divorce.

He also extended into a wide range of esoteric subjects based in Hermetic, Masonic, and Hindu philosophy, including the significance of numbers, the vibrational effects of color, sound, and heat, palmistry, the pyramids, and the harmonics of cosmic rays upon the mind. He also examined the symbolic meanings of words, names, numbers, and ancient myths, treating them as keys to hidden truths preserved from antiquity. Throughout the series he maintained that ancient wisdom traditions and modern science ultimately pointed toward the same underlying principles governing the universe and the human mind. The later volumes of Science and Key of Life examined what Hodges called astro-physiology, exploring the relationship between planetary positions and physical health. He argued that astrology could be used to understand the causes of disease, determine critical periods during illness, and assist in selecting appropriate treatments. In 1908 the New York State Journal of Medicine, reviewing the final volumes of the series, described Hodges as one of those "towering intellects which from time to time appear upon the horizon of the world of thought."

Alvidas and Clytina

Hodges series opened with a 1901 preface volume titled Two Thousand Years in Celestial Life, presented as the autobiography of a woman named Clytina, who was said to have been a student of Plato born in Athens in 147 B.C. and entered celestial life in 131 B.C. The book contained not only her life story but also an account of the previous four years of transmissions said to have been received through her and others. The book stated that "Within the past four years, Hodges has received through psychic force, a series of remarkable communications... from Alvidas and Clytina and others, former inhabitants of ancient classic Greece." The celestial spirits stated that their purpose was to form a chain connecting the conditions existing over 2,000 years ago with those up to the present time, for the seed that was sown by Plato, Socrates, Confucius and others, is now bearing fruit." Hodges had adopted a technique long established in Masonic and esoteric traditions, in which teachings were framed as transmissions from antiquity in order to cloak them with the authority of timeless wisdom. Within the structure of his book series, he presented the material not as his own but as revelations shared from a spiritual source. The metaphysical doctrines were said to have been delivered through a process of "psychic telegraphy," as a form of mediumistic communication, and attributed to voices from the classical past. These transmissions were received by him in the presence of six other witnesses that gathered several times a week as "The Mystic Seven."

Transmission of the messages by "psychic telegraphy"

Hodges claimed that he received messages from unseen spirits through a specially arranged telegraph machine. The setup involved a small slate covered box with a telegraph key inside, where Hodges would place his written questions. Wires from the box were connected to a small battery and then to a ticker machine placed in full view of everyone present. During the session a medium rested a hand on the closed box but never touched the telegraph key. The ticker would then begin producing messages in short hand telegraph code, which the medium quickly wrote down. Afterwards the messages were quickly taken to Hodges’ office and typed up by his stenographer. In 1897 the wireless telegraph had only just been invented by Marconi and was so new that most people had never seen, or even heard of it yet. Hodges exploited that ignorance by staging his "psychic telegraphy" sittings in which the telegraph ticker was visibly unconnected to any wires other than those to the box and battery as it rattled out messages that he claimed were from the spirit world. To confer credibility, he assembled the panel of the "Mystical Seven," which was a mix of professionals, everyday witnesses, and Spiritualists as actual validators. After witnessing the performances, they fully believed what they saw and swore the communications were genuine and signed statements to that effect. Hodges reinforced the illusion with straightforward slate-writing tricks of the kind then being used, to create a seamless impression of transmitting messages from the celestial realm.

The Illustrated Slate

In August 1897 Hodges, together with members of his "Mystic Seven," visited the psychic Campbell of the then famous Campbell Brothers in New York. Allen Campbell's forte was the manifestation of spirit art through slate séances. The group arranged themselves around a small table where Hodges carefully examined a blank slate, confirming it was free of marks, and placed it on the table. A second blank slate was placed directly on top of it, upon which Campbell set his gold watch chain. Each of the participants then placed a hand on the upper slate and held it there for several minutes. When the chain, the top slate, and the participants’ hands were removed, the lower slate was found to contain writing and drawings in gold that had not been there before. The slate presented a combination of Masonic cipher text on the left side, plain English text on the right side, and esoteric imagery in the center. On the right the words are given in cursive English. They read, "In the present as in the past do I come unto thee, and by the tokens of the past speak. And in the present do I speak likewise. By the emblem we send know that the star shall still shine on. Clytina." The wording refers to "tokens" and an "emblem." In Masonic and esoteric usage tokens are signs or proofs of recognition that connect to earlier teachings, and an emblem is a symbolic image that conveys a truth. On the left side the words are written in the Masonic or Pigpen cipher using the Grid X Grid X variant that was widely employed in Knights Templar Freemason circles.

Decoded this portion reads, "Beyond the stars that man can see are stars unnumbered for thee and me. Thy loving guide C." (C. for Clytina) At the center is a seven pointed star that contains the all seeing eye and radiates outward, a design long associated with mystical completeness and the planetary cycle. Above it is a six pointed star, also containing an eye, a symbol traditionally understood as the union of opposites and the harmony of spirit and matter. At the lower left is the Rod of Asclepius, a staff entwined by a single serpent which is an ancient emblem of healing and knowledge. The classic combination of cipher, text, and symbols reflected the established language of Masonic and Rosicrucian traditions in which hidden writings, guiding figures, and emblematic imagery served as vehicles for the transmission of wisdom.

The meanings behind the names Clytina and Alvidas

The names of the spirit guides in Hodges’ Science and Key of Life series were chosen with deliberate meaning. Each was constructed to embody the essence of the teachings and to provide the reader with clues to Hodges’ deeper intentions. Clytina is derived from the Ancient Greek word klutós (κλυτός), which translates to "glorious" or "renowned" and is a deliberate variation of the Greek mythic Clytia. In Greek mythology the nymph daughters of Oceanus, called the Oceanids, were said to number in the thousands and were often understood allegorically as the stars scattered across the sea of night. Among them were Clytia and Leucothoe, whose fate reveals an allegory of Venus and Mercury, the two planets closest to the Sun. Clytia loved Helios, the Sun god, but he directed his affection to her sister Leucothoe. Out of jealousy Clytia revealed the affair to their father who punished Leucothoe by burying her alive, a symbolic entombment that corresponds to Mercury's frequent disappearance into the brilliance of the Sun. Helios could not save her, but he transformed her into the frankincense tree. This tree, long associated with purity, divine worship, and sacred fire, represents Mercury's role as a hidden but consecrated star, veiled within the Sun's radiance. Clytia, abandoned and consumed by grief, sat staring at the Sun until she was transformed into the heliotrope flower, turning perpetually to follow his light. In astronomical terms Clytia is Venus, the Morning and Evening Star, known as the light-bearer. Her punishment and eventual exalted transformation into a heliotrope reflects Venus's observable behavior of never straying far from the solar path and appearing as the herald of dawn or dusk. This myth is expressed visually in the emblem on the illustrated slate, where two stars are set before the rays of the Sun. The smaller six-pointed star, the hexagram and Star of David, corresponds to Mercury. As the hidden light, it is close to the Sun but easily lost in its glare, echoing Leucothoe's burial and her transformation into the tree of divine connection. The larger seven-pointed star, the heptagram, corresponds to Venus. Rather than the five-pointed pentagram, this "Blazing Star" symbolizes the higher light of divine guidance and illumination. Venus in this form is the light-bearer, the bright one who guides and reveals, and whose devotion to the Sun mirrors Clytia's transformation into the heliotrope. Clytina's messages on the slate tie directly to the planetary allegory. The "tokens of the past" recall the ancient myths, while "the emblem we send" points to the image of the Blazing Star and the Star of David. Her assurance that "the star shall still shine on" affirms the eternal role of the light-bearer's guidance. Most important is the statement, "Beyond the stars that man can see are stars unnumbered for thee and me. Thy loving guide." Here she declares that beyond her visible brilliance of divine guidance there lies an infinite realm of unseeable light.

Alvidas was presented as the voice through which Hodges’ Science and Key of Life was revealed, and the name itself is built from symbolic elements. The prefix "Al" comes from Arabic, where it is the definite article "the." In esoteric use it signifies "The Absolute" or "The All," as in Al-chemy, "The Art," or Al-lah,"The God," where the article conveys divine exclusivity. For instance, "The Absolute Art" or "The Absolute and Only God." The root "vid" is from Sanskrit, meaning "to know," appearing in words such as vidyā for wisdom or learning and Veda for the sacred texts of knowledge. The ending "as" is common in Sanskrit nouns, seen in man-as for mind and oj-as for vital energy, and when attached to vid produces vidas, knowledge in complete form. The combined name, Al-vidas, thus reads as "The Knowledge," and in esoteric interpretation,"The Absolute Divine Knowledge."

In Science and Key of Life Hodges repeatedly demonstrates his interest in the etymology of words, especially those connected to Sanskrit roots. One example is his treatment of the word Saturn, which he divides into Sat-urn. Sat, he explains, is a Sanskrit term signifying "Be-ness" or the divine essence that simply is, while urn is the sacred vessel of existence. He concludes that Sat does not exist for it can only be made to manifest through the urn.

Connection with Herbert A. Parkyn and the New Thought movement

Hodges involvement within the New Thought movement brought him into close associated with Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn and the growing network of writers, lecturers, publishers, and educators connected with Parkyn's Suggestion magazine and the Chicago School of Psychology. Hodges had followed Parkyn's work for years and was well known to readers of Suggestion through his advertisements and articles on astrology and mental influence.

Family and historical connections

The relationship between Hodges and Dr. Parkyn extended beyond their shared philosophical interests. Hodges' paternal great-grandmother was a Jackson, linking him to the same Jackson family from which Parkyn's uncle, Rev. Samuel Nelson Jackson, descended. The two families had longstanding connections in Petersham, Massachusetts, before later settling in Vermont, with the Hodges family in South Hero, Vermont, and the Jackson family becoming established in the nearby Burlington and Barre area. Hodges maintained ties to Petersham throughout his life and later constructed a substantial summer residence there.

The historical connections between the two families were also in their professional activities. Parkyn's grandfather owned the Mount Royal Mills in Montreal and also constructed and inspected steamboats on the St. Lawrence waterway, while at the same time Hodges was managing the Wyandotte Rolling Mills Company and also constructing steamers operating throughout the St. Lawrence transportation systems.

Patron of New Thought

By 1904 Hodges had become convinced that New Thought represented a practical philosophy capable of improving both individual lives and society as a whole. He viewed the movement as a synthesis of many of the principles he had explored through astrology, mental science, and spiritual philosophy. At a time when opposition to New Thought and mental healing movements was increasing, Hodges used his personal fortune to support the advancement of the movement.

As his business responsibilities gradually passed to his sons and associates, Hodges increasingly devoted his energy to publishing, education, and the promotion of New Thought principles. He regarded these activities as the culmination of his life's work and believed they offered the greatest opportunity to benefit future generations.

Church of the New Thought

One of the most significant expressions of Hodges' commitment to New Thought came in 1904 when he financed the establishment of the Church of the New Thought in Detroit and became president of its board of trustees. Hodges envisioned the church not merely as a local congregation but as the foundation of a larger movement that would eventually include additional churches, educational institutions, and centers devoted to the study of mental science and spiritual development. The Detroit church served as the first attempt to transform those ideas into a permanent institution.

To house the organization, Hodges financed the construction of a Greek temple-style building at 43 Winder Street in Detroit. The structure stood apart from conventional church architecture and symbolized the movement's attempt to combine religion, philosophy, psychology, and self-development within a single framework.

Like many of the cover designs used on Parkyn's Suggestion magazine, the building incorporated the symbolic motif of twin columns. Within Masonic and occult traditions these columns were associated with the pillars which were at the gateways to wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Working within Parkyn's "Suggestion family", Hodges financed some of the most prominent figures in the New Thought movement to participate in the work of the new church. Margaret LaGrange became its first pastor and was later followed by Charles Brodie Patterson, one of the movement's most influential lecturers and authors. The organization later extended westward, first into Denver and eventually to Los Angeles, where Harry Gaze assumed the leadership role.

The seven principles of the Church of the New Thought

The Seven Principles:

1. Firstly, we believe in an infinite source of intelligence from which all life has emanated, is now sustained, and which, through its dissemination, brings order out of chaos under immutable laws.
2. Secondly, man, being an embodiment of this divine energy in the process of individualization, by recognizing his divine origin and awakening the faculties of his inner nature, ceases to be a mere material machine acted upon by external forces and becomes instead a spiritual operator, governing all things by the power of his awakened spirituality.
3. Thirdly, since clean thoughts are necessary to a clean body, and both are essential to the formation of a strong mind, it is incumbent upon man not only to govern his outward life so that it remains above reproach, but also to so order his inner life that only clean, strong, and wise thoughts abide within him.
4. Fourthly, all life being an expression of intelligence in various stages of manifestation, and reason being the faculty that gives to man his divine heritage, with divine will as the basic principle upon which the universe rests, and man as the vessel through which these divine qualities demonstrate, it is within his province to make his life spiritually, mentally, and physically that which he wills it to be. Thus we are no longer fated, but are free through Truth to fulfill our destiny, that is, to be like gods.
5. Fifthly, Truth is a principle inseparable from life, and through all life's manifestationsTruth is disseminated. Where there is life, there is Truth. Man needs only to seekand he will find. With an unbiased mind, an open heart, and the true desire of the spirit, Truth enters and dwells even in the humblest cottage, making of it a palace.
6. Sixthly, that life has ever been and ever will be is a recognized law of nature. Yet we are most concerned with that part of eternity represented by the precious "Now." To build each day so that there shall be no regret, to make each day a page upon which we may write with the ink of love our holiest thoughts and noblest desires, this is the laudable ambition of all.
7. Seventhly, religion is the principle of government man sets up by which he may live in closest touch with goodness. Knowing nothing higher than Truth gleaned from the book of life, we declare that to do good and to be good, according to the light ofTruth, is our religion.

The Stellar Ray succeeds Suggestion magazine

In November 1906, Hodges purchased Suggestion magazine from Dr. Parkyn. By that time, Suggestion had become one of the leading publications devoted to mental science and New Thought. Parkyn was increasingly directing his attention toward expanding his interests in the rapidly growing New Thought centers of Denver and Los Angeles. Transferring ownership of the magazine to Hodges provided him with the time and financial flexibility to pursue those ventures while ensuring that the publication would remain in the hands of someone who shared its underlying philosophy.

Hodges was uniquely positioned to assume control. He had become one of the movement's most important financial supporters and possessed the capital necessary to substantially expand the magazine's influence. The only changes Hodges made when he assumed control of Suggestion magazine were the addition of a department devoted to astrology and the renaming of the publication as The Stellar Ray.

Hodges used his considerable resources to expand its size and to bring together many of the biggest names in the movement at the time. The magazine now featured a Department of Psychic Research headed by Edgar L. Larkin, a Department of Psychical Sciences and Unfoldment led by J. C. F. Grumbine, a Department of New Thought directed by Charles Brodie Patterson, as well as contributions from well-known writers such as Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Eleanor Kirk, and Yogi Ramacharaka.

Personal life and family

On October 10, 1854, Hodges married Julia A. Bidwell of Hastings, Michigan, daughter of Horace Bidwell, one of Michigan's early pioneers. The marriage lasted fifty-eight years and produced three sons and two daughters.

Their sons became closely involved in the family businesses. Clarence B. Hodges later served as president of the Detroit Lubricator Company. Charles H. Hodges succeeded his father as president of the Detroit Radiator Company in 1908, while Frederick W. Hodges became secretary and treasurer of the Detroit Lubricator Company.

Further reading

• Two Thousand Years in Celestial Life
• Science and Key of Life: Planetary Influences - Volume 1
• Science and key of life: Planetary Influences - Volume 2
• Science and Key of Life: Planetary Influences - Volume 3
• Science and Key of Life: Planetary Influences- Volume 4
• Science and key of life: Planetary Influences - Volume 5
• Science and key of life: Planetary Influences - Volume 6
• Science and key of life: Planetary Influences - Volume 7