The Glass Crutch By Jim Bishop

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The Biographical Novel of William Wynne Wister
The true story of a man who conquered alcoholism
and found the key to its cure

The Glass Crutch

by Jim Bishop

Jim Bishop Author of this book Became executive editor
of Liberty magazine. He held this position until 1948
Liberty Published lot of articles about Alcoholics Anonymous.
First Edition 1945

Doubleday, Doran & Co.,

William W Wister was a success story of the Emmanuel Movement.
He was treated by Richard Peabody in the 1930's. The book is titled The Biographical Novel of William Wynne Wister, The story covers his life from childhood, how he became an alcoholic and his eventual recovery and devotion of his life to helping others recover.

.. The Biographical novel of William Wynne Wister. It deals with the life of an alcoholic and the treatment he receives from a lay therapist Richard Peabody in New York! A must for any collector of the techniques of the Emmanuel Movement/ Oxford Group / AA / Alcoholics Anonymous!........... The book retells William Wister’s life from childhood, through his alcoholism and his treatment by Richard Peabody in 1934, when he successfully stopped drinking. After Peabody’s death in 1936, Wister then began a career as a lay therapist. In a short time he built a good reputation and practice and he also experienced the rejection of many medical doctors who did not agree with the unlicensed practice of lay therapists. Though a tumultous period, Wister realized a dream in 1942 when he opened a clinic for alcoholics in Newark with the backing of two doctors that failed after 6 months because of WW2. Shortly thereafter he moved to Southern California to start a new practice!. Unfortunately, rejection, disappointment and anger came to a head in July 1943 and Wister began drinking. In less than one month he ended up comatose in a sanitarium. He vowed never to again to practice psychotherapy.

Before his death in 1936, Peabody had trained several, of his sober patients to become lay therapists like himself, including Samuel Crocker, James Bellamy, Francis T. Chambers Jr., William W. Wister and Wilson Mckay. Wister’s experience of treatment with Peabody is described in detail in a book by Bishop titled The Glass Crutch, with an epilogue by Wister himself. Strecker and Chambers also published a book detailing their version of the method.

Peabody and his coworkers apparently did not share Baylor’s personal success at remaining sober. A common opinion is that Peabody died intoxicated, although the evidence is not conclusive. Samuel Crocker, who had once shared an office with Peabody, told Faye R. that he was intoxicated at the time of his death. The personal copy of Peabody’s book belonging to Bill Wilson (one of the founders of A.A.) now in the A.A. Archives, contains the following inscription; Dr. Peabody was as far as is known the first authority to state, once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic, and he proved it by returning to drinking and by dying of alcoholism - proving to us that the condition is uncurable. This copy was originally owned by Rosa Burwell of Philadelphia. Some early A.A. members share the opinion that Peabody died intoxicated. The published sources contradict each other. Wister quoted Peabody’s second wife to the effect that he died of pneumonia. The editors of Scribner’s magazine, which published an article of his posthumously, claimed that he died of a heart attack. Mrs. Crosby did not say.

Wister’s authorized biography reports that he became drunk in 1941 after seven years of sobriety, and although he became sober again, he did not resume therapeutic work. Faye R., who knew Baylor, Crocker and McKay also resumed drinking. Faye R. was at different times a patient of Baylor, Crocker and McKay. She has been abstinent in A.A. for 40 years. Her summary of the Peabody therapists is: They had many wonderful ideas but they just didn’t have the magic of A.A.

Marty Mann described the Peabody Method as being primarily for the well-educated or the well-to-do, a description that also characterized patients of Freudian analysis of the time. William Wister’s family, was as well known in Philadelphia as Peabody’s was in Boston; Francis Chambers belonged to Philadelphia’s most exclusive men’s clubs. Faye R. reported that Baylor, Crocker and McKay were also from well-do-do Boston families.

Few but the well-to-do could afford Peabody’s fees. Wister was broke and in debt when he appeared on Peabody’s doorstep in 1934, so the therapist offered to reduce his fixed fee of $20 per hour to $10. Peabody told Faye R. that his fee was $10 per session for seven visits per week; she went to Crocker instead, then newly established in practice, for $5 per session. According to Faye R., Baylor scorned such exorbitant rates even when he was himself in difficult financial straits.

Above quote from EARLY ALCOHOLISM TREATMENT: THE EMMANUEL MOVEMENT and RICHARD PEABODY Katherine McCarthy, Ph.D
Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol.45, No.1, 1984.


The Emmanuel Group stressed the power of the mind over the body, medicine, good habits, and a wholesome, well regulated life. The Emmanuel Group confined it's practice to functional nervous disorders that included alcoholism. Most of the disorders addressed had been associated with the moral life. They also stressed the importance of the development of a spiritual life and having a higher
power.


click on the small photos to view larger photo


Very Bad Photos of
William Wynne Wister??
can anyone help us identify these people
I found on Ebay for sale with a copy of The Glass Crutch
mojo.olives in Longbeach was the winner of the auction
so he these photos in his possession

The Glass Crutch: The Biographical Novel of William Wynne Wister This book was review in the following publications

  • The Glass Crutch By Jim Bishop

    The book retells William Wister’s life from childhood, through his alcoholism and his treatment by Richard Peabody in 1934, when he successfully stopped drinking. After Peabody’s death in 1936, Wister began a career in psychotherapy at the urging of James Bellamy, another Peabody therapist. In a short time he built a good reputation and practice. At the same time he experienced the rejection of many medical doctors who did not agree with the unlicensed practice of lay therapists. After many ups and downs Wister realized a dream in 1942 when he opened a clinic for alcoholics in Newark with the backing of two doctors. Unfortunately the clinic shut down after six months because of WWII. He relocated to Southern California in one last attempt to begin another practice. Rejection, disappointment and anger came to a head in July 1943 and Wister began drinking. In less than one month he ended up comatose in a sanitarium. He vowed never to again to practice psychotherapy.

    The entire epilogue was written by Wister himself summing up his beliefs, opinions and study of alcoholism. In it he makes many suggestions for prevention of alcoholism in early childhood. He also summarizes how to seek help if drinking has already begun.

    This is one of the first written on this subject. The book is 309 pages

    The Glass Crutch

    The Biographical Novel of William Wynne Wister

    by Jim Bishop

    Original Dust jacket

    Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1945, first edition stated. There isno writing in the book and no torn or missing pages,the cover has moderate wear,the binding is tight. The originaldust jacket is very rough with heavy edgewear, most of the spine is missing, and wrinkling. It is now in a dust jacket protector to protect against further degradation. The book is out of print.

    The book was reviewed inAlcoholics Anonymous monthly magazineThe Grapevine, Volume 2, No. 8, January 1946.

    The book retells William Wister’s life from childhood, through his alcoholism and his treatment by Richard Peabody in 1934, when he successfully stopped drinking. After Peabody’s death in 1936, Wister began a career in psychotherapy at the urging of James Bellamy, another Peabody therapist. In a short time he built a good reputation and practice. At the same time he experienced the rejection of many medical doctors who did not agree with the unlicensed practice of lay therapists. After many ups and downs Wister realized a dream in 1942 when he opened a clinic for alcoholics in Newark with the backing of two doctors. Unfortunately the clinic shut down after six months because of WWII. He relocated to Southern California in one last attempt to begin another practice. Rejection, disappointment and anger came to a head in July 1943 and Wister began drinking. In less than one month he ended up comatose in a sanitarium. He vowed never to again to practice psychotherapy.

    The entire epilogue was written by Wister himself summing up his beliefs, opinions and study of alcoholism. In it he makes many suggestions for prevention of alcoholism in early childhood. He also summarizes how to seek help if drinking has already begun.

    As far as the man who treated Wister, who is Richard Peabody?

    In 1922 Richard Peabody was treated by Elwood Worcester, founder of the Emmanuel Movement, and Courtenay Baylor for his alcohol problem. Peabody became a lay therapist and worked with Courtenay Baylor using Emmanuel Movement methods. Over the years Peabody adopted certain techniques he felt were the most effective, at the same time moving away from the spiritual program Worcester offered. Peabody believed self knowledge, restraint, discipline and cultivating new habits were enough to establish and maintain sobriety. His work is sometimes referred to as the “Peabody Method”. Richard Peabody documented his work in the book The Common Sense of Drinking.

    What was the Emmanuel Movement?

    William James offered his conviction that by getting in touch with the subconscious the human energy released could be used for transformation and healing. Elwood Worcester was one of the first ministers to take seriously this notion. While rector of the Episcopal Emmanuel Church in Boston he teamed up with other with other physicians and offered classes and groups using suggestive therapy to treat nervous disorders. Worcester offered group therapy classes for free for almost 23 years. His clientele grew quickly from hundreds to thousands and gained national publicity. Thus was born the Emmanuel Movement, the first American adventure between doctors and clergy to cure souls.




    Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1946 April; 34(2): 117–118.
    PMCID: PMC194582
    The Glass Crutch and Lights Out
    Reviewed by James F. Ballard