Abstract

This article discusses a recently-discovered letter by F. M. Alexander, originally published in 1927 in The Brooklyn Citizen. The letter criticizes Gerald Stanley Lee for plagiarising Alexander, whilst also attacking some of Lee’s own ideas. A brief background history to the letter is set out, followed by the letter in full with some explanatory comments.

Editorial note

This article is published in our ‘Reprints’ series. The aim is to make available previously-published material that is of particular interest but that is not easy to obtain.

This article was first published in 2003, when considerable attention was being paid to the regulation of the Alexander teaching profession. The debate brought many other issues into the frame. This version of the article has had small revisions for publication in Poise that don’t significantly affect its status as a ‘reprint’.

As with all Poise material, it should not be taken to reflect the views of Mouritz, Poise, or individual editors, and responses are welcome.

Abstract

Descriptions of the goals of the Alexander Technique are varied and therefore often confusing or misleading to the general public and to authorities who examine the nature of the Technique for purposes of accreditation and research. Greater clarity and conciseness is needed in such descriptions in order for the Technique to achieve the broad recognition and acceptance that Alexander and most of the teachers he trained hoped for. A critical distinction between Alexander’s terms ‘manner of use’ and ‘conditions of use’ has generally been overlooked, and teaching approaches have arisen that emphasize dealing with manner of use to the exclusion of dealing with conditions of use. This article also attempts to discuss the reasons behind the emergence of these approaches in the hope that greater clarity and unity of purpose can be gained as the profession attempts to move forward in significant ways with regard to the requirements necessary for becoming a fully-qualified Alexander teacher, a trainer of Alexander teachers, and for providing a consistent starting place for conducting scientific research into Alexander’s various claims.

Editorial note

This letter was published in the AmSAT News, Fall 2003 issue. It was a response to Joe Armstrong’s article in the previous issue, ‘A Crucial Distinction: Manner and Conditions of Use’. An updated version of Joe Armstrong’s article has been published by Poise, but the more recent changes do not affect the points made by Blake Ferger.

The text appears in our ‘Reprint’ series exactly as first published in 2003, with the permission of Blake Ferger.

Editorial note

This is a response to an updated version of Joe Armstrong’s article ‘Manner and Conditions of Use: A crucial distinction in teaching the Alexander Technique and Alexander teacher training’, published by Poise. See ‘Publishing History’ for further details.