Born on the 6th of September, 1866, in Mount Morris, northern Illinois, Ralph Waldo Trine was educated at Carthage College Academy, Knox College, A.B. 1891; and studied at the University of Wisconsin and later at John Hopkins University in the fields of history and political science. Trine displayed a talent for understanding social and economic problems, winning a $100 prize for an essay on "The Effects of Human Education on the Prevention of Crime." After spending some time as a graduate student at the John Hopkins, Ralph became a special correspondent for The Boston Daily Evening Transcript. during this period, he built himself a small cabin on the edge of a pine grove testament to the peace and simplicity of the man and soon married Grace Hyde, a graduate of the School of Expression (which later became Curry College). Grace Hyde Trine was an author and poet in her own right. They lived for many years at Mt. Airy, New York, and were deeply involved in the metaphysical seminars at Oscawana.
