A man is simple when his chief care is the wish to be what he ought to be, that is honestly and naturally human.

He was the pastor of a small parish in the French province of Vosges until 1882 when he went to Paris and there opened a Sunday school and later began preaching. In the fall of 1904 Wagner visited the United States. The publication of his book Jeunesse (“Youth”) in 1891 marked him as a leader in the ethical movement in France and his influence continually increased.