|
EDITOR'S NOTE. - The Cosmopolitan
presents this month to its |
| 21 |
readers a facsimile of an article sent to us
by Mrs. Eddy, with the
corrections on the manuscript reproduced in her own
handwriting.
Not only Mrs. Eddy's own devoted followers, but the public
gen- |
| 24 |
erally, will be interested in this
communication from the extraordi-
nary woman who, nearly eighty-seven years
of age, plays so great
a part in the world and leads with such conspicuous
success her very |
| 27 |
great following.
Mrs. Eddy writes very rarely for any
publications outside of the
Christian Science periodicals, and our readers
will be interested in |
| 30 |
this presentation of the thought of a mind
that has had so much
influence on this generation.
The Cosmopolitan gives no editorial
indorsement to the teachings
Page 273
|
| 1 |
of Christian Science, it has no religious
opinions or predilections to
put before its readers. This manuscript is
presented simply as an |
| 3 |
interesting and remarkable proof of Mrs.
Eddy's ability in old age
to vindicate in her own person the value of her
teachings.
Certainly, Christian Scientists,
enthusiastic in their belief, are |
| 6 |
fortunate in being able to point to a Leader
far beyond the allotted
years of man, emerging triumphantly from all
attacks upon her, and
guiding with remarkable skill, determination, and
energy a very |
| 9 |
great organization that covers practically
the civilized world.
King David, the Hebrew bard, sang, "I have been
young,
and now am old; yet have I not seen the right- |
| 12 |
eous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
I for one accept his wise deduction, his ultimate or
spiritual sense of thinking, feeling, and acting, and its |
| 15 |
reward. This sense of rightness acquired by experience
and wisdom, should be early presented to youth and to
manhood in order to
forewarn and forearm humanity.
|
| 18 |
The ultimatum of life here and hereafter is utterly
apart
from a material or personal sense of pleasure, pain,
joy, sorrow, life, and
death. The truth of life, or life in |
| 21 |
truth, is a scientific knowledge that is portentous; and
is won only by the spiritual understanding of Life as God,
good,
ever-present good, and therefore life eternal.
|
| 24 |
You will agree with me that the material body is mortal,
but Soul is immortal; also that the five personal senses
are perishable:
they lapse and relapse, come and go, until |
| 27 |
at length they are consigned to dust. But say you,
"Man
awakes from the dream of death in possession of
the five personal senses,
does he not?" Yes, because |
| 30 |
death alone does not awaken man in God's image
and
likeness. The divine Science of Life alone gives
Copyright, 1907, by Mary Baker G. Eddy.
Renewed, 1935.
Page 274
|
| 1 |
the true sense of life and of righteousness, and demon-
strates the Principle of life eternal; even the Life that |
| 3 |
is Soul apart from the so-called life of matter or the
material senses.
Death alone does not absolve man from
a false material |
| 6 |
sense of life, but goodness, holiness, and love do this,
and
so consummate man's being with the harmony of heaven;
the
omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of Life, |
| 9 |
even its all-power, all-presence, all-Science.
Dear reader, right thinking, right
feeling, and right
acting - honesty, purity, unselfishness - in youth
tend |
| 12 |
to success, intellectuality, and happiness in manhood.
To
begin rightly enables one to end rightly, and thus it is
that one achieves
the Science of Life, demonstrates health, |
| 15 |
holiness, and immortality.
[Boston Herald, April,
1908]
MRS. EDDY SENDS
THANKS
|
| 18 |
Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy has sent the following to the
Herald: -
Will the dear Christian Scientists
accept my thanks |
| 21 |
for their magnificent gifts, and allow me to say that I
am
not fond of an abundance of material presents; but I
am cheered and
blessed when beholding Christian healing, |
| 24 |
unity among brethren, and love to God and man; this
is my
crown of rejoicing, for it demonstrates Christian
Science.
|
| 27 |
The Psalmist sang, "That thy way may be known
upon
earth, thy saving health among all nations."
Page 275
|
| 1 |
[Minneapolis (Minn.) News]
UNIVERSAL
FELLOWSHIP
|
| 3 |
Christian Science can and does produce universal
fellowship. As the sequence of divine Love it explains
love, it lives love,
it demonstrates love. The human, |
| 6 |
material, so-called senses do not perceive this fact
until
they are controlled by divine Love; hence the Scripture,
"Be
still, and know that I am God."
|
| 9 |
BROOKLINE, MASS.,
May 1,
1908
[New York Herald]
MRS. EDDY'S OWN
DENIAL THAT SHE IS ILL
Permit me to say, the report that I am
sick (and I
trust the desire thereof) is dead, and should be
buried. |
| 15 |
Whereas the fact that I am well and keenly alive to the
truth of being - the Love that is Life - is sure and stead-
fast. I go out
in my carriage daily, and have omitted |
| 18 |
my drive but twice since I came to Massachusetts.
Either
my work, the demands upon my time at home, or
the weather, is all that
prevents my daily drive.
|
| 21 |
Working and praying for my dear friends' and my dear
enemies' health, happiness, and holiness, the true sense
of being goes
on.
|
| 24 |
Doing unto others as we would that they do by us, is
immortality's self. Intrepid, self-oblivious love fulfils the
law and is
self-sustaining and eternal. With white-winged |
| 27 |
charity brooding over all, spiritually understood and
de-
monstrated, let us unite in one Te Deum of praise.
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS.,
|
| 30 |
May 15, 1908
Page 276
[Christian Science Sentinel,
May 16, 1908]
TO WHOM IT MAY
CONCERN
|
| 3 |
Since Mrs. Eddy is watched, as one watches a criminal
or
a sick person, she begs to say, in her own behalf, that
she is neither;
therefore to be criticized or judged by |
| 6 |
either a daily drive or a dignified stay at home, is
super-
fluous. When accumulating work requires it, or because
of a
preference to remain within doors she omits her |
| 9 |
drive, do not strain at gnats or swallow camels over
it,
but try to be composed and resigned to the shock-
ing fact that she is
minding her own business, and rec- |
| 12 |
ommends this surprising privilege to all her dear friends
and enemies.
MARY BAKER EDDY
|
| 15 |
[Boston Post, November, 1908]
POLITICS
Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy has always
believed that those |
| 18 |
who are entitled to vote should do so, and she has also
believed that in such matters no one should seek to dictate
the actions of
others.
|
| 21 |
In reply to a number of requests for an expression of
her
political views, she has given out this statement: -
I am asked, "What
are your politics?" I have none, in |
| 24 |
reality, other than to help support a righteous
government;
to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself.
Page 277
CHAPTER XV
- PEACE AND WAR
|
| 1 |
[Boston Herald, March, 1898]
OTHER WAYS THAN BY
WAR
|
| 3 |
IN reply to your question, "Should difficulties between
the United States and Spain be settled peacefully by
statesmanship and
diplomacy, in a way honorable and |
| 6 |
satisfactory to both nations?" I will say I can see no
other way of settling difficulties between individuals and
nations than by
means of their wholesome tribunals, |
| 9 |
equitable laws, and sound, well-kept treaties.
A bullet in a man's heart never
settles the question of
his life. The mental animus goes on, and urges that
the |
| 12 |
answer to the sublime question as to man's life shall
come
from God and that its adjustment shall be according to
His laws.
The characters and lives of men determine the |
| 15 |
peace, prosperity, and life of nations. Killing men is
not consonant with the higher law whereby wrong and
injustice are righted
and exterminated.
|
| 18 |
Whatever weighs in the eternal scale of equity and
mercy
tips the beam on the right side, where the immortal
words and deeds of men
alone can settle all questions |
| 21 |
amicably and satisfactorily. But if our nation's rights
or
honor were seized, every citizen would be a soldier and
woman would
be armed with power girt for the hour.
Page 278
|
| 1 |
To coincide with God's government is the proper in-
centive to the action of all nations. If His purpose for |
| 3 |
peace is to be subserved by the battle's plan or by the
intervention of the United States, so that the Cubans
may learn to make war
no more, this means and end |
| 6 |
will be accomplished.
The government of divine Love is
supreme. Love rules
the universe, and its edict hath gone forth: "Thou
shalt |
| 9 |
have no other gods before me," and "Love thy neighbor
as
thyself." Let us have the molecule of faith that
removes mountains, - faith
armed with the understand- |
| 12 |
ing of Love, as in divine Science, where right reigneth.
The revered President and Congress of our favored land
are in God's
hands.
|
| 15 |
[Boston Globe, December, 1904]
HOW STRIFE MAY BE
STILLED
Follow that which is good.
|
| 18 |
A Japanese may believe in a heaven for him who dies
in
defence of his country, but the steadying, elevating
power of civilization
destroys such illusions and should |
| 21 |
overcome evil with good.
Nothing is gained by fighting, but
much is lost.
Peace is the promise and reward of
rightness. Gov- |
| 24 |
ernments have no right to engraft into civilization the
burlesque of uncivil economics. War is in itself an evil,
barbarous,
devilish. Victory in error is defeat in Truth. |
| 27 |
War is not in the domain of good; war weakens power
and
must finally fall, pierced by its own sword.
The Principle of all power is God, and
God is Love. |
| 30 |
Whatever brings into human thought or action an ele-
Page 279
|
| 1 |
ment opposed to Love, is never requisite, never a neces-
sity, and is not sanctioned by the law of God, the law |
| 3 |
of Love. The Founder of Christianity said: "My
peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you."
|
| 6 |
Christian Science reinforces Christ's sayings and doings.
The Principle of Christian Science demonstrates peace.
Christianity is the
chain of scientific being reappearing in |
| 9 |
all ages, maintaining its obvious correspondence with the
Scriptures and uniting all periods in the design of God.
The First
Commandment in the Hebrew Decalogue - |
| 12 |
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" - obeyed,
is
sufficient to still all strife. God is the divine Mind.
Hence the sequence:
Had all peoples one Mind, peace |
| 15 |
would reign.
God is Father, infinite, and this
great truth, when
understood in its divine metaphysics, will establish
the |
| 18 |
brotherhood of man, end wars, and demonstrate "on
earth
peace, good will toward men."
[Christian Science Sentinel,
June 17, 1905]
THE PRAYER FOR
PEACE
Dearly Beloved: - I request that every member of
The
Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, pray each |
| 24 |
day for the amicable settlement of the war between
Russia
and Japan; and pray that God bless that great
nation and those islands of
the sea with peace and |
| 27 |
prosperity.
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H.,
June 13,
1905
Page 280
|
| 1 |
REV. MARY BAKER EDDY,
Pleasant View, Concord, N. H.
|
| 3 |
Beloved Leader: - We acknowledge with rejoicing
the
receipt of your message, which again gives assurance of
your
watchful care and guidance in our behalf and of your |
| 6 |
loving solicitude for the welfare of the nations and the
peaceful tranquillity of the race. We rejoice also in this
new reminder
from you that all the things which make for |
| 9 |
the establishment of a universal, loving brotherhood on
earth may be accomplished through the righteous prayer
which availeth
much. |
| 12 |
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON, Clerk
BOSTON,
MASS., June 13, 1905
[Christian Science Sentinel, July 1, 1905]
"HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE
LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD" |
| 15 |
I now request that the members of my church cease
special
prayer for the peace of nations, and cease in full |
| 18 |
faith that God does not hear our prayers only because of
oft speaking, but that He will bless all the inhabitants
of the earth, and
none can stay His hand nor say unto |
| 21 |
Him, What doest Thou? Out of His allness He must
bless
all with His own truth and love.
MARY BAKER EDDY
|
| 24 |
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N.
H.,
June 27, 1905
[Christian Science Sentinel, July 22, 1905]
AN EXPLANATION
In no way nor manner did I request my
church to cease
praying for the peace of nations, but simply to pause
in |
| 30 |
special prayer for peace. And why this asking? Because
Page 281
|
| 1 |
a spiritual foresight of the nations' drama presented
itself and awakened a wiser want, even to know how |
| 3 |
to pray other than the daily prayer of my church, -
"Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it
is in heaven."
|
| 6 |
I cited, as our present need, faith in God's disposal of
events. Faith full-fledged, soaring to the Horeb height,
brings blessings
infinite, and the spirit of this orison is the |
| 9 |
fruit of rightness, - "on earth peace, good will toward
men." On this basis the brotherhood of all peoples is
established; namely,
one God, one Mind, and "Love thy |
| 12 |
neighbor as thyself," the basis on which and by which
the
infinite God, good, the Father-Mother Love, is ours
and we are His in
divine Science.
|
| 15 |
[Boston Globe, August, 1905]
PRACTISE THE GOLDEN
RULE
[Telegram]
|
| 18 |
"Official announcement of peace between Russia and
Japan
seems to offer an appropriate occasion for the ex-
pression of
congratulations and views by representative |
| 21 |
persons. Will you do us the kindness to wire a sentiment
on some phase of the subject, on the ending of the war,
the effect on the
two parties to the treaty of Portsmouth, |
| 24 |
the influence which President Roosevelt has exerted for
peace, or the advancement of the cause of arbitration."
Mrs. Eddy's
Reply
|
| 27 |
TO THE EDITOR OF THE Globe:
War will end when
nations are ripe for progress. The
treaty of Portsmouth is not an executive
power, although
Page 282
|
| 1 |
its purpose is good will towards men. The government of
a
nation is its peace maker or breaker.
|
| 3 |
I believe strictly in the Monroe doctrine, in our Con-
stitution, and in the laws of God. While I admire the
faith and friendship
of our chief executive in and for all |
| 6 |
nations, my hope must still rest in God, and the Scrip-
tural injunction, - "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all
the ends of the
earth."
|
| 9 |
The Douma recently adopted in Russia is no uncer-
tain
ray of dawn. Through the wholesome chastise-
ments of Love, nations are
helped onward towards |
| 12 |
justice, righteousness, and peace, which are the land-
marks of prosperity. In order to apprehend more,
we must practise what we
already know of the Golden |
| 15 |
Rule, which is to all mankind a light emitting light.
MARY BAKER EDDY
MRS. EDDY AND THE
PEACE MOVEMENT
|
| 18 |
MR. HAYNE DAVIS, American Secretary,
International
Conciliation Committee,
542 Fifth Avenue, New York City
|
| 21 |
Dear Mr. Davis: - Deeply do I thank you for the
interest you manifest in the success of the Association
for International
Conciliation. It is of paramount im- |
| 24 |
portance to every son and daughter of all nations under
the sunlight of the law and gospel.
May God guide and prosper ever this
good endeavor. |
| 27 |
Most truly yours,
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H., |
| 30 |
April 3, 1907
Page 283
MRS. EDDY'S
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF APPOINTMENT
AS FONDATEUR OF THE
ASSOCIATION FOR |
| 3 |
INTERNATIONAL CONCILIATION
FIRST CHURCH OP CHRIST, SCIENTIST, NEW YORK CITY,
MR. JOHN D.
HIGGINS, Clerk
|
| 6 |
My Beloved Brethren: - Your appointment of me as
Fondateur of the Association for International Concilia-
tion is
most gracious.
|
| 9 |
To aid in this holy purpose is the leading impetus of
my
life. Many years have I prayed and labored for the
consummation of "on
earth peace, good will toward |
| 12 |
men." May the fruits of said grand Association, preg-
nant with peace, find their birthright in divine Science.
Right thoughts and deeds are the sovereign remedies
|
| 15 |
for all earth's woe. Sin is its own enemy. Right has its
recompense, even though it be betrayed. Wrong may be
a man's highest idea
of right until his grasp of goodness |
| 18 |
grows stronger. It is always safe to be just.
When pride, self, and human reason reign, injustice is
rampant.
|
| 21 |
Individuals, as nations, unite harmoniously on the basis
of justice, and this is accomplished when self is lost in
Love - or God's
own plan of salvation. "To do justly, |
| 24 |
and to love mercy, and to walk humbly" is the stand-
ard
of Christian Science.
Human law is right only as it patterns the divine. |
| 27 |
Consolation and peace are based on the enlightened sense
of God's government.
Lured by fame, pride, or gold, success is danger- |
| 30 |
ous, but the choice of folly never fastens on the good
Page 284
|
| 1 |
or the great. Because of my rediscovery of Chris-
tian
Science, and honest efforts (however meagre) |
| 3 |
to help human purpose and peoples, you may have
accorded
me more than is deserved, - but 'tis sweet
to be remembered. |
| 6 |
Lovingly yours,
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H., |
| 9 |
April 22, 1907
[Concord (N. H.) Daily
Patriot]
A CORRECTION
|
| 12 |
Dear Editor: - In the issue of your good paper,
the
Patriot, May 21, when referring to the Memorial service
of
the E. E. Sturtevant Post held in my church building, |
| 15 |
it read, "It is said to be the first time in the history
of
the church in this country that such an event has oc-
curred." In
your next issue please correct this mistake. |
| 18 |
Since my residence in Concord, 1889, the aforesaid
Memorial service has been held annually in some church
in Concord, N.
H.
|
| 21 |
When the Veterans indicated their desire to assemble
in
my church building, I consented thereto only as other
churches had done.
But here let me say that I am |
| 24 |
absolutely and religiously opposed to war, whereas I do
believe implicitly in the full efficacy of divine Love to
conciliate by
arbitration all quarrels between nations |
| 27 |
and peoples.
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H., |
| 30 |
May 28, 1907
Page 285
TO A STUDENT
Dear Student: - Please accept my thanks for your |
| 3 |
kind invitation, on behalf of the Civic League of San
Francisco, to attend the Industrial Peace Conference,
and accept my hearty
congratulations.
|
| 6 |
I cannot spare the time requisite to meet with you;
but I
rejoice with you in all your wise endeavors for
industrial, civic, and
national peace. Whatever adorns |
| 9 |
Christianity crowns the great purposes of life and demon-
strates the Science of being. Bloodshed, war, and op-
pression belong to
the darker ages, and shall be relegated |
| 12 |
to oblivion.
It is a matter for rejoicing that the
best, bravest, most
cultured men and women of this period unite with us
in |
| 15 |
the grand object embodied in the Association for Inter-
national Conciliation.
In Revelation 2: 26, St. John says:
"And he that |
| 18 |
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to
him
will I give power over the nations." In the words
of St. Paul, I repeat:
-
|
| 21 |
"And they neither found me in the temple disputing
with
any man, neither raising up the people, neither
in the synagogues, nor in
the city: neither can they |
| 24 |
prove the things whereof they now accuse me. But
this I
confess unto thee, that after the way which
they call heresy, so worship I
the God of my fathers, |
| 27 |
believing all things which are written in the law and in
the prophets."
Most sincerely yours, |
| 30 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT
VIEW, CONCORD, N. H.
Page 286
[The Christian Science Journal,
May, 1908]
WAR
|
| 3 |
For many years I have prayed daily that there be
no more
war, no more barbarous slaughtering of our
fellow-beings; prayed that all
the peoples on earth and |
| 6 |
the islands of the sea have one God, one Mind; love
God
supremely, and love their neighbor as themselves.
National disagreements can be, and
should be, arbi- |
| 9 |
trated wisely, fairly; and fully settled.
It is unquestionable, however, that at
this hour
the armament of navies is necessary, for the purpose
|
| 12 |
of preventing war and preserving peace among nations.
Page 287
CHAPTER
XVI - TRIBUTES
|
| 1 |
[New York Mail and Express]
MONUMENT TO BARON
AND BARONESS DE HIRSCH
|
| 3 |
THE movement to erect a monument to the late
Baron and
Baroness de Hirsch enlists my hearty
sympathy. They were unquestionably
used in a re- |
| 6 |
markable degree as instruments of divine Love.
Divine Love reforms, regenerates,
giving to human
weakness strength, serving as admonition, instruction,
and |
| 9 |
governing all that really is. Divine Love is the noumenon
and phenomenon, the Principle and practice of divine
metaphysics. Love
talked and not lived is a poor shift |
| 12 |
for the weak and worldly. Love lived in a court or cot
is
God exemplified, governing governments, industries,
human rights, liberty,
life.
|
| 15 |
In love for man we gain the only and true sense of love
for God, practical good, and so rise and still rise to His
image and
likeness, and are made partakers of that Mind |
| 18 |
whence springs the universe.
Philanthropy is loving, ameliorative,
revolutionary; it
wakens lofty desires, new possibilities, achievements,
and |
| 21 |
energies; it lays the axe at the root of the tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit; it touches thought to
spiritual issues,
systematizes action, and insures success;
Page 288
|
| 1 |
it starts the wheels of right reason, revelation, justice,
and
mercy; it unselfs men and pushes on the ages. Love |
| 3 |
unfolds marvellous good and uncovers hidden evil. The
philanthropist or reformer gives little thought to self-
defence; his
life's incentive and sacrifice need no apology. |
| 6 |
The good done and the good to do are his ever-present
reward.
Love for mankind is the elevator of
the human race; |
| 9 |
it demonstrates Truth and reflects divine Love. Good is
divinely natural. Evil is unnatural; it has no origin in
the nature of God,
and He is the Father of all.
|
| 12 |
The great Galilean Prophet was, is, the reformer of re-
formers. His piety partook not of the travesties of human
opinions, pagan
mysticisms, tribal religion, Greek phi- |
| 15 |
losophy, creed, dogma, or materia medica. The
divine
Mind was his only instrumentality in religion or medi-
cine. The
so-called laws of matter he eschewed; with |
| 18 |
him matter was not the auxiliary of Spirit. He never
appealed to matter to perform the functions of Spirit,
divine Love.
|
| 21 |
Jesus cast out evil, disease, death, showing that all
suffering is commensurate with sin; therefore, he cast
out devils and
healed the sick. He showed that every |
| 24 |
effect or amplification of wrong will revert to the
wrong-
doer; that sin punishes itself; hence his saying, "Sin
no more,
lest a worse thing come unto thee." Love |
| 27 |
atones for sin through love that destroys sin. His rod
is love.
We cannot remake ourselves, but we can
make the |
| 30 |
best of what God has made. We can know that all is
good
because God made all, and that evil is not a
fatherly grace.
Page 289
|
| 1 |
All education is work. The thing most important is
what
we do, not what we say. God's open secret is seen |
| 3 |
through grace, truth, and love.
I enclose a check for five hundred
dollars for the
De Hirsch monument fund.
TRIBUTES TO QUEEN
VICTORIA
MR. WILLIAM B. JOHNSON,
C.S.B., Clerk
Beloved Student: - I deem it proper that The
Mother |
| 9 |
Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts,
the
first church of Christian Science known on earth, should
upon this
solemn occasion congregate; that a special meet- |
| 12 |
ing of its First Members convene for the sacred purpose of
expressing our deep sympathy with the bereaved nation,
its loss and
the world's loss, in the sudden departure of |
| 15 |
the late lamented Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and
Empress of India, - long honored, revered, beloved.
"God save the Queen" is
heard no more in England, but |
| 18 |
this shout of love lives on in the heart of millions.
With love,
MARY BAKER EDDY |
| 21 |
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H.,
January
27, 1901
It being inconvenient for me to attend the memorial
|
| 24 |
meeting in the South Congregational church on Sunday
evening, February 3, I herewith send a few words of con-
dolence, which may
be read on that tender occasion.
|
| 27 |
I am interested in a meeting to be held in the capi-
tal
of my native State in memoriam of the late lamented
Victoria, Queen
of Great Britain and Empress of India.
Page 290
|
| 1 |
It betokens a love and a loss felt by the strong hearts
of New England and the United States. When contem- |
| 3 |
plating this sudden international bereavement, the near
seems afar, the distant nigh, and the tried and true seem
few. The departed
Queen's royal and imperial honors |
| 6 |
lose their lustre in the tomb, but her personal virtues
can
never be lost. Those live on in the affection of nations.
Few sovereigns have been as venerable,
revered, and |
| 9 |
beloved as this noble woman, born in 1819, married in
1840, and deceased the first month of the new century.
LETTER TO MRS.
McKINLEY
|
| 12 |
My Dear Mrs. McKinley: - My soul reaches out to
God
for your support, consolation, and victory. Trust in Him
whose love
enfolds thee. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect |
| 15 |
peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth
in Thee." "Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee."
Divine Love is never
so near as when all earthly joys seem |
| 18 |
most afar.
Thy tender husband, our nation's chief
magistrate, has
passed earth's shadow into Life's substance.
Through |
| 21 |
a momentary mist he beheld the dawn. He awaits to
welcome
you where no arrow wounds the eagle soaring,
where no partings are for
love, where the high and holy |
| 24 |
call you again to meet.
"I knew that Thou hearest me always,"
are the words of
him who suffered and subdued sorrow. Hold this
attitude |
| 27 |
of mind, and it will remove the sackcloth from thy home.
With love,
MARY BAKER EDDY |
| 30 |
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N.
H.,
September 14, 1901
Page 291
TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT
McKINLEY
Imperative, accumulative, holy demands
rested on the |
| 3 |
life and labors of our late beloved President, William
McKinley. Presiding over the destinies of a nation
meant more to him than a
mere rehearsal of aphorisms, |
| 6 |
a uniting of breaches soon to widen, a quiet assent or
dis-
sent. His work began with heavy strokes, measured
movements,
reaching from the infinitesimal to the |
| 9 |
infinite. It began by warming the marble of politics
into
zeal according to wisdom, quenching the vol-
canoes of partizanship, and
uniting the interests of all |
| 12 |
peoples; and it ended with a universal good overcoming
evil.
His home relations enfolded a wealth
of affection, - a |
| 15 |
tenderness not talked but felt and lived. His humanity,
weighed in the scales of divinity, was not found wanting.
His public intent
was uniform, consistent, sympathetic, |
| 18 |
and so far as it fathomed the abyss of difficulties was
wise, brave, unselfed. May his history waken a tone
of truth that shall
reverberate, renew euphony, empha- |
| 21 |
size humane power, and bear its banner into the vast
forever.
While our nation's ensign of peace and
prosperity |
| 24 |
waves over land and sea, while her reapers are strong,
her sheaves garnered, her treasury filled, she is suddenly
stricken, -
called to mourn the loss of her renowned |
| 27 |
leader! Tears blend with her triumphs. She stops to
think, to mourn, yea, to pray, that the God of harvests
send her more
laborers, who, while they work for their |
| 30 |
own country, shall sacredly regard the liberty of other
peoples and the rights of man.
Page 292
|
| 1 |
What cannot love and righteousness achieve for the
race?
All that can be accomplished, and more than his- |
| 3 |
tory has yet recorded. All good that ever was written,
taught, or wrought comes from God and human faith in
the right. Through
divine Love the right government is |
| 6 |
assimilated, the way pointed out, the process shortened,
and the joy of acquiescence consummated. May God
sanctify our nation's
sorrow in this wise, and His rod |
| 9 |
and His staff comfort the living as it did the
departing.
O may His love shield, support, and comfort the chief
mourner at the desolate home!
POWER OF PRAYER
My answer to the inquiry, "Why did
Christians of every
sect in the United States fail in their prayers to
save |
| 15 |
the life of President McKinley," is briefly this:
Insuffi-
cient faith or spiritual understanding, and a compound of
prayers in which one earnest, tender desire works uncon- |
| 18 |
sciously against the modus operandi of another,
would
prevent the result desired. In the June, 1901, Message
to my
church in Boston, I refer to the effect of one |
| 21 |
human desire or belief unwittingly neutralizing another,
though both are equally sincere.
In the practice of materia
medica, croton oil is not mixed |
| 24 |
with morphine to remedy dysentery, for those drugs are
supposed to possess opposite qualities and so to produce
opposite effects.
The spirit of the prayer of the righteous |
| 27 |
heals the sick, but this spirit is of God, and the divine
Mind is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; where-
as the human mind
is a compound of faith and doubt, |
| 30 |
of fear and hope, of faith in truth and faith in error.
Page 293
|
| 1 |
The knowledge that all things are possible to God ex-
cludes doubt, but differing human concepts as to the |
| 3 |
divine power and purpose of infinite Mind, and the so-
called power of matter, act as the different properties of
drugs are
supposed to act - one against the other - and |
| 6 |
this compound of mind and matter neutralizes itself.
Our lamented President, in his loving
acquiescence,
believed that his martyrdom was God's way. Hun-
|
| 9 |
dreds, thousands of others believed the same, and hun-
dreds of thousands who prayed for him feared that the
bullet would prove
fatal. Even the physicians may have |
| 12 |
feared this.
These conflicting states of the human
mind, of trembling
faith, hope, and of fear, evinced a lack of the
absolute |
| 15 |
understanding of God's omnipotence, and thus they pre-
vented the power of absolute Truth from reassuring the
mind and through the
mind resuscitating the body of |
| 18 |
the patient.
The divine power and poor human sense
- yea, the spirit
and the flesh - struggled, and to mortal sense the flesh
pre- |
| 21 |
vailed. Had prayer so fervently offered possessed no
opposing element, and President McKinley's recovery
been regarded as wholly
contingent on the power of God, |
| 24 |
- on the power of divine Love to overrule the pur-
poses
of hate and the law of Spirit to control matter, -
the result would have
been scientific, and the patient |
| 27 |
would have recovered.
St. Paul writes: "For the law of the
Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin
and |
| 30 |
death." And the Saviour of man saith: "What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall
have them." Human governments
Page 294
|
| 1 |
maintain the right of the majority to rule. Christian
Scientists are yet in a large minority on the subject of |
| 3 |
divine metaphysics; but they improve the morals and the
lives of men, and they heal the sick on the basis that God
has all power,
is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, |
| 6 |
supreme over all.
In a certain city the Master "did not
many mighty
works there because of their unbelief," - because of
the |
| 9 |
mental counteracting elements, the startled or the un-
righteous contradicting minds of mortals. And if he were
personally with us
to-day, he would rebuke whatever |
| 12 |
accords not with a full faith and spiritual knowledge of
God. He would mightily rebuke a single doubt of the
ever-present power of
divine Spirit to control all the con- |
| 15 |
ditions of man and the universe.
If the skilful surgeon or the faithful
M.D. is not dis-
mayed by a fruitless use of the knife or the drug, has
not |
| 18 |
the Christian Scientist with his conscious understanding
of omnipotence, in spite of the constant stress of the
hindrances
previously mentioned, reason for his faith in |
| 21 |
what is shown him by God's works?
ON THE DEATH OF POPE
LEO XIII, JULY 20, 1903
The sad, sudden announcement of the
decease of Pope |
| 24 |
Leo XIII, touches the heart and will move the pen of
millions. The intellectual, moral, and religious energy
of this illustrious
pontiff have animated the Church of |
| 27 |
Rome for one quarter of a century. The august ruler
of
two hundred and fifty million human beings has now
passed through the
shadow of death into the great forever. |
| 30 |
The court of the Vatican mourns him; his relatives
shed
"the unavailing tear." He is the loved and lost
Page 295
|
| 1 |
of many millions. I sympathize with those who mourn,
but
rejoice in knowing our dear God comforts such with |
| 3 |
the blessed assurance that life is not lost; its
influence
remains in the minds of men, and divine Love holds
its
substance safe in the certainty of immortality. |
| 6 |
"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men."
(John 1: 4.)
A TRIBUTE TO THE
BIBLE
LETTER OF THANKS FOR THE GIFT OF A COPY OF
MARTIN LUTHER'S
TRANSLATION INTO GERMAN OF THE BIBLE, PRINTED IN
NUREM BERG IN 1733
|
| 12 |
Dear Student: - I am in grateful receipt of your time-
worn Bible in German. This Book of books is also the
gift of gifts;
and kindness in its largest, profoundest |
| 15 |
sense is goodness. It was kind of you to give it to me.
I thank you for it.
Christian Scientists are fishers of men. The Bible is
|
| 18 |
our sea-beaten rock. It guides the fishermen. It stands
the storm. It engages the attention and enriches the
being of all men.
A
BENEDICTION
[Copy of Cablegram]
COUNTESS OF DUNMORE AND
FAMILY, |
| 24 |
55 Lancaster Gate, West,
London, England
Divine Love is your ever-present help.
You, I, and
mankind have cause to lament the demise of Lord Dun-
|
| 27 |
more; but as the Christian Scientist, the servant of God
and man, he still lives, loves, labors.
MARY BAKER EDDY |
| 30 |
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N.
H.,
August 31, 1907
Page 296
HON. CLARENCE A.
BUSKIRK'S LECTURE
The able discourse of our "learned
judge," his flash of |
| 3 |
flight and insight, lays the axe "unto the root of the
trees," and shatters whatever hinders the Science of
being. |
| 6 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H.,
October 14, 1907
"HEAR, O ISRAEL"
The late lamented Christian Scientist
brother and the
publisher of my books, Joseph Armstrong, C.S.D., is
not |
| 12 |
dead, neither does he sleep nor rest from his labors in
divine Science; and his works do follow him. Evil has no
power to harm, to
hinder, or to destroy the real spiritual |
| 15 |
man. He is wiser to-day, healthier and happier, than
yesterday. The mortal dream of life, substance, or mind
in matter, has been
lessened, and the reward of good |
| 18 |
and punishment of evil and the waking out of his Adam-
dream of evil will end in harmony, - evil powerless, and
God, good,
omnipotent and infinite. |
| 21 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT
VIEW, CONCORD, N. H.,
December 10, 1907
MISS CLARA
BARTON
In the New York American,
January 6, 1908, Miss
Clara Barton dipped her pen in my heart, and traced
its |
| 27 |
emotions, motives, and object. Then, lifting the
curtains
of mortal mind, she depicted its rooms, guests, standing
and
seating capacity, and thereafter gave her discovery
Page 297
|
| 1 |
to the press. Now if Miss Barton were not a venerable
soldier, patriot, philanthropist, moralist, and states- |
| 3 |
woman, I should shrink from such salient praise. But
in
consideration of all that Miss Barton really is,
and knowing that she can
bear the blows which may |
| 6 |
follow said description of her soul-visit, I will say,
Amen,
so be it.
MARY BAKER EDDY |
| 9 |
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N.
H.,
January l0, 1908
THERE IS NO
DEATH
|
| 12 |
A suppositional gust of evil in this evil world is the
dark hour that precedes the dawn. This gust blows
away the baubles of
belief, for there is in reality no evil, |
| 15 |
no disease, no death; and the Christian Scientist who
believes that he dies, gains a rich blessing of disbelief in
death, and a
higher realization of heaven.
|
| 18 |
My beloved Edward A. Kimball, whose clear, correct
teaching of Christian Science has been and is an inspira-
tion to the whole
field, is here now as veritably as when |
| 21 |
he visited me a year ago. If we would awaken to this
recognition, we should see him here and realize that he
never died; thus
demonstrating the fundamental truth |
| 24 |
of Christian Science.
MARY BAKER EDDY
MRS. EDDY'S
HISTORY
|
| 27 |
I have not had sufficient interest in the matter to read
or to note from others' reading what the enemies of
Christian Science are
said to be circulating regarding my |
| 30 |
history, but my friends have read Sibyl Wilbur's book,
Page 298
|
| 1 |
"The Life of Mary Baker Eddy," and request the privi-
lege of buying, circulating, and recommending it to the |
| 3 |
public. I briefly declare that nothing has occurred in my
life's experience which, if correctly narrated and under-
stood, could
injure me; and not a little is already re- |
| 6 |
ported of the good accomplished therein, the
self-sacrifice,
etc., that has distinguished all my working
years.
I thank Miss Wilbur and the Concord
Publishing Com- |
| 9 |
pany for their unselfed labors in placing this book
before
the public, and hereby say that they have my permission
to
publish and circulate this work. |
| 12 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
Page 299
CHAPTER
XVII - ANSWERS TO CRITICISMS
|
| 1 |
[Letter to the New York Commercial Advertiser]
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
AND THE CHURCH
|
| 3 |
OVER the signature "A Priest of the Church,"
somebody,
kindly referring to my address to First
Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Concord, N. H., writes: |
| 6 |
"If they [Christian Scientists] have any truth to reveal
which has not been revealed by the church or the Bible,
let them make it
known to the world, before they claim |
| 9 |
the allegiance of mankind. "
I submit that Christian Science has
been widely made
known to the world, and that it contains the
entire |
| 12 |
truth of the Scriptures, as also whatever portions of
truth
may be found in creeds. In addition to this, Christian
Science
presents the demonstrable divine Principle and |
| 15 |
rules of the Bible, hitherto undiscovered in the trans-
lations of the Bible and lacking in the creeds.
Therefore I query: Do Christians, who
believe in sin, |
| 18 |
and especially those who claim to pardon sin, believe
that God is good, and that God is All? Christian
Scientists firmly
subscribe to this statement; yea, they |
| 21 |
understand it and the law governing it, namely, that
God, the divine Principle of Christian Science, is
Page 300
|
| 1 |
"of purer eyes than to behold evil." On this basis they
endeavor to cast out the belief in sin or in aught |
| 3 |
besides God, thus enabling the sinner to overcome
sin
according to the Scripture, "Work out your own
salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which |
| 6 |
worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure."
Does he who believes in sickness know
or declare that |
| 9 |
there is no sickness or disease, and thus heal disease?
Christian Scientists, who do not believe in the reality
of disease, heal
disease, for the reason that the divine |
| 12 |
Principle of Christian Science, demonstrated, heals the
most inveterate diseases. Does he who believes in
death understand or aver
that there is no death, and |
| 15 |
proceed to overcome "the last enemy" and raise the
dying
to health? Christian Scientists raise the dying to
health in Christ's name,
and are striving to reach the |
| 18 |
summit of Jesus' words, "If a man keep my saying, he
shall never see death."
If, as this kind priest claims, these
things, inseparable |
| 21 |
from Christian Science, are common to his church, we
propose that he make known his doctrine to the world,
that he teach the
Christianity which heals, and send out |
| 24 |
students according to Christ's command, "Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,"
"Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast |
| 27 |
out devils."
The tree is known by its fruit. If, as
he implies,
Christian Science is not a departure from the first
cen- |
| 30 |
tury churches, - as surely it is not, - why persecute
it? Are the churches opening fire on their own religious
ranks, or are they
attacking a peaceable party quite
Page 301
|
| 1 |
their antipode? Christian Science is a reflected glory;
it shines with borrowed rays - from Light emitting light. |
| 3 |
Christian Science is the new-old Christianity, that
which
was and is the revelation of divine Love.
The present flux in religious faith
may be found to be |
| 6 |
a healthy fermentation, by which the lees of religion
will
be lost, dogma and creed will pass off in scum, leaving a
solid
Christianity at the bottom - a foundation for the |
| 9 |
builders. I would that all the churches on earth could
unite as brethren in one prayer: Father, teach us the
life of Love.
|
| 12 |
PLEASANT VEIW, CONCORD, N.
H.,
March 22, 1899
[Letter to the New York World]
FAITH IN
METAPHYSICS
Is faith in divine metaphysics
insanity?
All sin is insanity, but healing the
sick is not sin. |
| 18 |
There is a universal insanity which mistakes fable for
fact throughout the entire testimony of the material
senses. Those
unfortunate people who are committed to |
| 21 |
insane asylums are only so many well-defined instances
of the baneful effects of illusion on mortal minds and
bodies. The
supposition that we can correct insanity |
| 24 |
by the use of drugs is in itself a species of insanity. A
drug cannot of itself go to the brain or affect cerebral
conditions in any
manner whatever. Drugs cannot |
| 27 |
remove inflammation, restore disordered functions, or
destroy disease without the aid of mind.
If mind be absent from the body, drugs
can produce |
| 30 |
no curative effect upon the body. The mind must
Page 302
|
| 1 |
be, is, the vehicle of all modes of healing disease and
of
producing disease. Through the mandate of mind or |
| 3 |
according to a man's belief, can he be helped or be
killed
by a drug; but mind, not matter, produces the result in
either
case.
|
| 6 |
Neither life nor death, health nor disease, can be pro-
duced on a corpse, whence mind has departed. This
self-evident fact is
proof that mind is the cause of all |
| 9 |
effect made manifest through so-called matter. The
general craze is that matter masters mind; the specific
insanity is that
brain, matter, is insane.
|
| 12 |
[Letter to the New York Herald]
REPLY TO MARK
TWAIN
It is a fact well understood that I
begged the students |
| 15 |
who first gave me the endearing appellative "Mother,"
not
to name me thus. But without my consent, the use
of the word spread like
wildfire. I still must think the |
| 18 |
name is not applicable to me. I stand in relation to
this
century as a Christian Discoverer, Founder, and
Leader. I regard
self-deification as blasphemous. I may |
| 21 |
be more loved, but I am less lauded, pampered, provided
for, and cheered than others before me - and where-
fore? Because Christian
Science is not yet popular, and |
| 24 |
I refuse adulation.
My first visit to The Mother Church
after it was built
and dedicated pleased me, and the situation was
satisfac- |
| 27 |
tory. The dear members wanted to greet me with escort
and
the ringing of bells, but I declined and went alone in
my carriage to the
church, entered it, and knelt in thanks |
| 30 |
upon the steps of its altar. There the foresplendor of
Page 303
|
| 1 |
the beginnings of truth fell mysteriously upon my spirit.
I believe in one Christ, teach one Christ, know of but |
| 3 |
one Christ. I believe in but one incarnation, one Mother
Mary. I know that I am not that one, and I have never
claimed to be. It
suffices me to learn the Science of the |
| 6 |
Scriptures relative to this subject.
Christian Scientists have no quarrel
with Protestants,
Catholics, or any other sect. Christian Scientists need
to |
| 9 |
be understood as following the divine Principle - God,
Love - and not imagined to be unscientific worshippers
of a human
being.
|
| 12 |
In his article, of which I have seen only extracts, Mark
Twain's wit was not wasted in certain directions. Chris-
tian Science
eschews divine rights in human beings. |
| 15 |
If the individual governed human consciousness, my
statement of Christian Science would be disproved;
but to demonstrate
Science and its pure monotheism |
| 18 |
- one God, one Christ, no idolatry, no human propa-
ganda
- it is essential to understand the spiritual idea.
Jesus taught and proved
that what feeds a few feeds |
| 21 |
all. His life-work subordinated the material to the
spiritual, and he left his legacy of truth to man-
kind. His metaphysics is
not the sport of philosophy, |
| 24 |
religion, or science; rather is it the pith and finale
of
them all.
I have not the inspiration nor the
aspiration to be |
| 27 |
a first or second Virgin-mother - her duplicate, ante-
cedent, or subsequent. What I am remains to be proved
by the good I do. We
need much humility, wisdom, |
| 30 |
and love to perform the functions of foreshadowing and
foretasting heaven within us. This glory is molten in
the furnace of
affliction.
Page 304
[Boston Journal, June 8,
1903]
A MISSTATEMENT
CORRECTED
|
| 3 |
I was early a pupil of Miss Sarah J. Bodwell, the
principal of Sanbornton Academy, New Hampshire, and
finished my course of
studies under Professor Dyer |
| 6 |
H. Sanborn, author of Sanborn's Grammar. Among
my early
studies were Comstock's Natural Philosophy,
Chemistry, Blair's Rhetoric,
Whateley's Logic, Watt's |
| 9 |
"On the Mind and Moral Science." At sixteen years
of age,
I began writing for the leading newspapers, and
for many years I wrote for
the best magazines in the |
| 12 |
South and North. I have lectured in large and crowded
halls in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Portland,
and at Waterville
College, and have been invited to |
| 15 |
lecture in London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland.
In
1883, I started The Christian Science Journal, and
for several years
was the proprietor and sole editor of |
| 18 |
that periodical. In 1893, Judge S. J. Hanna became
editor
of The Christian Science Journal, and for ten
subsequent years he
knew my ability as an editor. In |
| 21 |
a lecture in Chicago, he said: "Mrs. Eddy is from
every
point of view a woman of sound education and
liberal culture."
|
| 24 |
Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist and author, wisely
said: "Every great scientific truth goes through three
stages. First,
people say it conflicts with the Bible. |
| 27 |
Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly,
they say they have always believed it."
The first attack upon me was: Mrs.
Eddy misinterprets |
| 30 |
the Scriptures; second, she has stolen the contents of
her
book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,"
Page 305
|
| 1 |
from one P. P. Quimby (an obscure, uneducated man),
and
that he is the founder of Christian Science. Failing |
| 3 |
in these attempts, the calumniator has resorted to Ralph
Waldo Emerson's philosophy as the authority for Christian
Science! Lastly,
the defamer will declare as honestly (?), |
| 6 |
"I have always known it."
In Science and Health, page 68, third
paragraph, I
briefly express myself unmistakably on the subject
of |
| 9 |
"vulgar metaphysics," and the manuscripts and letters
in
my possession, which "vulgar" defamers have circu-
lated, stand in
evidence. People do not know who is |
| 12 |
referred to as "an ignorant woman in New Hampshire."
Many
of the nation's best and most distinguished men
and women were natives of
the Granite State.
|
| 15 |
I am the author of the Christian Science textbook,
"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures;" and
the demand for this
book constantly increases. I am |
| 18 |
rated in the National Magazine (1903) as "standing
eighth in a list of twenty-two of the foremost living
authors."
|
| 21 |
I claim no special merit of any kind. All that I am
in
reality, God has made me. I still wait at the cross to
learn definitely
more from my great Master, but not |
| 24 |
of the Greek nor of the Roman schools - simply how to
do
his works.
A PLEA FOR
JUSTICE
|
| 27 |
My recent reply to the reprint of a scandal in the
Literary Digest was not a question of "Who shall be
greatest?" but
of "Who shall be just?" Who is or is |
| 30 |
not the founder of Christian Science was not the trend
of thought, but my purpose was to lift the curtain on
Page 306
|
| 1 |
wrong, on falsehood which persistently misrepresents
my
character, education, and authorship, and attempts |
| 3 |
to narrow my life into a conflict for fame.
Far be it from me to tread on the
ashes of the dead or
to dissever any unity that may exist between
Christian |
| 6 |
Science and the philosophy of a great and good man, for
such was Ralph Waldo Emerson; and I deem it unwise to
enter into a
newspaper controversy over a question that |
| 9 |
is no longer a question. The false should be antagonized
only for the purpose of making the true apparent. I have
quite another
purpose in life than to be thought great. |
| 12 |
Time and goodness determine greatness. The greatest
reform, with almost unutterable truths to translate,
must wait to be
transfused into the practical and |
| 15 |
to be understood in the "new tongue." Age, with
experience-acquired patience and unselfed love, waits
on God. Human merit
or demerit will find its proper |
| 18 |
level. Divinity alone solves the problem of human-
ity,
and that in God's own time. "By their fruits ye
shall know them."
REMINISCENCES
In 1862, when I first visited Dr.
Quimby of Portland,
Me., his scribblings were descriptions of his patients,
and |
| 24 |
these comprised the manuscripts which in 1887 I adver-
tised that I would pay for having published. Before his
decease, in
January, 1866, Dr. Quimby had tried to get |
| 27 |
them published and had failed.
Quotations have been published,
purporting to be Dr.
Quimby's own words, which were written while I was
his |
| 30 |
patient in Portland and holding long conversations with
him on my views of mental therapeutics. Some words in
Page 307
|
| 1 |
these quotations certainly read like words that I said to
him, and which I, at his request, had added to his |
| 3 |
copy when I corrected it. In his conversations with
me
and in his scribblings, the word science was not
used at all, till one day
I declared to him that back |
| 6 |
of his magnetic treatment and manipulation of patients,
there was a science, and it was the science of mind,
which had nothing to
do with matter, electricity, or |
| 9 |
physics.
After this I noticed he used that
word, as well as other
terms which I employed that seemed at first new to
him. |
| 12 |
He even acknowledged this himself, and startled me by
saying what I cannot forget - it was this: "I see now
what you mean, and I
see that I am John, and that you |
| 15 |
are Jesus."
At that date I was a staunch orthodox,
and my theologi-
cal belief was offended by his saying and I entered a
de- |
| 18 |
murrer which rebuked him. But afterwards I concluded
that
he only referred to the coming anew of Truth, which
we both
desired; for in some respects he was quite a seer |
| 21 |
and understood what I said better than some others did.
For one so unlearned, he was a remarkable man. Had
his remark related to my
personality, I should still think |
| 24 |
that it was profane.
At first my case improved wonderfully
under his
treatment, but it relapsed. I was gradually emerging
|
| 27 |
from materia medica, dogma, and creeds, and
drifting
whither I knew not. This mental struggle might have
caused my
illness. The fallacy of materia medica, its |
| 30 |
lack of science, and the want of divinity in scholas-
tic theology, had already dawned on me. My ideal-
ism, however, limped, for
then it lacked Science. But
Page 308
|
| 1 |
the divine Love will accomplish what all the powers
of
earth combined can never prevent being accom- |
| 3 |
plished - the advent of divine healing and its divine
Science.
REPLY TO McCLURE'S
MAGAZINE
|
| 6 |
It is calumny on Christian Science to say that man is
aroused to thought or action only by ease, pleasure, or
recompense.
Something higher, nobler, more imperative |
| 9 |
impels the impulse of Soul.
It becomes my duty to be just to the
departed and to
tread not ruthlessly on their ashes. The attack on
me |
| 12 |
and my late father and his family in McClure's
Magazine,
January, 1907, compels me as a dutiful child and the
Leader of Christian Science to speak.
|
| 15 |
McClure's Magazine refers to my father's "tall,
gaunt
frame" and pictures "the old man tramping doggedly
along the
highway, regularly beating the ground with a |
| 18 |
huge walking-stick." My father's person was erect and
robust. He never used a walking-stick. To illustrate:
One time when my
father was visiting Governor Pierce, |
| 21 |
President Franklin Pierce's father, the Governor handed
him a gold-headed walking-stick as they were about to
start for church. My
father thanked the Governor, |
| 24 |
but declined to accept the stick, saying, "I never use
a
cane."
Although McClure's Magazine
attributes to my father |
| 27 |
language unseemly, his household law, constantly en-
forced, was no profanity and no slang phrases. McClure's
Magazine
also declares that the Bible was the only book |
| 30 |
in his house. On the contrary, my father was a great
reader. The man whom McClure's Magazine characterizes
Page 309
|
| 1 |
as "ignorant, dominating, passionate, fearless," was
uniformly dignified - a well-informed, intellectual man, |
| 3 |
cultivated in mind and manners. He was called upon
to do
much business for his town, making out deeds,
settling quarrels, and even
acting as counsel in a lawsuit |
| 6 |
involving a question of pauperism between the towns of
Loudon and Bow, N. H. Franklin Pierce, afterwards
President of the United
States, was the counsel for |
| 9 |
Loudon and Mark Baker for Bow. Both entered their
pleas,
and my father won the suit. After it was decided,
Mr. Pierce bowed to my
father and congratulated him. |
| 12 |
For several years father was chaplain of the New
Hampshire State Militia, and as I recollect it, he was
justice of the peace
at one time. My father was a |
| 15 |
strong believer in States' rights, but slavery he
regarded
as a great sin.
Mark Baker was the youngest of his
father's family, and |
| 18 |
inherited his father's real estate, an extensive farm
situ-
ated in Bow and Concord, N. H. It is on record that
Mark Baker's
father paid the largest tax in the colony. |
| 21 |
McClure's Magazine says, describing the Baker
home-
stead at Bow: "The house itself was a small, square box
building
of rudimentary architecture." My father's |
| 24 |
house had a sloping roof, after the prevailing style of
architecture at that date.
McClure's Magazine states: "Alone of the Bakers, he |
| 27 |
[Albert] received a liberal education. . . . Mary Baker
passed her first fifteen years at the ancestral home at Bow.
It was a
lonely and unstimulating existence. The church |
| 30 |
supplied the only social diversions, the district school
practically all the intellectual life."
Let us see what were the fruits of
this "lonely and
Page 310
|
| 1 |
unstimulating existence." All my father's daughters were
given an academic education, sufficiently advanced so that |
| 3 |
they all taught school acceptably at various times and
places. My brother Albert was a distinguished lawyer.
In addition to my
academic training, I was privately |
| 6 |
tutored by him. He was a member of the New Hamp-
shire
Legislature, and was nominated for Congress, but
died before the election.
McClure's Magazine calls my |
| 9 |
youngest brother, George Sullivan Baker, "a workman in
a
Tilton woolen mill." As a matter of fact, he was joint
partner with
Alexander Tilton, and together they owned a |
| 12 |
large manufacturing establishment in Tilton, N. H. His
military title of Colonel came from appointment on the
staff of the
Governor of New Hampshire. My oldest |
| 15 |
brother, Samuel D. Baker, carried on a large business in
Boston, Mass.
Regarding the allegation by
McClure's Magazine that all |
| 18 |
the family, "excepting Albert, died of cancer," I will
say that there was never a death in my father's family
reported by
physician or post-mortem examination as |
| 21 |
caused by cancer.
McClure's Magazine says that "the quarrels between
Mary, a child ten years
old, and her father, a gray-haired |
| 24 |
man of fifty, frequently set the house in an uproar,"
and
adds that these "fits" were diagnosed by Dr. Ladd
as "hysteria mingled
with bad temper." My mother |
| 27 |
often presented my disposition as exemplary for her other
children to imitate, saying, "When do you ever see
Mary angry?" When the
first edition of Science and |
| 30 |
Health was published, Dr. Ladd said to Alexander Tilton:
"Read it, for it will do you good. It does not surprise
me, it so resembles
the author."
Page 311
|
| 1 |
I will relate the following incident, which occurred
later
in life, as illustrative of my disposition: -
|
| 3 |
While I was living with Dr. Patterson at his country
home
in North Groton, N. H., a girl, totally blind, knocked
at the door and was
admitted. She begged to be allowed |
| 6 |
to remain with me, and my tenderness and sympathy were
such that I could not refuse her. Shortly after, however,
my good
housekeeper said to me: "If this blind girl stays |
| 9 |
with you, I shall have to leave; she troubles me so
much."
It was not in my heart to turn the blind girl out, and so
I lost
my housekeeper.
|
| 12 |
My reply to the statement that the clerk's book shows
that I joined the Tilton Congregational Church at the age
of seventeen is
that my religious experience seemed to |
| 15 |
culminate at twelve years of age. Hence a mistake may
have occurred as to the exact date of my first church
membership.
|
| 18 |
The facts regarding the McNeil coat-of-arms are as
follows: -
Fanny McNeil, President Pierce's
niece, afterwards |
| 21 |
Mrs. Judge Potter, presented me my coat-of-arms, say-
ing
that it was taken in connection with her own family
coat-of-arms. I never
doubted the veracity of her gift. |
| 24 |
I have another coat-of-arms, which is of my mother's
ancestry. When I was last in Washington, D. C., Mrs.
Judge Potter and
myself knelt in silent prayer on the |
| 27 |
mound of her late father, General John McNeil, the
hero
of Lundy Lane.
Notwithstanding that McClure's
Magazine says, "Mary |
| 30 |
Baker completed her education when she finished Smith's
grammar and reached long division in arithmetic," I was
called by the Rev.
R. S. Rust, D.D., Principal of the
Page 312
|
| 1 |
Methodist Conference Seminary at Sanbornton Bridge, to
supply the place of his leading teacher during her tempo- |
| 3 |
rary absence.
Regarding my first marriage and the
tragic death of my
husband, McClure's Magazine says: "He [George
Wash- |
| 6 |
ington Glover] took his bride to Wilmington, South Caro-
lina, and in June, 1844, six months after his marriage, he
died of yellow
fever. He left his young wife in a miser- |
| 9 |
able plight. She was far from home and entirely without
money or friends. Glover, however, was a Free Mason,
and thus received a
decent burial. The Masons also paid |
| 12 |
Mrs. Glover's fare to New York City, where she was
met
and taken to her father's home by her brother George.
. . . Her position
was an embarrassing one. She was a |
| 15 |
grown woman, with a child, but entirely without means
of
support. . . . Mrs. Glover made only one effort at
self-support. For a
brief season she taught school."
|
| 18 |
My first husband, Major George W. Glover, resided in
Charleston, S. C. While on a business trip to Wilming-
ton, N. C., he was
suddenly seized with yellow fever and |
| 21 |
died in about nine days. I was with him on this trip.
He
took with him the usual amount of money he would
need on such an excursion.
At his decease I was sur- |
| 24 |
rounded by friends, and their provisions in my behalf
were
most tender. The Governor of the State and his staff,
with a long
procession, followed the remains of my be- |
| 27 |
loved one to the cemetery. The Free Masons selected
my
escort, who took me to my father's home in Tilton,
N. H. My salary for
writing gave me ample support. |
| 30 |
I did open an infant school, but it was for the purpose
of
starting that educational system in New Hampshire.
The rhyme attributed to me by
McClure's Magazine is
Page 313
|
| 1 |
not mine, but is, I understand, a paraphrase of a silly
song of years ago. Correctly quoted, it is as follows, so |
| 3 |
I have been told: -
Go to Jane
Glover,
Tell her I love
her |
| 6 |
By the light of the moon
I will go to her.
The various stories told by
McClure's Magazine about |
| 9 |
my father spreading the road in front of his house with
tan-bark and straw, and about persons being hired to rock
me, I am ignorant
of. Nor do I remember any such stuff |
| 12 |
as Dr. Patterson driving into Franklin, N. H., with a
couch or cradle for me in his wagon. I only know that
my father and mother
did everything they could think of |
| 15 |
to help me when I was ill.
I was never "given to long and lonely
wanderings,
especially at night," as stated by McClure's Magazine.
I |
| 18 |
was always accompanied by some responsible individual
when I took an evening walk, but I seldom took one. I
have always
consistently declared that I was not a medium |
| 21 |
for spirits. I never was especially interested in the
Shakers, never "dabbled in mesmerism," never was "an
amateur clairvoyant,"
nor did "the superstitious coun- |
| 24 |
try folk frequently" seek my advice. I never went
into a
trance to describe scenes far away, as McClure's
Magazine says.
|
| 27 |
My oldest sister dearly loved me, but I wounded her
pride
when I adopted Christian Science, and to a Baker
that was a sorry offence.
I was obliged to be parted |
| 30 |
from my son, because after my father's second marriage
my little boy was not welcome in my father's house.
Page 314
|
| 1 |
McClure's Magazine calls Dr. Daniel Patterson, my
second husband, "an itinerant dentist." It says that |
| 3 |
after my marriage we "lived for a short time at Tilton,
then moved to Franklin . . . . During the following nine
years the
Pattersons led a roving existence. The doctor |
| 6 |
practised in several towns, from Tilton to North Groton
and then to Rumney." When I was married to him, Dr.
Daniel Patterson was
located in Franklin, N. H. He had |
| 9 |
the degree D.D.S., was a popular man, and considered a
rarely skilful dentist. He bought a place in North Groton,
which he
fancied, for a summer home. At that time he |
| 12 |
owned a house in Franklin, N. H.
Although, as McClure's Magazine
claims, the court
record may state that my divorce from Dr. Patterson
was |
| 15 |
granted on the ground of desertion, the cause neverthe-
less was adultery. Individuals are here to-day who were
present in court
when the decision was given by the judge |
| 18 |
and who know the following facts: After the evidence
had
been submitted that a husband was about to have Dr.
Patterson arrested for
eloping with his wife, the court |
| 21 |
instructed the clerk to record the divorce in my favor.
What prevented Dr. Patterson's arrest was a letter from
me to this
self-same husband, imploring him not to do it. |
| 24 |
When this husband recovered his wife, he kept her a
prisoner in her home, and I was also the means of recon-
ciling the couple.
A Christian Scientist has told me that |
| 27 |
with tears of gratitude the wife of this husband related
these facts to her just as I have stated them. I lived
with Dr. Patterson
peaceably, and he was kind to me up |
| 30 |
to the time of the divorce.
The following affidavit by R. D.
Rounsevel of Littleton,
N. H., proprietor of the White Mountain House,
Fabyans,
Page 315
|
| 1 |
N. H., the original of which is in my possession, is of
interest in this connection: -
|
| 3 |
About the year 1874, Dr. Patterson, a dentist, boarded
with me in Littleton, New Hampshire. During his stay,
at different times, I
had conversation with him about his |
| 6 |
wife, from whom he was separated. He spoke of her being
a
pure and Christian woman, and the cause of the separa-
tion being wholly on
his part; that if he had done as he |
| 9 |
ought, he might have had as pleasant and happy home as
one could wish for.
At that time I had no knowledge of who
his wife was. |
| 12 |
Later on I learned that Mary Baker G. Eddy, the Dis-
coverer and Founder of Christian Science, was the above-
mentioned
woman. |
| 15 |
(Signed) R. D. ROUNSEVEL
Grafton S. S. Jan'y, 1902.
Then personally appeared
R. D. Rounsevel and made oath that the within
statement |
| 18 |
by him signed is true.
Before me, (Signed) H. M. MORSE,
Justice of the Peace
21 Who or what is the McClure "history," so called,
pre-
senting? Is it myself, the veritable Mrs. Eddy, whom
the New
York World declared dying of cancer, or is it
24 her alleged double or dummy heretofore described?
If indeed it be I, allow me to thank the enterprising
historians for the testimony they have thereby given of the
27 divine power of Christian Science, which they admit
has
snatched me from the cradle and the grave, and made
me the
beloved Leader of millions of the good men and
30 women in our own and in other countries, - and all
this
Page 316
|
| 1 |
because the truth I have promulgated has separated the
tares from the wheat, uniting in one body those who love |
| 3 |
Truth; because Truth divides between sect and Science
and
renews the heavenward impulse; because I still hear
the harvest song of the
Redeemer awakening the nations, |
| 6 |
causing man to love his enemies; because "blessed are
ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."
[Christian Science Sentinel,
January 19, 1907]
A CARD
The article in the January number of
The Arena maga- |
| 12 |
zine, entitled "The Recent Reckless and Irresponsible
Attacks on Christian Science and its Founder, with a
Survey of the
Christian Science Movement," by the |
| 15 |
scholarly editor, Mr. B.O. Flower, is a grand defence of
our Cause and its Leader. Such a dignified, eloquent
appeal to the press in
behalf of common justice and truth |
| 18 |
demands public attention. It defends human rights and
the
freedom of Christian sentiments, and tends to turn
back the foaming
torrents of ignorance, envy, and malice. |
| 21 |
I am pleased to find this "twentieth-century review of
opinion" once more under Mr. Flower's able guardianship
and manifesting its
unbiased judgment by such sound |
| 24 |
appreciation of the rights of Christian Scientists and
of
all that is right.
MARY BAKER EDDY
Page 317
CHAPTER
XVIII - AUTHORSHIP OF SCIENCE AND HEALTH
|
| 1 |
THE following statement, which was published in
the
Sentinel of December 1, 1906, exactly defin- |
| 3 |
ing her relations with the Rev. James Henry Wiggin of
Boston, was made by Mrs. Eddy in refutation of allega-
tions in the public
press to the effect that Mr. Wiggin |
| 6 |
had a share in the authorship of "Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures."
MRS. EDDY'S
STATEMENT
|
| 9 |
It is a great mistake to say that I employed the Rev.
James Henry Wiggin to correct my diction. It was for
no such purpose. I
engaged Mr. Wiggin so as to avail |
| 12 |
myself of his criticisms of my statement of Christian
Science, which criticisms would enable me to explain
more clearly the
points that might seem ambiguous to |
| 15 |
the reader.
Mr. Calvin A. Frye copied my writings,
and he will tell
you that Mr. Wiggin left my diction quite out of
the |
| 18 |
question, sometimes saying, "I wouldn't express it that
way." He often dissented from what I had written,
but I quieted him by
quoting corroborative texts of |
| 21 |
Scripture.
My diction, as used in explaining
Christian Science, has
been called original. The liberty that I have taken
with
Page 318
|
| 1 |
capitalization, in order to express the "new tongue," has
well-nigh constituted a new style of language. In almost |
| 3 |
every case where Mr. Wiggin added words, I have erased
them in my revisions.
Mr. Wiggin was not my proofreader for
my book |
| 6 |
"Miscellaneous Writings," and for only two of my books.
I
especially employed him on "Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures,"
because at that date some critics |
| 9 |
declared that my book was as ungrammatical as it was
misleading. I availed myself of the name of the former
proofreader for the
University Press, Cambridge, to |
| 12 |
defend my grammatical construction, and confidently
awaited the years to declare the moral and spiritual
effect upon the age of
"Science and Health with Key |
| 15 |
to the Scriptures."
I invited Mr. Wiggin to visit one of
my classes in the
Massachusetts Metaphysical College, and he
consented |
| 18 |
on condition that I should not ask him any questions.
I
agreed not to question him just so long as he refrained
from questioning
me. He held himself well in check |
| 21 |
until I began my attack on agnosticism. As I pro-
ceeded,
Mr. Wiggin manifested more and more agita-
tion, until he could control
himself no longer and, |
| 24 |
addressing me, burst out with:
"How do you know that there ever was
such a man as
Christ Jesus?"
|
| 27 |
He would have continued with a long argument,
framed
from his ample fund of historical knowledge,
but I stopped him.
|
| 30 |
"Now, Mr. Wiggin," I said, "you have broken our
agreement. I do not find my authority for Christian
Science in history, but
in revelation. If there had never
Page 319
|
| 1 |
existed such a person as the Galilean Prophet, it would
make no difference to me. I should still know that |
| 3 |
God's spiritual ideal is the only real man in His image
and likeness."
My saying touched him, and I heard
nothing further |
| 6 |
from him in the class, though afterwards he wrote a
kind
little pamphlet, signed "Phare Pleigh."
I hold the late Mr. Wiggin in loving,
grateful memory |
| 9 |
for his high-principled character and well-equipped
scholarship.
LETTERS FROM
STUDENTS
|
| 12 |
The following letters from students of Mrs. Eddy
confirm
her statement regarding the work which the
Rev. Mr. Wiggin did for her, and
also indicate what he |
| 15 |
himself thought of that work and of Mrs. Eddy: -
My Dear Teacher: - I am conversant with some facts
which perhaps have not
come under the observation of |
| 18 |
many of your students, and considering the questions
which have recently appeared, it may interest you to be
advised that I have
this information. On the tenth day of |
| 21 |
January, 1887, I entered your Primary class at Boston.
A
few days later, in conversation with you about the
preparation of a theme,
you suggested that I call on the |
| 24 |
late J. Henry Wiggin to assist me in analyzing and
arrang-
ing the topics, which I did about the twentieth of the
above-named month. These dates are very well fixed in |
| 27 |
my memory, as I considered the time an important one
in
my experience, and do so still. I also recall very
plainly the conversation
with you in general as regards |
| 30 |
Mr. Wiggin. You told me that he had done some literary
Page 320
|
| 1 |
work for you and that he was a fine literary student and
a good proofreader.
|
| 3 |
Upon calling on Mr. Wiggin, I presented my matter for
a
theme to him, and he readily consented to assist me,
which he did. He also
seemed very much pleased to |
| 6 |
converse about you and your work, and I found that his
statement of what he had done for you exactly agreed
with what you had told
me. He also expressed himself |
| 9 |
freely as to his high regard for you as a Christian lady,
as an author, and as a student of ability. Mr. Wiggin
spoke of "Science and
Health with Key to the Scrip- |
| 12 |
tures" as being a very unique book, and seemed quite
proud of his having had something to do with some
editions. He always spoke
of you as the author of this |
| 15 |
book and the author of all your works. Mr. Wiggin
did not
claim to be a Christian Scientist, but was in
a measure in sympathy with
the movement, although |
| 18 |
he did not endorse all the statements in your textbook;
but his tendency was friendly.
I called on Mr. Wiggin several times
while I was in your |
| 21 |
Primary class at the time above referred to, and several
times subsequent thereto, and he always referred to you as
the author of
your works and spoke of your ability without |
| 24 |
any hesitation or restriction. Our conversations were at
times somewhat long and went into matters of detail
regarding your work,
and I am of the opinion that he |
| 27 |
was proud of his acquaintance with you.
I saw Mr. Wiggin several times after
the class closed,
and the last conversation I had with him was at
the |
| 30 |
time of the dedication of the first Mother Church
edifice
in 1895. I met him in the vestibule of the church
and he spoke
in a very animated manner of your
Page 321
|
| 1 |
grand demonstration in building this church for your
followers. He seemed very proud to think that he had |
| 3 |
been in a way connected with your work, but he always
referred to you as the one who had accomplished this
great work.
|
| 6 |
My recollections of Mr. Wiggin place him as one
of your
devoted and faithful friends, one who knew
who and what you are, also your
position as regards |
| 9 |
your published works; and he always gave you that
position without any restriction. I believe that Mr.
Wiggin was an honest
man and that he told the same |
| 12 |
story to every one with whom he had occasion to talk,
so
I cannot believe that he has ever said anything
whatever of you and your
relations to your published |
| 15 |
works differing from what he talked so freely in my
presence.
There is nothing in the circumstances which have |
| 18 |
arisen recently, and the manner in which the statements
have been made, to change my opinion one iota in this
respect.
|
| 21 |
It will soon be twenty years since I first saw you and
entered your class. During that time, from my connec-
tion with the church,
the Publishing Society, and my |
| 24 |
many conversations with you, my personal knowledge of
the
authorship of your works is conclusive to me in every
detail, and I am very
glad that I was among your early |
| 27 |
students and have had this experience and know of my
own
personal knowledge what has transpired during the
past twenty years.
|
| 30 |
I am also pleased to have had conversations with
people
who knew you years before I did, and who have
told me of their knowledge of
your work.
Page 322
|
| 1 |
It is not long since I met a lady who lived in Lynn,
and
she told me she knew you when you were writing |
| 3 |
Science and Health, and that she had seen the manu-
script. These are facts which cannot be controverted
and they must
stand. |
| 6 |
Your affectionate student,
EDWARD P. BATES
BOSTON, MASS., November 21,
1906
|
| 9 |
My Beloved Teacher: - I have just read your state-
ment correcting mistakes widely published about the
Rev. James H. Wiggin's
work for and attitude towards |
| 12 |
you; also Mr. Edward P. Bates' letter to you on the
same
subject; which reminds me of a conversation I
had with Mr. Wiggin on
Thanksgiving Day twenty |
| 15 |
years ago, when a friend and I were the guests invited
to dine with the Wiggin family.
I had seen you the day before at the Metaphysical |
| 18 |
College and received your permission to enter the next
Primary class (Jan. 10, 1887). During the evening my
friend spoke of my
journeying from the far South, and |
| 21 |
waiting months in Boston on the bare hope of a few
days'
instruction by Mrs. Eddy in Christian Science.
She and Mrs. Wiggin seemed
inclined to banter me on |
| 24 |
such enthusiasm, but Mr. Wiggin kindly helped me by
advancing many good points in the Science, which were
so clearly stated
that I was surprised when he told me |
| 27 |
he was not a Christian Scientist.
Seeing my great interest in the subject, he told me
of
his acquaintance with you and spoke earnestly and |
| 30 |
beautifully of you and your work. The exact words I
do
not recall, but the impression he left with me was
Page 323
|
| 1 |
entirely in accordance with what Mr. Bates has so well
written in the above-mentioned letter. Before we left |
| 3 |
that evening, Mr. Wiggin gave me a pamphlet entitled
"Christian Science and the Bible," by "Phare Pleigh,"
which he said he had
written in answer to an unfair |
| 6 |
criticism of you and your book by some minister in the
far West. I have his little book yet. How long must it
be before the people
find out that you have so identified |
| 9 |
yourself with the truth by loving it and living it that
you
are not going to lie about anything nor willingly leave
any false
impression.
|
| 12 |
In loving gratitude for your living witness to Truth
and
Love,
FLORENCE WHITESIDE |
| 15 |
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.,
December 4, 1906
Beloved Teacher: - My heart has been too full to tell |
| 18 |
you in words all that your wonderful life and sacrifice
means to me. Neither do I now feel at all equal to ex-
pressing the
crowding thoughts of gratitude and praise |
| 21 |
to God for giving this age such a Leader and teacher to
reveal to us His way. Your crowning triumph over error
and sin, which we
have so recently witnessed, in blessing |
| 24 |
those who would destroy you if God did not hold you up
by
the right hand of His righteousness, should mean to
your older students
much that they may not have been |
| 27 |
able to appreciate in times past.
I wonder if you will remember that Mr.
Snider and
myself boarded in the home of the late Rev. J. Henry
|
| 30 |
Wiggin during the time of our studying in the second
class with you - the Normal class in the fall of 1887?
We were at that time
some eight days in Mr. and Mrs.
Page 324
|
| 1 |
Wiggin's home. He often spoke his thoughts freely
about
you and your work, especially your book Science |
| 3 |
and Health. Mr. Wiggin had somewhat of a thought
of
contempt for the unlearned, and he scorned the sug-
gestion that Mr. Quimby
had given you any idea for |
| 6 |
your book, as he said you and your ideas were too
much
alike for the book to have come from any one but
yourself. He often said
you were so original and so |
| 9 |
very decided that no one could be of much service to
you,
and he often hinted that he thought he could give
a clearer nomenclature
for Science and Health. I re- |
| 12 |
member telling you of this, and you explained how long
you had waited on the Lord to have those very terms
revealed to you.
|
| 15 |
I am very sure that neither Mr. Wiggin nor his esti-
mable wife had any other thought but that you were
the author of your book,
and were he here to-day he |
| 18 |
would be too honorable to allow the thought to go out
that he had helped you write it. He certainly never
gave us the impression
that he thought you needed |
| 21 |
help, for we always thought that Mr. Wiggin regarded
you
as quite his literary equal, and was gratified and
pleased in numbering you
among his literary friends. |
| 24 |
Everything he said conveyed this impression to us -
that
he regarded you as entirely unique and original.
He told us laughingly why
he accepted your invitation |
| 27 |
to sit through your class. He said he wanted to see if
there was one woman under the sun who could keep to
her text. When we asked
him if he found you could do |
| 30 |
so, he replied "Yes," and said that no man could have
done so any better.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Wiggin frequently
mentioned
Page 325
|
| 1 |
many kindnesses you had shown them, and spoke of
one
especial day when amidst all your duties you per- |
| 3 |
sonally called to inquire of his welfare (he had been
ill) and to leave luscious hothouse fruit. One thing
more, that I think
will amuse you: Mr. Wiggin was |
| 6 |
very much troubled that you had bought your house
on
Commonwealth Avenue, as he was very sure Back
Bay property would never be
worth what you then |
| 9 |
paid for it. He regarded the old part of Boston in
which
he lived as having a greater future than the new
Back Bay.
|
| 12 |
Years ago I offered my services to you in any capacity
in
which I could serve you, and my desire has never
changed. Command me at any
time, in any way, beloved |
| 15 |
Leader.
With increasing love and gratitude,
ever faithfully your
student,
|
| 18 |
CARRIE HARVEY SNIDER
NEW
YORK, N. Y.,
December 7, 1906
Page 326
CHAPTER
XIX - A MEMORABLE COINCIDENCE AND HISTORICAL FACTS
[The Christian Science Journal]
|
| 1 |
WE are glad to publish the following interesting
letter
and enclosures received from our Leader. |
| 3 |
That legislatures and courts are thus declaring the liberties
of Christian Scientists is most gratifying to our people; not
because
a favor has been extended, but because their |
| 6 |
inherent rights are recognized in an official and
authori-
tative manner. It is especially gratifying to them that
the
declaration of this recognition should be coincident |
| 9 |
in the Southern and Northern States in which Mrs. Eddy
has made her home.
MRS. EDDY' S
LETTER
|
| 12 |
Dear Editor: - I send for publication in our
periodicals
the following deeply interesting letter from Elizabeth Earl
Jones of Asheville, N. C., - the State where my husband, |
| 15 |
Major George W. Glover, passed on and up, the State
that
so signally honored his memory, where with wet eyes
the Free Masons laid on
his bier the emblems of a master |
| 18 |
Mason, and in long procession with tender dirge bore his
remains to their last resting-place. Deeply grateful, I
recognize the
divine hand in turning the hearts of the noble
Page 327
|
| 1 |
Southrons of North Carolina legally to protect the
practice
of Christian Science in that State.
|
| 3 |
Is it not a memorable coincidence that, in the Court of
New Hampshire, my native State, and in the Legislature
of North Carolina,
they have the same year, in 1903, made |
| 6 |
it legal to practise Christian Science in these States?
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N.
H., |
| 9 |
October 16, 1903
MISS ELIZABETH EARL
JONES' LETTER
Beloved Leader: - I know the enclosed article will make |
| 12 |
your heart glad, as it has made glad the hearts of all
the
Christian Scientists in North Carolina. This is the result
of the
work done at last winter's term of our Legislature, |
| 15 |
when a medical bill was proposed calculated to limit or
stop the practice of Christian Science in our State. An
amendment was
obtained by Miss Mary Hatch Harrison |
| 18 |
and a few other Scientists who stayed on the field until
the
last. After the amendment had been passed, an old law,
or rather a
section of an act in the Legislature regulating |
| 21 |
taxes, was changed as follows, because the representa-
tive men of our dear State did not wish to be "discour-
teous to the
Christian Scientists." The section formerly |
| 24 |
read, "pretended healers," but was changed to read as
follows: "All other professionals who practise the art of
healing,"
etc.
|
| 27 |
We thank our heavenly Father for this dignified
legal
protection and recognition, and look forward to
the day, not far distant,
when the laws of every State |
| 30 |
will dignify the ministry of Christ as taught and prac-
tised in Christian Science, and as lived by our dear,
Page 328
|
| 1 |
dear Leader, even as God has dignified, blessed, and
prospered it, and her. |
| 3 |
With devoted love,
ELIZABETH EARL JONES
105 BAILEY ST., ASHEVILLE, N. C., |
| 6 |
October 11, 1903
The following article, copied from the
Raleigh (N. C.)
News and Observer, is the one referred to in
Miss Jones' |
| 9 |
letter: -
The Christian Science people, greatly
pleased at the
law affecting them passed by the last Legislature,
are |
| 12 |
apt also to be pleased with the fact that the law recog-
nizes them as healers, and that it gives them a license
to heal. This
license of five dollars annually, required |
| 15 |
of physicians, has been required of them, and how this
came about in Kinston is told in the Kinston Free Press
as follows:
-
|
| 18 |
Sheriff Wooten issued licenses yesterday to two
Christian
Science healers in this city. This is probably
the first to be issued to
the healers of this sect in the |
| 21 |
State.
Upon the request of a prominent healer
of the church,
the section of the machinery act of the Legislature
cover- |
| 24 |
ing it was shown, whereupon application for license was
made and obtained.
The section, after enumerating the
different professions |
| 27 |
for which a license must be obtained to carry them on in
this State, further says, "and all other professionals who
practise the
art of healing for pay, shall pay a license fee |
| 30 |
of five dollars."
Page 329
|
| 1 |
This was construed to include the healers of the Chris-
tian Science church, and license was accordingly taken |
| 3 |
out.
The idea prevails that the last
General Assembly of
North Carolina relieved the healers of this sect from
paying |
| 6 |
this fee, but this is not so. The board only excused them
from a medical examination before a board of medical
examiners.
|
| 9 |
Mrs. Eddy's reference to the death of her husband,
Major
George W. Glover, gives especial interest to the
following letter from
Newbern, N. C., which appeared |
| 12 |
in the Wilmington (N. C.) Dispatch, October 24,
1903.
Mrs. Eddy has in her possession photographed copies of
the notice
of her husband's death and of her brother's |
| 15 |
letter, taken from the Wilmington (N. C.)
Chronicle as
they appear in that paper in the issues of July 3
and
August 21, 1844, respectively. The photographs are ver- |
| 18 |
ified by the certificate of a notary public and were pre-
sented to Mrs. Eddy by Miss Harrison.
MISS MARY HATCH
HARRISON' S LETTER
|
| 21 |
To the Editor: - At no better time than now, when
the
whole country is recognizing the steady progress of Chris-
tian
Science and admitting its interest in the movement, |
| 24 |
as shown by the fair attitude of the press everywhere,
could we ask you to give your readers the following com-
munication. It
will put before them some interesting |
| 27 |
facts concerning Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, and some in-
cidents of her life in North and South Carolina which
might not have been
known but for a criticism of this
Page 330
|
| 1 |
good woman which was published in your paper in
August,
1901.
|
| 3 |
I presume we should not be surprised that a noteworthy
follower of our Lord should be maligned, since the great
Master himself was
scandalized, and he prophesied that |
| 6 |
his followers would be so treated. The calumniator who
informed you in this instance locates Mrs. Eddy in Wil-
mington in 1843,
thus contradicting his own statement, |
| 9 |
since Mrs. Eddy was not then a resident of Wilmington.
A
local Christian Scientist of your city, whose womanhood
and Christianity
are appreciated by all, assisted by a |
| 12 |
Mason of good standing there and a Christian Scientist of
Charleston, S. C., carefully investigated the points con-
cerning Major
Glover's history which are questioned by |
| 15 |
this critic, and has found Mrs. Eddy's statements, rela-
ting to her husband (who she states was of Charleston,
S. C., not of
Wilmington, but who died there while on |
| 18 |
business in 1844, not in 1843, as claimed in your issue)
are
sustained by Masonic records in each place as well as
by Wilmington
newspapers of that year. In "Retro- |
| 21 |
spection and Introspection" (p. 19) Mrs. Eddy says of
this circumstance: -
"My husband was a Free Mason, being a
member in St. |
| 24 |
Andrew's Lodge, No. 10, and of Union Chapter, No. 3, of
Royal Arch Masons. He was highly esteemed and sin-
cerely lamented by a
large circle of friends and acquaint- |
| 27 |
ances, whose kindness and sympathy helped to support me
in this terrible bereavement. A month later I returned to
New Hampshire,
where, at the end of four months, my |
| 30 |
babe was born. Colonel Glover's tender devotion to his
young bride was remarked by all observers. With his
parting breath he gave
pathetic directions to his brother
Page 331
|
| 1 |
Masons about accompanying her on her sad journey to
the
North. Here it is but justice to record, they per- |
| 3 |
formed their obligations most faithfully."
Such watchful solicitude as Mrs. Eddy
received at the
hands of Wilmington's best citizens, among whom
she |
| 6 |
remembers the Rev. Mr. Reperton, a Baptist clergyman,
and
the Governor of the State, who accompanied her to
the train on her
departure, indicates her irreproachable |
| 9 |
standing in your city at that time.
The following letter of thanks, copied
from the Wil-
mington Chronicle of August 21, 1844, testifies to the
love |
| 12 |
and respect entertained for Mrs. Eddy by Wilmington's
best men, whose Southern chivalry would have scorned
to extend such
unrestrained hospitality to an unworthy |
| 15 |
woman as quickly as it would have punished the assail-
ant of a good woman: -
A CARD
|
| 18 |
Through the columns of your paper, will you permit
me, in
behalf of the relatives and friends of the late
Major George W. Glover of
Wilmington and his be- |
| 21 |
reaved lady, to return our thanks and express the feeling
of gratitude we owe and cherish towards those friends of
the deceased who
so kindly attended him during his last |
| 24 |
sickness, and who still extended their care and sympathy
to the lone, feeble, and bereaved widow after his decease.
Much has often
been said of the high feeling of honor |
| 27 |
and the noble generosity of heart which characterized the
people of the South, yet when we listen to Mrs. Glover
(my sister) whilst
recounting the kind attention paid to |
| 30 |
the deceased during his late illness, the sympathy ex-
tended to her after his death, and the assistance volun-
Page 332
|
| 1 |
teered to restore her to her friends at a distance of
more
than a thousand miles, the power of language would be |
| 3 |
but beggared by an attempt at expressing the feelings of
a swelling bosom. The silent gush of grateful tears alone
can tell the
emotions of the thankful heart, - words are |
| 6 |
indeed but a meagre tribute for so noble an effort in be-
half of the unfortunate, yet it is all we can award: will our
friends at
Wilmington accept it as a tribute of grateful |
| 9 |
hearts? Many thanks are due Mr. Cooke, who engaged
to
accompany her only to New York, but did not desert
her or remit his kind
attention until he saw her in the |
| 12 |
fond embrace of her friends.
Your friend and obedient
servant,
(Signed) GEORGE S. BAKER |
| 15 |
SANBORNTON BRIDGE, N.
H.,
August 12, 1844
The paper containing this card is now
in the Young |
| 18 |
Men's Christian Association at Wilmington.
The facts regarding Major Glover's
membership in
St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 10, were brought to light in
a |
| 21 |
most interesting way. A Christian Scientist in Charles-
ton was requested to look up the records of this lodge,
as we had full
confidence that it would corroborate Mrs. |
| 24 |
Eddy's claims. After frequent searchings and much in-
terviewing with Masonic authorities, it was learned that
the lodge was no
longer in existence, and that during the |
| 27 |
Civil War many Masonic records were transferred to
Columbia, where they were burned; but on repeated
search a roll of papers
recording the death of George |
| 30 |
Washington Glover in 1844 and giving best praises to
his
honorable record and Christian character was found;
Page 333
|
| 1 |
and said record, with the seal of the Grand Secretary,
is
now in the possession of the chairman of the Christian |
| 3 |
Science publication committee.
In the records of St. John's Lodge,
Wilmington, as
found by one of your own citizens, a Mason, it is
shown |
| 6 |
that on the twenty-eighth day of June, 1844, a special
meeting was convened for the purpose of paying the last
tribute of respect
to Brother George W. Glover, who |
| 9 |
died on the night of the twenty-seventh. The minutes
record this further proceeding: -
"A procession was formed, which moved
to the resi- |
| 12 |
dence of the deceased, and from thence to the Episcopal
burying-ground, where the body was interred with the
usual ceremonies. The
procession then returned to the |
| 15 |
lodge, which was closed in due form."
It has never been claimed by Mrs. Eddy
nor by any
Christian Scientists that Major Glover's remains were
|
| 18 |
carried North.
The Wilmington Chronicle of
July 3, 1844, records that
this good man, then known as Major George W.
Glover, |
| 21 |
died on Thursday night, the twenty-seventh of June. The
Chronicle states: "His end was calm and peaceful, and to
those
friends who attended him during his illness he gave |
| 24 |
the repeated assurance of his willingness to die, and of his
full reliance for salvation on the merits of a crucified Re-
deemer.
His remains were interred with Masonic honors. |
| 27 |
He has left an amiable wife, to whom he had been united
but the brief space of six months, to lament this
irreparable loss."
|
| 30 |
From the Chronicle, dated September 25, 1844, we
copy
the following: "We are assured that reports of unusual
sickness in
Wilmington are in circulation." This periodi-
Page 334
|
| 1 |
cal then forthwith strives to give the impression that
the
rumor is not true. It is reasonable to infer from news- |
| 3 |
paper reports of that date that some insidious disease
was raging at that time.
The allegation that copies of Mrs.
Eddy's book, "Retro- |
| 6 |
spection and Introspection," are few, and that efforts
are
being made to buy them up because she has contradicted
herself, is
without foundation. They are advertised in |
| 9 |
every weekly issue of the Christian Science Sentinel,
and
still contain the original account of her husband's demise
at
Wilmington.
|
| 12 |
May it not be, since this critic places certain circum-
stances in 1843, which records show really existed in 1844,
that the woman
whom he had in mind is some other one?
|
| 15 |
We can state Mrs. Eddy's teaching on the unreality of
evil in no better terms than to quote her own words.
Nothing could be
further from her meaning than that evil |
| 18 |
could be indulged in while being called unreal. She
declares in her Message to The Mother Church [1901]:
"To assume there is no
reality in sin, and yet commit |
| 21 |
sin, is sin itself, that clings fast to iniquity. The
Pub-
lican's wail won his humble desire, while the Pharisee's
self-righteousness crucified Jesus." |
| 24 |
MARY HATCH HARRISON
MAJOR GLOVER'S
RECORD AS A MASON
Of further interest in this matter is
the following ex- |
| 27 |
tract from an editorial obituary which appeared in 1845
in
the Freemason's Monthly Magazine, published by the
late
Charles W. Moore, Grand Secretary of the Grand |
| 30 |
Lodge of Massachusetts: -
Page 335
|
| 1 |
Died at Wilmington, N. C., on the 27th June last,
Major
George W. Glover, formerly of Concord, N. H.
|
| 3 |
Brother Glover resided in Charleston, S. C., and was
made
a Mason in "St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 10." He was
soon exalted to the degree
of a Royal Arch Mason in |
| 6 |
"Union Chapter, No. 3," and retained his membership
in
both till his decease. He was devotedly attached
to Masonry, faithful as a
member and officer of the |
| 9 |
Lodge and Chapter, and beloved by his brothers and
companions, who mourn his early death.
Additional facts regarding Major
Glover, his illness and |
| 12 |
death, are that he was for a number of years a resident
of
Charleston, S. C., where he erected a fine dwelling-house,
the
drawings and specifications of which were kept by his |
| 15 |
widow for many years after his death. While at Wilming-
ton, N. C., in June, 1844, Mr. Glover was attacked with
yellow fever of the
worst type, and at the end of nine days |
| 18 |
he passed away. This was the second case of the dread
disease in that city, and in the hope of allaying the excite-
ment which
was fast arising, the authorities gave the cause |
| 21 |
of death as bilious fever, but they refused permission
to
take the remains to Charleston.
On the third day of her husband's
illness, Mrs. Glover |
| 24 |
(now Mrs. Eddy) sent for the distinguished physician who
attended cases of this terrible disease as an expert (Dr.
McRee we think it
was), and was told by him that he could |
| 27 |
not conceal the fact that the case was one of yellow
fever
in its worst form, and nothing could save the life of
her
husband. In these nine days and nights of agony |
| 30 |
the young wife prayed incessantly for her husband's
recovery, and was told by the expert physician that
Page 336
|
| 1 |
but for her prayers the patient would have died on
the
seventh day.
|
| 3 |
The disease spread so rapidly that Mrs. Glover (Mrs.
Eddy) was afraid to have her brother, George S. Baker,
come to her after
her husband's death, to take her back to |
| 6 |
the North. Although he desired to go to her assistance,
she declined on this ground, and entrusted herself to the
care of her
husband's Masonic brethren, who faithfully |
| 9 |
performed their obligation to her. She makes grateful
acknowledgment of this in her book, "Retrospection and
Introspection." In
this book (p. 20) she also states, |
| 12 |
"After returning to the paternal roof I lost all my hus-
band's property, except what money I had brought
with me; and remained with
my parents until after |
| 15 |
my mother's decease." Mr. Glover had made no will
previous to his last illness, and then the seizure of dis-
ease was so
sudden and so violent that he was unable |
| 18 |
to make a will.
These letters and extracts are of
absorbing interest to
Christian Scientists as amplification of the facts
given by |
| 21 |
Mrs. Eddy in "Retrospection and Introspection."
Page 337
CHAPTER XX
- GENERAL MISCELLANY
|
| 1 |
[Boston Herald, Sunday, May 15, 1898]
THE UNITED STATES TO
GREAT BRITAIN
|
| 3 |
HAIL, brother! fling thy banner
To the billows and the
breeze;
We proffer thee warm welcome |
| 6 |
With our hand, though not our knees.
Lord of the
main and manor!
Thy palm, in ancient day, |
| 9 |
Didst rock the country's cradle
That wakes thy
laureate's lay.
The hoar fight is
forgotten; |
| 12 |
Our eagle, like the dove,
Returns to bless a bridal
Betokened from above.
|
| 15 |
List, brother! angels whisper
To Judah's sceptred race,
-
"Thou of the self-same spirit, |
| 18 |
Allied by nations' grace,
"Wouldst cheer the hosts of
heaven;
For Anglo-Israel, lo! |
| 21 |
Is marching under orders;
His hand averts the blow."
Page 338
|
| 1 |
Brave Britain, blest America!
Unite your
battle-plan; |
| 3 |
Victorious, all who live it, -
The love for God and
man.
TO THE PUBLIC
|
| 6 |
The following views of the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy
upon the
subject of the Trinity, are known to us to be
those uniformly held and
expressed by her. A reference |
| 9 |
to her writings will fully corroborate this statement. -
EDITOR Sentinel.
The contents of the last lecture of our dear
brother, |
| 12 |
on the subject "The Unknown God Made Known,"
were unknown
to me till after the lecture was delivered
in Boston, April 5.
|
| 15 |
The members of the Board of Lectureship are not
allowed
to consult me relative to their subjects or the
handling thereof, owing to
my busy life, and they seek a |
| 18 |
higher source for wisdom and guidance. The talented
author of this lecture has a heart full of love towards
God and man. For
once he may have overlooked the |
| 21 |
construction that people unfamiliar with his broad
views
and loving nature might put on his comparisons
and ready humor. But all
Christian Scientists deeply |
| 24 |
recognize the oneness of Jesus - that he stands alone
in
word and deed, the visible discoverer, founder, de-
monstrator, and great
Teacher of Christianity, whose |
| 27 |
sandals none may unloose.
The Board of Lectureship is absolutely
inclined to
be, and is instructed to be, charitable towards all, and
Page 339
|
| 1 |
hating none. The purpose of its members is to sub-
serve
the interest of mankind, and to cement the bonds |
| 3 |
of Christian brotherhood, whose every link leads up-
ward
in the chain of being. The cardinal points of
Christian Science cannot be
lost sight of, namely - one |
| 6 |
God, supreme, infinite, and one Christ Jesus.
The Board of Lectureship is specially
requested to be
wise in discoursing on the great subject of
Christian |
| 9 |
Science.
MARY BAKER EDDY
FAST DAY IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE, 1899
|
| 12 |
Along the lines of progressive Christendom, New
Hampshire's advancement is marked. Already Massa-
chusetts has exchanged
Fast Day, and all that it for- |
| 15 |
merly signified, for Patriots' Day, and the observance
of
the holiday illustrates the joy, grace, and glory of lib-
erty. We read in
Holy Writ that the disciples of St. |
| 18 |
John the Baptist said to the great Master, "Why do we
and
the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?"
And he answered them
in substance: My disciples |
| 21 |
rejoice in their present Christianity and have no cause
to mourn; only those who have not the Christ, Truth,
within them should
wear sackcloth.
|
| 24 |
Jesus said to his disciples, "This kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting," but he did not appoint a fast.
Merely to abstain
from eating was not sufficient to meet |
| 27 |
his demand. The animus of his saying was: Silence
appetites, passion, and all that wars against Spirit and
spiritual power.
The fact that he healed the sick man |
| 30 |
without the observance of a material fast confirms this
Page 340
|
| 1 |
conclusion. Jesus attended feasts, but we have no record
of his observing appointed fasts.
|
| 3 |
St. Paul's days for prayer were every day and every
hour.
He said, "Pray without ceasing." He classed
the usage of special days and
seasons for religious ob- |
| 6 |
servances and precedents as belonging not to the Chris-
tian era, but to traditions, old-wives' fables, and endless
genealogies.
|
| 9 |
The enlightenment, the erudition, the progress of relig-
ion and medicine in New Hampshire, are in excess of
other States, as
witness her schools, her churches, and |
| 12 |
her frown on class legislation. In many of the States
in
our Union a simple board of health, clad in a little
brief authority, has
arrogated to itself the prerogative |
| 15 |
of making laws for the State on the practice of medicine!
But this attempt is shorn of some of its shamelessness by
the courts
immediately annulling such bills and pluck- |
| 18 |
ing their plumes through constitutional interpretations.
Not the tradition of the elders, nor a paltering, timid,
or dastardly
policy, is pursued by the leaders of our rock- |
| 21 |
ribbed State.
That the Governor of New Hampshire has
suggested to
his constituents to recur to a religious observance
which |
| 24 |
virtually belongs to the past, should tend to enhance
their
confidence in his intention to rule righteously the affairs
of
state. However, Jesus' example in this, as in all else, |
| 27 |
suffices for the Christian era. The dark days of our
fore-
fathers and their implorations for peace and plenty have
passed,
and are succeeded by our time of abundance, even |
| 30 |
the full beneficence of the laws of the universe which
man's diligence has utilized. Institutions of learning and
progressive
religion light their fires in every home.
Page 341
|
| 1 |
I have one innate joy, and love to breathe it to the
breeze as God's courtesy. A native of New Hampshire, |
| 3 |
a child of the Republic, a Daughter of the Revolution, I
thank God that He has emblazoned on the escutcheon
of this State, engraven
on her granite rocks, and lifted |
| 6 |
to her giant hills the ensign of religious liberty -
"Free-
dom to worship God."
SPRING GREETING
|
| 9 |
Beloved brethren all over our land and in every land,
accept your Leader's Spring greeting, while
The bird of hope is
singing |
| 12 |
A lightsome lay, a cooing
call,
And in her heart is beating
A love for all - |
| 15 |
" 'Tis peace not power I
seek,
'Tis meet that man be meek."
[New York Herald, May 1,
1901] |
| 18 |
[Extract]
MRS. EDDY TALKS
Christian Science has been so much to
the fore of late |
| 21 |
that unusual public interest centres in the personality
of Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of the cult.
The granting of
interviews is not usual, hence it was |
| 24 |
a special favor that Mrs. Eddy received the Herald
correspondent.
It had been raining all day and was
damp without, so |
| 27 |
the change from the misty air outside to the pleasant
Page 342
|
| 1 |
warmth within the ample, richly furnished house was
agreeable. Seated in the large parlor, I became aware |
| 3 |
of a white-haired lady slowly descending the stairs.
She
entered with a gracious smile, walking uprightly and
with light step, and
after a kindly greeting took a seat |
| 6 |
on a sofa. It was Mrs. Eddy. There was no mis-
taking
that. Older in years, white-haired and frailer,
but Mrs. Eddy herself. The
likeness to the portraits |
| 9 |
of twenty years ago, so often seen in reproductions, was
unmistakable. There is no mistaking certain lines that
depend upon the
osseous structure; there is no mistaking |
| 12 |
the eyes - those eyes the shade of which is so hard to
catch, whether blue-gray or grayish brown, and which
are always bright. And
when I say frail, let it not be |
| 15 |
understood that I mean weak, for weak she was not.
When
we were snugly seated in the other and smaller
parlor across the hall,
which serves as a library, Mrs. |
| 18 |
Eddy sat back to be questioned.
"The continuity of The Church of
Christ, Scientist,"
she said, in her clear voice, "is assured. It is
growing |
| 21 |
wonderfully. It will embrace all the churches, one by
one, because in it alone is the simplicity of the oneness
of God; the
oneness of Christ and the perfecting of man |
| 24 |
stated scientifically."
"How will it be governed after all now
concerned in
its government shall have passed on?"
|
| 27 |
"It will evolve scientifically. Its essence is
evangelical.
Its government will develop as it progresses."
"Will there be a hierarchy, or will it
be directed by a |
| 30 |
single earthly ruler?"
"In time its present rules of service
and present ruler-
ship will advance nearer perfection."
Page 343
|
| 1 |
It was plain that the answers to questions would be
in
Mrs. Eddy's own spirit. She has a rapt way of talk- |
| 3 |
ing, looking large-eyed into space, and works around a
question in her own way, reaching an answer often
unexpectedly after a
prolonged exordium. She explained: |
| 6 |
"No present change is contemplated in the rulership.
You
would ask, perhaps, whether my successor will be a
woman or a man. I can
answer that. It will be a man."
|
| 9 |
"Can you name the man?"
"I cannot answer that now."
Here, then, was the definite statement
that Mrs. Eddy's |
| 12 |
immediate successor would, like herself, be the ruler.
Not a Pope or a Christ
"I have been called a pope, but surely I have sought
|
| 15 |
no such distinction. I have simply taught as I learned
while healing the sick. It was in 1866 that the light of
the Science came
first to me. In 1875 I wrote my book. |
| 18 |
It brought down a shower of abuse upon my head, but
it
won converts from the first. I followed it up, teaching
and organizing, and
trust in me grew. I was the mother, |
| 21 |
but of course the term pope is used figuratively.
"A position of authority," she went on, "became
necessary. Rules were necessary, and I made a code of |
| 24 |
by-laws, but each one was the fruit of experience and the
result of prayer. Entrusting their enforcement to others,
I found at one
time that they had five churches under |
| 27 |
discipline. I intervened. Dissensions are dangerous in
an
infant church. I wrote to each church in tenderness,
in exhortation, and in
rebuke, and so brought all back to |
| 30 |
union and love again. If that is to be a pope, then you
Page 344
|
| 1 |
can judge for yourself. I have even been spoken of as a
Christ, but to my understanding of Christ that is impos- |
| 3 |
sible. If we say that the sun stands for God, then all
his
rays collectively stand for Christ, and each separate ray
for men
and women. God the Father is greater than |
| 6 |
Christ, but Christ is 'one with the Father,' and so the
mystery is scientifically explained. There can be but
one Christ."
|
| 9 |
"And the soul of man?"
"It is not the spirit of God,
inhabiting clay and then
withdrawn from it, but God preserving
individuality and |
| 12 |
personality to the end. I hold it absurd to say that when
a man dies, the man will be at once better than he was
before death. How
can it be? The individuality of him |
| 15 |
must make gradual approaches to Soul's perfection."
"Do you reject utterly the bacteria
theory of the
propagation of disease?"
|
| 18 |
"Oh," with a prolonged inflection, "entirely. If I
harbored that idea about a disease, I should think myself
in danger of
catching it."
|
| 21 |
About Infectious Diseases
"Then as to the laws - the health laws of the States
on
the question of infectious and contagious diseases. |
| 24 |
How does Christian Science stand as to them?"
"I say, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's.'
We cannot force perfection on the world. Were vaccina- |
| 27 |
tion of any avail, I should tremble for mankind; but,
knowing it is not, and that the fear of catching small-
pox is more
dangerous than any material infection, I |
| 30 |
say: Where vaccination is compulsory, let your children
Page 345
|
| 1 |
be vaccinated, and see that your mind is in such a state
that by your prayers vaccination will do the children no |
| 3 |
harm. So long as Christian Scientists obey the laws, I
do
not suppose their mental reservations will be thought
to matter much. But
every thought tells, and Christian |
| 6 |
Science will overthrow false knowledge in the end."
"What is your attitude to science in
general? Do you
oppose it?"
|
| 9 |
"Not," with a smile, "if it is really science."
"Well, electricity, engineering, the
telephone, the steam
engine - are these too material for Christian
Science?" |
| 12 |
"No; only false science - healing by drugs. I was a
sickly child. I was dosed with drugs until they had no
effect on me. The
doctors said I would live if the drugs |
| 15 |
could be made to act on me. Then homoeopathy came
like
blessed relief to me, but I found that when I pre-
scribed pellets without
any medication they acted just |
| 18 |
the same and healed the sick. How could I believe in
a
science of drugs?"
"But surgery?"
|
| 21 |
"The work done by the surgeon is the last healing that
will be vouchsafed to us, or rather attained by us, as we
near a state of
spiritual perfection. At present I am |
| 24 |
conservative about advice on surgical cases."
"But the pursuit of modern material
inventions?"
"Oh, we cannot oppose them. They all
tend to newer, |
| 27 |
finer, more etherealized ways of living. They seek the
finer
essences. They light the way to the Church of Christ.
We use
them, we make them our figures of speech. |
| 30 |
They are preparing the way for us."
We talked on many subjects, some only
of which are
here touched upon, and her views, strictly and always
Page 346
|
| 1 |
from the standpoint of Christian Science, were continu-
ally surprising. She talks as one who has lived with her |
| 3 |
subject for a lifetime, - an ordinary lifetime; and so
far from being puzzled by any question, welcomes it as
another opportunity
for presenting another view of her |
| 6 |
religion.
Those who have been anticipating
nature and declaring
Mrs. Eddy non-existent may learn authoritatively
from |
| 9 |
the Herald that she is in the flesh and in health.
Soon
after I reached Concord on my return from Pleasant
View, Mrs.
Eddy's carriage drove into town and made |
| 12 |
several turns about the court-house before returning.
She
was inside, and as she passed me the same ex-
pression of looking forward,
thinking, thinking, was on |
| 15 |
her face.
CONCORD, N. H.,
Tuesday,
April 30, 1901
MRS. EDDY'S
SUCCESSOR
In a recent interview which appeared
in the columns
of the New York Herald, the Rev. Mary Baker
Eddy, |
| 21 |
Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, stated that
her successor would be a man. Various conjectures
having arisen as to
whether she had in mind any particu- |
| 24 |
lar person when the statement was made, Mrs. Eddy
gave
the following to the Associated Press, May 16,
1901: -
|
| 27 |
"I did say that a man would be my future successor.
By
this I did not mean any man to-day on earth.
"Science and Health makes it plain to
all Christian |
| 30 |
Scientists that the manhood and womanhood of God
Page 347
|
| 1 |
have already been revealed in a degree through Christ
Jesus and Christian Science, His two witnesses. What |
| 3 |
remains to lead on the centuries and reveal my
successor,
is man in the image and likeness of the Father-Mother
God,
man the generic term for mankind."
GIFT OF A
LOVING-CUP
The Executive Members of The Mother
Church of
Christ, Scientist, will please accept my heartfelt
acknowl- |
| 9 |
edgment of their beautiful gift to me, a loving-cup, pre-
sented July 16, 1903. The exquisite design of boughs
encircling this cup,
illustrated by Keats' touching couplet,
|
| 12 |
Ah happy, happy boughs, that
cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu!
would
almost suggest that nature had reproduced her |
| 15 |
primal presence, bough, bird, and song, to salute me.
The
twelve beautiful pearls that crown this cup call to
mind the number of our
great Master's first disciples, and |
| 18 |
the parable of the priceless pearl which purchases our
field of labor in exchange for all else.
I shall treasure my loving-cup with
all its sweet |
| 21 |
associations.
[Special contribution to "Bohemia." A
symposium]
FUNDAMENTAL
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
|
| 24 |
Most thinkers concede that Science is the law of God;
that matter is not a law-maker; that man is not the
author of Science, and
that a phenomenon is chimerical, |
| 27 |
unless it be the manifestation of a fixed Principle
whose
noumenon is God and whose phenomenon is Science.
Page 348
|
| 1 |
My discovery that mankind is absolutely healed of so-
called disease and injuries by other than drugs, surgery, |
| 3 |
hygiene, electricity, magnetism, or will-power, induced a
deep research, which proved conclusively that all effect
must be the
offspring of a universal cause. I sought this |
| 6 |
cause, not within but ab extra, and I found it was
God
made manifest in the flesh, and understood through divine
Science.
Then I was healed, and the greatest of all ques- |
| 9 |
tions was solved sufficiently to give a reason for the
hope
that was within me.
The religious departure from divine
Science sprang from |
| 12 |
the belief that the man Jesus, rather than his divine
Prin-
ciple, God, saves man, and that materia medica heals him.
The writer's departure from such a religion was based upon |
| 15 |
her discovery that neither man nor materia medica,
but
God, heals and saves mankind.
Here, however, was no stopping-place,
since Science |
| 18 |
demanded a rational proof that the divine Mind heals
the
sick and saves the sinner. God unfolded the way, the
demonstration thereof
was made, and the certainty of its |
| 21 |
value to the race firmly established. I had found unmis-
takably an actual, unfailing causation, enshrined in the
divine Principle
and in the laws of man and the universe, |
| 24 |
which, never producing an opposite effect, demonstrated
Christianity and proved itself Science, for it healed the
sick and reformed
the sinner on a demonstrable Principle |
| 27 |
and given rule. The human demonstrator of this Science
may mistake, but the Science remains the law of God -
infallible, eternal.
Divine Life, Truth, Love is the basic |
| 30 |
Principle of all Science, it solves the problem of
being;
and nothing that worketh ill can enter into the solution
of
God's problems.
Page 349
|
| 1 |
God is Mind, and divine Mind was first chronologi-
cally, is first potentially, and is the healer to whom all |
| 3 |
things are possible. A scientific state of health is a
consciousness of health, holiness, immortality - a con-
sciousness gained
through Christ, Truth; while disease |
| 6 |
is a mental state or error that Truth destroys. It is
self-
evident that matter, or the body, cannot cause disease,
since
disease is in a sense susceptible of both ease and |
| 9 |
dis-ease, and matter is not sensible. Kant, Locke, Berke-
ley, Tyndall, and Spencer afford little aid in understand-
ing divine
metaphysics or its therapeutics. Christian |
| 12 |
Science is a divine largess, a gift of God - understood
by and divinely natural to him who sits at the feet of
Jesus clothed in
truth, who is putting off the hypothesis |
| 15 |
of matter because he is conscious of the allness of God -
"looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."
Thus the great
Way-shower, invested with glory, is under- |
| 18 |
stood, and his words and works illustrate "the way, the
truth, and the life."
Divine modes or manifestations are
natural, beyond |
| 21 |
the so-called natural sciences and human philosophy,
because they are spiritual, and coexist with the God of
nature in absolute
Science. The laws of God, or divine |
| 24 |
Mind, obtain not in material phenomena, or phenomenal
evil, which is lawless and traceable to mortal mind -
human will divorced
from Science.
|
| 27 |
Inductive or deductive reasoning is correct only as it
is
spiritual, induced by love and deduced from God,
Spirit; only as it makes
manifest the infinite nature, |
| 30 |
including all law and supplying all the needs of man.
Wholly hypothetical, inductive reasoning reckons creation
as its own
creator, seeks cause in effect, and from atom
Page 350
|
| 1 |
and dust draws its conclusions of Deity and man, law and
gospel, leaving science at the beck of material phenomena, |
| 3 |
or leaving it out of the question. To begin with the
divine noumenon, Mind, and to end with the phenom-
enon, matter, is minus
divine logic and plus human hy- |
| 6 |
pothesis, with its effects, sin, disease, and death. It
was
in this dilemma that revelation, uplifting human reason,
came to
the writer's rescue, when calmly and rationally, |
| 9 |
though faintly, she spiritually discerned the divine
idea
of the cosmos and Science of man.
WHITHER?
|
| 12 |
Father, did'st not Thou the dark wave treading
Lift from
despair the struggler with the sea?
And heed'st Thou not the scalding tear
man's shedding, |
| 15 |
And know'st Thou not the pathway glad and free?
This
weight of anguish which they blindly bind
On earth, this bitter searing to
the core of love; |
| 18 |
This crushing out of health and peace, mankind -
Thou
all, Thou infinite - dost doom above.
Oft mortal sense is darkened
unto death |
| 21 |
(The Stygian shadow of a world of glee);
The old
foundations of an early faith
Sunk from beneath man, whither shall he
flee?
|
| 24 |
To Love divine, whose kindling mighty rays
Brighten the
horoscope of crumbling creeds,
Dawn Truth delightful, crowned with endless
days, |
| 27 |
And Science ripe in prayer, in word, and deeds.
Page 351
A LETTER FROM OUR
LEADER
With our Leader's kind permission, the
Sentinel is |
| 3 |
privileged to publish her letter of recent date,
addressed
to Mr. John C. Higdon of St. Louis, Mo. This letter
is
especially interesting on account of its beautiful tribute |
| 6 |
to Free Masonry.
Beloved Student: - Your
interesting letter was handed
to me duly. This is my earliest moment in
which to |
| 9 |
answer it.
"Know Thyself," the title of your gem
quoted, is
indeed a divine command, for the morale of Free
Masonry |
| 12 |
is above ethics - it touches the hem of his garment
who
spake divinely.
It was truly Masonic, tender, grand in
you to remember |
| 15 |
me as the widow of a Mason. May you and I and all
mankind
meet in that hour of Soul where are no part-
ings, no pain. |
| 18 |
Lovingly yours in Christ,
MARY BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H., |
| 21 |
February 9, 1906
TAKE NOTICE
I have not read Gerhardt C. Mars'
book, "The Inter- |
| 24 |
pretation of Life," therefore I have not endorsed it, and
any assertions to the contrary are false. Christian Scien-
tists are not
concerned with philosophy; divine Science |
| 27 |
is all they need, or can have in reality.
MARY BAKER
EDDY
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS., |
| 30 |
June 24, 1908
Page 352
RECOGNITION OF
BLESSINGS
REVEREND MARY BAKER EDDY,
|
| 3 |
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Beloved Leader: - Informally assembled, we, the ushers
of your church,
desire to express our recognition of the |
| 6 |
blessings that have come to us through the peculiar priv-
ileges we enjoy in this church work. We are prompted
to acknowledge our
debt of gratitude to you for your |
| 9 |
life of spirituality, with its years of tender ministry,
yet
we know that the real gratitude is what is proved in
better
lives.
|
| 12 |
It is our earnest prayer that we may so reflect in our
thoughts and acts the teachings of Christian Science that
our daily living
may be a fitting testimony of the efficacy |
| 15 |
of our Cause in the regeneration of mankind.
THE USHERS
OF THE MOTHER CHURCH
BOSTON, MASS., October
9, 1908
Mrs. Eddy's
Reply
Beloved Ushers of The Mother Church of Christ, Sci-
entist: - I thank you not only for your tender letter to |
| 21 |
me, but for ushering into our church the hearers and the
doers of God's Word.
MARY BAKER EDDY
|
| 24 |
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS.,
October 12, 1908
MRS. EDDY'S
THANKS
|
| 27 |
Beloved Christian Scientists: - Accept my thanks
for
your successful plans for the first issue of The Christian
Science Monitor. My desire is that every Christian
Page 353
|
| 1 |
Scientist, and as many others as possible, subscribe for
and read our daily newspaper. |
| 3 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
BOX
G, BROOKLINE, MASS.,
November 16, 1908
|
| 6 |
[Extract from the leading Editorial in Vol. 1, No. 1, of
The
Christian Science Monitor, November 25, 1908]
SOMETHING IN A
NAME
|
| 9 |
I have given the name to all the Christian Science
periodicals. The first was The Christian Science Jour-
nal, designed
to put on record the divine Science of |
| 12 |
Truth; the second I entitled Sentinel, intended to
hold
guard over Truth, Life, and Love; the third, Der Herold
der
Christian Science, to proclaim the universal activity |
| 15 |
and availability of Truth; the next I named
Monitor,
to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent.
The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to |
| 18 |
bless all mankind.
MARY BAKER EDDY
ARTICLE XXII,
SECTION 17
|
| 21 |
MRS. EDDY'S ROOM. - SECTION 17. The room in
The Mother
Church formerly known as "Mother's
Room" shall hereafter be closed to
visitors.
|
| 24 |
There is nothing in this room now of any special in-
terest. "Let the dead bury their dead," and the spiritual
have all place
and power. |
| 27 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
Page 354
TO WHOM IT MAY
CONCERN
In view of complaints from the field,
because of alleged |
| 3 |
misrepresentations by persons offering Bibles and other
books for sale which they claim have been endorsed by
me, it is due the
field to state that I recommend nothing |
| 6 |
but what is published or sold by The Christian Science
Publishing Society. Christian Scientists are under no
obligation to buy
books for which my endorsement is |
| 9 |
claimed.
MARY BAKER EDDY
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS., |
| 12 |
April 28, 1909
EXTEMPORE
JANUARY 1, 1910
|
| 15 |
I
O blessings infinite!
O glad New Year! |
| 18 |
Sweet sign and substance
Of God's presence here.
II |
| 21 |
Give us not only angels' songs,
But Science vast, to
which belongs
The tongue of angels |
| 24 |
And the song of songs.
MARY BAKER EDDY
[The above lines were written extemporaneously by |
| 27 |
Mrs. Eddy on New Year's morning. The members of her
Page 355
|
| 1 |
household were with her at the time, and it was
gratifying
to them, as it will be to the field, to see in her
spiritualized |
| 3 |
thought and mental vigor a symbol of the glad New Year
on which we have just entered. - EDITOR Sentinel.
MEN IN OUR RANKS
|
| 6 |
A letter from a student in the field says there is a
grave
need for more men in Christian Science practice.
I have not infrequently hinted at
this. However, if |
| 9 |
the occasion demands it, I will repeat that men are very
important factors in our field of labor for Christian
Science. The male
element is a strong supporting arm |
| 12 |
to religion as well as to politics, and we need in our
ranks
of divine energy, the strong, the faithful, the untiring
spiritual armament. |
| 15 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
CHESTNUT
HILL, MASS.,
February 7, 1910
A PAEAN OF
PRAISE
"Behind a frowning providence
He
hides a shining face."
|
| 21 |
The Christian Scientists at Mrs. Eddy's home are
the
happiest group on earth. Their faces shine with
the reflection of light and
love; their footsteps are not |
| 24 |
weary; their thoughts are upward; their way is onward,
and their light shines. The world is better for this
happy group of
Christian Scientists; Mrs. Eddy is hap- |
| 27 |
pier because of them; God is glorified in His reflection
of peace, love, joy.
Page 356
|
| 1 |
Whenwill mankind awake to know their present owner-
ship
of all good, and praise and love the spot where God |
| 3 |
dwells most conspicuously in His reflection of love and
leadership ? When will the world waken to the privilege
of knowing God, the
liberty and glory of His presence, |
| 6 |
- where
"He plants His footsteps in
the sea
And rides upon the storm."
|
| 9 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
CHESTNUT
HILL, MASS.,
April 20, 1910
A STATEMENT BY MRS.
EDDY
Editor Christian Science
Sentinel: - In reply to in-
quiries, will
you please state that within the last five |
| 15 |
years I have given no assurance, no encouragement nor
consent to have my picture issued, other than the ones
now and heretofore
presented in Science and Health.
|
| 18 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
CHESTNUT
HILL, MASS.,
July 18, 1910
THE WAY OF
WISDOM
No man can serve two
masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the |
| 24 |
other. Ye cannot serve God
and mammon. - MATTHEW 6: 24.
The infinite is one, and this one is
Spirit; Spirit is
God, and this God is infinite good.
|
| 27 |
This simple statement of oneness is the only possible
correct version of Christian Science. God being infinite,
Page 357
|
| 1 |
He is the only basis of Science; hence materiality is
wholly
apart from Christian Science, and is only a "Suffer it to |
| 3 |
be so now" until we arrive at the spiritual fulness of
God,
Spirit, even the divine idea of Christian Science, -
Christ, born
of God, the offspring of Spirit, - wherein |
| 6 |
matter has neither part nor portion, because matter is
the
absolute opposite of spiritual means, manifestation, and
demonstration. The only incentive of a mistaken sense |
| 9 |
is malicious animal magnetism, - the name of all evil, -
and this must be understood.
I have crowned The Mother Church
building with the |
| 12 |
spiritual modesty of Christian Science, which is its jewel.
When my dear brethren in New York desire to build
higher,-to enlarge
their phylacteries and demonstrate |
| 15 |
Christian Science to a higher extent, - they must begin
on a wholly spiritual foundation, than which there is no
other, and
proportionably estimate their success and |
| 18 |
glory of achievement only as they build upon the rock of
Christ, the spiritual foundation. This will open the way,
widely and
impartially, to their never-ending success, - |
| 21 |
to salvation and eternal Christian Science.
Spirit is infinite; therefore
Spirit is all. "There is no
matter" is not only the axiom of true
Christian Science, |
| 24 |
but it is the only basis upon which this Science can be
demonstrated.
A LETTER BY MRS.
EDDY
|
| 27 |
MRS. AUGUSTA E. STETSON, NEW
YORK CITY
Beloved Student: - I have just finished reading
your
interesting letter. I thank you for acknowledging me as |
| 30 |
your Leader, and I know that every true follower of
Page 358
|
| 1 |
Christian Science abides by the definite rules which de-
monstrate the true following of their Leader; therefore, |
| 3 |
if you are sincere in your protestations and are doing
as
you say you are, you will be blessed in your obedience.
The Scriptures say, "Watch and pray,
that ye enter |
| 6 |
not into temptation." You are aware that animal mag-
netism is the opposite of divine Science, and that this
opponent is the
means whereby the conflict against |
| 9 |
Truth is engendered and developed. Beloved ! you need
to
watch and pray that the enemy of good cannot separate
you from your Leader
and best earthly friend.
|
| 12 |
You have been duly informed by me that, however
much I
desire to read all that you send to me, I have not
the time to do so. The
Christian Science Publishing |
| 15 |
Society will settle the question whether or not they
shall
publish your poems. It is part of their duties to relieve
me of
so much labor.
|
| 18 |
I thank you for the money you send me which was
given you
by your students. I shall devote it to a worthy
and charitable purpose.
|
| 21 |
Mr. Adam Dickey is my secretary, through whom all
my
business is transacted.
Give my best wishes and love to your
dear students |
| 24 |
and church.
Lovingly your teacher and Leader,
MARY BAKER EDDY
|
| 27 |
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS.,
July 12, 1909
TAKE NOTICE
|
| 30 |
I approve the By-laws of The Mother Church, and
require
the Christian Science Board of Directors to main-
Page 359
|
| 1 |
tain them and sustain them. These Directors do not
act
contrary to the rules of the Church Manual, neither |
| 3 |
do they trouble me with their difficulties with individ-
uals in their own church or with the members of branch
churches.
|
| 6 |
My province as a Leader - as the Discoverer and
Founder
of Christian Science - is not to interfere in
cases of discipline, and I
hereby publicly declare that I |
| 9 |
am not personally involved in the affairs of the church
in
any other way than through my written and published
rules, all of
which can be read by the individual who |
| 12 |
desires to inform himself of the facts.
MARY BAKER
EDDY
BROOKLINE, MASS., |
| 15 |
October 12, 1909
A LETTER FROM MRS.
EDDY
In the Sentinel of July 31,
1909, there appeared under |
| 18 |
the heading "None good but one," a number of quota-
tions
from a composite letter, dated July 19, which had
been written to Mrs.
Augusta E. Stetson by twenty-four |
| 21 |
of her students who then occupied offices in the building
of First Church of Christ, Scientist, of New York, and
were known as "the
practitioners." This letter was for- |
| 24 |
warded to Mrs. Eddy by Mrs. Stetson with the latter's
unqualified approval. Upon receipt of this letter Mrs.
Eddy wrote to Mrs.
Stetson as follows: -
|
| 27 |
My Dear Student: -Awake and arise from this temp-
tation produced by animal magnetism upon yourself,
allowing your students
to deify you and me. Treat your- |
| 30 |
self for it and get your students to help you rise out of
it.
Page 360
|
| 1 |
It will be your destruction if you do not do this. Answer
this letter immediately.
|
| 3 |
As ever, lovingly your teacher,
MARY BAKER EDDY
BROOKLINE,
MASS., |
| 6 |
July 23, 1909
A LETTER BY MRS.
EDDY (1)
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES,
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST |
| 9 |
NEW YORK CITY
Beloved Brethren: - In consideration of the present
momentous question at
issue in First Church of Christ, |
| 12 |
Scientist, New York City, I am constrained to say, if I
can settle this church difficulty amicably by a few words,
as many students
think I can, I herewith cheerfully |
| 15 |
subscribe these words of love: -
My beloved brethren in First Church of
Christ, Sci-
entist, New York City, I advise you with all my soul
to |
| 18 |
support the Directors of The Mother Church, and unite
with those in your church who are supporting The Mother
Church Directors.
Abide in fellowship with and obedi- |
| 21 |
ence to The Mother Church, and in this way God will
bless
and prosper you. This I know, for He has proved
it to me for forty years in
succession. |
| 24 |
Lovingly yours,
MARY BAKER EDDY
BROOKLINE, MASS., |
| 27 |
November 13, 1909
A LETTER BY MRS.
EDDY
My Dear Student: - Your favor of the 10th instant is |
| 30 |
at hand. God is above your teacher, your healer, or any
(1) The text here given is
that of the original letter as sent by Mrs. Eddy, and
published in the
Christian Science Sentinel of November 20, 1909. This letter was
republished in the Sentinel of December 4, 1909, at Mrs. Eddy's request,
with
the words "in Truth" inserted after the word "Abide."
Page 361
|
| 1 |
earthly friend. Follow the directions of God as
simplified
in Christian Science, and though it be through deserts |
| 3 |
He will direct you into the paths of peace.
I do not presume to give you personal
instruction as
to your relations with other students. All I say is
stated |
| 6 |
in Christian Science to be used as a model. Please find
it there, and do not bring your Leader into a personal
conflict.
|
| 9 |
I have not seen Mrs. Stetson for over a year, and have
not written to her since August 30, 1909.
Sincerely yours, |
| 12 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
BROOKLINE, MASS.,
December 11, 1909
A TELEGRAM AND MRS.
EDDY'S REPLY
[Telegram]
MRS. MARY BAKER EDDY, |
| 18 |
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Beloved Leader: - We
rejoice that our church has
promptly made its demonstration by action at
its annual |
| 21 |
meeting in accordance with your desire for a truly demo-
cratic and liberal government.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES,
|
| 24 |
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
NEW YORK, N. Y.,
CHARLES DEAN, Chairman, |
| 27 |
ARTHUR O. PROBST, Clerk
NEW YORK, N. Y.,
January 19, 1910
Page 362
Mrs. Eddy's Reply
CHARLES A. DEAN, CHAIRMAN BOARD of TRUSTEES, |
| 3 |
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, NEW YORK CITY
Beloved Brethren: - I rejoice with you in the victory
of
right over wrong, of Truth over error. |
| 6 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
CHESTNUT HILL,
MASS.,
January 20, 1910
A LETTER AND MRS.
EDDY'S REPLY
MRS. MARY BAKER EDDY,
Chestnut
Hill, Mass.
|
| 12 |
Revered Leader, Counsellor, and Friend: - The
Trustees
and Readers of all the Christian Science churches and
societies of Greater New York, for the first time gath- |
| 15 |
ered in one place with one accord, to confer harmoniously
and unitedly in promoting and enlarging the activities
of the Cause of
Christian Science in this community, as |
| 18 |
their first act send you their loving greetings.
With hearts filled with gratitude to
God, we rejoice in
your inspired leadership, in your wise counselling.
We |
| 21 |
revere and cherish your friendship, and assure you that
it is our intention to take such action as will unite the
churches and
societies in this field in the bonds of Chris- |
| 24 |
tian love and fellowship, thus demonstrating practical
Christianity.
Gratefully yours,
|
| 27 |
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
SECOND CHURCH OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
Page 363
|
| 1 |
THIRD CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
FOURTH CHURCH OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST, |
| 3 |
FIFTH CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
SIXTH CHURCH OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, Brooklyn, |
| 6 |
FOURTH CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, Brooklyn,
FIRST
CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, Staten Island,
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE SOCIETY,
Bronx, |
| 9 |
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE SOCIETY, Flushing, L. I.,
By the
Committee
NEW YORK, N. Y., |
| 12 |
February 5, 1910
Mrs. Eddy's Reply
This proof that sanity and Science govern the Christian
|
| 15 |
Science churches in Greater New York is soul inspiring.
MARY BAKER EDDY
[The Christian Science Journal, July, 1895. Reprinted
in Christian |
| 18 |
Science Sentinel, November 13, 1909]
TO THE MEMBERS OF
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST ASSOCIATION
|
| 21 |
My address before the Christian Scientist Associa-
tion
has been misrepresented and evidently misunder-
stood by some students. The
gist of the whole subject |
| 24 |
was not to malpractise unwittingly. In order to be
sure
that one is not doing this, he must avoid naming,
in his mental treatment,
any other individual but the |
| 27 |
patient whom he is treating, and practise only to heal.
Any deviation from this direct rule is more or less
Page 364
|
| 1 |
dangerous. No mortal is infallible, - hence the Scrip-
ture, "Judge no man."
. . .
|
| 3 |
The rule of mental practice in Christian Science is
strictly to handle no other mentality but the mind of
your patient, and
treat this mind to be Christly. Any |
| 6 |
departure from this golden rule is inadmissible. This
mental practice includes and inculcates the command-
ment, "Thou shalt have
no other gods before me." |
| 9 |
Animal magnetism, hypnotism, etc., are disarmed by
the practitioner who excludes from his own conscious-
ness, and that of his
patients, all sense of the realism |
| 12 |
of any other cause or effect save that which cometh
from
God. And he should teach his students to defend
themselves from all evil,
and to heal the sick, by |
| 15 |
recognizing the supremacy and allness of good. This
epitomizes what heals all manner of sickness and dis-
ease, moral or
physical.
MARY BAKER EDDY
[Christian Science Sentinel,
February 15, 1908]
CONCORD, N. H., TO
MRS. EDDY, AND MRS. EDDY'S REPLY
THE ESTEEM IN WHICH MRS.
EDDY IS HELD IN CONCORD HAS
BEEN OFFICIALLY EXPRESSED IN THE FOLLOWING
PREAMBLE |
| 24 |
AND RESOLUTIONS, WHICH WERE
UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED BY
THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THAT
CITY AND THUS HAVE BECOME A PART OF CONCORD'S RECORDS
|
| 27 |
Concord, New Hampshire, to Rev. Mary Baker G.
Eddy
Whereas, Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy has decided to |
| 30 |
make her home in Massachusetts, after a residence of
nineteen years in Concord, and
Page 365
|
| 1 |
Whereas, her residence here has been the source of
so
much good to the city, and
|
| 3 |
Whereas, the most kindly and helpful relations
have
ever existed between Mrs. Eddy and Concord and Con-
cord
people,
|
| 6 |
Be It Resolved, That the City of Concord, through
its
Board of Aldermen and Common Council, in joint
convention, convey
to Mrs. Eddy,
|
| 9 |
1. Its appreciation of her life in its midst,
2. Its
regrets over her departure, and
3. The hope that though absent she will
always |
| 12 |
cherish a loving regard for the city, near which she was
born, and for its people, among whom she has lived for
so many years.
|
| 15 |
Be It Resolved, That the Mayor and City Clerk be
authorized and instructed to sign and attest this testi-
monial in behalf
of the City Council.
|
| 18 |
Done this tenth day of February, nineteen hundred
and
eight.
CHARLES R. CORNING, Mayor |
| 21 |
Attest: HENRY E. CHAMBERLAIN, City Clerk
Mrs.
Eddy's Reply
TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY
COUNCIL, |
| 24 |
CONCORD, N. H.
Gentlemen: - I have not only
the pleasure, but the
honor of replying to the City Council of Concord,
in |
| 27 |
joint convention assembled, and to Alderman Cressy,
for
the kindly resolutions passed by your honorable
body, and for which I thank
you deeply. Lest I should |
| 30 |
acknowledge more than I deserve of praise, I leave their
courteous opinions to their good judgment.
Page 366
|
| 1 |
My early days hold rich recollections of associations
with your churches and institutions, and memory has a |
| 3 |
distinct model in granite of the good folk in Concord,
which, like the granite of their State, steadfast and
enduring, has hinted
this quality to other states and |
| 6 |
nations all over the world.
My home influence, early education,
and church
experience, have unquestionably ripened into the
fruits |
| 9 |
of my present religious experience, and for this I prize
them. May I honor this origin and deserve the con-
tinued friendship and
esteem of the people in my native |
| 12 |
State.
Sincerely yours,
MARY BAKER G. EDDY
|
| 15 |
BOX G, BROOKLINE, MASS.,
February 13, 1908
|