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CHURCH SERVICES
Article
XIV - THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PASTOR
Ordination. SECTION 1. I, Mary Baker
Eddy, ordain the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES,
Pastor over The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass., and they will continue to preach for this Church and the
world.
The Lesson-Sermon. SECTION 2. The subject
of the Lesson-Sermon in the morning service of The Mother Church, and of the
branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, shall be repeated at the other services
on Sunday. The correlative Biblical texts in the Lesson-Sermon shall extend
from Genesis to Revelation.
Article
XV -READING IN PUBLIC
Announcing Author's
Name. SECTION 1. To pour into the ears of
listeners the sacred revelations of Christian Science indiscriminately, or
without characterizing their origin and thus distinguishing them from the
writings of authors who think at random on this subject, is to lose some weight
in the scale of right thinking. Therefore it is the duty of every member of
this Church, when publicly reading or quot- ing from the books or poems of our
Pastor Emeritus, first to announce the name of the author. Members shall also
instruct their pupils to adopt the aforenamed method for the benefit of our
Cause.
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Article
XVI -WELCOMING STRANGERS
The Leader's Welcome. SECTION 1. Mrs.
Eddy welcomes to her seats in the church, persons of all sects and
denominations who come to listen to the Sunday sermon and are not otherwise
provided with seats.
The Local Members' Welcome. SECTION 2. It
shall be the duty and privilege of the local members of The Mother Church to
give their seats, if necessary, to strangers who may come to attend the morning
services.
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Article
XVII -SERVICES UNINTERRUPTED
Continued Throughout the Year. SECTION 1.
The services of The Mother Church shall be continued twelve months each year.
One meeting on Sunday during the months of July and August is sufficient. A
Christian Scientist is not fatigued by prayer, by reading the Scriptures or the
Christian Science textbook. Amusement or idleness is weariness. Truth and Love
rest the weary and heavy laden.
Easter Observances. SECTION 2. In the
United States there shall be no special observances, festivities, nor gifts at
the Easter season by members of The Mother Church. Gratitude and love should
abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our
beloved Master, "Let the dead bury their dead," and "Follow thou me," appeal to
daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen
Lord.
Laying a Corner Stone. SECTION 3. No
large gathering of people nor display shall be allowed when laying the Corner
Stone of a Church of Christ, Scientist. Let the ceremony be devout. No special
trowel should be used. (See SCIENCE AND HEALTH, page 140.)
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Overflow Meetings. SECTION 4. A Church of
Christ, Scientist, shall not hold two or more Sunday services at the same hour.
Article
XVIII -COMMUNION
No more
Communion. SECTION 1. The Mother Church of
Christ, Scientist, shall observe no more Communion seasons.
Communion of Branch
Churches. SECTION 2. The Communion shall be
observed in the branch churches on the second Sunday in January and July of
each year, and at this service the Tenets of The Mother Church are to be
read.
Article
XIX - MUSIC IN THE CHURCH
Soloist and Organist. SECTION 1. The
music in The Mother Church shall not be operatic, but of an appropriate
religious character and of a recognized standard of musical excellence; it
shall be played in a dignified and suitable man- ner. Music from the organ
alone should continue about eight or nine minutes for the voluntary and six or
seven minutes for the postlude, the offertory conforming to the time required
to take the collection. The solo singer shall not neglect to sing any special
hymn selected by the Board of Directors.
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Article
XX - SUNDAY SCHOOL
The Sunday
School. SECTION 1. Pupils may be received in
the Sunday School classes of any Church of Christ, Scientist, up to the age of
twenty years, and by transfer from another Church of Christ, Scientist, up to
that age, but no pupil shall remain in the Sunday School of any Church of
Christ, Scientist, after reaching the age of twenty. None except the officers,
teachers, and pupils should attend the Sunday School exercises.
Teaching the Children. SECTION 2. The
Sabbath School children shall be taught the Scriptures, and they shall be
instructed according to their understanding or ability to grasp the simpler
meanings of the divine Principle that they are taught.
Subject for Lessons. SECTION 3. The first
lessons of the children should be the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 3-17), the
Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6: 9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker
Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 3-12). The next lessons consist of such
questions and answers as are adapted to a juvenile class, and may be found in
the Christian Science Quarterly Lessons, read in Church services. The
instruction given by the children's teachers must not deviate from the absolute
Christian Science contained in their textbook.
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READING ROOMS
Article
XXI
Establishment. SECTION 1. Each
church of the Christian Science denomination shall have a Reading Room, though
two or more churches may unite in having Reading Rooms, provided these rooms
are well located.
Librarian. SECTION 2. The individuals who
take charge of the Reading Rooms of The Mother Church shall be elected by the
Christian Science Board of Directors, subject to the approval of Mary Baker
Eddy. He or she shall have no bad habits, shall have had experience in the
Field, shall be well educated, and a devout Christian Scientist.(1)
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Literature in Reading Rooms. SECTION 3.
The literature sold or exhibited in the reading rooms of Christian Science
Churches shall consist only of Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, and other writings by this author; also the
literature published or sold by The Christian Science Publishing Society.
RELATION AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS TO PASTOR EMERITUS
Article
XXII
The Title of Mother
Changed. SECTION 1. In the year eighteen
hundred and ninety-five, loyal Christian Scientists had given to the author of
their textbook, the Founder of Christian Science, the individual, endearing
term of Mother. At first Mrs. Eddy objected to being called thus, but afterward
consented on the ground that this appellative in the Church meant nothing more
than a tender term such as sister or brother. In the year nineteen hundred and
three and after, owing to the public misunderstanding of this name, it is the
duty of Christian Scientists to (1)See also Article XXV, Sect. 7. drop the word
mother and to substitute Leader, already used in our
periodicals.
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A Member not a Leader. SECTION 2. A
member of The First Church of Christ, Sci- entist, in Boston, Mass., shall not
be called Leader by members of this Church, when this term is used in
connection with Christian Science.
Obedience Required. SECTION 3. It shall
be the duty of the officers of this Church, of the editors of the Christian
Science Journal, Sentinel, and Der Herold, of the members of the
Committees on Publication, of the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing
Society, and of the Board of Education promptly to comply with any written
order, signed by Mary Baker Eddy, which applies to their official functions.
Disobedience to this By-Law shall be sufficient cause for the removal of the
offending member from office. The vacancy shall be supplied by a majority vote
of the Christian Science Board of Directors, and the candidate shall be subject
to the approval of Mary Baker Eddy.
Understanding Communications. SECTION 4.
If the Clerk of this Church shall receive a copy of this fact before presenting
it to the Church and obtain a clear understanding of the matter, then act in
accordance therewith.
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Interpreting Communications. SECTION 5.
If at a meeting of this Church a doubt or disagreement shall arise among the
members as to the signification of the communications of the Pastor Emeritus to
them, before action is taken it shall be the duty of the Clerk to report to her
the vexed question and to await her explanation thereof.
Reading and Attesting Letters. SECTION 6.
When a letter or a message from the Pastor Emeritus is brought before a meeting
of this Church, or she is referred to as authority for business, it shall be
the duty of the Church to inquire if all of the letter has been read, and to
require all of it to be read; also to have any authority supposed to come from
her satisfactorily attested.
Unauthorized Reports. SECTION 7. Members
of this Church shall not report on authority an order from Mrs. Eddy that she
has not sent, either to the Boards or to the executive bodies of this Church.
The Pastor Emeritus is not to be consulted on cases of discipline, on the cases
of candidates for admission to this Church, or on the cases of those on trial
for dismissal from the Church.
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Private Communications. SECTION 8. A
strictly private communication from the Pastor Emeritus to a member of her
Church shall not be made public without her written consent.
Unauthorized Legal Action. SECTION 9. A
member of this Church shall not employ an attorney, nor take legal action on a
case not provided for in its By-Laws - if said case relates to the person or to
the property of Mary Baker Eddy - without having personally conferred with her
on said subject.
Duty to God. SECTION 10. Members of this
Church who turn their attention from the divine Principle of being to
personality, sending gifts, congratulatory despatches or letters to the Pastor
Emeritus on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, or Easter, break a rule of this
Church and are amenable therefor.
Opportunity for Serving the Leader.
SECTION 11. At the written request of the Pastor Emeritus, Mrs. Eddy, the Board
of Directors shall immediately notify a person who has been a member of this
Church at least three years to go in ten days to her, and it shall be the duty
of the member thus notified to remain with Mrs. Eddy three years consecutively.
A member who leaves her in less time without the Directors' consent or who
declines to obey this call to duty, upon Mrs. Eddy's complaint thereof shall be
excommunicated from The Mother Church. Members thus serving the Leader shall be
paid semi-annually at the rate of one thousand dollars yearly in addition to
rent and board. Those members whom she teaches the course in Divinity, and who
remain with her three consecutive years, receive the degree of the
Massachusetts Metaphysical College.
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Location. SECTION 12. Rev. Mary Baker
Eddy calls to her home or allows to visit or to locate therein only those
individuals whom she engages through the Christian Science Board of Directors
of the Mother Church. This By-Law takes effect on Dec. 15, 1908.
Agreement Required. SECTION l3. When the
Christian Science Board of Directors calls a student in accordance with Article
XXII, Sect. 11, of our Church Manual to the home of their Leader, Mrs. Eddy,
said student shall come under a signed agreement to remain with Mrs. Eddy if
she so desires, during the time specified in the Church Manual.
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Incomplete Term of Service. SECTION 14.
If a student who has been called to serve our Leader in accordance with Article
XXII, Sect. 11, of the Church Manual leaves her before the expira- tion of the
time therein mentioned such student shall pay to Mrs. Eddy whatsoever she may
charge for what she has taught him or her during the time of such service.
Help. SECTION 15. If the author of the
Christian Science textbook call on this Board for household help or a handmaid,
the Board shall immediately appoint a proper member of this Church therefor,
and the appointee shall go im- mediately in obedience to the call. "He that
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.'' (Matt. 10:37.)
Students with Mrs. Eddy. SECTION 16.
Students employed by Mrs. Eddy at her home shall not take care of their
churches or attend to other affairs outside of her house.
Mrs. Eddy's Room. SECTION l7. The room in
The Mother Church formerly known as "Mother's Room" shall hereafter be closed
to visitors.
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Pastor Emeritus to be Consulted. SECTION
18. The Mother Church shall not make a church By- law, nor enter into a
business transaction with a Christian Scientist in the employ of Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy, without first consulting her on said subject and adhering strictly
to her advice thereon.
THE MOTHER CHURCH AND BRANCH CHURCHES
Article
XXIII
Local
Self-government. SECTION 1. The Mother Church
of Christ, Scientist, shall assume no general official control of other
churches, and it shall be controlled by none other. Each Church of Christ,
Scientist, shall have its own form of government. No conference of churches
shall be held, unless it be when our churches, located in the same State,
convene to confer on a statute of said State, or to confer harmoniously on
individual unity and action of the churches in said State.
Titles. SECTION 2. "The First Church of
Christ, Scientist," is the legal title of The Mother Church. Branch churches of
The Mother Church may take the title of First Church of Christ, Scientist;
Second Church of Christ, Scientist; and so on, where more than one church is
established in the same place; but the article "The" must not be used before
titles of branch churches, nor written on applications for membership in naming
such churches.
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Mother Church Unique. SECTION 3. In its
relation to other Christian Science churches, in its By-Laws and
self-government, The Mother Church stands alone; it occupies a position that no
other church can fill. Then for a branch church to assume such position would
be disastrous to Christian Science. Therefore, no Church of Christ, Scientist,
shall be considered loyal that has branch churches or adopts The Mother
Church's form of government, except in such cases as are specially allowed and
named in this Manual.
Tenets Copyrighted. SECTION 4. Branch
churches shall not write the Tenets of The Mother Church in their church books,
except they give the name of their author and her permission to publish them as
Tenets of The Mother Church, copyrighted in SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES.
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Manual. SECTION 5. Branch churches shall
not adopt, print, nor publish the Manual of The Mother Church. See Article
XXXV, Sect. 1.
Organizing Churches. SECTION 6. A member
of this Church who obeys its By-Laws and is a loyal exemplary Christian
Scientist working in the Field, is eligible to form a church in conformity with
Sect. 7 of this Article, and to have church services conducted by reading the
SCRIPTURES and the Christian Science textbook. This church shall be
acknowledged publicly as a Church of Christ, Scientist. Upon proper
application, made in accordance with the rules of The Christian Science
Publishing Society, the serv- ices of such a church may be advertised in The
Christian Science Journal. The branch churches shall be individual, and not
more than two small churches shall consolidate under one church government. If
the Pastor Emeritus, Mrs. Eddy, should relinquish her place as the head or
Leader of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, each branch church shall
continue its present form of government in consonance with The Mother Church
Manual.
Requirements for Organizing Branch
Churches. SECTION 7. A branch church of The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, Boston, Mass., shall not be organized with less than sixteen loyal
Christian Scientists, four of whom are members of The Mother Church. This
membership shall include at least one active practitioner whose card is
published in the list of practitioners in The Christian Science
Journal.
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Privilege of Members. SECTION 8. Members
in good standing with The Mother Church, who are members of the faculty,
instructors, or students organization.
No Close Communion. SECTION 9. The Mother
Church and the branch churches shall not confine their membership to the pupils
of one teacher.
No Interference. SECTION 10. A member of
The Mother Church may be a member of one branch Church of Christ, Scientist, or
of one Christian Science society holding public services, but he shall not be a
member of both a branch church and a society; neither shall he exercise
supervision or control over any other church. In Christian Science each branch
church shall be distinctly democratic in its government, and no individual, and
no other church shall interfere with its affairs.
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Teachers' and Practitioners' Offices.
SECTION 11. Teachers and practitioners of Christian Science shall not have
their offices or rooms in the branch churches, in the reading rooms, nor in
rooms connected therewith.
Recognition. SECTION 12. In order to be
eligible to a card in The Christian Science Journal, churches and
societies are required to acknowl- edge as such all other Christian Science
churches and societies advertised in said Journal, and to maintain
toward them an attitude of Christian fellowship.
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GUARDIANSHIP OF CHURCH FUNDS
Article
XXIV
Church Edifice a Testimonial. SECTION 1.
Whereas, on March 20, 1895, the Christian Science Board of Directors, in behalf
of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Mass., presented to Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy their church edifice as a Testimonial of this Church's love and
gratitude, and she, with grateful ac- knowledgments thereof, declined to
receive this munificent gift, she now understands the finan- cial situation
between the Christian Science Board of Directors and said Church to be as
follows:
Financial Situation. SECTION 2. The
Christian Science Board of Directors owns the church edifices, with the land
whereon they stand, legally; and the Church members own the aforesaid premises
and buildings, beneficially. After the first church was built, the balance of
the building funds, which remained in the hands of the Directors, belonged to
the Church, and not solely to the Directors. The balance of the church building
funds, which can be spared after the debts are paid, should remain on safe
deposit, to be hereafter used for the benefit of this Church, as the right
occasion may call for it. The following indicates the proper management of the
Church funds:
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Report of Directors. SECTION 3. It shall
be the duty of the Christian Science Board of Directors to have the books of
the Church Treas- urer audited semi-annually, and to report at the annual
Church meeting the amount of funds which the Church has on hand, the amount of
its indebtedness and of its expenditures for the last year.
Finance Committee. SECTION 4. There
shall be a Committee on Finance, which shall consist of three members of this
Church in good standing. Its members shall be appointed annually by the
Christian Science Board of Directors and with the consent of the Pastor
Emeritus. They shall hold quarterly meetings and keep themselves thoroughly
informed as to the real estate owned by this Church and the amount of funds
received by the Treasurer of The Mother Church, who is individually responsible
for said funds. They shall have the books of the Christian Science Board of
Directors and the books of the Church Treasurer audited annually by an honest,
competent accountant. The books are to be audited on May first. Treasurer of
this Church shall submit them all to said committee for examination. This
committee shall decide thereupon by a unanimous Prior to paying bills against
the Church, the vote, and its endorsement of the bills shall render them
payable. If it be found that the Church funds have not been properly managed,
it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors and the Treasurer to be
individually responsible for the performance of their several offices
satisfactorily, and for the proper distribution of the funds of which they are
the custodians.
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God's Requirement. SECTION 5. God
requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the
proceedings of the members of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ,
Scientist.
Provision for the Future. SECTION 6. In
case of any possible future deviation from duty, the Committee on Finance shall
visit the Board of Directors, and, in a Christian spirit and manner, demand
that each member thereof comply with the By-Laws of the Church. If any Director
fails to heed this admonition, he may be dis missed from office and the vacancy
supplied by the Board.
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Debt and Duty. SECTION 7. The Mother
Church shall not be made legally responsible for the debts of individuals
except such debts as are specified in its By-Laws. Donations from this Church
shall not be made without the written consent of the Pastor Emeritus. Also
important move- ments of the manager of the Committee on Publication shall be
sanctioned by the Board of Directors and be subject to the approval of Mary
Baker Eddy. (See Article I, Sect. 6.)
Emergencies. SECTION 8. The Treasurer,
personally, or through the Clerk of the Church, may pay from the funds of the
Church bills of immediate necessity not exceeding $200 for any one transaction,
and he may keep on deposit the sum of $500 with the Clerk, as a petty cash
fund, to be used by him for the payment of such bills. Such payments shall be
reported, on the first of the following month, to the Board of Directors and
the Committee on Finance, for their approval.
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Committee on Business. SECTION 9. The
Christian Science Board of Directors shall elect annually a Committee on
Business, which shall consist of not less than three loyal members of The
Mother Church, who shall transact promptly and efficiently such business as
Mrs. Eddy, the Directors, or the Committee on Publication shall commit to it.
While the mem- bers of this Committee are engaged in the transaction of the
business assigned to them they shall be paid from the Church funds. Before
being eligible for office the names of the persons nominated for said office
shall be presented to Mrs. Eddy for her written approval.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY
Article
XXV
Board of Trustees. SECTION 1. The Board
of Trustees, constituted by a Deed of Trust given by Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, the
Pastor Emeritus of this Church, on January twentyfifth, 1898, shall hold and
manage the property therein conveyed, and conduct the business of "The
Christian Science Publishing Society" on a strictly Christian basis, for the
promotion of the interests of Christian Science.
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Disposal of Funds. SECTION 2. The net
profits of the business shall be paid over semi-annually to the Treasurer of
The Mother Church. He shall hold this money subject to the order of the
Christian Science Board of Directors, which is authorized to order its
disposition only in accordance with the By-Laws contained in this Manual.
Vacancies in Trusteeship. SECTION 3. The
Christian Science Board of Directors shall have the power to declare vacancies
in said trusteeship, for such reasons as to the Board may seem expedient.
Whenever a vacancy shall occur, the Pastor Emeritus reserves the right to fill
the same by appointment; but if she does not elect to exercise this right, the
remaining trustees shall fill the vacancy, subject to her approval.
Editors and Manager. SECTION 4. The term
of office for the editors and the manager of The Christian Science Publishing
Society is one year each, dating from the time of election to the office.
Incumbents who have served one year or more can be re-elected, or new officers
elected, by a unanimous vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors, and
the consent of the Pastor Emeritus given in her own handwriting.
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Suitable Employees. SECT. 5. A person who
is not accepted by the Pastor Emeritus and the Christian Science Board of
Directors as suitable, shall in no manner be connected with publishing her
books, nor with editing or publishing The Christian Science Journal,
Christian Science Sentinel, Der Herold der Christian Science, nor with The
Christian Science Publishing Society.
Periodicals. SECTION 6. Periodicals which
shall at any time be published by The Christian Science Publishing Society,
shall be copyrighted and conducted according to the provisions in the Deed of
Trust relating to The Christian Science Journal.
Rule of Conduct. SECTION 7. No
objectionable pictures shall be exhibited in the rooms where the Christian
Science textbook is published or sold. No idle gossip, no slander, no
mischief-making, no evil speaking shall be allowed.
Books to be Published. SECTION 8. Only
the Publishing Society of The Mother Church selects, approves, and publishes
the books and literature it sends forth. If Mary Baker Eddy disap- proves of
certain books or literature, the Society will not publish them. The Committees
on Publication are in no manner connected with these functions. A book or an
article of which Mrs. Eddy is the author shall not be published nor republished
by this Society without her knowledge or written consent.
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Removal of Cards. SECTION 9. No cards
shall be removed from our periodicals without the request of the advertiser,
except by a majority vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors at a
meeting held for this purpose or for the examination of complaints. Members of
this Church who practise other professions or pursue other vocations, shall not
advertise as healers, excepting those members who are officially engaged in the
work of Christian Science, and they must devote ample time for faithful
practice.
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TEACHING CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Article
XXVI - TEACHERS
Motive in Teaching. SECTION 1. Teaching
Christian Science shall not be a question of money, but of morals and religion,
healing and uplifting the race.
Care of Pupils. SECTION 2. Christian
Scientists who are teachers shall carefully select for pupils such only as have
good past records and promising proclivities toward Christian Science. A
teacher shall not assume personal control of, or attempt to dominate his
pupils, but he shall hold himself morally obligated to promote their prog- ress
in the understanding of divine Principle, not only during the class term but
after it, and to watch well that they prove sound in sentiment and practical in
Christian Science. He shall persistently and patiently counsel his pupils in
conformity with the unerring laws of God, and shall enjoin them habitually to
study the Scriptures and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES as a
help thereto.
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Defense against Malpractice. SECTION 3.
Teachers shall instruct their pupils how to de- fend themselves against mental
malpractice, never to return evil for evil, but to know the truth that makes
free, and thus to be a law, not unto others, but to themselves.
Number of Pupils. SECTION 4. The teachers
of Christian Science shall teach but one class yearly, which class shall
consist of not more than thirty pupils. After 1907, the Board of Education
shall have one class triennially, a Normal class not exceeding thirty pupils.
Pupil's Tuition. SECTION 5. A student's
price for teaching Christian Science shall not exceed $100.00 per pupil.
Associations. SECTION 6. The associations
of the pupils of loyal teachers shall convene annually. The pupils shall be
guided by the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH, not by their teachers personal
views. Teachers shall not call their pupils together, or assemble a selected
number of them, for more frequent meetings.
A Single Field of Labor. SECTION 7. A
loyal teacher of Christian Science shall not teach another loyal teacher's
pupil, except it be in the Board of Education. Outside of this Board each
student occupies only his own field of labor. Pupils may visit each other's
churches, and by invitation attend each other's associations.
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Caring for Pupils of Strayed Members.
SECTION 8. A loyal teacher of Christian Science may teach and receive into his
association the pupils of another member of this Church who has so strayed as
justly to be deemed, under the provisions of Article XII, Sect. 1, not ready to
lead his pupils.
Teachers must have Certificates. SECTION
9. A member of this Church shall not teach pupils Christian Science unless he
has a certificate to show that he has been taught by Mrs. Eddy or has taken a
Normal Course at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College or in the Board of
Education. Such members who have not been continuously active and loyal
Christian Scientists since receiving instruction as above, shall not teach
Christian Science without the approval of The Christian Science Board of
Directors.
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Article
XXVII - PUPILS
Authorized to Teach. SECTION 1. After a
student's pupil has been duly authorized to be a teacher of Christian Science,
or has been under the personal instruction of Mrs. Eddy, he is no longer under
the jurisdiction of his former teacher.
Without Teachers. SECTION 2. Those
beloved brethren whose teacher has left them, can elect an experienced
Christian Scientist, who is not in charge of an association of students and who
is ready for this high calling, to conduct the meetings of their
association.
Basis for Teaching. SECTION 3. The
teachers of the Normal class shall teach from the chapter Recapitulation in
SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, and from the Christian Science
Platform, beginning on page 330 of the revised editions since 1902, and they
shall teach nothing contrary thereto. The teachers of the Primary class shall
instruct their pupils from the said chapter on "Recapitulation" only.
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Church Membership. SECTION 4. Neither the
Pastor Emeritus nor a member of this Church shall teach Roman Catholics
Christian Science, except it be with the written consent of the authority of
their Church. Choice of patients is left to the wisdom of the practitioner and Mrs. Eddy is not to be consulted on this subject.
Class Teaching. SECTION 5. Members of The
Mother Church who are authorized by its By-Laws to teach Christian Science,
shall not solicit, or cause or permit others to solicit, pupils for their
classes. No member of this Church shall advise against class instruction.
Teachers of Christian Science must have the necessary moral and spiritual
qualifications to elucidate the Principle and rule of Christian Science,
through the higher meaning of the Scriptures. "The less the teacher
personally controls other minds, and the more he trusts them to the divine
Truth and Love, the better it will be for both teacher and student."
(Retrospection and Introspection, page 84.)
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BOARD OF EDUCATION
Article
XXVIII -ORGANIZATION
Officers. SECTION 1. There
shall be a Board of Education, under the auspices of Mary Baker Eddy, President
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, consisting of three members, a
president, vice-president, and teacher of Christian Science. Obstetrics will
not be taught.
Election. SECTION 2. The vice-president
shall be elected annually by the Christian Science Board of Directors.
Beginning with 1907, the teacher shall be elected every third year by said
Board, and the candidate shall be subject to the approval of the Pastor
Emeritus.
President not to be Consulted. SECTION 3.
The President is not to be consulted by students on the question of applying
for admission to this Board nor on their course or conduct. The students can
confer with their teachers on subjects essential to their progress.
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Presidency of College. SECTION 4. Should
the President resign over her own signature or vacate her office of President
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, a meeting of the Christian Science
Board of Directors shall immediately be called, and the vice-president of the
Board of Education being found worthy, on receiving her approval shall be
elected to fill the vacancy.
Article
XXIX -APPLICANTS AND GRADUATES
Normal
Teachers.. SECTION 1. Loyal students who have
been taught in a Primary class by Mrs. Eddy and have practised Christian
Science healing acceptably three years, and who present such credentials as
are required to verify this fact, are eligible to receive the degree of C.S.D.
Qualifications. SECTION 2. Loyal
Christian Scientists' pupils who so desire may apply to the Board of Education
for instruction; and if they have practised Christian Science healing success-
fully three years and will furnish evidence of their eligibility therefor, they
are eligible to enter the Normal class. All members of this class must be
thorough English scholars.
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Certificates. SECTION 3. Students are
examined and given certificates by this Board if found qualified to receive
them.
Article
XXX - ACTION OF THE BOARD
Sessions. SECTION 1 . The term
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College will open with the Board of Education
on the first Wednesday of December. The sessions will continue not over one
week. None but the teacher and members of the College class shall be present at
the sessions, and no Primary classes shall be taught under the auspices of this
Board.
Special Instruction. SECTION 2. Not less
than two thorough lessons by a well qualified teacher shall be given to each
Normal class on the subject of mental practice and malpractice. One
student in the class shall prepare a paper on said subject that shall be read
to the class, thoroughly discussed, and understood; this paper shall be given
to the teacher, and he shall not allow it or a copy of it to remain, but shall
destroy this paper.
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Signatures. SECTION 3. The signature of
the teacher and of the President of the College shall be on all certificates
issued.
Remuneration and Free Scholarship.
SECTION 4. Tuition of class instruction in the Board of Education shall be
$100.00. The bearer of a card of free scholarship from the President, Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy, shall be entitled to a free course in this department on
presentation of the card to the teacher. Only the President gives free
admission to classes.
Surplus Funds. SECTION 5. Any surplus
funds left in the hands of the Board of Education shall be paid over annually
to the Treasurer of The Mother Church.
Primary Students. SECTION 6. Students of
Christian Science, duly instructed therein and with good moral records, not
having the certificate of C.S.D. may enter the Normal class in the Board of
Education, which will be held once in three years beginning A. D. 1907;
provided their diplomas are for three consecutive years under Mrs. Eddy's daily
conversation on Christian Science, or from the Massachusetts Meta-physical
College Board of Education.
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Healing Better than Teaching. SECTION 7.
Healing the sick and the sinner with Truth dem- onstrates what we affirm of
Christian Science, and nothing can substitute this demonstration. I recommend
that each member of this Church shall strive to demonstrate by his or her
practice, that Christian Science heals the sick quickly and wholly, thus
proving this Science to be all that we claim for it. If both husband and wife
are found duly qualified to teach Christian Science, either one, not both,
should teach yearly one class.
Not Members of The Mother Church. SECTION
8. No person shall receive instructions in Christian Science in any class in
the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, nor receive the degree of C.S.B. or
C.S.D., who is not a member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass. Only those persons who are members of this Church and possessed
of the qualifications named in Sect. 9 of Article XXVI of these By-Laws shall
be deemed loyal teachers of Christian Science.
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BOARD OF LECTURESHIP
Article
XXXI - ORGANIZATION AND DUTIES
Election. SECTION 1. This Church shall
maintain a Board of Lectureship, the members of which shall be elected annually
on Monday preceding the Annual Meeting, subject to the approval of the Pastor
Emeritus. The lecture year shall begin July 1 of each year.
Duty of Lecturers. SECTION 2. It is the
duty of the Board of Lectureship to include in each lecture a true and just
reply to public topics condemning Christian Science, and to bear testimony to
the facts pertaining to the life of the Pastor Emeritus. Each member shall mail
to the Clerk of this Church copies of his lectures before delivering them.
No Disruption of Branch Churches. SECTION
3. The Board of Lectureship is not allowed in anywise to meddle with nor to
disrupt the organization of branch churches. The lecturer can invite churches
within the city whither he is called to unite in their attendance on his
lecture, and so make for their churches a less lecture fee; but the churches
shall decide their action.
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Receptions. SECTION 4. As a rule there
should be no receptions nor festivities after a lecture on Christian Science,
but there may occur excep- tions. If there be an individual who goes to hear
and deride truth, he should go away contemplat- ing truth; and he who goes to
seek truth should have the opportunity to depart in quiet thought on
that subject.
Circuit Lecturer. SECTION 5. Upon the
written request of Mrs. Eddy, The Mother Church shall appoint a Circuit
Lecturer. His term of office, if approved, shall not be less than three years.
He shall lecture in the United States, in Canada, in Great Britain and Ireland.
A member shall neither resign nor transfer this sacred office.
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Article
XXXII - CALLS FOR LECTURES
The Directors. SECTION 1. When the need
is apparent, the Christian Science Board of Directors of The Mother Church may
call on any member of this Board of Lectureship to lecture at such places and
at such times as the cause of Christian Science demands.
From Branch Churches. SECTION 2. The
branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, may apply through their clerks to a
member of this Board of Lectureship for a speaker, and one shall be assigned
them by the Board.
From Societies. SECTION 3. If called for,
a member of the Board may lecture for a Society.
Annual Lectures. SECTION 4. The Mother
Church and the branch churches shall call on the Board of Lectureship annually
for one or more lectures.
No Lectures by Readers. SECTION 5. No
lecture shall be given by a Reader during his term of Readership. The duties
alone of a Reader are ample.
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No Wednesday Evening Lectures. SECTION 6.
The Board of Lectureship shall not appoint a lecture for Wednesday evening.
Lecture Fee. SECTION 7. The lecture fee
shall be left to the discretion of the lecturer.
Expenses. SECTION 8. The lecturer's
traveling expenses and the cost of hall shall be paid by the church that
employs him.
Exceptional Cases. SECTION 9. If a
lecturer receive a call to lecture in a place where he sees there is special
need, and the local church is unable to meet the expense, he is at liberty to
supply that need and trust to contributions for his fee.
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COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION
Article
XXXIII
In The Mother Church. SECTION 1. There
shall be appointed by The Mother Church a Committee on Publication, which shall
consist of one loyal Christian Scientist who lives in Boston, and he shall be
manager of the Committees on Publication throughout the United States, Canada,
Great Britain and Ireland. He shall be elected annually by a unanimous vote of
the Christian Science Board of Directors and the consent of the Pastor Emeritus
given in her own handwriting, and shall receive an annual salary, paid
quarterly, of not less than four thousand dollars.
Duties. SECTION 2. It shall be the duty
of the Committee on Publication to correct in a Christian manner impositions on
the public in regard to Christian Science, injustices done Mrs. Eddy or members
of this Church by the daily press, by periodicals or circulated literature of
any sort. This Committee on Publication shall be responsible for correcting or
having corrected a false newspaper article which has not been replied to by
other Scientists, or which has been forwarded to this Committee for the purpose
of having him reply to it. If the correction by the Committee on Publication is
not promptly published by the periodical in which it is desirable that this
cor- rection shall appear, this Committee shall immediately apply for aid to
the Committee on Business. Furthermore, the Committee on Pub- lication shall
read the last proof sheet of such an article and see that it is
published according to copy; he shall circulate in large quantities the papers
containing such an article, sending a copy to the Clerk of the Church. It shall
also be the duty of the Committee on Publication to have published each year in
a leading Boston newspaper the letter sent to the Pastor Emeritus by the Church
members in annual meeting as- sembled. The State Committees on Publication act
under the direction of this Committee on Publication.
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In Branch Churches. SECTION 3. The
Readers of the three largest branch churches in each State of the United States
and in Canada shall annually and alternately appoint a Committee on Publication
to serve in their localities. For the pur- poses of this By-Law, the State of
California shall be considered as though it were two States, the dividing line
being the 36th parallel of latitude. Each county of Great Britain and Ireland,
except as hereinafter specified, through the Readers of its three largest
branch churches, shall annually and alternately appoint a Committee on
Publication to serve in its locality. Each church is not necessarily confined
to its own members in select- ing this Committee, but if preferred, can appoint
a Committee on Publication who is in good fellowship with another Church of
Christ, Scientist. This By-Law applies to all States except Massachusetts, in
which the Committee on Publication is elected only by the Christian Science
Board of Directors. The Committee for the counties in which London, England, is
situated shall be appointed by the Christian Science Board of Directors, and he
shall, in addition to his other duties, act as District Manager of the
Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland.
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Appointment. SECTION 4. The Committees on
Publication shall consist of men generally. Each State Committee shall be
appointed by the First and Second Readers of the church employing said
Committee. If prior to the meeting of the church for the election of officers,
Mrs. Eddy shall send to the First Reader of the church the name of a candidate
for its Committee on Publi cation, the Readers shall appoint said candidate. Or
if she shall send a special request to any Committee on Publication, the
request shall be carried out according to her directions.
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Removal from Office. SECTION 5. If the
Committee on Publication neglects to fulfil the obligations of his office
according to these By-Laws, and this becomes apparent to the Christian Science
Board of Directors, it shall be the duty of the Directors immediately to act
upon this important matter in accordance with said By-Laws. The Christian
Science Board of Directors may notify any Church of Christ, Scientist, to
remove its Committee on Publication and to appoint another Committee to fill
the vacancy; and it shall be the duty of that church to comply with this
request. In such cases it shall be the privilege of this Board to name the
Committee if it so desires, and any Committee so named by the Board shall be
elected by the branch church.
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Case of Necessity. SECTION 6. If a
suitable man is not obtainable for Committee on Publication, a suitable woman
shall be elected. If at any time the Christian Science Board of Directors shall
determine that the manager of the general Committee on Publication needs an
assistant, the Board shall, with the approval of the Pastor Emeritus, appoint
an assistant manager, who shall receive an adequate salary from The Mother
Church.
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CHURCH-BUILDING
Article
XXXIV
Building Committee. SECTION 1. There
shall be a Building Committee consisting of not less than three members, and
this committee shall not be dissolved until the new church edifice is
completed. This committee shall elect, dismiss, or supply a vacancy of its
members by a majority vote.
Designation of Deeds. SECTION 2. All
deeds of further purchases of land for The First Church of Christ, Scientist,
in Boston, Mass., shall have named in them all the trusts mentioned in the
deeds given by Albert Metcalf and E. Noyes Whitcomb in March, 1903; but this
rule shall not apply to land purchased for any purpose other than the erection
of a church edifice. Also there shall be incorporated in all such deeds the
phrase, "Mary Baker Eddy's Church, The Mother Church or The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass."
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The Mother Church Building. SECTION 3.
The edifice erected in 1894 for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass., shall neither be demolished, nor removed from the site where it
was built, without the written consent of the Pastor Emeritus, Mary Baker Eddy.
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CHURCH MANUAL
Article
XXXV
For The Mother Church Only. SECTION 1.
The Church Manual of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.,
written byMary Baker Eddy and copyrighted, is adapted to The Mother Church
only. It stands alone, uniquely adapted to form the budding thought and hedge
it about with divine Love. This Manual shall not be revised without the written
consent of its author.
Seventy-third Edition the Authority.
SECTION 2. The Board of Directors, the Committee on Bible Lessons, and the
Board of Trustees shall each keep a copy of the Seventy-third Edition and of
subsequent editions of the Church Manual; and if a discrepancy appears in any
revised edition, these editions shall be cited as authority.
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Amendment of By-Laws. SECTION 3. No new
Tenet or By-Law shall be adopted, nor any Tenet or By-Law amended or annulled,
without the written consent of Mary Baker Eddy, the author of our textbook,
SCIENCE AND HEALTH.
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Appendix.
Page
109
Appendix. |