Trustees under the Will of Mary
Baker G. Eddy
Boston, U.S.A.
| 1 |
Lord God of Hosts, be with
us yet;
Lest we forget - lest we forget ! |
| 3 |
- Kipling's Recessional
IN these stirring times of church building, when the
attention of the whole world is fixed on Christian Sci- |
| 6 |
ence, when the growth and prosperity of the
Cause are
matters of general wonderment and frequent comment,
when the
right hand of fellowship is being extended to |
| 9 |
this people by other Christian
denominations, when pop-
ularity threatens to supersede persecution, it is
well
for earnest and loyal Christian Scientists to fortify them- |
| 12 |
selves against the mesmerism of personal
pride and self-
adulation by recalling the following historical facts:
-
1. That Mary Baker Eddy discovered
Christian Sci- |
| 15 |
ence in 1866, and established the Cause on
a sound basis
by healing the sick and reforming the sinner quickly
and
completely, and doing this work "without money and |
| 18 |
without price."
2. That in 1875, after nine years of
arduous prelimi-
nary labor, she wrote and published the Christian Sci-
|
| 21 |
ence textbook, "Science and Health with Key
to the
Scriptures;" that over four hundred thousand copies of
this book
have been sold - an unparalleled record for |
| 24 |
a work of this description; that it has
healed multi-
tudes of disease and has revealed God to well-nigh
Page
vi
|
| 1 |
countless numbers - facts which prove, (1)
that Science
and Health does not need to be interpreted to those who |
| 3 |
are earnestly seeking Truth; (2) that it is
not possible
to state truth absolutely in a simpler or more pleasing
form.
|
| 6 |
3. That no one on earth to-day, aside from
Mrs.
Eddy, knows anything about Christian Science except
as he has
learned it from her and from her writings; and |
| 9 |
Christian Scientists are honest only as
they give her full
credit for this extraordinary work.
4. That Mrs. Eddy organized The First
Church of |
| 12 |
Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.,
devised its church
government, originated its form of public worship,
wrote
its Church Manual and Tenets, and always has been |
| 15 |
and is now its guide, guardian, Leader,
and wise and
unerring counsellor.
5. That Mrs. Eddy founded The Christian
Science |
| 18 |
Journal in 1883, was its first
editor and for years the
principal contributor to its columns; that she
organized
The Christian Science Publishing Society, which in 1898, |
| 21 |
with its assets valued at forty-five
thousand dollars,
she made over to trustees under agreement to pay all
future profits to her church; that at the same time she |
| 24 |
presented to her church the property at 95
and 97
Falmouth Street, then occupied by the Publishing So-
ciety and
valued at twenty-five thousand dollars, reserv- |
| 27 |
ing for herself only a place for the
publishing of her
works; that she established the Christian Science
Sentinel
and authorized Der Herold der Christian Science, both
of
Page
vii
|
| 1 |
which, together with The Christian
Science Journal, are
the property of the Publishing Society.
|
| 3 |
Strive it ever so hard, The Church of
Christ, Scientist,
can never do for its Leader what its Leader has
done
for this church; but its members can so protect their |
| 6 |
own thoughts that they are not unwittingly
made to de-
prive their Leader of her rightful place as the revelator
to this age of the immortal truths testified to by Jesus |
| 9 |
and the prophets.
Deeds, not words,
are the sound test of love; and
the helpfulness of consistent and constant
right think- |
| 12 |
ing - intelligent thinking untainted by the
emotionalism
which is largely self-glorification - is a reasonable service
which all Christian Scientists can render their Leader.
|
| 15 |
- The Christian Science Journal,
May, 1906
Part I
The First Church of Christ
Scientist
CHAPTER I - "CHOOSE YE"
|
| 1 |
MESSAGE FROM MARY BAKER EDDY ON THE
OCCASION OF THE
DEDICATION OF THE EXTENSION OF THE |
| 3 |
MOTHER CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, JUNE
10, 1906
MY BELOVED BRETHREN:
- The divine might of
Truth demands well-doing in order to
demon- |
| 6 |
strate truth, and this not alone in accord
with human
desire but with spiritual power. St. John writes: "Blessed
are they that do His commandments, that they may have |
| 9 |
right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates
into the city." The sear leaves of faith without
works,
scattered abroad in Zion's waste places, appeal to re- |
| 12 |
formers, "Show me thy faith by thy
works."
Christian Science is
not a dweller apart in royal solitude;
it is not a law of matter, nor a
transcendentalism that |
| 15 |
heals only the sick. This Science is a law
of divine Mind,
a persuasive animus, an unerring impetus, an
ever-present
help. Its presence is felt, for it acts and acts wisely, |
| 18 |
always unfolding the highway of hope,
faith, understand-
ing. It is the higher criticism, the higher hope, and
its
effect on man is mainly this - that the good which has |
| 21 |
come into his life, examination compels
him to think
genuine, whoever did it. A Christian Scientist verifies
his calling. Choose ye!
Page 4
|
| 1 |
When, by losing his faith in matter and
sin, one finds
the spirit of Truth, then he practises the Golden Rule |
| 3 |
spontaneously; and obedience to this rule
spiritualizes
man, for the world's nolens volens cannot enthrall it.
Lust, dishonesty, sin, disable the student; they preclude |
| 6 |
the practice or efficient teaching of
Christian Science, the
truth of man's being. The Scripture reads: "He
that
taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy |
| 9 |
of me." On this basis, how many are
following the
Way-shower? We follow Truth only as we follow truly,
meekly, patiently, spiritually, blessing saint and sinner |
| 12 |
with the leaven of divine Love which woman
has put
into Christendom and medicine.
A genuine Christian
Scientist loves Protestant and |
| 15 |
Catholic, D.D. and M.D., - loves all who
love God,
good; and he loves his enemies. It will be found that,
instead of opposing, such an individual subserves the |
| 18 |
interests of both medical faculty and
Christianity, and
they thrive together, learning that Mind-power is
good
will towards men. Thus unfolding the true metal in |
| 21 |
character, the iron in human nature rusts
away; honesty
and justice characterize the seeker and finder of
Christian
Science.
|
| 24 |
The pride of place or power is the prince
of this world
that hath nothing in Christ. Our great Master said:
"Except ye . . . become as little children, ye shall not |
| 27 |
enter into the kingdom of heaven," - the
reign of right-
eousness, the glory of good, healing the sick and
saving
the sinner. The height of my hope must remain. Glory |
| 30 |
be to Thee, Thou God most high and nigh.
Whatever is not
divinely natural and demonstrably
true, in ethics, philosophy, or
religion, is not of God but
Page 5
|
| 1 |
originates in the minds of mortals. It is
the Adam-
dream according to the Scriptural allegory, in which |
| 3 |
man is supposed to start from dust and
woman to be
the outcome of man's rib, - marriage synonymous with
legalized lust, and the offspring of sense the murderers |
| 6 |
of their brothers!
Wholly apart from
this mortal dream, this illusion and
delusion of sense, Christian Science
comes to reveal man |
| 9 |
as God's image, His idea, coexistent with
Him - God
giving all and man having all that God gives. Whence,
then,
came the creation of matter, sin, and death, mortal |
| 12 |
pride and power, prestige or privilege? The
First Com-
mandment of the Hebrew Decalogue, "Thou shalt have
no other
gods before me," and the Golden Rule are the |
| 15 |
all-in-all of Christian Science. They are
the spiritual
idealism and realism which, when realized, constitute a
Christian Scientist, heal the sick, reform the sinner, and |
| 18 |
rob the grave of its victory. The spiritual
understanding
which demonstrates Christian Science, enables the devout
Scientist to worship, not an unknown God, but Him whom, |
| 21 |
understanding even in part, he continues
to love more and
to serve better.
Beloved, I am not
with you in propria persona at this |
| 24 |
memorable dedication and communion season,
but I am
with you "in spirit and in truth," lovingly thanking your
generosity and fidelity, and saying virtually what the |
| 27 |
prophet said: Continue to choose whom ye
will serve.
Forgetting the
Golden Rule and indulging sin, men
cannot serve God; they cannot
demonstrate the omnipo- |
| 30 |
tence of divine Mind that heals the sick
and the sinner.
Human will may mesmerize and mislead man; divine
wisdom, never. Indulging deceit is like the defendant
Page 6
|
| 1 |
arguing for the plaintiff in favor of a
decision which the
defendant knows will be turned against himself.
|
| 3 |
We cannot serve two masters. Do we love
God
supremely? Are we honest, just, faithful? Are we true
to ourselves?
"God is not mocked: for whatsoever a |
| 6 |
man soweth, that shall he also reap." To
abide in our
unselfed better self is to be done forever with the sins
of the flesh, the wrongs of human life, the tempter and |
| 9 |
temptation, the smile and deceit of
damnation. When
we have overcome sin in all its forms, men may revile
us
and despitefully use us, and we shall rejoice, "for great |
| 12 |
is [our] reward in heaven.''
You have dexterously
and wisely provided for The
Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, a
magnificent tem- |
| 15 |
ple wherein to enter and pray. Greatly
impressed and
encouraged thereby, deeply do I thank you for this proof
of your progress, unity, and love. The modest edifice |
| 18 |
of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist,
began with
the cross; its excelsior extension is the crown. The room
of
your Leader remains in the beginning of this edifice, |
| 21 |
evidencing the praise of babes and the word
which pro-
ceedeth out of the mouth of God. Its crowning ulti-
mate
rises to a mental monument, a superstructure high |
| 24 |
above the work of men's hands, even the
outcome of
their hearts, giving to the material a spiritual significance
- the speed, beauty, and achievements of goodness. |
| 27 |
Methinks this church is the one edifice on
earth which
most prefigures self-abnegation, hope, faith; love catching
a glimpse of glory.
CHAPTER II - THE EXTENSION OF
THE MOTHER CHURCH
CHAPTER
II
THE EXTENSION OF THE MOTHER
CHURCH
OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST: ITS
INCEPTION,
CONSTRUCTION, AND
DEDICATION
MRS. EDDY'S MESSAGE TO THE MOTHER CHURCH, JUNE 15, 1902
|
| 3 |
[Extract]
HERE allow me to
interpolate some matters of busi-
ness that ordinarily find no place in my
Message. |
| 6 |
It is a privilege to acquaint communicants
with the
financial transactions of this church, so far as I know
them,
and especially before making another united effort |
| 9 |
to purchase more land and enlarge our
church edifice so
as to seat the large number who annually favor us
with
their presence on Communion Sunday.
THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MOTHER CHURCH,
JUNE 18, 1902 - TWO MILLION DOLLARS PLEDGED
Edward A. Kimball, C.S.D., offered the
following |
| 15 |
motion: -
"Recognizing the necessity for providing
an auditorium
for The Mother Church that will seat four or five thou-
|
| 18 |
sand persons, and acting in behalf of
ourselves and the
Christian Scientists of the world, we agree to
contribute
Page 8
|
| 1 |
any portion of two million dollars that may
be necessary
for this purpose."
|
| 3 |
In support of the motion, Mr. Kimball said
in part:
"Our denomination is palpably outgrowing the institu-
tional
end thereof. We need to keep pace with our own |
| 6 |
growth and progress. The necessity here
indicated is be-
yond cavil; beyond resistance in your thought."
Judge William G.
Ewing, in seconding the motion, said: -
|
| 9 |
"As we have the best church in the world,
and as we
have the best expression of the religion of Jesus Christ,
let
us have the best material symbol of both of these, and |
| 12 |
in the best city in the world.
"Now I am sure that
I have but expressed the universal
voice of Christian Scientists, that
there should be some- |
| 15 |
thing done, and done immediately, to make
reasonable
accommodation for the regular business of the Christian
Science church, and I believe really, with my faint |
| 18 |
knowledge of arithmetic and the
relationship of figures,
that a church of twenty-four thousand members
should
have a seating capacity of more than nine hundred, if |
| 21 |
they are all to get in."
The motion was
carried unanimously.
Greeting from the Church to Mrs. Eddy
|
| 24 |
"Ten thousand Christian Scientists from
throughout
the world, convened in annual business meeting in
Boston,
send our greeting to you, whom we recognize |
| 27 |
as logically the natural and indispensable
Leader of our
religious denomination and its activity.
"Since the last
report, in 1900, one hundred and five |
| 30 |
new churches or congregations have been
added, and
Page 9
|
| 1 |
those previously established have had large
accessions
to their membership. In recognition of the necessity for |
| 3 |
providing an audience-room in The Mother
Church which
will seat four or five thousand persons, we have agreed to
contribute any portion of two million dollars that may |
| 6 |
be needed for that purpose.
"The
instinctive gratitude which not only impels the
Christian to turn in loving
thankfulness to his heavenly
|
| 9 |
Father, but induces him to glory in every
good deed and
thought on the part of every man - this would be scant
indeed if it did not continually move us to utter our grati- |
| 12 |
tude to you and declare the depth of our
affection and
esteem.
"To you, who are
standing in the forefront of the effort |
| 15 |
for righteous reform, we modestly renew
the hope and
desire that we may worthily follow with you in the way
of
salvation through Christ."
OUR LEADER'S THANKS
To the Members of
The Mother Church: - I am bankrupt
in
thanks to you, my beloved brethren, who at our last |
| 21 |
annual meeting pledged yourselves with
startling grace
to contribute any part of two millions of dollars
towards
the purchase of more land for its site, and to enlarge |
| 24 |
our church edifice in Boston. I never
before felt poor
in thanks, but I do now, and will draw on God for
the
amount I owe you, till I am satisfied with what my |
| 27 |
heart gives to balance accounts.
MARY
BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW,
CONCORD, N. H.,
July 21, 1902
1 The First Church of Christ,
Scientist
Christian Science Sentinel,
May 16, 1903
It is inevitable
that the transforming influence of |
| 3 |
Christian Science should improve the
thought, enlarge the
favorable expectation, and augment the achievements
of
its followers. It was inevitable that this mighty impulse |
| 6 |
for good should have externalized itself,
ten years ago,
in an edifice for The Mother Church. It is inevitable
that this same impulsion should now manifest itself in a |
| 9 |
beautiful, ample building, embodying the
best of design,
material, and situation.
Some money has been
paid in towards the fund, and |
| 12 |
some of the churches and other
organizations have taken
steps in this direction, but the time is at hand,
now, for
this entire donation to be specifically subscribed as to |
| 15 |
amount and date of payment. No appeal has
ever been
made in this behalf, and it is probable that none will be
made or ever be needed. It is doubtful if the Cause of |
| 18 |
Christian Science could prosper, in any
particular, on the
basis of fretful or reluctant sacrifice on the part of
its
people. Christian Scientists are not expected to contrib- |
| 21 |
ute money against their will or as the
result of impor-
tunity or entreaty on the part of some one else.
They will provide
the money necessary to this end, |
| 24 |
because they recognize the importance of
The Mother
Church to the Cause. They realize that there must be
a
prosperous parent church, in order to insure the pros- |
| 27 |
perity of the branch churches; indeed, they
know that
it is the prosperous growth of this movement which
now
necessitates this onward step. They know that |
| 30 |
their own individual welfare is closely
interwoven with
the general welfare of the Cause.
Page
11
|
| 1 |
Notwithstanding the fact that as Christian
Scientists
we are as yet but imperfect followers of the perfect
Christ, |
| 3 |
and although we may falter or stumble or
loiter by the
way, we know that the Leader of this movement, Mrs.
Eddy, has been constantly at her post during all the |
| 6 |
storms that have surged against her for a
generation.
She has been the one of all the world who has encountered
the full force of antagonism. We know, too, that during |
| 9 |
these years she has not tried to guide us
by means of
forced marches, but has waited for us to grow into readi-
ness for each step, and we know that in all this time she |
| 12 |
has never urged upon us a step that did
not result in our
welfare.
A year ago she
quietly alluded to the need of our |
| 15 |
Mother Church. She knew that we were ready;
the re-
sponse was instant, spontaneous. Later on she expressed
much
gratification because of prompt and liberal action, |
| 18 |
and it needs no special insight to predict
that she will be
cheered and encouraged to know that, having seized
upon
this privilege and opportunity, we have also made good |
| 21 |
the pledge.
Editorial in Christian Science Sentinel, May 16,
1903
Our readers have
been informed of the purchase of the |
| 24 |
land upon which the new building will be
erected, and
that this land has been paid for. The location is, there-
fore, determined. The size of the building was decided |
| 27 |
last June, but there still remained for
definite decision
the amount to be expended and the date for commen-
cing building operations. The pledge of the annual |
| 30 |
meeting was "any portion of two million
dollars that
Page
12
|
| 1 |
may be necessary for this purpose," and
this of course
carried the implication that work should be commenced |
| 3 |
as soon as the money in hand justified the
letting of
contracts.
The spontaneous and
liberal donations which enabled |
| 6 |
those having the work in charge to secure
the large
parcel of land adjoining The Mother Church, gives
promise of
the speedy accumulation of a sum sufficient |
| 9 |
to justify the decision of these remaining
problems.
Each person interested must remember, however, that
his
individual desires, both as to the amount to be |
| 12 |
expended and the date of commencing work,
will be best
evidenced by the liberality and promptness of his own
contribution.
15 [Mrs. Eddy in Christian Science
Sentinel, May 30, 1903]
NOW AND THEN
This was an emphatic
rule of St. Paul: "Behold, now |
| 18 |
is the accepted time." A lost opportunity
is the great-
est of losses. Whittier mourned it as what "might
have
been." We own no past, no future, we pos- |
| 21 |
sess only now. If the reliable
now is carelessly lost in
speaking or in acting, it comes not back
again. What-
ever needs to be done which cannot be done now, |
| 24 |
God prepares the way for doing; while that
which can
be done now, but is not, increases our indebtedness to
God.
Faith in divine Love supplies the ever-present |
| 27 |
help and now, and gives the power
to "act in the living
present."
The dear children's
good deeds are gems in the settings |
| 30 |
of manhood and womanhood. The good they
desire to
Page
13
|
| 1 |
do, they insist upon doing now. They
speculate neither
on the past, present, nor future, but, taking no
thought |
| 3 |
for the morrow, act in God's time.
A book by Benjamin
Wills Newton, called "Thoughts
on the Apocalypse," published in London,
England, in |
| 6 |
1853, was presented to me in 1903 by Mr.
Marcus
Holmes. This was the first that I had even heard of
it. When
scanning its interesting pages, my attention |
| 9 |
was arrested by the following: "The church
at Jerusalem,
like a sun in the centre of its system, had other
churches,
like so many planets, revolving around it. It was |
| 12 |
strictly a mother and a ruling
church." According to
his description, the church of Jerusalem seems to
pre-
figure The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, in |
| 15 |
Boston.
I understand that
the members of The Mother Church,
out of loving hearts, pledged to this
church in Boston |
| 18 |
any part of two millions of money with
which to build
an ample temple dedicate to God, to Him "who forgiveth
all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who |
| 21 |
redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee
with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth
thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed |
| 24 |
like the eagle's," - to build a temple the
spiritual spire
of which will reach the stars with divine overtures,
holy
harmony, reverberating through all cycles of systems and |
| 27 |
spheres.
Because Christian
Scientists virtually pledged this
munificent sum not only to my church but
to Him who |
| 30 |
returns it unto them after many days,
their loving giving
has been blessed. It has crystallized into a
foundation
for our temple, and it will continue to "prosper in the
Page
14
|
| 1 |
thing whereto [God, Spirit] sent it." In
the now they
brought their tithes into His storehouse. Then,
when |
| 3 |
this bringing is consummated, God will pour
them out a
blessing above the song of angels, beyond the ken of
mortals
- a blessing that two millions of love currency |
| 6 |
will bring to be discerned in the near
future as a gleam
of reality; not a madness and nothing, but a sanity
and something from the individual, stupendous, Godlike |
| 9 |
agency of man.
Editorial in Christian Science Sentinel, January 2,
1904
A few days ago we
received a letter from a friend in |
| 12 |
another city, saying that he had just been
informed -
and his informant claimed to have good authority for the
statement - that the entire amount required to complete |
| 15 |
The Mother Church building fund had been
paid in;
consequently further payments or subscriptions were not
desired.
|
| 18 |
Our friend very promptly and emphatically
pro-
nounced the story a fabrication of the evil one, and he
was
entirely right in doing so. If the devil were really |
| 21 |
an entity, endowed with genius and
inspiration, he could
not have invented a more subtle lie with which to
en-
snare a generous and loyal people.
|
| 24 |
As a matter of fact, the building fund is
not complete,
but it is in such a healthy state that building
operations
have been commenced, and they will be carried on without |
| 27 |
interruption until the church is finished.
The rapidity
with which the work will be pushed forward necessitates
large payments of money, and it is desirable that the con- |
| 30 |
tributions to the building fund keep pace
with the dis-
bursements.
Page
15
|
| 1 |
[Christian Science Sentinel, March
5, 1904]
AMENDMENT TO BY-LAW
|
| 3 |
Section 3 of Article XLI (XXXIV in revised
edition) of
the Church By-laws has been amended to read as follows: -
THE MOTHER CHURCH
BUILDING. - SECTION 3. The |
| 6 |
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 |
| 9 |
written consent of the Pastor Emeritus,
Mary Baker
Eddy.
COMMUNION, 1904
|
| 12 |
My Beloved Brethren: - My heart goes
out to you as
ever in daily desire that the Giver of all good transform
you into His own image and likeness. Already I have |
| 15 |
said to you all that you are able to bear
now, and thanking
you for your gracious reception of it I close with
Kate
Hankey's excellent hymn, -
|
| 18 |
I love to
tell the story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his
glory, |
| 21 |
Of Jesus
and his love.
I love to tell the story,
Because I know 'tis
true; |
| 24 |
It
satisfies my longings,
As nothing else can do.
I love to
tell the story; |
| 27 |
For those
who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the
rest. |
| 30 |
And when,
in scenes of glory,
I sing the NEW, NEW SONG,
'Twill be the OLD, OLD
STORY |
| 33 |
That I
have loved so long.
Page
16
EXTRACT FROM THE TREASURER'S REPORT, JUNE 14, 1904
The report of Mr.
Stephen A. Chase, treasurer of the |
| 3 |
building fund of The Mother Church, made to
the
annual meeting, showed that a total of $425,893.66 had
been
received up to and including May 31, 1904, and that |
| 6 |
there was a balance of $226,285.73 on hand
on that date,
after paying out the sum of $ 199,607.93, which included
the purchase price of the land for the site of the new |
| 9 |
building.
THE CORNER-STONE LAID
The corner-stone of
the new auditorium for The Mother |
| 12 |
Church in Boston was laid Saturday, July
16, 1904, at
eight o'clock in the forenoon. In addition to the members
of the Christian Science Board of Directors, who have |
| 15 |
the work directly in charge, there were
present on this
occasion: Mr. Alfred Farlow, President of The Mother
Church; Prof. Hermann S. Hering, First Reader; Mrs. |
| 18 |
Ella E. Williams, Second Reader; Mr.
Charles Brigham
and Mr. E. Noyes Whitcomb, respectively the architect
and the builder of the new edifice.
|
| 21 |
The order of the services, which were
conducted by the
First Reader, was as follows: -
Scripture reading,
Isaiah 28: 16, 17, -
|
| 24 |
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold,
I lay in
Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious
corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall |
| 27 |
not make haste.
"Judgment also will
I lay to the line, and righteous-
ness to the plummet: and the hail shall
sweep away the
Page
17
|
| 1 |
refuge of lies, and the waters shall
overflow the hiding
place."
|
| 3 |
Also, 1 Peter 2: 1-6, -
"Wherefore laying
aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil
speakings,
|
| 6 |
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk
of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:
"If so be ye have
tasted that the Lord is gracious.
|
| 9 |
"To whom coming, as unto a living stone,
disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
"Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, |
| 12 |
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, accept-
able to God by Jesus Christ.
"Wherefore also it
is contained in the scripture, |
| 15 |
Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner
stone, elect, precious:
and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded."
The reading of
selections from "Science and Health |
| 18 |
with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker
Eddy, -
Page 241, lines
13-30
" 136, " 1-5,
9-14
" 137, " 16-5
"
583, " 12-19
" 35, " 20-25
|
| 24 |
This was followed by a few moments of
silent prayer
and the audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer with its
spiritual interpretation, as given in the Christian Science |
| 27 |
textbook, after which the following
extracts from Mrs.
Eddy's writings were read: -
"Hitherto, I have
observed that in proportion as this |
| 30 |
church has smiled on His 'little ones,' He
has blessed
her. Throughout my entire connection with The Mother
Page
18
|
| 1 |
Church, I have seen, that in the ratio of
her love for
others, hath His love been bestowed upon her; water- |
| 3 |
ing her waste places, and enlarging her
borders.
"One thing I have
greatly desired, and again earnestly
request, namely, that Christian
Scientists, here and else- |
| 6 |
where, pray daily for themselves; not
verbally, nor on
bended knee, but mentally, meekly, and importunately.
When a hungry heart petitions the divine Father-Mother |
| 9 |
God for bread, it is not given a stone, -
but more grace,
obedience, and love. If this heart, humble and
trustful,
faithfully asks divine Love to feed it with the bread of |
| 12 |
heaven, health, holiness, it will be
conformed to a fitness
to receive the answer to its desire; then will flow
into it
the 'river of His pleasure,' the tributary of divine Love, |
| 15 |
and great growth in Christian Science will
follow, - even
that joy which finds one's own in another's good." (Mis-
cellaneous Writings, p. 127.)
|
| 18 |
"Beloved brethren, the love of our loving
Lord was
never more manifest than in its stern condemnation of all
error, wherever found. I counsel thee, rebuke and exhort |
| 21 |
one another. Love all Christian churches
for the gospel's
sake; and be exceedingly glad that the churches are
united
in purpose, if not in method, to close the war between |
| 24 |
flesh and Spirit, and to fight the good
fight till God's will
be witnessed and done on earth as in heaven."
(Christian
Science versus Pantheism, p. 13.)
|
| 27 |
The corner-stone was then laid by the
members of the
Christian Science Board of Directors. It contained the
following articles: The Holy Bible; "Science and Health |
| 30 |
with Key to the Scriptures" and all other
published
writings of the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer
Page
19
|
| 1 |
and Founder of Christian Science; Christian
Science
Hymnal; "The Mother Church;" the current numbers of |
| 3 |
The Christian Science Journal,
Christian Science Sentinel,
Der Herold der Christian Science,
and the Christian Science
Quarterly.
|
| 6 |
The ceremony concluded with the repetition
of "the
scientific statement of being," from Science and Health
(p.
468), and the benediction, 2 Corinthians 13:14: |
| 9 |
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of
God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you
all.
Amen."
UNSELFISH LOYALTY
To one of the many
branch churches which contributed
their local church building funds to The
Mother Church |
| 15 |
building fund, Mrs. Eddy wrote as follows:
-
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
Colorado Springs, Col.
|
| 18 |
Beloved Brethren: - It is conceded
that our shadows
follow us in the sunlight wherever we go; but I ask
for
more, even this: That this dear church shall be pursued |
| 21 |
by her substance, the immortal
fruition of her unselfed
love, and that her charity, which "seeketh not
her
own" but another's good, shall reap richly the reward of |
| 24 |
goodness.
Those words of our holy Way-shower,
vibrant through
time and eternity with acknowledgment of exemplary
|
| 27 |
giving, no doubt fill the memory and swell
the hearts of
the members of The Mother Church, because of that gift
which you so sacredly bestowed towards its church build- |
| 30 |
ing fund. These are applicable words:
"Verily I say
unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached
Page
20
|
| 1 |
throughout the whole world, this also that
she hath done
shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." (Mark 14: 9.) |
| 3 |
Gratefully yours in Christ,
MARY BAKER
EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW, CONCORD, N. H., |
| 6 |
September 1, 1904
HOLIDAY GIFTS
Beloved
Students: - The holidays are coming, and
I |
| 9 |
trow you are awaiting on behalf of your
Leader the
loving liberty of their license. May I relieve you of
selecting, and name your gifts to her, in advance? |
| 12 |
Send her only what God gives to His church.
Bring
all your tithes into His storehouse, and what you would
expend
for presents to her, please add to your givings |
| 15 |
to The Mother Church building fund, and let
this
suffice for her rich portion in due season. Send no gifts
to her
the ensuing season, but the evidences of glorious |
| 18 |
growth in Christian Science.
MARY
BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW,
CONCORD, N. H., |
| 21 |
October 31, 1904
A
WORD FROM THE DIRECTORS, MAY, 1905
In view of the fact
that a general attendance of the |
| 24 |
members of The Mother Church at the
communion
and annual meeting in Boston entails the expenditure
of a
large amount of money, and the further fact that |
| 27 |
it is important that the building fund of
The Mother
Church should be completed as early as possible, it has
been
decided to omit this year the usual large gathering |
| 30 |
in Boston, and to ask the members to
contribute to
Page
21
|
| 1 |
the building fund the amount which they
would have
expended in such an event.
|
| 3 |
We all know of the loving self-sacrifices
which have been
made by many of the branch churches in transferring to
this fund the money which had been collected for the |
| 6 |
purpose of building church homes of their
own, and it will
thus be seen that the course suggested will not only
hasten the completion of The Mother Church, but will |
| 9 |
also advance the erection of many branch
churches.
We therefore feel sure that all Christian Scientists will
gladly forego a visit to Boston at this time, in order to |
| 12 |
contribute more liberally to the building
fund and thereby
aid the progress of our Cause throughout the world.
Christian Scientists
have learned from experience that |
| 15 |
divine Love more than compensates for every
seeming
trial and deprivation in our loyalty to Truth, and it is
but
right to expect that those who are willing to forego |
| 18 |
their anticipated visit this year will
receive a greater
blessing - "good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over." The local members, who |
| 21 |
have always experienced much pleasure in
welcoming
their brethren from far and near, and who have antici-
pated
much joy in meeting very many of them this year, |
| 24 |
will feel that they have been called upon
to make no less
sacrifice than have others; but we are confident that
they too will be blessed, and that all will rejoice in the |
| 27 |
glad reunion upon the completion of the
new edifice in
Boston.
IRA O. KNAPP, JOSEPH
ARMSTRONG, |
| 30 |
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON, STEPHEN A. CHASE,
ARCHIBALD McLELLAN,
The Christian Science Board of Directors
Page
22
THE ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 13, 1905
Extract from the
Clerk's Report
|
| 3 |
In the year 1902 our Leader saw the need of
a larger
edifice for the home of The Mother Church, one that
would
accommodate the constantly increasing attendance |
| 6 |
at all the services, and the large
gatherings at the annual
meeting; and, at the annual meeting in June,
1902, a
sum of money adequate to erect such a building was |
| 9 |
pledged. Christian Scientists have
contributed already
for this grand and noble purpose, but let us not be
uncon-
sciously blind to the further needs of the building fund, |
| 12 |
in order to complete this great work, nor
wait to be urged
or to be shown the absolute necessity of giving.
Since 1866, almost forty years ago, -
almost forty |
| 15 |
years in the wilderness, - our beloved
Leader and teacher,
Mrs. Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, has
labored
for the regeneration of mankind; and time has put its |
| 18 |
seal of affirmation upon every purpose she
has set in
motion, and the justification of her labors is the fruit.
In
these years of work she has shown wisdom, faith, and |
| 21 |
a spiritual discernment of the needs of
the present and of
the future that is nothing less than God-bestowed.
In years to come the moral and the
physical effects |
| 24 |
produced by The Mother Church, and by the
advanced
position taken by our Pastor Emeritus and Leader, will
appear
in their proper perspective. Is it not therefore |
| 27 |
the duty of all who have touched the
healing hem of
Christian Science, to get immediately into the proper
perspective of the meaning of the erection of the new |
| 30 |
edifice of The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, in
Boston?
Page
23
|
| 1 |
It is not necessary for us to delay our
contributions in
order to find out how much our neighbor has given, or
to |
| 3 |
compute by the total membership of The
Mother Church
what amount each shall send the Treasurer. The divine
Love that prompted the desire, and supplied the means to |
| 6 |
consummate the erection of the present
edifice in 1894, is
still with us, and will bless us so long as we follow
His
commands.
Extract from the
Treasurer's Report
Building Fund: - Amount on hand
June 1, 1905,
$303,189.41; expenditures June 1, 1904 to May 31, 1905,
|
| 12 |
$388,663.15; total receipts June 19, 1902
to June l,
1905, $891,460.49.
Amount necessary to complete the sum of
$2,000,000 |
| 15 |
pledged at the annual meeting, 1902,
$1,108,539.51.
Greeting to Mrs. Eddy from the Annual
Meeting
Beloved Teacher and Leader: - The
members of your |
| 18 |
church, The Mother Church, The First Church
of Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, Mass., in annual business meeting
assembled, send their loyal and loving greetings to you, |
| 21 |
the Discoverer and Founder of Christian
Science and
author of its textbook.
We rejoice greatly that the walls of our
new edifice are |
| 24 |
rising, not only to faith but also to
sight; that this temple,
which represents the worship of Spirit, with its
inseparable
accompaniment, the Christ-healing, is being built in our |
| 27 |
day; and that we have the privilege of
participating
in the work of its erection. As the stately structure
grows, and stone is laid upon stone, those who pass by are
Page
24
|
| 1 |
impelled to ask, What means this edifice?
and they learn
that the truth which Christ Jesus revealed - the truth |
| 3 |
which makes free - is to-day being proven
and is ready
to heal all who accept its divine ministry. We congratu-
late you that the building is to express in its ample audi- |
| 6 |
torium something of the vastness of the
truth it represents,
and also to symbolize your unmeasured love for
humanity,
which inspires you to welcome all mankind to the privi- |
| 9 |
leges of this healing and saving gospel. As
the walls are
builded by the prayers and offerings of the thousands
who
have been healed through Christian Science, we know |
| 12 |
that you rejoice in the unity of thought
and purpose
which is thus expressed, showing that The Mother Church
"fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the |
| 15 |
Lord."
Editorial in Christian Science Sentinel, November 25,
1905
We are prompted to
state, for the benefit of those who |
| 18 |
have inquired about the progress of the
work on the
extension to The Mother Church, that the erection of the
building is proceeding rapidly; in fact, it is being pushed |
| 21 |
with the utmost energy, and at the present
time there
are no less than fifteen different trades represented. The
beauty of the building, and the substantial and enduring |
| 24 |
character of its construction, have been
remarked by the
many visitors who have recently inspected the work, and
they have gone away with the conviction that the structure |
| 27 |
is worthy of our Cause and that it will
meet the needs of
The Mother Church as well as this can be done by a
building with a seating capacity of five thousand.
|
| 30 |
It therefore occurs to us that there could
be no more
appropriate time for completing the building fund than
Page
25
|
| 1 |
the present Thanksgiving season; and it is
suggested to our
readers that there would be great propriety in making
a
special effort
during the coming week to dispose fully and
finally of this feature of the
demonstration.
[Christian Science Sentinel, March 17, 1906]
GIFTS FROM THE CHILDREN
The great interest
exhibited by the children who attend
the Sunday School of The Mother Church
is shown by |
| 9 |
their contributions to the building fund.
The following
figures are taken from the report of the secretary of
the
Sunday School and are most gratifying:
|
| 12 |
March 1, 1903 to February 29, 1904,
$621.10; March 1,
1904 to February 28, 1905, $845.96; March 1, 1905 to
February 28, 1906, $1,112.13; total, $2,579.19.
CARD
Will one and all of
my dear correspondents accept this,
my answer to their fervid question:
Owing to the time |
| 18 |
consumed in travel, et cetera, I
cannot be present in
propria persona at our annual communion
and the dedi-
cation in June next of The Mother Church of Christ, |
| 21 |
Scientist. But I shall be with my blessed
church "in
spirit and in truth."
I have faith in the
givers and in the builders of this |
| 24 |
church edifice, - admiration for and faith
in the grandeur
and sublimity of this superb superstructure, wherein
all
vanity of victory disappears and the glory of divinity |
| 27 |
appears in all its promise.
MARY
BAKER EDDY
PLEASANT VIEW,
CONCORD, N. H., |
| 30 |
April 8, 1906
Page
26
|
| 1 |
[Christian Science Sentinel, April
14, 1906]
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DEDICATION
|
| 3 |
The Christian Science Board of Directors
takes pleasure
in announcing that the extension of The Mother Church
will be dedicated on the date of the annual communion, |
| 6 |
Sunday, June 10, 1906.
[Christian
Science Sentinel, April 28, 1906]
TO
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|
| 9 |
My Beloved Students: - Your generous
check of five
thousand dollars, April 23, 1906, is duly received. You
can imagine my gratitude and emotion at the touch of |
| 12 |
memory. Your beneficent gift is the largest
sum of money
that I have ever received from my church, and quite
unexpected at this juncture, but not the less appreciated. |
| 15 |
My Message for June 10 is ready for you. It
is too
short to be printed in book form, for I thought it better
to be
brief on this rare occasion. This communion and |
| 18 |
dedication include enough of their own.
The enclosed notice
I submit to you, and trust that you
will see, as I foresee, the need of it.
Now is the time to |
| 21 |
throttle the lie that students
worship me or that I claim
their homage. This historical dedication should
date
some special reform, and this notice is requisite to give |
| 24 |
the true animus of our church and
denomination.
Lovingly yours,
MARY BAKER EDDY
|
| 27 |
PLEASANT VIEW, Concord, N. H.,
April 23, 1906
Page
27
NOTICE
To the Beloved
Members of my Church, The Mother Church, |
| 3 |
The First Church of Christ, Scientist,
in Boston. - Divine
Love bids me say: Assemble not at the residence of
your
Pastor Emeritus at or about the time of our annual |
| 6 |
meeting and communion service, for the
divine and not
the human should engage our attention at this sacred
season of prayer and praise.
|
| 9 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BUILDING FUND
The contributors to
the building fund for the extension |
| 12 |
of The Mother Church, The First Church of
Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, Mass., are hereby notified that
sufficient funds have been received for the completion of |
| 15 |
the church building, and the friends are
requested to send
no more money to this fund.
STEPHEN A. CHASE, |
| 18 |
Treasurer of the Building Fund
BOSTON, MASS., June
2, 1906
Editorial in Christian Science Sentinel, June 9,
1906
|
| 21 |
Christian Scientists will read with much
joy and
thanksgiving the announcement made by Mr. Chase in
this issue
of the Sentinel that sufficient funds have been |
| 24 |
received by him, as treasurer of the
building fund, to
pay all bills in connection with the extension of The
Mother Church, and to most of them the fact that he
Page
28
|
| 1 |
has been able to make this announcement
coincident
with the completion of the building will be deeply |
| 3 |
significant. Our Leader has said in Science
and Health
(p. 494), "Divine Love always has met and always
will meet
every human need," and this has been proved |
| 6 |
true in the experience of many who have
contributed
to the building fund.
The treasurer's
books will show the dollars and cents |
| 9 |
received by him, but they can give no more
than a hint of
the unselfish efforts, and in many instances the loving
self-sacrifice, of those who have given so generously to the |
| 12 |
building of this church. Suffice it to say,
however, that
the giving to this fund has stimulated those gentle
qualities which mark the true Christian, and its influence |
| 15 |
upon the lives of thousands has been of
immense value to
them.
The significance of
this building is not to be found in |
| 18 |
the material structure, but in the lives of
those who, under
the consecrated leadership of Mrs. Eddy, and following
her example, are doing the works which Jesus said should |
| 21 |
mark the lives of his followers. It stands
as the visible
symbol of a religion which heals the sick and reforms
the sinful as our Master healed and reformed them. It |
| 24 |
proclaims to the world that Jesus' gospel
was for all time
and for all men; that it is as effective to-day as it
was
when he preached the Word of God to the multitudes of |
| 27 |
Judea and healed them of their diseases and
their sins.
It speaks for the successful labors of one divinely guided
woman, who has brought to the world the spiritual under- |
| 30 |
standing of the Scriptures, and whose
ministry has revealed
the one true Science and changed the whole aspect
of
medicine and theology.
Page
29
|
| 1 |
[Christian Science Sentinel, June 16, 1906. Reprinted from
Boston Herald]
COMMUNION SERVICE AND DEDICATION
Five thousand people
kneeling in silent communion;
a stillness profound; and then, rising in
unison from the |
| 6 |
vast congregation, the words of the Lord's
Prayer! Such
was the closing incident of the dedicatory services of the
extension of The Mother Church, The First Church of |
| 9 |
Christ, Scientist, at the corner of
Falmouth and Norway
Streets, yesterday morning. And such was the scene
repeated six times during the day.
|
| 12 |
It was a sight which no one who saw it will
ever be able
to forget. Many more gorgeous church pageantries have
been
seen in this country and in an older civilization; |
| 15 |
there have been church ceremonies that
appealed more
to the eye, but the impressiveness of this lay in its
very
simplicity; its grandeur sprang from the complete |
| 18 |
unanimity of thought and of purpose. There
was some-
thing emanating from the thousands who worshipped
under the
dome of the great edifice whose formal open- |
| 21 |
ing they had gathered to observe, that
appealed to and
fired the imagination. A comparatively new religion
launching upon a new era, assuming an altogether differ- |
| 24 |
ent status before the world!
Even the sun smiled kindly upon the
dedication of the
extension of The Mother Church. With a cooling breeze
|
| 27 |
to temper the heat, the thousands who began
to congregate
about the church as early as half past five in the
morning
were able to wait patiently for the opening of the doors |
| 30 |
without suffering the inconveniences of an
oppressive day.
From that time, until the close of the evening
service,
Page
30
|
| 1 |
Falmouth and Norway Streets held large
crowds of people,
either coming from a service or awaiting admission
to |
| 3 |
one. As all the services were precisely the
same in every
respect, nobody attended more than one, so that there
were well over thirty thousand people who witnessed |
| 6 |
the opening. Not only did these include
Scientists from
all over the world, and nearly all the local
Scientists,
but many hundreds of other faiths, drawn to the church |
| 9 |
from curiosity, and from sympathy, too.
It spoke much for
the devotion of the members to their
faith, the character of the
attendance. In those huge |
| 12 |
congregations were business men come from
far distant
points at personal sacrifices of no mean order; profes-
sional men, devoted women members, visitors from |
| 15 |
Australia, from India, from England, from
Germany,
from Switzerland, from South Africa, from Hawaii, from
the
coast States.
|
| 18 |
They gave generously of their means in
gratitude for the
epoch-making event. The six collections were large,
and
when the plates were returned after having been through |
| 21 |
the congregations, they were heaped high
with bills, with
silver, and with gold. Some of these contributions
were
one-hundred-dollar bills. Without ostentation and quite |
| 24 |
voluntarily the Scientists gave a sum
surpassing some of
the record collections secured by evangelists for the
work
of Christianity.
|
| 27 |
Though the church was filled for the
service at half
past seven, and hundreds had to be turned away, by far
the largest crowd of the day applied for admission at the |
| 30 |
ten o'clock service, and it was
representative of the entire
body of the Christian Science church.
Before half past
seven the chimes of the new church
Page
31
|
| 1 |
began to play, first the "Communion Hymn,"
succeeded
by the following hymns throughout the day: "The |
| 3 |
morning light is breaking;" "Shepherd, show
me how
to go;" "Just as I am, without one plea;" "I need
Thee every
hour;" "Blest Christmas morn;" "Abide |
| 6 |
with me;" "Day by day the manna fell;" "Oh,
the
clanging bells of time;" "Still, still with Thee;" "O'er
waiting
harpstrings of the mind;" Doxology.
|
| 9 |
Promptly at half past six the numerous
doors of the
church were thrown open and the public had its first
glimpse of the great structure, the cost of which approxi- |
| 12 |
mates two millions of dollars, contributed
from over the
entire world. The first impression was of vastness, then
of light and cheerfulness, and when the vanguard of the |
| 15 |
thousands had been seated, expressions of
surprise and of
admiration were heard on every hand for the beauty and
the grace of the architecture. The new home for worship |
| 18 |
that was opened by the Scientists in Boston
yesterday
can take a place in the front rank of the world's houses
of
worship, and it is no wonder that the first sight which |
| 21 |
the visitors caught of its interior should
have impressed
them as one of the events of their lives.
First Reader William
D. McCrackan, accompanied by |
| 24 |
the Second Reader, Mrs. Laura Carey Conant,
and the
soloist for the services, Mrs. Hunt, was on the Readers'
platform. Stepping to the front of the platform, when |
| 27 |
the congregation had taken their seats, the
First Reader
announced simply that they would sing Hymn 161,
written
by Mrs. Eddy, as the opening of the dedicatory |
| 30 |
service. And what singing it was! As
though trained
carefully under one leader, the great body of
Scientists
joined in the song of praise.
Page
32
|
| 1 |
Spontaneous unanimity and repetition in
unison were
two of the most striking features of the services. When, |
| 3 |
after five minutes of silent communion at
the end of the
service, the congregation began to repeat the Lord's
Prayer, they began all together, and their voices rose as |
| 6 |
one in a heartfelt appeal to the creator.
So good are the
acoustic properties of the new structure
that Mr. McCrackan and Mrs. Conant
could be heard |
| 9 |
perfectly in every part of it, and they
did not have to lift
their voices above the usual platform tone.
Following the organ
voluntary - Fantasie in E minor, |
| 12 |
Merkel - the order of service was as
follows: -
Hymn 161, from the
Hymnal. Words by the Rev.
Mary Baker Eddy.(1) |
| 15 |
Reading from the Scriptures: Deuteronomy
26: 1, 2,
5-10 (first sentence).
Silent prayer,
followed by the audible repetition of the |
| 18 |
Lord's Prayer with its spiritual
interpretation as given in
the Christian Science textbook.
Hymn 166, from the
Hymnal.(2) |
| 21 |
Reading of notices.
Reading of Tenets of
The Mother Church.
Collection. |
| 24 |
Solo, "Communion Hymn," words by the Rev.
Mary
Baker Eddy, music by William Lyman Johnson.
Reading of annual
Message from the Pastor Emeritus, |
| 27 |
the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy.
Reading the
specially prepared Lesson-Sermon.
After the reading of
the Lesson-Sermon, silent com- |
| 30 |
munion, which concluded with the audible
repetition of
the Lord's Prayer.
(1) Hymn 306, (2)
Hymn 108, in Revised Hymnal
Page
33
|
| 1 |
Singing the Communion Doxology.
Reading of a despatch from the members of the church |
| 3 |
to Mrs. Eddy.
Reading of "the
scientific statement of being" (Sci-
ence and Health, p. 468), and the
correlative Scripture, |
| 6 |
1 John 3: 1-3.
The benediction.
The subject of the
special Lesson-Sermon was "Adam, |
| 9 |
Where Art Thou?" the Golden Text: "Search
me, O
God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts: and see if
there be any wicked way in me, |
| 12 |
and lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalms 139: 23,
24.) The responsive reading was from Psalms 15: 1-5;
24: 1-6, 9, 10.
|
| 15 |
1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall
dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and
worketh righteous- |
| 18 |
ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth
evil to his
neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his |
| 12 |
neighbor.
4 In whose eyes a vile
person is contemned; but he
honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that
sweareth to |
| 24 |
his own hurt, and changeth not.
5 He
that putteth not out his money to usury, nor
taketh reward against the
innocent. He that doeth these |
| 27 |
things shall never be moved.
1 The
earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that
dwell therein. |
| 30 |
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas,
and established
it upon the floods.
Page
34
|
| 1 |
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord? or who
shall stand in his holy place? |
| 3 |
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart; who
hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully. |
| 6 |
5 He shall receive the blessing from the
Lord, and
righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the
generation of them that seek him, that |
| 9 |
seek thy face, O Jacob.
9 Lift up your
heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of
glory shall come in. |
| 12 |
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of
hosts, he
is the King of glory.
The Lesson-Sermon
consisted of the following citations |
| 15 |
from the Bible and "Science and Health with
Key to the
Scriptures" by the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, and was
read by Mr.
McCrackan and Mrs. Conant: -
|
| 18 |
I
The Bible Science
and Health (1)
Genesis 3: 9-11 224:
22 |
| 21 |
Proverbs 8: 1, 4, 7 559: 8-10, 19
Mark 2: 15-17 181:
21-25
307: 31-8
|
| 24 |
II
Psalms 51: 1-3, 6,
10, 12, 308: 8, 16-28 This;
13,
17 Jacob
323: 19-24,
28-32
When; The
effects
(1)The Science and
Health references in this lesson are according |
| 30 |
to the 1913 edition.
Page
35
|
| 1 |
III
The Bible Science
and Health
|
| 3 |
Hebrews 11: 1, 3, 6 297: 20 Faith
Proverbs 3: 5, 6 241: 23-27
Job 28: 20, 23, 28 275: 25 |
| 6 |
1 Corinthians 14: 20 505: 21-28
Under-
standing
536: 8
|
| 9 |
IV
Psalms 86: 15, 16
345: 31
Matthew 9: 2-8 337:
10 |
| 12 |
525: 4
494: 30-2 Our
Master
476: 32-4
|
| 15 |
171: 4
V
Mark 12: 30, 31 9:
17-21 Dost thou |
| 18 |
John 21: 1 (first 53: 8-11
clause),
14-17 54:29- 1
1 John 4: 21 560: 11-19, 22 The |
| 21 |
great; Abuse
565: 18-22
VI
|
| 24 |
John 21: 4-6, 9, 12, 13 34: 29-29
Revelation 3: 20
Revelation 7: 13,14,16,17
|
| 27 |
During the progress of each service, First
Reader
William D. McCrackan read to the congregation the
Page
36
|
| 1 |
dedicatory Message from their teacher and
Leader, Mrs.
Mary Baker Eddy.
|
| 3 |
The telegram from the church to Mrs. Eddy
was read
by Mr. Edward A. Kimball of Chicago, and the five
thousand
present rose as one to indicate their approval |
| 6 |
of it.
REV. MARY
BAKER EDDY, Pastor Emeritus
Beloved Teacher and Leader: - The
members of your |
| 9 |
church have assembled at this sacred time
to commune
with our infinite heavenly Father and again to consecrate
all that we are or hope to be to a holy Christian service |
| 12 |
that shall be acceptable unto God.
Most of us are here because we have been
delivered from
beds of sickness or withheld from open graves or
reclaimed |
| 15 |
from vice or redeemed from obdurate sin. We
have ex-
changed the tears of sorrow for the joy of repentance and
the
peace of a more righteous living, and now with blessed |
| 18 |
accord we are come, in humility, to pour
out our gratitude
to God and to bear witness to the abundance of
salvation
through His divine Christ.
|
| 21 |
At this altar, dedicated to the only true
God, we who
have been delivered from the depths increase the measure
of
our devotion to the daily life and purpose which are in |
| 24 |
the image and likeness of God.
By these stately walls; by this sheltering
dome; by
all the beauty of color and design, the Christian Scientists
|
| 27 |
of the world, in tender affection for the
cause of human
weal, have fulfilled a high resolve and set up this
taber-
nacle, which is to stand as an enduring monument, a sign |
| 30 |
of your understanding and proof that our
Supreme
God, through His power and law, is the natural healer
Page
37
|
| 1 |
of all our diseases and hath ordained the
way of salva-
tion of all men from all evil. No vainglorious boast, |
| 3 |
no pride of circumstances has place within
the sacred
confines of this sanctuary. Naught else than the gran-
deur
of humility and the incense of gratitude and com- |
| 6 |
passionate love can acceptably ascend
heavenward from
this house of God.
It is from the
depths of tenderest gratitude, respect, |
| 9 |
and affection that we declare again our
high appreciation
of all that you have done and continue to do for the
ever-
lasting advantage of this race. Through you has been |
| 12 |
revealed the verity and rule of the
Christianity of Christ
which has ever healed the sick. By your fidelity and
the
constancy of your obedience during forty years you have |
| 15 |
demonstrated this Science before the gaze
of universal
humanity. By reason of your spiritual achievement the
Cause of Christian Science has been organized and main- |
| 18 |
tained, its followers have been prospered,
and the philos-
ophy of the ages transformed. Recognizing the grand
truth that God is the supreme cause of all the activities of |
| 21 |
legitimate existence, we also recognize
that He has made
known through your spiritual perception the substance
of Christian Science, and that this church owes itself and |
| 24 |
its prosperity to the unbroken activity of
your labors,
which have been and will still be the pretext for our
confident and favorable expectation.
|
| 27 |
We have read your annual Message to this
church.
We are deeply touched by its sweet entreaty, its ineffable
loving-kindness, its wise counsel and admonition.
|
| 30 |
With sacred resolution do we pray that we
may give
heed and ponder and obey. We would be glad if our
prayers,
our rejoicing, and our love could recompense your
Page
38
|
| 1 |
long sacrifice and bestow upon you the balm
of heavenly
joy, but knowing that every perfect gift cometh from |
| 3 |
above, and that in God is all consolation
and comfort,
we rest in this satisfying assurance, while we thank you
and renew the story of our love for you and for all that |
| 6 |
you are and all that you have done for us.
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON,
Clerk
By means of a
carefully trained corps of ushers, num- |
| 9 |
bering two hundred, there was no confusion
in finding
seats, and when all seating space had been filled no more
were admitted until the next service. The church was |
| 12 |
filled for each service in about twenty
minutes, and was
emptied in twelve, in spite of the fact that many of
the visitors showed a tendency to tarry to examine the |
| 15 |
church.
It was "children's
day" at noon, for the service at half
past twelve was specially reserved
for them. They filled |
| 18 |
all the seats in the body of the church,
and when it came
to the singing, the little ones were not a whit behind
their
elders, their shrill trebles rising with the roll of the organ |
| 21 |
in almost perfect time. In every respect
their service was
the same as all the others.
There was no more
impressive feature of the dedication |
| 24 |
than the silent communion. Devout
Scientists said after
the service that they would ever carry with them
the
memory of it.
THE ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 12, 1906
The annual meeting
of The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, was held in the
extension of The |
| 30 |
Mother Church, Tuesday, June 12, at ten
o'clock in the
Page
39
|
| 1 |
forenoon, and in order to accommodate those
who could
not gain admittance at that hour a second session was held |
| 3 |
at two o'clock in the afternoon. The
meeting was opened
by the President, Rev. William P. McKenzie, who read
from the Bible and Science and Health as follows: -
|
| 6 |
The Bible Science and Health
Isaiah 54: 1-5,
10-15, 571: 22
17 574: 3-16, 27
The Revela- |
| 9 |
Revelation 19: 1, 6-9 tor; The very
577: 4
Then followed a
short silent prayer and the audible |
| 12 |
repetition of the Lord's Prayer, in which
all joined. The
following list of officers for the ensuing year was read
by
the Clerk: -
|
| 15 |
President, Willis F. Gross, C.S.B.;
Treasurer, Stephen
A. Chase, C.S.D.; Clerk, William B. Johnson, C.S.D.
In introducing the
new President, Mr. McKenzie said: -
|
| 18 |
When I introduce the incoming President, my
modest
task will be ended. You will allow me, however, the
privilege of
saying a few words of reminder and prophecy. |
| 21 |
My thoughts revert to a former occasion,
when it was my
pleasant duty to preside at an annual meeting when our
Pastor Emeritus, Mrs. Eddy, was present. We remember |
| 24 |
her graciousness and dignity. We recall the
harmonious
tones of her gentle voice. Our hearts were thrilled by her
compassion, and the memory lives with us. But even more |
| 27 |
distinctly may we realize her presence with
us to-day.
Why? Because our own growth in love and unity enables
us to
comprehend better the strength and beauty of her |
| 30 |
character.
Page
40
|
| 1 |
Moreover, this completed extension of The
Mother
Church is an evidence to us of her hospitable love. She |
| 3 |
has desired for years to have her church
able to give
more adequate reception to those who hunger and thirst
after practical righteousness; and we are sure that now |
| 6 |
the branch churches of The Mother Church
will also en-
large their hospitality, so that these seekers everywhere
may be satisfied. This will imply the subsidence of criti- |
| 9 |
cism among workers. It may even imply that
some who
have been peacebreakers shall willingly enter into the
blessedness of peacemakers. Nothing will be lost, how- |
| 12 |
ever, by those who relinquish their
cherished resentments,
forsake animosity, and abandon their strongholds
of
rivalry. Through rivalries among leaders Christendom |
| 15 |
became divided into warring sects; but the
demand
of this age is for peacemaking, so that Christianity
may more
widely reassert its pristine power to bring |
| 18 |
health and a cure to pain-racked and
sorrow-worn hu-
manity. "The wisdom that is from above is first
pure,
then peaceable, . . . And the fruit of righteous- |
| 21 |
ness is sown in peace of them that make
peace."
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called
the
children of God."
|
| 24 |
Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, has presented to the
world the
ideal of Christianity, because she is an exact metaphysi-
cian. She has illustrated what the poet perceived when he |
| 27 |
said, "All's love, but all's law." She has
obeyed the divine
Principle, Love, without regrets and without
resistance.
Human sense often rebels against law, hence the proverb: |
| 30 |
Dura lex, sed lex (Hard is the law,
nevertheless it is
the law). But by her own blameless and happy life,
as well as by her teachings, our Leader has induced a
Page
41
|
| 1 |
multitude - how great no man can number -
to be-
come gladly obedient to law, so that they think rightly |
| 3 |
or righteously.
No one can change
the law of Christian metaphysics,
the law of right thinking, nor in any
wise alter its |
| 6 |
effects. It is a forever fact that the meek
and lowly in
heart are blessed and comforted by divine Love. If the
proud are lonely and uncomforted, it is because they |
| 9 |
have thoughts adverse to the law of love.
Pride, arro-
gance, and self-will are unmerciful, and so receive judg-
ment without mercy; but the law of metaphysics says, |
| 12 |
"Blessed are the merciful," and will allow
no one to
escape that blessedness, howsoever far he may stray,
whatsoever lawlessness of hatred he may practise and |
| 15 |
suffer from.
So we see that
Christian Science makes no compromise
with evil, sin, wrong, or
imperfection, but maintains the |
| 18 |
perfect standard of truth and righteousness
and joy. It
teaches us to rise from sentimental affection which ad-
mires friends and hates enemies, into brotherly love which |
| 21 |
is just and kind to all and unable to
cherish any enmity.
It brings into present and hourly application what
Paul
termed "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," and |
| 24 |
shows man that his real estate is one of
blessedness. Why
should any one postpone his legitimate joy, and
disregard
his lawful inheritance, which is "incorruptible and unde- |
| 27 |
filed"? Our Leader and teacher not only
discovered
Christian Science, but through long years of consecration
has obeyed its every demand, for our sakes as well as |
| 30 |
for her own; and we begin to understand
how illim-
itable is the Love which supports such selfless devotion,
we begin to comprehend the "beauty of holiness," and
Page
42
|
| 1 |
to be truly grateful to her who has
depicted its form
and comeliness. We have found it true that "she |
| 3 |
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her
tongue is
the law of kindness."
It is my pleasure to
introduce to you a faithful follower |
| 6 |
of this Leader as the President for the
coming year, Willis
F. Gross, C.S.B., one who has for many years
"witnessed
a good confession" in the practice of Christian Science. |
| 9 |
You are no doubt already acquainted with
him as one of
the helpful contributors to our periodicals, so that any
further words of mine are unnecessary.
|
| 12 |
Mr. Gross, on assuming office, said: -
Beloved
Friends: - Most unexpectedly to me came
the
call to serve you in this capacity, and I desire to improve
|
| 15 |
this opportunity to express my thanks for
the honor con-
ferred upon me. With a heart filled with gratitude for
the
countless blessings which have come into my life through |
| 18 |
Christian Science, I shall endeavor to
perform this service
to the best of my ability.
It affords me great
pleasure to welcome you to our first |
| 21 |
annual meeting held in the extension of The
Mother
Church. I shall not attempt to speak of the deep signifi-
cance
of this momentous occasion. I realize that only as |
| 24 |
infinite good unfolds in each individual
consciousness can
we begin to comprehend, even in small degree, how
great
is the work that has been inaugurated by our beloved |
| 27 |
Leader, how faithful is her allegiance to
God, how untiring
are her efforts, and how successful she is in the
performance
of her daily tasks.
|
| 30 |
"With a mighty hand, and with an
outstretched arm"
were the children of Israel delivered from the bondage
of
Page
43
|
| 1 |
the Egyptians, but this deliverance did not
put them in
possession of the promised land. An unknown wilder- |
| 3 |
ness was before them, and that wilderness
must be con-
quered. The law was given that they might know what
was
required of them, that they might have a definite rule |
| 6 |
of action whereby to order aright the
affairs of daily life.
Obedience to the demands of the law revealed the
God
of their fathers, and they learned to know Him. During |
| 9 |
their sojourn in the wilderness they
suffered defeats and
met with disappointments, but they learned from
experi-
ence and finally became willingly obedient to the voice of |
| 12 |
their leader. The crossing of the Jordan
brought them
into the promised land, and this experience was almost
as
marvellous as had been the passage of the Red Sea |
| 15 |
forty years before. In obedience to the
command of
Joshua, twelve stones taken from the midst of the river
were
set up on the other side for a memorial. In future |
| 18 |
generations when it was asked, "What mean
ye by these
stones?" it was told them: Israel came over this Jordan
on
dry ground.
|
| 21 |
Forty years ago the Science of Christian
healing was
revealed to our beloved Leader, the Rev. Mary Baker
Eddy. A
few years later she gave us our textbook, |
| 24 |
"Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures." Obedi-
ence to the teachings of this book has brought us to
this
hour. We have learned from experience, and to-day we |
| 27 |
rejoice that we have found in Christian
Science that
which heals and saves.
The world looks with
wonder upon this grand achieve- |
| 30 |
ment, - the completion and dedication of
our magnificent
temple, - and many are asking, "What mean ye by these
stones?" The answer is, The way out of the wilderness
Page
44
|
| 1 |
of human beliefs has been revealed. Through
the under-
standing of God as an ever-present help, the sick are being |
| 3 |
healed, the shackles of sin are being
broken, heavy burdens
are being laid down, tears are being wiped away,
and
Israel is going up to possess the promised land of eternal, |
| 6 |
harmonious existence.
Friends, our
progress may be fast or it may be slow,
but one thing is certain, it will
be sure, if we are obe- |
| 9 |
dient to the loving counsel of our ever
faithful Leader.
The Christ is here, has come to individual conscious-
ness; and the faithful disciple rejoices in prophecy ful- |
| 12 |
filled, "Lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of
the world."
Telegram to Mrs.
Eddy
|
| 15 |
Judge Septimus J. Hanna then advanced to
the
front of the platform, read the following despatch, and
moved that
it be forwarded at once to our Leader, |
| 18 |
Mrs. Eddy. The motion was carried
unanimously by a
rising vote.
The despatch was as follows: -
|
| 21 |
TO THE REV. MARY BAKER
EDDY,
Pleasant View, Concord, N. H.
Beloved Teacher and Leader: - The
members of The |
| 24 |
Mother Church, The First Church of Christ,
Scientist,
in Boston, Mass., in annual meeting assembled, hereby
convey
to you their sincere greetings and their deep |
| 27 |
love.
They desire to express their continued
loyalty to your
teachings, their unshaken confidence in the unerring
wis- |
| 30 |
dom of your leadership, and their
confident assurance
Page
45
|
| 1 |
that strict and intelligent recognition of
and obedience to
the comprehensive means by you provided for the
further- |
| 3 |
ance of our Cause, will result in its
perpetuity as well
as in the ultimate regeneration of its adherents and
of
mankind.
|
| 6 |
We are witnessing with joy and gratitude
the significant
events associated with this, one of the greatest and
most
important gatherings of Christian Scientists in the annals |
| 9 |
of our history. Yet the upwards of thirty
thousand who
are physically present at the dedication represent only a
small part of the entire body who are of us and with us |
| 12 |
in the animus and spirit of our movement.
The great temple is
finished! That which you have long
prophetically seen has been
accomplished. The magnifi- |
| 15 |
cent edifice stands a fitting monument of
your obedience
and fidelity to the divine Principle revealed to you in
that
momentous hour when purblind mortal sense declared you |
| 18 |
to be in extremis. You followed
unswervingly the guid-
ance of Him who went before you by day in a pillar
of
cloud to lead you in the way, and by night in a pillar |
| 21 |
of fire to give you light, and the results
of such following
have been marvellous beyond human ken. As clearly
as
in retrospect we see the earlier leading, we now discern |
| 24 |
the fulfilment of the later prophecy, that
"He took not
away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire
by
night," for each advancing step has logically followed |
| 27 |
the preceding one.
The great temple is
finished! This massive pile of New
Hampshire granite and Bedford stone,
rising to a height |
| 30 |
of two hundred and twenty-four feet, one
foot loftier than
the Bunker Hill monument, stands a material type of
Truth's permanence. In solid foundation, in symmetrical
Page
46
|
| 1 |
arches, in generous hallways, in commodious
foyer and
broad stairways, in exquisite and expansive auditorium, |
| 3 |
and in towering, overshadowing dome, the
great structure
stands, silently but eloquently beckoning us on towards
a higher and more spiritual plane of living, for we know |
| 6 |
that without this spiritual significance
it were but a pass-
ing dream.
In the best sense it
stands in prophetic verity of the |
| 9 |
primary declaration of this church in its
original organiza-
tion; namely, "To organize a church designed to com-
memorate the word and works of our Master, which should |
| 12 |
reinstate primitive Christianity and its
lost element
of healing." (Church Manual, p. 17.) To rise to the
demands of this early pronouncement is the work of true |
| 15 |
Christian Scientists.
To preach the gospel
and heal the sick on the Christ-
basis is the essential requirement of a
reinstated Chris- |
| 18 |
tianity. Only as we pledge ourselves anew
to this demand,
and then fulfil the pledge in righteous living, are we
faith-
ful, obedient, deserving disciples.
|
| 21 |
On this solemn occasion, and in the
presence of this
assembled host, we do hereby pledge ourselves to a
deeper
consecration, a more sincere and Christly love of God and |
| 24 |
our brother, and a more implicit obedience
to the sacred
teachings of the Bible and our textbook, as well as to
the
all-inclusive instructions and admonitions of our Church |
| 27 |
Manual in its spiritual import, that we may
indeed reach
"unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general |
| 30 |
assembly and church of the firstborn."
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON, Clerk
BOSTON,
MASS., June 12, 1906
Page
47
|
| 1 |
Report of the Clerk
Beloved Brethren of The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, |
| 3 |
in Boston, Mass.: - It seems meet at
this time, when
thousands of Christian Scientists have gathered here
from all parts of the world, many of whom have not had |
| 6 |
the means of knowing the steps by which
this church has
reached its present growth, to present in this report a
few
of the stages of its progress, as gleaned from the pages of |
| 9 |
its history.
After a work has been established, has
grown to great
magnitude, and people the world over have been touched
|
| 12 |
by its influence for good, it is with joy
that those who have
labored unceasingly for the work look back to the
pictur-
esque, interesting, and epoch-marking stages of its growth, |
| 15 |
and recall memories of trials, progress,
and victories that
are precious each and all. To-day we look back over
the
years that have passed since the inception of this great |
| 18 |
Cause, and we cannot help being touched by
each land-
mark of progress that showed a forward effort into the
well-earned joy that is with us now. For a Cause that |
| 21 |
has rooted itself in so many distant lands,
and inspired so
many of different races and tongues into the
demonstration
of the knowledge of God, the years that have passed
since |
| 24 |
Mrs. Eddy founded her first church seem but
a short
time. And this little church, God's word in the wilder-
ness of
dogma and creed, opened an era of Christian |
| 27 |
worship founded on the commands of Jesus:
"Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. . .
. And these signs shall follow them that |
| 30 |
believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they
shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up ser-
Page
48
|
| 1 |
pents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they |
| 3 |
shall recover."
Not until nineteen
centuries had passed was there one
ready to receive the inspiration, to
restore to human con- |
| 6 |
sciousness the stone that had been
rejected, and which
Mrs. Eddy made "the head of the corner" of The Church
of Christ, Scientist.
|
| 9 |
With the reading of her textbook, "Science
and
Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy insisted
that her
students make, every day, a prayerful study of |
| 12 |
the Bible, and obtain the spiritual
understanding of its
promises. Upon this she founded the future growth
of
her church, and twenty-six years later the following |
| 15 |
splendid appreciation of her efforts
appeared in the
Methodist Review from the pen of the late
Frederick
Lawrence Knowles:-
|
| 18 |
"Mrs. Eddy . . . in her insistence upon the
constant
daily reading of the Bible and her own writings, . . .
has
given to her disciples a means of spiritual development |
| 21 |
which . . . will certainly build such truth
as they do gain
into the marrow of their characters. The scorn of the
gross and sensual, and the subordination of merely material |
| 24 |
to spiritual values, together with the
discouragement of
care and worry, are all forces that make for
righteousness.
And they are burned indelibly upon the mind of the |
| 27 |
neophyte every day through its reading. The
intellects
of these people are not drugged by scandal, drowned in
frivolity, or paralyzed by sentimental fiction. . . . They |
| 30 |
feed the higher nature through the mind,
and I am bound
as an observer of them to say, in all fairness, that the
result is already manifest in their faces, their conversation,
Page
49
|
| 1 |
and their bearing, both in public and
private. What
wonder that when these smiling people say, 'Come thou |
| 3 |
with us, and we will do thee good,' the
hitherto half-
persuaded one is wholly drawn over, as by an
irresistible
attraction. The religious body which can direct, and con- |
| 6 |
trol, in no arbitrary sense, but through
sane counsel, the
reading of its membership, stands a great chance of
sweep-
ing the world within a generation."
|
| 9 |
The charter of this little church was
obtained August
23, 1879, and in the same month the members extended a
unanimous invitation to Mrs. Eddy to become its pastor. |
| 12 |
At a meeting of those who were interested
in forming the
church, Mrs. Eddy was appointed on the committee to
formulate the rules and by-laws, also the tenets and church |
| 15 |
covenant. The first business meeting of the
church was
held August 16, 1879, in Charlestown, Mass., for the pur-
pose of electing officers. August 22 the Clerk, by instruc- |
| 18 |
tions received at the previous meeting,
sent an invitation
to Mrs. Eddy to become pastor of the church. August
27
the church held a meeting, with Mrs. Eddy in the chair. |
| 21 |
An interesting record of this meeting
reads: "The minutes
of the previous meeting were read and approved.
Then
Mrs. Eddy proceeded to instruct those present as to their |
| 24 |
duties in the Church of Christ, giving
some useful hints as
to the mode of conducting the church."
At a meeting held
October 19, 1879, it was unanimously |
| 27 |
voted that "Dr. and Mrs. Eddy merited the
thanks of the
society for their devoted labors in the cause of Truth,"
and at the annual meeting, December 1 of the same year, |
| 30 |
it was voted to instruct the Clerk to call
Mrs. Eddy
to the pastorate of the church, and at this meeting Mrs.
Eddy accepted the call. The first meeting of this little
Page
50
|
| 1 |
church for deliberation before a Communion
Sabbath
was held at the home of the pastor, Mrs. Eddy, Jan- |
| 3 |
uary 2, 1880.
Most of those
present had left their former church
homes, in which they had labored
faithfully and ardently, |
| 6 |
and had united themselves into a little
band of prayerful
workers. As the Pilgrims felt the strangeness of
their
new home, the vast gloom of the mysterious forests, and |
| 9 |
knew not the trials before them, so this
little band of
pioneers, guided by their dauntless Leader and teacher,
starting out on their labors against the currents of dogma, |
| 12 |
creed, sickness, and sin, must have felt a
peculiar sense of
isolation, for their records state, "The tone of this
meeting
for deliberation before Communion Sabbath was rather |
| 15 |
sorrowful;" but as they turned steadfastly
from the mor-
tal side, and looked towards the spiritual, as the
records
further relate, "yet there was a feeling of trust in the |
| 18 |
great Father, of Love prevailing over the
apparently dis-
couraging outlook of the Church of Christ." The Com-
munion Sunday, however, brought fresh courage to the |
| 21 |
earnest band, and the records contain these
simple but
suggestive words, - "Sunday, January 4, 1880. The
church
celebrated her Communion Sabbath as a church, |
| 24 |
and it was a very inspiring season to us
all, and two new
members were added to the church." This was indeed
the
little church in the wilderness, and few knew of its |
| 27 |
teachings, but those few saw the grandeur
of its work
and were willing to labor for the Cause.
The record of May
23, 1880, more than twenty-six years |
| 30 |
ago, states: "Our pastor, Mrs. Eddy,
preached her fare-
well sermon to the church. The business committee
met
after the services to call a general meeting of the church
Page
51
|
| 1 |
to devise means to pay our pastor, so as to
keep her with
us, as there is no one in the world who could take her
place |
| 3 |
in teaching us the Science of Life." May 26
of the same
year the following resolutions were passed: "That the
members of the Church of Christ, and all others now in- |
| 6 |
terested in said church, do most sincerely
regret that our
pastor, Mrs. Eddy, feels it her duty to tender her
resigna-
tion, and while we feel that she has not met with the |
| 9 |
support that she should have reason to
expect, we venture
to hope she will remain with us. That it would be a
serious blow to her Cause to have the public services |
| 12 |
discontinued at a time when there is such
an interest
manifested on the part of the people, and we know of no
one
who is so able as she to lead us to the higher under- |
| 15 |
standing of Christianity, whereby to heal
the sick and
reform the sinner. It was moved to instruct the Clerk to
have our pastor remain with us for a few Sundays if not |
| 18 |
permanently."
At a meeting of the
church, December 15, 1880, an invi-
tation was extended to Mrs. Eddy to
accept the pastorate |
| 21 |
for the ensuing year; but, as the records
state, "she gave
no definite answer, believing that it was for the
interest
of the Cause, and her duty, to go into new fields to |
| 24 |
teach and preach."
An interesting
record relative to this very early work of
the church, and its appreciation
of Mrs. Eddy's tireless |
| 27 |
labors, is that of July 20, 1881, which
reads, "That we,
the members of The Church of Christ, Scientist, tender
to
our beloved pastor, Mrs. Eddy, the heartfelt thanks and |
| 30 |
gratitude shared by all who have attended
the services, in
appreciation of her earnest endeavors, her arduous
labors,
and successful instructions to heal the sick, and reform
Page
52
|
| 1 |
the sinner, by metaphysical truth or
Christian Science, dur-
ing the past year. Resolved: That while she had
many |
| 3 |
obstacles to overcome, many mental
hardships to endure,
she has borne them bravely, blessing them that curse
her,
loving them that despitefully use her, thereby giving in |
| 6 |
her Christian example, as well as her
instructions, the
highest type of womanhood, or the love that heals.
And
while we sincerely acknowledge our indebtedness to her, |
| 9 |
and to God, for these blessings, we, each
and all, will make
greater efforts more faithfully to sustain her in her
work.
Resolved: That while we realize the rapid growth, and |
| 12 |
welcome the fact of the spreading world
wide of this great
truth, that Mind, Truth, Life, and Love, as taught
and
expressed by our pastor, does heal the sick, and, when |
| 15 |
understood, does bring out the perfection
of all things, we
also realize we must use more energy and unselfish
labor
to establish these our Master's commands and our pastor's |
| 18 |
teachings, namely, heal the sick, and
preach the gospel,
and love our neighbor as ourselves."
Eighteen years ago,
the Rev. James Henry Wiggin, who |
| 21 |
was not a Christian Scientist, wrote as
follows: "What-
ever is to be Mrs. Eddy's future reputation, time will
show. Little cares she, if only through her work Truth |
| 24 |
may be glorified. More than once, in her
earnestness, she
has reached her bottom dollar, but the interest of the
world to hear her word has always filled her coffers anew. |
| 27 |
Within a few months she has made sacrifices
from which
most authors would have shrunk, to insure the moral
rightness of her book." This statement "Phare Pleigh" |
| 30 |
[the nom de plume of the Rev. James
Henry Wiggin]
makes out of his own peculiar knowledge of the circum-
stances. "Day after day flew by, and weeks lengthened
Page
53
|
| 1 |
into months; from every quarter came
important mis-
sives of inquiry and mercantile reproach; hundreds of |
| 3 |
dollars were sunk into a bottomless sea of
corrections;
yet not until the authoress was satisfied that her duty
was wholly done, would she allow printer and binder to |
| 6 |
send forth her book to the world." This
book has now
reached its four hundredth edition, each of one thousand
copies.
|
| 9 |
On September 8, 1882, it was voted that the
church
hold its meetings of worship in the parlors of Mrs. Eddy's
home, 569 Columbus Avenue, Boston. The services were |
| 12 |
held there until November, 1883, and then
in the Haw-
thorne Rooms, at No. 3 Park Street, the seating capacity
of
which place was about two hundred and twenty- |
| 15 |
five. At a meeting October 22, 1883, the
church voted
to wait upon Mrs. Eddy, to ascertain if she would
preach
for the society for ten dollars a Sunday, which |
| 18 |
invitation she accepted. After establishing
itself as a
church in the Hawthorne Rooms, the number of atten-
dants
steadily increased. The pulpit was supplied by |
| 21 |
Mrs. Eddy, when she could give the time to
preach,
and by her students and by clergymen of different
denominations, among whom was the Rev. A. J. Pea- |
| 24 |
body, D.D., of Cambridge, Mass.
The annual report of
the business committee of the
church, for the year ending December 7, 1885,
contains |
| 27 |
some very interesting statements, among
which is this:
"There was a steadily increasing interest in Christian
Science among the people, even though the continuity |
| 30 |
of thought must have been very much broken
by having
so many different ones address them on the subject.
When our
pastor preached for us it was found that the
Page
54
|
| 1 |
Hawthorne Rooms were inadequate for the
occasion,
hundreds going away who could not obtain entrance; |
| 3 |
those present enduring the inconvenience
that comes
from crowding, for the sake of the eternal truth she
taught
them." The Boston Traveler contained the fol- |
| 6 |
lowing item: "The Church of Christ,
Scientist, had their
meeting Easter Sunday at Hawthorne Rooms, which
were crowded one hour before the service commenced, |
| 9 |
and half an hour before the arrival of the
pastor, the
Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, the tide of men and women
was turned
from the door with the information, 'No |
| 12 |
more standing-room.' "
On February 8, 1885,
communion was held at Odd
Fellows Hall, and there were present about eight
hundred |
| 15 |
people. At this time the Hawthorne Rooms,
which had
been regarded as the church home, were outgrown. Dur-
ing the
summer vacation, different places were considered, |
| 18 |
but no place suitable could be found that
was available,
and the Sunday services were postponed. There was an
expectation that some place would be obtained, but the |
| 21 |
desire for services was so great that the
Hawthorne Rooms
were again secured. A record of this period reads, "It
should be here stated that from the first of September to |
| 24 |
our opening, crowds had besieged the doors
at the Haw-
thorne Rooms, Sunday after Sunday." On October 18,
1885,
the rooms were opened and a large congregation |
| 27 |
was present. It was then concluded to
engage Chickering
Hall on Tremont Street. In the previous consideration
of places for meeting it had been decided that this hall |
| 30 |
was too large, as it seated four hundred
and sixty-four.
The first Sunday service held in Chickering Hall was on
October 25, 1885. Mrs. Eddy preached at this service
Page
55
|
| 1 |
and the hall was crowded. This date is
memorable as
the one upon which the Sunday School was formed.
|
| 3 |
Meanwhile it was felt that the church
needed a place of
its own, and efforts were made to obtain by purchase
some
building, or church, in a suitable location. Several places |
| 6 |
were considered, but were not satisfactory;
yet the
thought of obtaining a church edifice, although given up
for a
time, was not forgotten. In the mean time, not |
| 9 |
only was the attendance rapidly growing in
this church in
Chickering Hall, but the Cause itself was spreading
over
the land. September 1, 1892, Mrs. Eddy gave the plot of |
| 12 |
ground on which The Mother Church now
stands. On
the twenty-third day of September, 1892, twelve of the
members of the church met, and, upon Mrs. Eddy's |
| 15 |
counsel, reorganized the church, and named
it The First
Church of Christ, Scientist. This effort of Mrs. Eddy
was
an inspiration to Christian Scientists, and plans were |
| 18 |
made for a church home.
In the mean time
Sunday services were held in Chicker-
ing Hall, and continued there until
March, 1894, and |
| 21 |
during the last year the hall was crowded
to overflowing.
In March, however, the church was obliged to seek other
quarters, as Chickering Hall was to be remodelled. At this |
| 24 |
time the church removed to Copley Hall on
Clarendon
Street, which had a seating capacity of six hundred and
twenty-five, and in that place Sunday services were held |
| 27 |
until The Mother Church edifice was ready
for occupancy,
December 30, 1894. During the months that the con-
gregation worshipped in Copley Hall there was a steady |
| 30 |
increase in attendance.
Twelve years ago the
twenty-first of last month, the
corner-stone of The Mother Church edifice
was laid, and
Page
56
|
| 1 |
at that time it was thought the seating
capacity would be
adequate for years to come. Attendance at the Sunday |
| 3 |
service gradually increased, until every
seat was filled and
many stood in the aisles, and in consequence two
services
were held, morning and afternoon, the latter a repetition |
| 6 |
of the morning service. The date of the
inauguration of
two Sunday services was April 26, 1896. It was soon
evident that even this provision was inadequate to meet |
| 9 |
the need, and it was found necessary to
organize branch
churches in such suburbs of Boston as would relieve
the
overcrowded condition of The Mother Church; there- |
| 12 |
fore three branch churches were organized,
one in each of
the following named places: Cambridge, Chelsea, and
Roxbury.
|
| 15 |
For a while it seemed that there would be
ample room
for growth of attendance in The Mother Church, but not-
withstanding the relief that the organization of branch |
| 18 |
churches had given, the number of
attendants increased
faster than ever. From the time that the three
foregoing
named churches were established, the membership and the |
| 21 |
attendance at them and at The Mother Church
steadily
grew, and more branch churches were established in other
suburbs, members of which had formerly been attendants |
| 24 |
at The Mother Church. In the spring of 1905
the over-
crowded condition of the morning service showed that
still
further provision must be made, as many were obliged |
| 27 |
to leave the church for the reason that
there was not even
standing-room. Therefore, beginning October 1, 1905,
three services were held each Sunday, the second and |
| 30 |
third being repetitions of the first
service.
This continued
growth, this continued overcrowding,
proved the need of a larger edifice.
Our communion ser-
Page
57
|
| 1 |
vices and annual meetings were overcrowded
in The
Mother Church, they were overcrowded in Tremont |
| 3 |
Temple, in Symphony Hall, and in the
Mechanics Build-
ing, and the need was felt of an auditorium that
would
be of great seating capacity, and one that would have the |
| 6 |
sacred atmosphere of a church home.
In Mrs. Eddy's
Message to the church in 1902 she sug-
gested the need of a larger church
edifice, and at the |
| 9 |
annual meeting of the same year the church
voted to
raise any part of two millions of dollars for the purpose of
building a suitable edifice. The labor of clearing the land |
| 12 |
was begun in October, 1903, and the
corner-stone was
laid July 16, 1904.
The first annual
meeting of the church was held in |
| 15 |
Chickering Hall, October 3, 1893, and the
membership
at that date was 1,545. The membership of this
church to-day
is 40,011. The number of candidates |
| 18 |
admitted June 5 of this year is the largest
in the his-
tory of the church and numbers 4,889, which is 2,194
more
than the hitherto largest admission, that of June, |
| 21 |
1903. The total number admitted during the
last
year is 6,181. The total number of branch churches
advertised in
The Christian Science Journal of this |
| 24 |
June is 682, 614 of which show a membership
of
41,944. The number of societies advertised in the
Journal is
267.
|
| 27 |
Shortly before the dedication of The Mother
Church in
1895, the Boston Evening Transcript said: "Wonders
will
never cease. Here is a church whose Treasurer has sent |
| 30 |
out word that no sums except those already
subscribed
can be received. The Christian Scientists have a faith
of
the mustard-seed variety. What a pity some of our
Page
58
|
| 1 |
practical Christian folk have not a faith
approximate to
that of these impractical Christian Scientists."
|
| 3 |
The fact that a notice was published in the
Christian
Science Sentinel of last Saturday that no more funds
are needed to complete the extension of The Mother |
| 6 |
Church, proves the truth of the axiom,
"History re-
peats itself." These are the evidences of the magnifi-
cent growth of this Cause, and are sufficient refutation |
| 9 |
of the statements that have been made that
"Christian
Science is dying out."
The majesty and the
dignity of this church edifice not |
| 12 |
only shows the growth of this Cause, but
proclaims the
trust, the willingness of those who have contributed to
the erection of these mighty walls.
|
| 15 |
This magnificent structure, this fitting
testimonial in
stone, speaks more than words can picture of the love
and
gratitude of a great multitude that has been healed and |
| 18 |
purified through the labor and sacrifice of
our revered
Leader and teacher, Mary Baker Eddy, the one through
whom
God has revealed a demonstrable way of salvation. |
| 21 |
May her example inspire us to follow her in
preaching,
"The kingdom of heaven is at hand," by healing the
sick and
reforming the sinful, and, as she has done, ver- |
| 24 |
ifying Jesus' words, "Lo, I am with you
alway."
LETTERS AND EDITORIAL
MRS. MARY
BAKER EDDY, |
| 27 |
Pleasant
View, Concord, N. H.
My Dear
Teacher: - Of the many thousands who
attended the dedicatory services at the Christian Science |
| 30 |
church last Sunday it is doubtful if there
was one so deeply
Page
59
|
| 1 |
impressed with the grandeur and magnitude
of your work
as was the writer, whom you will recall as a member of |
| 3 |
your first class in Lynn, Mass.,
nearly forty years ago.
When you told us that the truth you expounded
was
the little leaven that should leaven the whole lump, we |
| 6 |
thought this might be true in some far
distant day
beyond our mortal vision. It was above conception
that in
less than forty years a new system of faith and |
| 9 |
worship, as well as of healing, should
number its adher-
ents by the hundreds of thousands and its tenets be
accepted wholly or in part by nearly every religious and |
| 12 |
scientific body in the civilized world.
Seated in the
gallery of that magnificent temple, which
has been reared by you, gazing
across that sea of heads, |
| 15 |
listening again to your words explaining
the Scriptures,
my mind was carried back to that first public meeting
in
the little hall on Market Street, Lynn, where you preached |
| 18 |
to a handful of people that would scarce
fill a couple of
pews in this grand amphitheatre; and as I heard the
sono-
rous tones of the powerful organ and the mighty chorus of |
| 21 |
five thousand voices, I thought of the
little melodeon on
which my wife played, and of my own feeble attempts
to lead the singing.
|
| 24 |
In years gone by I have been asked, "Did
Mrs. Eddy
really write Science and Health? Some say she did not."
My
answer has invariably been, "Send those who say |
| 27 |
she did not to me. I heard her talk it
before it was
ever written. I read it in manuscript before it was ever
printed." Now my testimony is not needed. No human |
| 30 |
being in this generation has accomplished
such a work or
been so thoroughly endorsed or so completely vindicated.
It is marvellous beyond all imagining to one who knew of
Page
60
|
| 1 |
your early struggles. I have been solicited
by many of
your followers to say something about the early history |
| 3 |
of Christian Science. I have replied that
if Mrs. Eddy
thought it wise to instruct them on the subject she would
doubtless do so.
|
| 6 |
Possibly you may remember the words of my
uncle, the
good old deacon of the First Congregational Church of
Lynn,
when told that I had studied with you. "My boy, |
| 9 |
you will be ruined for life; it is the work
of the devil."
He only expressed the thought of all the Christian (?)
people at that time. What a change in the Christian |
| 12 |
world! "The stone which the builders
rejected" has
become the corner-stone of this wonderful temple of
"wisdom, Truth, and Love." (Science and Health, p. |
| 15 |
495.) I have yet the little Bible which you
gave me
as a reward for the best paper on the spiritual sig-
nificance
of the first chapter of Genesis. It has this |
| 18 |
inscription on the fly-leaf in your
handwriting, "With
all thy getting get understanding."
Respectfully and
faithfully yours, |
| 21 |
S. P. BANCROFT
CAMBRIDGE,
MASS., June 12, 1906
MRS. MARY
BAKER EDDY, |
| 24 |
Pleasant
View, Concord, N. H.
Dear Leader and
Guide: - Now that the great event,
the
dedication of our new church building, is over, may |
| 27 |
I ask a little of your time to tell you of
the interesting
part I had to perform in this wonderful consummation.
On the twenty-fifth of last March I was asked by one
30 of the Directors if I would care to do
a little watching
Page
61
|
| 1 |
at the church. I gladly answered in the
affirmative, and
have been in the building part of every night since
that |
| 3 |
time. To watch the transformation has been
very in-
teresting indeed, and the lessons I have learned of the
power
of divine Mind to remove human obstructions |
| 6 |
have been very precious. At first I thought
that, since
it seemed impossible for the building to be completed
before the end of summer, the communion would likely |
| 9 |
be postponed until that time. Then came the
announce-
ment that the services would be held in the new exten-
sion
on June 10. I saw at once that somebody had to |
| 12 |
wake up. I fought hard with the evidence of
mortal
sense for a time; but after a while, in the night, as
I was
climbing over stones and planks and plaster, |
| 15 |
I raised my eyes, and the conviction that
the work
would be accomplished came to me so clearly, I said
aloud,
"Why, there is no fear; this house will be ready |
| 18 |
for the service, June 10." I bowed my head
before
the might of divine Love, and never more did I have
any
doubt.
|
| 21 |
One feature about the work interested me. I
noticed
that as soon as the workmen began to admit that the work
could
be done, everything seemed to move as by magic; |
| 24 |
the human mind was giving its consent. This
taught me
that I should be willing to let God work. I have often
stood
under the great dome, in the dark stillness of the |
| 27 |
night, and thought, "What cannot God do?"
(Science
and Health, p. 135.)
As I discovered the
many intricate problems which must |
| 30 |
necessarily present themselves in such an
immense under-
taking, I appreciated as never before the faithful,
earnest
work of our noble Board of Directors. With unflinching
Page
62
|
| 1 |
faith and unfailing fidelity they have
stood at the breast-
works in the battle, and won the reward, "Well
done, |
| 3 |
good and faithful servant; . . . enter
thou into the joy
of thy lord."
But what of this
magnificent structure ? Whence did it |
| 6 |
come? To me it is the result of the love
that trembled
in one human heart when it whispered: "Dear God, may
I
not take this precious truth and give it to my brothers |
| 9 |
and sisters?" How can we ever thank God
enough for
such an one, - ever thank you enough for your unselfed
love.
May the glory which crowns the completion of this |
| 12 |
structure shed its brightest beams on your
pathway, and
fill your heart with the joy of Love's victory.
Your
sincere follower, |
| 15 |
JAMES J. ROME
BOSTON,
MASS., June 30, 1906
REV. MARY BAKER
EDDY, |
| 18 |
Pleasant View, Concord, N.
H.
Beloved Leader and Teacher: - We,
the Directors of
your church, send you loving greetings and
congratulations |
| 21 |
upon the completion of the magnificent
extension of The
Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, and we again
express
our thankful appreciation of your wise counsel, timely |
| 21 |
instruction, and words of encouragement
when they were
so much needed.
We acknowledge with many thanks the
valuable services |
| 27 |
rendered to this Board by the members of
the business
committee, who were ever ready to assist us in every way
possible; also the services of other members of the church, |
| 30 |
who gave freely of their time and efforts
when there was
urgent need of both.
Page
63
|
| 1 |
We do not forget that it was through you we
were en-
abled to secure the services of Mr. Whitcomb as builder |
| 3 |
in the early days of the construction of
the church, and of
Mr. Beman in an advisory capacity in the later days;
for
this, and for their valuable services, we are grateful. |
| 6 |
Lovingly and gratefully your students,
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
By WILLIAM B. JOHNSON,
Secretary
9 BOSTON, MASS., July
10, 1906
[Editorial
in Christian Science Sentinel, June 23, 1906]
Our annual communion and the dedication of
the exten- |
| 12 |
sion of The Mother Church are over, and
this happy and
holy experience has become a part of our expanding con-
sciousness of Truth, to abide with us and enable us better |
| 15 |
to work out the purposes of divine Love. It
was scarcely
possible to repress a feeling of exultation as friend met
friend at every turn with words of rejoicing; and even the |
| 18 |
greetings and congratulations of those not
of our faith
seemed to say that all the world was in some degree
sharing
in our joy. But within our sacred edifice there came a |
| 21 |
deeper feeling, a feeling of awe and of
reverence beyond
words, - a new sense of the magnitude of Christian
Science, this revelation of divinity which has come to the |
| 24 |
present age. Grandly does our temple
symbolize this
revelation, in its purity, stateliness, and vastness;
but
even more impressive than this was the presence of the |
| 27 |
thousands who had come, as the Master
predicted, "from
the east, and from the west, and from the north, and
from the south," to tell by their presence that they had |
| 30 |
been healed by Christ, Truth, and had
found the kingdom
of God.
Page
64
|
| 1 |
As one thought upon the significance of the
occasion,
the achievements of our beloved Leader and her relation |
| 3 |
to the experiences of the hour took on a
larger and truer
meaning. The glories of the realm of infinite Mind,
revealed to us through her spiritual attainments and her |
| 6 |
years of toil, encompassed us, and hearts
were thrilled
with tender gratitude and love for all that she has done.
If to-day we feel a pardonable pride in being known as |
| 9 |
Christian Scientists, it is because our
Leader has made the
name an honored one before the world.
In her dedicatory
Message to The Mother Church, |
| 12 |
Mrs. Eddy says, "The First Commandment of
the Hebrew
Decalogue, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me,'
and
the Golden Rule are the all-in-all of Christian Science." |
| 15 |
In all her writings, through all the years
of her leadership,
she has been teaching her followers both by precept
and
example how to obey this commandment and rule, and |
| 18 |
her success in so doing is what constitutes
the high stand-
ing of Christian Science before the world. Fearlessly
does
she warn all her followers against the indulgence of the |
| 21 |
sins which would prevent the realization of
ideal manhood
- the reign of the Christ - and now it is ours to address
ourselves with renewed faith and love to the high and holy |
| 24 |
task of overcoming all that is unlike God,
and thus prove
our worthiness to be "living stones" in the universal
temple of Spirit, and worthy members of The Mother |
| 27 |
Church before men.
APPENDIX TO PART I
AS
CHRONICLED BY THE NEWSPAPERS
[Boston Journal, June 19, 1902]
AN
ASTONISHING MOTION
|
| 3 |
Assembled in the largest church business
meeting ever
held in Boston - perhaps the largest ever held in the
United States - the members of The First Church of |
| 6 |
Christ, Scientist, Boston, The Mother
Church of the de-
nomination, voted yesterday afternoon to raise any
part
of two million dollars that might be needed to build |
| 9 |
in this city a church edifice capable of
seating between
four and five thousand persons. This astonishing
motion
was passed with both unanimity and assurance. It was |
| 12 |
not even talked over, beyond two brief
explanations why
the building was needed. Learning that a big church
was
required, the money to provide it was pledged with the |
| 15 |
readiness and despatch of an ordinary
mortal passing out
a nickel for carfare.
[Boston Globe,
April, 1903]
PROGRESSIVE STEPS
The last parcel in
the block bounded by Falmouth,
Norway, and St. Paul Streets, in the shape
of a triangle, |
| 21 |
has passed to the ownership of the
Christian Science
church, the deed being taken by Ira O. Knapp et
al.,
Page
66
|
| 1 |
trustees. The purchase of this parcel,
which is known as
the Hotel Brookline, a four-story brick building also in
the |
| 3 |
shape of a triangle, gives to the above
society the ownership
of the entire block.
During the past two
weeks considerable activity has |
| 6 |
been going on in property on these streets,
no less than
ten estates having been conveyed by deed to the Christian
Science church, and now comes the purchase of the last |
| 9 |
parcel on St. Paul Street by the above
society, which
gives them the ownership of the entire block.
Just what use the
society will make of the property |
| 12 |
has not been stated, but it is said that a
number of changes
will be made that will enable the church to expand,
and
to do so it was necessary to have this property. No block |
| 15 |
is so well situated for church purposes as
this one, being
in a fine part of the city.
[Boston
Post, June 6, 1906]
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Artisans and artists
are working night and day and
craftsmen are hurrying on with their work to
make the |
| 21 |
spacious and elegant edifice complete for
the elaborate
observances of Sunday, when six services will be held,
and when the words of Mary Baker Eddy will come from |
| 24 |
her beautiful home, Pleasant View, in
Concord, N. H.,
welcoming her children and giving her blessing to the
structure.
|
| 27 |
The services of Sunday will mark an epoch
in the history
of Christian Science. Since the discovery by Mrs. Eddy,
many beautiful houses of worship have been erected, but |
| 30 |
never before has such a grand church been
built as that
Page
67
|
| 1 |
which raises its dome above the city at the
corner of
Falmouth and Norway Streets.
|
| 3 |
[Boston Post]
Description of
the Extension
Extension of The Mother Church
|
| 6 |
Cost $2,000,000
Shape, triangular
220x220x236 ft.
Height 224 ft. |
| 9 |
Area of site 40,000 sq. ft.
Seating capacity 5,000
Checking facilities 3,000 garments
|
| 12 |
Notable Dates in Christian Science
Christian Science discovered 1866
First church organized 1879 |
| 15 |
First church erected 1894
Corner-stone of cathedral laid 1904
Cathedral to be dedicated 1906
|
| 18 |
Two million dollars was set aside for the
building of this
addition to The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and
the
money was used in giving Boston an edifice that is a |
| 21 |
marvel of architectural beauty. But one
church in the
country exceeds it in seating capacity, and, while vaster
sums of money were spent in other instances, never was |
| 24 |
a more artistic effect reached.
This new temple, begun nearly two years
ago, will in
its simple grandeur surpass any church edifice erected
|
| 27 |
in this city. Notwithstanding its enormous
size, it is so
proportionately built that its massiveness is unnoticed
in the graceful outlines.
Page
68
|
| 1 |
Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the
interior of
this church is carried out with the end in view of
impressing |
| 3 |
the audiences with the beauty and strength
of the design.
The great auditorium, with its high-domed ceiling, sup-
ported on four arches springing from the tops of great |
| 6 |
stone piers, contains about one mile and a
half of pews.
The dome surmounting
the building is more than twice
the size of the dome on the State House,
having a diameter |
| 9 |
of eighty-two feet and a height of
fifty-one feet.
The top of the dome
is two hundred and twenty-four feet
above the street, and reaches an
altitude twenty-nine feet |
| 12 |
higher than that of the State House.
The old church at
the corner of Falmouth and Norway
Streets, with a seating capacity of
twelve hundred, built |
| 15 |
twelve years ago, will remain as it was,
and Mrs. Eddy's
famous room will be undisturbed.
The Readers'
platform is of a beautiful foreign marble, |
| 18 |
and the color scheme for all the auditorium
is of a warm
gray, to harmonize with the Bedford stone which enters
so
largely into the interior finish.
|
| 21 |
The great organ is placed back of the
Readers' platform
and above the Readers' special rooms. It has an
archi-
tectural stone screen and contributes not a little to the |
| 24 |
imposing effect of the interior.
Bedford stone and
marble form the interior finish, with
elaborate plaster work for the great
arches and ceilings. |
| 27 |
The floors of the first story are of
marble.
There are twelve
exits and seven broad marble stair-
ways, the latter framed of iron and
finished with bronze, |
| 30 |
marble, and Bedford stone.
Bronze is used in
the lighting fixtures, and the pews and
principal woodwork are of
mahogany.
Page
69
|
| 1 |
The church is unusually well lighted, and
one of the
extraordinary features is the eight bronze chains, each |
| 3 |
suspending seventy-two lamps, each lamp of
thirty-two
candle-power.
Where ceiling or
roof and side walls come together no |
| 6 |
sharp angles are visible, such meetings
presenting an oval
and dome appearance and forming a gently curved and
panelled surface, whereon are placed inscriptions illustra- |
| 9 |
tive of the faith of Christian Science.
Two large marble
plates with Scripture quotations are
also placed on the two sides of the
organ.
|
| 12 |
Everywhere within the building where
conditions per-
mitted it pure white marble was used, and the hammer
and chisel of the sculptor added magnificent carvings to |
| 15 |
the rich beauty of the interior.
The auditorium
contains seven galleries, two on either
side and three at the back, yet not
a single pillar or post |
| 18 |
anywhere in the vast space interrupts the
view of the
platform from any seat.
Another unusual
feature is the foyer, where five thousand |
| 21 |
people can freely move. Adjoining this
foyer are the
Sunday School and the administration offices, while in
the basement is a cloak-room of the capacity of three |
| 24 |
thousand wraps.
[Boston
Globe]
AN
IDEA OF THE SIZE
|
| 27 |
If one would get an idea of the size of
this building and
the manner in which the dome seems to dominate the
entire city, the best point of view is on top of the tower |
| 30 |
in Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, some
four miles
away. From this point the building and dome can be seen
Page
70
|
| 1 |
in their relation to the city itself, and
it certainly looks
imposing.
|
| 3 |
One thing is certain: for a religion which
has been
organized only thirty years, and which erected its first
church only twelve years ago, Christian Science has more |
| 6 |
fine church edifices to its credit in the
same time than
any other denomination in the world, and they are all
paid for.
|
| 9 |
[Boston Evening Transcript]
THE CHIMES
The chimes for the
new Christian Science temple are |
| 12 |
worthy of the dome. The effect on all
within earshot is
quite remarkable. They say that workingmen stopped
in
the street and stood in silent admiration while the |
| 15 |
chimes were being tested the other day.
Millet's
"Angelus" had living reproductions on every corner in
the
neighborhood.
|
| 18 |
[Boston Post]
MAGNIFICENCE OF THE ORGAN
The new church is
replete with rare bits of art, chosen |
| 21 |
from the works of both ancient and modern
masters, but
there is nothing more wonderful than the organ which
has
been installed. Nowhere in the world is there a more |
| 24 |
beautiful, more musical, or more capable
instrument.
In reality it is a combination of six organs, with four
manuals, seventy-two stops, nineteen couplers, nineteen |
| 27 |
adjustable combination pistons, three
balanced swells,
a grand crescendo pedal, seven combination pedals, and
forty-five hundred and thirty-eight pipes, the largest of |
| 30 |
which is thirty-two feet long. Attached to
the organ is
Page
71
|
| 1 |
a set of cathedral chimes, stationed in one
of the towers,
and some of the most intricate discoveries of organ |
| 3 |
builders enable the organist to produce the
most beautiful
effects by means of the bells. There is also a solo
organ
attached.
|
| 6 |
[Boston Journal]
ITS ARCHITECTURE
There is no need of
fussing about the underlying spirit |
| 9 |
that built the Christian Science cathedral.
We can all
agree that it is a stunning piece of architecture and a
great adornment to the city.
|
| 12 |
[Boston Globe]
UNIQUE INTERIOR
When these people
enter this new cathedral or temple |
| 15 |
which has been in process of construction,
they will find
themselves in one of the most imposing church edifices
in the country - yes, in the world. For in its interior |
| 18 |
architecture it is different from any other
church in the
world. In fact, nearly all the traditions of church
interior
architecture have been set aside in this temple, for here |
| 21 |
are neither nave, aisles, nor transept -
just one vast audi-
torium which will seat exactly five thousand and
twelve
people on floor and galleries, and seat them comfort- |
| 24 |
ably. And what is more, every person seated
in the
auditorium, either on floor or galleries, can see and hear
the
two Readers who conduct the services on the platform |
| 27 |
in front of the great organ.
This was the aim and
object of the architect: to con-
struct an auditorium that would seat five
thousand people, |
| 30 |
each of whom could see the Readers, and
with such nicely
Page
72
|
| 1 |
adjusted acoustic properties that each
person could hear
what was said. To do this it was necessary to set
aside |
| 3 |
the traditions of interior church
architecture.
[Boston
Post]
GATES OF BOSTON OPEN
|
| 6 |
The gates of Boston are open wide in
welcome to
nobility. Never before has the city been more fre-
quented
by members of the titled aristocracy of the |
| 9 |
old world than it is now. From all the
centres of Europe
there are streaming into town lords and ladies who
come to attend the dedication of the new church for |
| 12 |
Christian Scientists.
[Boston
Globe]
CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS HAVE ALL THE MONEY NEEDED
|
| 15 |
"Please do not send us any more money - we
have
enough!"
Briefly that is the
notice which Stephen A. Chase, |
| 18 |
treasurer of the building fund of the new
Christian Sci-
ence temple, sent forth to the thirty thousand or more
Christian Scientists who have come to Boston to attend |
| 21 |
the dedication exercises, and also through
the Chris-
tian Science Sentinel to members of the church all
over
the world.
|
| 24 |
This means that nearly two million dollars
has
been subscribed for the new building, and that every
cent of it was
paid in before the work was actually |
| 27 |
completed.
That is the way the
Christian Scientists began when
they erected the first church in Boston
twelve years ago
Page
73
|
| 1 |
- The Mother Church. Then it was found
necessary
to issue a similar notice or order, and even to return |
| 3 |
more than ten thousand dollars which had
been over-
subscribed. They have erected dozens of churches all
over
this country and in other countries since that time, |
| 6 |
but it is claimed that very few of them
owe a cent.
If you ask a
Christian Scientist how they do it, the
reply will be in the form of a
quotation from Science |
| 9 |
and Health (p. 494), "Divine Love always
has met and
always will meet every human need."
[Boston
Globe]
|
