Pulpit and Press Part 5

"Four years!" she e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed; "two and a half, only two and a half years." Then, touching my sleeve and pointing, she continued: "Look at those big elms! I had them brought here in warm weather, almost as big as they are now, and not one died."

Mrs. Eddy talked earnestly of her friends.h.i.+ps.... She told something of her domestic arrangements, of how she had long wished to get away from her busy career in Boston, and return to her native granite hills, there to build a substantial home that should do honor to that precinct of Concord.

She chose the stubbly, old farm on the road from Concord within one mile of the "Eton of America," St. Paul's school. Once bought, the will of the woman set at work, and to-day a strikingly well kept estate is the first impression given to the visitor as he approaches Pleasant View.

She employs a number of men to keep the grounds and farm in perfect order, and it was pleasing to learn that this rich woman is using her money to promote the welfare of industrious workmen in whom she takes a vital interest.

Mrs. Eddy believes that "the laborer is worthy of his hire," and, moreover, that he deserves to have a home and family of his own. Indeed, one of her motives in buying so large an estate was that she might do something for the toilers, and thus add her influence toward the advancement of better home life and citizens.h.i.+p.

(_Boston Transcript_, December 31, 1894.)

EXTRACT.

The growth of Christian Science is properly marked by the erection of a visible house of wors.h.i.+p in this city, which will be dedicated tomorrow.

It has cost $200,000, and no additional sums outside of the subscriptions are asked for. This particular phase of religious belief has impressed itself upon a large and increasing number of Christian people, who have been tempted to examine its principles, and doubtless have been comforted and strengthened by them. Any new movement will awaken some sort of interest. There are many who have worn off the novelty and are thoroughly carried away with the requirements, simple and direct as they are, of Christian Science. The opposition against it from the so-called orthodox religious bodies keeps up a while, but after a little skirmis.h.i.+ng, finally subsides. No one religious body holds the whole of truth, and whatever is likely to show even some one side of it will gain followers and live down any attempted repression.

Christian Science does not strike all as a system of truth. If it did, it would be a prodigy. Neither does the Christian faith produce the same impressions upon all. Freedom to believe or to dissent is a great privilege in these days. So when a number of conscientious followers apply themselves to a matter like Christian Science, they are enjoying that liberty which is their inherent right as human beings, and though they cannot escape censure, yet they are to be numbered among the many pioneers who are searching after religious truth. There is really nothing settled. Every truth is more or less in a state of agitation.

The many who have worked in the mine of knowledge are glad to welcome others who have different methods, and with them bring different ideas.

It is too early to predict where this movement will go, and how greatly it will affect the well established methods. That it has produced a sensation in religious circles, and called forth the implements of theological warfare, is very well known. While it has done this, it may, on the other hand, have brought a benefit. Ere this many a new project in religious belief has stirred up feeling, but as time has gone on, compromises have been welcomed.

The erection of this temple will doubtless help on the growth of its principles. Pilgrims from everywhere will go there in search of truth, and some may be satisfied and some will not. Christian Science cannot absorb the world's thought. It may get the share of attention it deserves, but it can only aspire to take its place alongside other great demonstrations of religious belief which have done something good for the sake of humanity.

Wonders will never cease. Here is a church whose treasurer has to send 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 practical Christian folk have not a faith approximate to that of these "impractical" Christian Scientists.

(_Jackson Patriot_, Jackson, Mich. January 20, 1895.)

EXTRACT.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.

The erection of a ma.s.sive temple in Boston by Christian Scientists, at a cost of over $200,000, love offerings of the disciples of MARY BAKER EDDY, reviver of the ancient faith and author of the text-book from which, with the New Testament at the foundation, believers receive light, health, and strength, is evidence of the rapid growth of the new movement. We call it new. It is not. The name Christian Science alone is new. At the beginning of Christianity it was taught and practiced by Jesus and his disciples. The Master was the great healer. But the wave of materialism and bigotry that swept over the world for fifteen centuries, covering it with the blackness of the Dark Ages, nearly obliterated all vital belief in his teachings. The Bible was a sealed book. Recently a revived belief in what he taught is manifest, and Christian Science is one result. No new doctrine is proclaimed, but there is the fresh development of a principle that was put into practice by the founder of Christianity nineteen hundred years ago, though practiced in other countries at any earlier date. "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the sun."

The condition which Jesus of Nazareth, on various occasions during the three years of his ministry on earth, declared to be essential, in the mind of both healer and patient, is contained in the one word--FAITH.

Can drugs suddenly cure leprosy? When the ten lepers were cleansed and one returned to give thanks in Oriental phrase, Jesus said to him: "Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." That was Christian Science. In his "Law of Psychic Phenomena" Hudson says: "That word, more than any other, expresses the whole law of human felicity and power in this world and of salvation in the world to come." It is that attribute of mind which elevates man above the level of the brute, and gives dominion over the physical world. It is the essential element of success in every field of human endeavor. It const.i.tutes the power of the human soul. When Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed its potency from the hilltops of Palestine he gave to mankind the key to health and heaven, and earned the t.i.tle of "Savior of the World." Whittier, grandest of mystic poets, saw the truth:

"That healing gift He lends to them Who use it in His name; The power that filled his garment's hem Is evermore the same."

Again, in a poem ent.i.tled "The Master," he wrote:

"The healing of his seamless dress Is by our beds of pain; We touch Him in life's throng and press, And we are whole again."

[Footnote: About 1868, the author of SCIENCE AND HEALTH healed Mr. Whittier with one visit, at his home in Amesbury, of incipient pulmonary consumption.--M.B. EDDY.]

That Jesus operated in perfect harmony with natural law, not in defiance, suppression, or violation of it, we cannot doubt. The perfectly natural is the perfectly spiritual. Jesus enunciated and exemplified the principle; and, obviously, the conditions requisite in psychic healing to-day are the same as were necessary in apostolic times. We accept the statement of Hudson: "There was no law of nature violated or transcended. On the contrary, the whole transaction was in perfect obedience to the laws of nature. He understood the law perfectly, as no one before him understood it; and in the plent.i.tude of his power he applied it where the greatest good could be accomplished."

A careful reading of the accounts of his healings, in the light of modern science, shows that he observed, in his practice of mental therapeutics, the conditions of environment and harmonious influence that are essential to success. In the case of Jairus' daughter they are fully set forth. He kept the unbelievers away, "put them all out," and permitting only the father and mother, with his closest friends and followers, Peter, James, and John, in the chamber with him, and having thus the most perfect obtainable environment, he raised the daughter to life.

"Not in blind caprice of will, Not in cunning sleight of skill, Not for show of power, was wrought Nature's marvel in Thy thought."

In a previous article we have referred to cyclic changes that came during the last quarter of preceding centuries. Of our remarkable nineteenth century not the least eventful circ.u.mstance is the advent of Christian Science. That it should be the work of a woman is the natural outcome of a period notable for her emanc.i.p.ation from many of the thraldoms, prejudices, and oppressions of the past. We do not, therefore, regard it as a mere coincidence that the first edition of Mrs. Eddy's "SCIENCE AND HEALTH" should have been published in 1875.

Since then she has revised it many times, and the ninety-first edition is announced. Her discovery was first called "the science of divine metaphysical healing." Afterward she selected the name Christian Science. It is based upon what is held to be scientific certainty, namely,--that all causation is of Mind, every effect has its origin in desire and thought. The theology--if we may use the word--of Christian Science is contained in the volume ent.i.tled "SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES."

The present Boston congregation was organized April 19, 1879, and has now over 4,000 members. It is regarded as the parent organization, all others being branches, though each is entirely independent in the management of its own affairs. Truth is the sole recognized authority.

Of actual members of different congregations there are between 100,000 and 200,000. One or more organized societies have sprung up in New York, Chicago, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Detroit, Toledo, Milwaukee, Madison, Scranton, Peoria, Atlanta, Toronto, and nearly every other centre of population, besides a large and growing number of receivers of the faith among the members of all the churches and non-church-going people. In some churches a majority of the members are Christian Scientists, and, as a rule, are the most intelligent.

s.p.a.ce does not admit of an elaborate presentation on the occasion of the erection of the temple, in Boston, the dedication taking place on the 6th of January, of one of the most remarkable, helpful, and powerful movements of the last quarter of the century. Christian Science has brought hope and comfort to many weary souls. It makes people better and happier. Welding Christianity and Science, hitherto divorced because dogma and truth could not unite, was a happy inspiration.

"And still we love the evil cause, And of the just effect complain; We tread upon life's broken laws, And mourn our self-inflicted pain."

(_The Outlook_, New York, January 19, 1895.)

A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.

A great Christian Science Church was dedicated in Boston on Sunday, the 6th inst. It is located at Norway and Falmouth streets, and is intended to be a testimonial to the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy. The building is fireproof, and cost over $200,000. It is entirely paid for, and contributions for its erection came from every state in the Union, and from many lands. The auditorium is said to seat between fourteen and fifteen hundred, and was thronged at the four services on the day of dedication. The sermon prepared by Mrs. Eddy was read by Mrs. Bemis. It rehea.r.s.ed the significance of the building, and reenunciated the truths which will find emphasis there.

From the description we judge that it is one of the most beautiful buildings in Boston, and, indeed, in all New England. Whatever may be thought of the peculiar tenets of the Christian Scientists, and whatever difference of opinion there may be concerning the organization of such a church, there can be no question but that the adherents of this church have proved their faith by their works.

(_American Art Journal_, New York, January 26, 1895.)

"OUR PRAYER IN STONE."

Such is the excellent name given to a new Boston church. Few people outside its own circles, realize how extensive is the belief in Christian Science. There are several sects of mental healers, but this new edifice on Back Bay, just off Huntington avenue, not far from the big Mechanics building and the proposed site of the new Music hall, belongs to the followers of Rev. Mary Baker Glover Eddy, a lady born of an old New Hamps.h.i.+re family, who, after many vicissitudes, found herself in Lynn, Ma.s.s., healed by the power of Divine Mind, and thereupon devoted herself to imparting this faith to her fellow beings. Coming to Boston about 1880 she began teaching, gathered an a.s.sociation of students, and organized a church. For several years past she has lived in Concord, N.H., near her birthplace, owning a beautiful estate called Pleasant View; but thousands of believers throughout this country have joined the Mother Church in Boston and have now erected this edifice at a cost of over two hundred thousand dollars, every bill being paid.

Its appearance is shown in the pictures we are permitted to publish. In the belfry is a set of tubular chimes. Inside is a bas.e.m.e.nt room, capable of division into seven excellent cla.s.s rooms, by the use of movable part.i.tions. The main auditorium has wide galleries, and will seat over a thousand in its exceedingly comfortable pews. Scarcely any woodwork is to be found. The floors are all mosaic, the steps marble, and the walls stone. It is rather dark, often too much so for comfortable reading, as all the windows are of colored gla.s.s, with pictures symbolic of the tenets of the organization. In the ceiling is a beautiful sunburst window. Adjoining the chancel is a pastor's study; but for an indefinite time their prime instructor has ordained that the only pastor shall be the Bible, with her book called "SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES." In the tower is a room devoted to her, and called Mother's Room, furnished with all conveniences for living, should she wish to make it a home by day or night. Therein is a portrait of her in stained gla.s.s; and an electric light, behind an antique lamp, kept perpetually burning in her honor; though she has not yet visited her temple, which was dedicated on New Year's Sunday, in a somewhat novel way.

There was no special sentence or prayer of consecration; but continuous services were held from nine to four o'clock, every hour and a half, so long as there were attendants; and some people heard these exercises four times repeated. The printed program was for some reason not followed, certain hymns and psalms being omitted. There was singing by a choir and congregation. The _pater noster_ was repeated in the way peculiar to Christian Scientists, the congregation repeating one sentence and the leader responding with its parallel interpretation by Mrs. Eddy. Antiphonal paragraphs were read from the book of Revelation and her work respectively. The sermon, prepared by Mrs. Eddy, was well adapted for its purpose, and read by a professional elocutionist, not an adherent of the order, Mrs. Henrietta Clark Bemis, in a clear, emphatic style. The solo singer, however, was a Scientist, Miss Elsie Lincoln; and on the platform sat Joseph Armstrong, formerly of Kansas, and now the business manager of the publication society, with the other members of the Christian Science Board of Directors--Ira C. Knapp, Edward P.

Bates, Stephen A. Chase,--gentlemen officially connected with the movement. The children of believing families collected the money for the Mother Room, and seats were especially set apart for them at the second dedicatory service. Before one service was over and the auditors left by the rear doors, the front vestibule and street (despite the snowstorm) were crowded with others, waiting admission.

On the next Sunday the new order of service went into operation. There was no address of any sort, no notices, no explanation of Bible or their text-book. Judge Hanna, who was a Colorado lawyer before coming into this work, presided, reading in clear, manly, and intelligent tones, the quarterly Bible lesson, which happened that day to be on Jesus' miracle of loaves and fishes. Each paragraph he supplemented first with ill.u.s.trative Scripture parallels, as set down for him, and then by pa.s.sages selected for him from Mrs. Eddy's book. The place was again crowded, many having remained over a week from among the thousands of adherents who had come to Boston for this auspicious occasion from all parts of the country. The organ, made by Farrand & Votey in Detroit, at a cost of eleven thousand dollars, is the gift of a wealthy Universalist gentleman, but was not ready for the opening. It is to fill the recess behind the s.p.a.cious platform, and is described as containing pneumatic windchests throughout, and having an aeolian attachment. It is of three-manual compa.s.s, C.C.C. to C.4, 61 notes; and pedal compa.s.s, C.C.C.

to F.30. The great organ has double open diapason (stopped ba.s.s), open diapason, dulciana, viola di gambi, doppel flute, hohl flute, octave, octave quint, superoctave, and trumpet,--65 pipes each. The swell organ has bourdon, open diapason, salicional, aeoline, stopped diapason, gemshorn, flute harmonique, flageolet, cornet--3 ranks, 183,--cornopean, oboe, vox humana--61 pipes each. The choir organ, enclosed in separate swell-box, has geigen princ.i.p.al, dolce, concert flute, quintadena, fugara, flute d'amour, piccolo harmonique, clarinet,--61 pipes each. The pedal organ has open diapson, bourden, lieblich gedeckt (from stop 10), violoncello-wood,--30 pipes each.

Couplers: swell to great; choir to great; swell to choir; swell to great octaves, swell to great sub-octaves; choir to great sub-octaves; swell octaves; swell to pedal; great to pedal; choir to pedal. Mechanical accessories: swell tremulant, choir tremulant, bellows signal; wind indicator. Pedal movements: three affecting great and pedal stops, three affecting swell and pedal stops; great to pedal reversing pedal; crescendo and full organ pedal; balanced great and choir pedal; balanced swell pedal.

Beautiful suggestions greet you in every part of this unique church, which is practical as well as poetic, and justifies the name given by Mrs. Eddy, which stands at the head of this sketch. J.H.W.