Eddyisacommonplacename,andwouldhaveanunimpressiveaspectinthelistofthereformedHolyFamily。Shehasthoughtofthat。InthebookofBy-lawswrittenbyher——\"impelledbyapowernotone\'sown\"——thereisaparagraphwhichexplainshowandwhenherdisciplescametoconferatitleuponher;andthisexplanationisfollowedbyawarningastowhatwillhappentoanyfemaleScientistwhoshalldesecrateit:
\"ThetitleofMother。ThereforeifastudentofChristianScienceshallapplythistitle,eithertoherselfortoothers,exceptasthetermforkinshipaccordingtotheflesh,itshallberegardedbytheChurchasanindicationofdisrespectfortheirPastorEmeritus,andunfitnesstobeamemberoftheMother-Church。\"
SheisthePastorEmeritus。
WhilethequotedparagraphabouttheProcessionseemstoindicatethatMrs。EddyisexpectingtooccupytheFirstPlaceinit,thatexpectationisnotdefinitelyavowed。Inanearlierutteranceofherssheisclearer——clearer,anddoesnotclaimthefirstplacealltoherself,butonlythehalfofit。IquotefromMr。Peabody\'sbookagain:
\"IntheChristianScienceJournalforApril,1889,whenitwasherproperty,andpublishedbyher,itwasclaimedforher,andwithhersanction,thatshewasequalwithJesus,andelaborateeffortwasmadetoestablishtheclaim。
\"Mrs。EddyhasdistinctlyauthorizedtheclaiminherbehalfthatsheherselfwasthechosensuccessortoandequalofJesus。\"
InherMiscellaneousWritings(usingheroncefavorite\"We\"for\"I\")shesaysthat\"Whileweentertaindecidedviews……andshallexpressthemasdutydemands,weshallclaimnoespecialgiftfromourdivineorigin,\"etc。
Ourdivineorigin。ItsuggestsEqualagain。Itisinferable,then,thatinthenearby-and-bythenewChurchwillofficiallyranktheHolyFamilyinthefollowingorder:
1。JesusofNazareth。——1。OurMother。
2。TheVirginMary。
SUMMARY
IamnotplayingwithChristianScienceanditsfounder,Iamexaminingthem;andIamdoingitbecauseoftheinterestIfeelintheinquiry。
Myresultsmayseeminadequatetothereader,buttheyhaveformeclarifiedamuddleandbroughtasortoforderoutofachaos,andsoI
valuethem。
MyreadingsofMrs。Eddy\'suninspiredmiscellaneousliteraryeffortshaveconvincedmeofseveralthings:
1。ThatshedidnotwriteScienceandHealth。
2。ThattheDeitydid(ordidnot)writeit。
3。ThatShethinksShewroteit。
4。ThatShebelievesShewroteitundertheDeity\'sinspiration。
5。ThatShebelievesSheisaMemberoftheHolyFamily。
6。ThatShebelievesSheistheequaloftheHeadofit。
Finally,IthinkSheisnowentitledtothecapitalS——onherownevidence。
CHAPTERVI
ThusfarwehaveapartofMrs。Eddy\'sportrait。Notmadeoffictions,surmises,reports,rumors,innuendoes,droppedbyherenemies;no,shehasfurnishedallofthematerialsherself,andlaidthemonthecanvas,undermygeneralsuperintendenceanddirection。Asfarasshehasgonewithit,itisthepresentationofacomplacent,commonplace,illiterateNewEnglandwomanwho\"forgoteverythingsheknew\"whenshediscoveredherdiscovery,thenwroteaBibleingoodEnglishundertheinspirationofGod,andclimbedupittothesupremestsummitofearthlygrandeurattainablebyman——whereshesitssereneto-day,belovedandworshipedbyamultitudeofhumanbeingsofasgoodaverageintelligenceasispossessedbythosethatmarchunderthebannerofanycompetingcult。
Thisisnotintendedtoflatterthecompetingcults,itismerelyastatementofcoldfact。
Thatacommonplacepersonshouldgoclimbingaloftandbecomeagodorahalf-godoraquarter-godandbeworshipedbymenandwomenofaverageintelligence,isnothing。Ithashappenedamilliontimes,itwillhappenahundredmillionmore。Ithasbeenmillionsofyearssincethefirstofthesesupernaturalsappeared,andbythetimethelastoneinthatinconceivablyremotefutureshallhaveperformedhissolemnlittlehigh-jinksonthestageandclosedthebusiness,therewillbeenoughofthemaccumulatedinthemuseumontheOtherSidetostartaheavenoftheirown-andjamit。
Eachinhisturnthoselittlesupernaturalsofourby-goneagesandaeonsjoinedthemonsterprocessionofhispredecessorsandmarchedhorizonward,disappeared,andwasforgotten。Theychangednothing,theybuiltnothing,theyleftnothingbehindthemtorememberthemby,nothingtoholdtheirdisciplestogether,nothingtosolidifytheirworkandenableittodefytheassaultsoftimeandtheweather。Theypassed,andleftavacancy。Theymadeonefatalmistake;theyallmadeit,eachinhisturn:theyfailedtoorganizetheirforces,theyfailedtocentralizetheirstrength,theyfailedtoprovideafreshBibleandasureandperpetualcashincomeforbusiness,andoftentheyfailedtoprovideanewandacceptedDivinePersonagetoworship。
Mrs。Eddyisnotofthatsmallfry。Thematerialsthatgotothemakingoftherestofherportraitwillproveit。Shewillfurnishthemherself:
Shepublishedherbook。Shecopyrightedit。Shecopyrightseverything。
Ifsheshouldsay,\"Good-morning;howdoyoudo?\"shewouldcopyrightit;
forsheisacarefulperson,andknowsthevalueofsmallthings。
ShebegantoteachherScience,shebegantoheal,shebegantogatherconvertstohernewreligion——fervent,sincere,devoted,gratefulpeople。
AyearortwolatersheorganizedherfirstChristianScience\"Association,\"withsixofherdisciplesontheroster。
Shecontinuedtoteachandheal。Shewaschargingnothing,shesays,althoughshewasverypoor。Shetaughtandhealedgratisfouryearsaltogether,shesays。
Then,in1879-81shewasbecomestrongenough,andwellenoughestablished,toventureacoupleofimpressivelyimportantmoves。Thefirstofthesemoveswastoaggrandizethe\"Association\"toa\"Church。\"
Brave?Itistherightnameforit,Ithink。Theformernamesuggestsnothing,invitednoremark,nocriticism,noinquiry,nohostility;thenewnameinvitedthemall。Shemusthavemadethisintrepidventureonherownmotion。Shecouldhavehadnoimportantadvisersatthatearlyday。Ifweacceptitasherownideaandherownact——andIthinkwemust——wehaveonekeytohercharacter。Anditwillexplainsubsequentactsofhersthatwouldmerelystunusandstupefyuswithoutit。Shallwecallitcourage?Orshallwecallitrecklessness?Courageobserves;
reflects;calculates;surveysthewholesituation;countsthecost,estimatestheodds,makesupitsmind;thengoesattheenterpriseresolutetowinorperish。Recklessnessdoesnotreflect,itplungesfearlesslyinwithahurrah,andtakestherisks,whatevertheymaybe,regardlessofexpense。Recklessnessoftenfails,Mrs。Eddyhasneverfailed——fromthepointofviewofherfollowers。Thepointofviewofotherpeopleisnaturallynotamatterofweightyimportancetoher。
ThenewChurchwasnotbornloose-jointedandfeatureless,buthadadefinedplan,adefinitecharacter,definiteaims,andanamewhichwasachallenge,anddefiedallcomers。Itwas\"aMind-healingChurch。\"Itwas\"withoutacreed。\"Itsname,\"TheChurchofChrist,Scientist。\"
Mrs。EddycouldnotcopyrightherChurch,butshecharteredit,whichwasthesamethingandrelievedthepain。Ithadtwenty-sixchartermembers。
Mrs。Eddywasatonceinstalledasitspastor。
Theotherventure,abovereferredto,wasMrs。Eddy\'sMassachusettsMetaphysicalCollege,inwhichwastaught\"thepathologyofspiritualpower。\"Shecouldnotcopyrightit,butshegotitchartered。Forfacultyithadherself,herhusbandoftheperiod(Dr。Eddy),andheradoptedson,Dr。Foster-Eddy。Thecollegetermwas\"barelythreeweeks,\"shesays。Againshewasbold,brave,rash,reckless——chooseforyourself——forshenotonlybegantochargethestudent,butchargedhimahundreddollarsaweekfortheenlightenments。Andgotit?somemayask。Easily。Pupilsflockedfromfarandnear。Theycamebythehundred。Presentlythetermwascutdownnearlyhalf,butthepriceremainedasbefore。Tobeexact,theterm-cutwastosevenlessons——
price,threehundreddollars。Thecollege\"yieldedalargeincome。\"
Thisisbelievable。InsevenyearsMrs。Eddytaught,assheavers,overfourthousandstudentsinit。(Prefaceto1902editionofScienceandHealth。)Threehundredtimesfourthousandis——butperhapsyoucancipherityourself。Icoulddoitordinarily,butIfelldownyesterdayandhurtmyleg。Cipherit;youwillseethatitisagrandsumforawomantoearninsevenyears。Yetthatwasnotallshegotoutofhercollegeintheseven。
Atthetimethatshewaschargingtheprimarystudentthreehundreddollarsfortwelvelessonsshewasnotcontentwiththistidyassessment,buthadotherwaysofplunderinghim。Byadvertisementsheofferedhimprivilegeswherebyhecouldaddeighteenlessonstohisstoreforfivehundreddollarsmore。Thatistosay,hecouldgetatotalofthirtylessonsinhercollegeforeighthundreddollars。
Fourthousandtimeseighthundredis——butitisadifficultsumforacripplewhohasnotbeen\"demonstratedover\"tocipher;letitgo。Shetaught\"over\"fourthousandstudentsinsevenyears。\"Over\"isnotdefinite,butitprobablyrepresentsanon-payingsurplusoflearnersoverandabovethepayingfourthousand。Charitystudents,doubtless。I
thinkthatasinterestinganadvertisementashasbeenprintedsincetheromanticolddaysoftheotherbuccaneersisthisonefromtheChristianScienceJournalforSeptember,1886:
\"MASSACHUSETTSMETAPHYSICALCOLLEGE
\"REV。MARYBAKERG。EDDY,PRESIDENT
\"571ColumbusAvenue,Boston\"ThecollegiatecourseinChristianSciencemetaphysicalhealingincludestwelvelessons。Tuition,threehundreddollars。
\"Courseinmetaphysicalobstetricsincludessixdailylectures,andisopenonlytostudentsfromthiscollege。Tuition,onehundreddollars。
\"Classintheology,open(liketheabove)tograduates,receivessixadditionallecturesontheScriptures,andsummaryoftheprincipleandpracticeofChristianScience,twohundreddollars。
\"Normalclassisopentothosewhohavetakenthefirstcourseatthiscollege;sixdailylecturescompletetheNormalcourse。Tuition,twohundreddollars。
\"Noinvalids,andonlypersonsofgoodmoralcharacter,areacceptedasstudents。Allstudentsaresubjecttoexaminationandrejection;andtheyareliabletoleavetheclassiffoundunfittoremaininit。
\"Alimitednumberofclergymenreceivedfreeofcharge。
\"Largestdiscounttoindigentstudents,onehundreddollarsonthefirstcourse。
\"Nodeductionontheothers。
\"Husbandandwife,enteredtogether,threehundreddollars。
\"Tuitionforallstrictlyinadvance。\"
Thereitis——thehorse-leech\'sdaughteraliveagain,afterathree-
centuryvacation。Fiftyorsixtyhours\'lecturingforeighthundreddollars。
Iwasinerrorastoonematter:therearenocharitystudents。Gratis-
taughtclergymenmustnotbeplacedunderthathead;theyaremerelyanadvertisement。Pauperstudentscangetintotheinfantclassonatwo-
thirdrate(cashinadvance),butnotevenanarchangelcangetintotherestofthegameatanythingshortofpar,cashdown。Foritis\"inthespiritofChrist\'scharity,asonewhoisjoyfultobearhealingtothesick\"thatMrs。Eddyisworkingthegame。Shesendsthehealingtothemoutside。Shecannotbearittotheminsidethecollege,forthereasonthatshedoesnotallowasickcandidatetogetin。Itistruethatthissmellsofinconsistency,butthatisnothing;Mrs。EddywouldnotbeMrs。
Eddyifsheshouldeverchancetobeconsistentaboutanythingtwodaysrunning。
ExceptinthematteroftheDollar。TheDollar,andappetiteforpowerandnotoriety。Englishmustalsobeadded;sheisalwaysconsistent,sheisalwaysMrs。Eddy,inherEnglish:itisalwaysandconsistentlyconfusedandcrippledandpoor。ShewrotetheAdvertisement;herliterarytrade-marksarethere。Whenshesaysall\"students\"aresubjecttoexamination,shedoesnotmeanstudents,shemeanscandidatesforthatloftyplaceWhenshesaysstudentsare\"liable\"toleavetheclassiffoundunfittoremaininit,shedoesnotmeanthatiftheyfindthemselvesunfit,orbefoundunfitbyothers,theywillbelikelytoaskpermissiontoleavetheclass;shemeansthatifshefindsthemunfitshewillbe\"liable\"tofirethemout。Whenshenoblyoffers\"tuitionforallstrictlyinadvance,\"shedoesnotmean\"instructionforallinadvance-paymentforitlater。\"No,thatisonlywhatshesays,itisnotwhatshemeans。IfshehadwrittenScienceandHealth,theoldestmanintheworldwouldnotbeabletotellwithcertaintywhatanypassageinitwasintendedtomean。
HerChurchwasonitslegs。
Shewasitspastor。Itwasprospering。
ShewasappointedoneofacommitteetodraughtBy-lawsforitsgovernment。Itmaybeobserved,withoutoverplusofirreverence,thatthiswaslarksforher。Shedidallofthedraughtingherself。Fromtheverybeginningshewasalwaysinthefrontseatwhentherewasbusinesstobedone;inthefrontseat,withbotheyesopen,andlookingsharplyoutforNumberOne;inthefrontseat,workingMortalMindwithfineeffectivenessandgivingImmortalMindarestforSunday。WhenherChurchwasreorganized,by-and-by,theBy-lawswereretained。Shesawtothat。IntheseLawsforthegovernmentofherChurch,herempire,herdespotism,Mrs。Eddy\'scharacterisembalmedforgoodandall。IthinkaparticularizedexaminationoftheseChurch-lawswillbefoundinteresting。Andnotthelesssoifwekeepinmindthattheywere\"impelledbyapowernotone\'sown,\"asshesays——Anglice。theinspirationofGod。
ItisaChurch\"withoutacreed。\"Still,ithasone。Mrs。Eddydraughtedit——andcopyrightedit。Inherownname。YoucannotbecomeamemberoftheMother-Church(norofanyChristianScienceChurch)withoutsigningit。ItformsthefirstchapteroftheBy-laws,andiscalled\"Tenets。\"\"TenetsofTheMotherChurch,TheFirstChurchofChrist,Scientist。\"Ithasnohellinit——itthrowsitoverboard。
THEPASTOREMERITUS
Aboutthetimeofthereorganization,Mrs。EddyretiredfromherpositionofpastorofherChurch,abolishedtheofficeofpastorinallbranchChurches,andappointedherbook,ScienceandHealth,tobepastor-
universal。Mrs。Eddydidnotdisconnectherselffromtheofficeentirely,whensheretired,butappointedherselfPastorEmeritus。Itisamisleadingtitle,andbelongstothefamilyofthatphrase\"withoutacreed。\"Itadvertisesherasbeingamerelyhonoraryofficial,withnothingtodo,andnoauthority。TheCzarofRussiaisEmperorEmeritusonthesameterms。Mrs。EddywasAutocratoftheChurchbefore,withlimitlessauthority,andshekepthergriponthatlimitlessauthoritywhenshetookthatfictitioustitle。
ItiscuriousandinterestingtonotewithwhatanunerringinstinctthePastorEmeritushasthoughtoutandforecastallpossibleencroachmentsuponherplannedautocracy,andbarredthewayagainstthem,intheBy-
lawswhichsheframedandcopyrighted——undertheguidanceoftheSupremeBeing。
THEBOARDOFDIRECTORS
Forinstance,whenArticleI。speaksofaPresidentandBoardofDirectors,youthinkyouhavediscoveredaformidablecheckuponthepowersandambitionsofthehonorarypastor,theornamentalpastor,thefunctionlesspastor,thePastorEmeritus,butitisamistake。Thesegreatofficialsareofthephrase——familyoftheChurch-Without-a-CreedandthePastor-With-Nothing-to-Do;thatistosay,ofthefamilyofLarge-Names-Which-Mean-Nothing。TheBoardisofsolittleconsequencethattheBy-lawsdonotstatehowitischosen,norwhodoesit;buttheydostate,mostdefinitely,thattheBoardcannotfillavacancyinitsnumber\"exceptthecandidateisapprovedbythePastorEmeritus。\"
The\"candidate。\"TheBoardcannotevenproceedtoanelectionuntilthePastorEmeritushasexaminedthelistandsquelchedsuchcandidatesasarenotsatisfactorytoher。
WhethertheoriginalfirstBoardbeganasthepersonalpropertyofMrs。
Eddyornot,itisforeseeablethatintime,underthisBy-law,shewouldownit。SuchafirstBoardmightchafeundersucharuleasthat,andtrytolegislateitoutofexistencesomeday。ButMrs。Eddywasawake。
Sheforesawthatdanger,andaddedthisingeniousandeffectiveclause:
\"ThisBy-lawcanneitherbeamendednorannulled,exceptbyconsentofMrs。Eddy,thePastorEmeritus\"
THEPRESIDENT
TheBoardofDirectors,orSerfs,orCiphers,electsthePresident。
Ontheseclearlywordedterms:\"SubjecttotheapprovalofthePastorEmeritus。\"
ThereforeSheelectshim。
Alongtermcaninvestahighofficialwithinfluenceandpower,andmakehimdangerous。Mrs。Eddyreflecteduponthat;soshelimitsthePresident\'stermtoayear。Shehasacapablecommercialhead,anorganizinghead,aheadforgovernment。
TREASURERANDCLERK
ThereareaTreasurerandaClerk。TheyareelectedbytheBoardofDirectors。Thatistosay,byMrs。Eddy。
TheirtermsofofficeexpireonthefirstTuesdayinJuneofeachyear,\"orupontheelectionoftheirsuccessors。\"Theymustbewatchfullyobedientandsatisfactorytoher,orshewillelectandinstalltheirsuccessorswithasuddennessthatcanbeunpleasanttothem。ItgoeswithoutsayingthattheTreasurermanagestheTreasurytosuitMrs。Eddy,andisinfactmerelyTemporaryDeputyTreasurer。
ApparentlytheClerkhasbuttwodutiestoperform:toreadmessagesfromMrs。EddytoFirstMembersassembledinsolemnCouncil,andprovidelistsofcandidatesforChurchmembership。TheselectbodyentitledFirstMembersarethearistocracyoftheMother-Church,theCharterMembers,theAborigines,asortofstylishbutunsalariedlittleCollegeofCardinals,goodforshow,butnotindispensable。NobodyisindispensableinMrs。Eddy\'sempire;sheseestothat。
WhenthePastorEmeritussendsaletterormessagetothatlittleSanhedrin,itistheClerk\'s\"imperativeduty\"toreadit\"attheplaceandtimespecified。\"Otherwise,theworldmightcometoanend。Thesearefine,largefrills,andremindusofthewaysofemperorsandsuch。
Suchdonotusethepenny-post,theysendagildedandpaintedspecialmessenger,andhestridesintotheParliament,andbusinesscomestoasuddenandsolemnandawfulstop;andintheimpressivehushthatfollows,theChiefClerkreadsthedocument。Itishis\"imperativeduty。\"Ifheshouldneglectit,hisofficiallifewouldend。ItisthesamewiththisMother-ChurchClerk;\"ifhefailtoperformthisimportantfunctionofhisoffice,\"certainmajesticandunshirkablesolemnitiesmustfollow:aspecialmeeting\"shall\"becalled;amemberoftheChurch\"shall\"makeformalcomplaint;thentheClerk\"shall\"be\"removedfromoffice。\"Complaintissufficient,notrialisnecessary。
Thereissomethingverysweetandjuvenileandinnocentandprettyabouttheselittletinselvanities,thesegraveapingsofmonarchicalfussandfeathersandceremony,hereonourostentatiouslydemocraticsoil。SheisthesameladythatwefoundintheAutobiography,whowassonaivelyvainofallthatlittleancestralmilitaryriffraffthatshehaddugupandannexed。Aperson\'snatureneverchanges。Whatitisinchildhood,itremains。Underpressure,orachangeofinterest,itcanpartiallyorwhollydisappearfromsight,andforconsiderablestretchesoftime,butnothingcaneverpermanentlymodifyit,nothingcaneverremoveit。
BOARDOFTRUSTEES
Thereisn\'tany——now。ButwithpowerandmoneypilinguphigherandhighereverydayandtheChurch\'sdominionspreadingdailywiderandfarther,atimecouldcomewhentheenviousandambitiouscouldstarttheideathatitwouldbewiseandwelltoputawatchupontheseassets——
awatchequippedwithproperlylargeauthority。Bycustom,aBoardofTrustees。Mrs。Eddyhasforeseenthatprobability——forsheisawomanwithalong,longlookahead,thelongestlookaheadthateverawomanhad——andshehasprovidedforthatemergency。InArt。I。,Sec。5,shehasdecreedthatnoBoardofTrusteesshalleverexistintheMother-
Church\"exceptitbeconstitutedbythePastorEmeritus。\"
Themagnificenceofit,thedaringofit!Thusfar,sheisTheMassachusettsMetaphysicalCollege;
PastorEmeritus;
President;
BoardofDirectors;
Treasurer;
Clerk;
andfutureBoardofTrustees;
andisstillmovingonward,everonward。WhenIcontemplateherfromacommercialpointofview,therearenowordsthatcanconveymyadmirationofher。
READERS
Theseareafeatureoffirstimportanceinthechurch-machineryofChristianScience。Fortheyoccupythepulpit。TheyholdtheplacethatthepreacherholdsintheotherChristianChurches。Theyholdthatplace,buttheydonotpreach。Twoofthemareondutyatatime——amanandawoman。OnereadsapassagefromtheBible,theotherreadstheexplanationofitfromScienceandHealth——andsotheygoonalternating。
Thisconstitutestheservice——this,withchoir-music。Theyutternowordoftheirown。Art。IV。,Sec。6,closestheirmouthswiththisuncompromisinggag:
\"TheyshallmakenoremarksexplanatoryoftheLesson-Sermonatanytimeduringtheservice。\"
Itseemsasimplelittlething。Oneisnotstartledbyitatafirstreadingofit;noratthesecond,northethird。Onemayhavetoreaditadozentimesbeforethewholemagnitudeofitrisesbeforethemind。Itfarandawayoversizesandoutclassesthebestbusiness-ideayetinventedforthesafe-guardingandperpetuatingofareligion。Ifithadbeenthoughtofandputinforceeighteenhundredandseventyyearsago,therewouldbebutoneChristiansectintheworldnow,insteadoftendozensofthem。
Therearemanyvarietiesofmenintheworld,consequentlytherearemanyvarietiesofmindsinitspulpits。ThisinsuresmanydifferinginterpretationsofimportantScripturetexts,andthisinturninsuresthesplittingupofareligionintomanysects。Itiswhathashappened;
itwassuretohappen。
Mrs。Eddyhasnotedthisdisastrousresultofpreaching,andhasputupthebars。ShewillhavenopreachinginherChurch。ShehasexplainedallessentialScriptures,andsettheexplanationsdowninherbook。Inherbeliefherunderlingscannotimproveuponthoseexplanations,andinthatsternsentence\"theyshallmakenoexplanatoryremarks\"shehasbarredthemforalltimefromtrying。Shewillbeobeyed;thereisnoquestionaboutthat。
Inarranginghergovernmentshehasborrowedideasfromvarioussources——
notpoorones,butthebestinthegovernmentalmarket——butthisoneisnew,thisonecameoutofnoordinarybusiness-head,thisonemusthavecomeoutofherown,therehasbeennoothercommercialskullinathousandcenturiesthatwasequaltoit。Shehasborrowedfreelyandwisely,butIamsurethatthisideaismanytimeslargerthanallherborrowingsbulkedtogether。Onemustrespectthebusiness-brainthatproducedit——thesplendidpluckandimpudencethatventuredtopromulgateit,anyway。
ELECTIONOFREADERS
Readersarenottakenathap-hazard,anymorethanpreachersaretakenathap-hazardforthepulpitsofothersects。No,ReadersareelectedbytheBoardofDirectors。But——
\"Section3。TheBoardshallinformthePas。forEmeritusofthenamesofcandidatesforReadersbeforetheyareelected,andifsheobjectstothenomination,saidcandidatesshallnotbechosen。\"
Isthatanelection——bytheBoard?ThusfarIhavenotbeenabletofindoutwhatthatBoardofSpectresisfor。Itcertainlyhasnorealfunction,nodutywhichthehiredgirlcouldnotperform,noofficebeyondthemererecordingoftheautocrat\'sdecrees。
Therearenodangerouslylongoffice-termsinMrs。Eddy\'sgovernment。
TheReadersareelectedforbutoneyear。Thisinsurestheirsubserviencytotheirproprietor。
Readersarenotallowedtocopyoutpassagesandreadthemfromthemanuscriptinthepulpit;theymustreadfromMrs。Eddy\'sbookitself。
Sheisright。Slightchangescouldbeslylymade,repeated,andintimegetacceptancewithcongregations。Branchsectscouldgrowoutofthesepractices。Mrs。Eddyknowsthehumanrace,andhowfartotrustit。Herlimitisnotoveraquarterofaninch。Itisallthatawisepersonwillrisk。
Mrs。Eddy\'sinborndispositiontocopyrighteverything,chartereverything,securetherightfulandpropercredittoherselfforeverythingshedoes,andeverythingshethinksshedoes,andeverythingshethinks,andeverythingshethinksshethinksorhasthoughtorintendstothink,isillustratedinSec。5ofArt。IV。,definingthedutiesofofficialReaders——inchurch:
\"NamingBookandAuthor。TheReaderofScienceandHealth,withKeytotheScriptures,beforecommencingtoreadfromthisbook,shalldistinctlyannounceitsfulltitleandgivetheauthor\'sname。\"
Otherwisethecongregationmightgetthehabitofforgettingwho(ostensibly)wrotethebook。
THEARISTOCRACY
ThisconsistsofFirstMembersandtheirapostolicsuccession。Itisaclosecorporation,anditsmembershiplimitisonehundred。Fortywillanswer,butifthenumberfallbelowthat,theremustbeanelection,tofillthegrandquorum。
ThisSanhedrincan\'tdoanythingoftheslightestimportance,butitcantalk。Itcan\"discuss。\"Thatis,itcandiscuss\"importantquestionsrelativetoChurchmembers\",evidentlypersonswhoarealreadyChurchmembers。Thisaffordsitamusement,anddoesnoharm。
Itcan\"fixthesalariesoftheReaders。\"
Twiceayearit\"voteson\"admittingcandidates。Thatis,forChurchmembership。Butitsworkiscutoutforitbeforehand,bySec。,Art。
IX。:
\"EveryrecommendationformembershipIntheChurch\'shallbecountersignedbyaloyalstudentofMrs。Eddy\'s,byaDirectorofthisChurch,orbyaFirstMember。\'\"
AllthesethreeclassesofbeingsarethepersonalpropertyofMrs。Eddy。
Shehasabsolutecontroloftheelections。
Alsoitmust\"transactanyChurchbusinessthatmayproperlycomebeforeit。\"
\"Properly\"isathoughtfulword。Noimportantbusinesscancomebeforeit。TheBylawshaveattendedtothat。NoimportantbusinessgoesbeforeanyoneforthefinalwordexceptMrs。Eddy。Shehaslookedtothat。
TheSanhedrin\"voteson\"candidatesforadmissiontoitsownbody。Butisitsvoteworthanymorethanminewouldbe?No,itisn\'t。Sec。4,ofArt。V。——ElectionofFirstMembers——makesthisquiteplain:
\"Beforebeingelected,thecandidatesforFirstMembersshallbeapprovedbythePastorEmeritusoverherownsignature。\"
ThustheSanhedrinisthepersonalpropertyofMrs。Eddy。Sheownsit。
Ithasnofunctions,noauthority,norealexistence。ItisanotherBoardofShadows。Mrs。EddyistheSanhedrinherself。
Butitistimetofootupagainand\"seewhereweareat。\"Thusfar,Mrs。EddyisTheMassachusettsMetaphysicalCollege;
PastorEmeritus,President;
BoardofDirectors;
Treasurer;
Clerk;
FutureBoardofTrustees;
ProprietorofthePriesthood:
DictatoroftheServices;
ProprietoroftheSanhedrin。Shehascomefar,andisstillonherway。
CHURCHMEMBERSHIP
InthisArticlethereisanotherexhibitionofacoupleofthelargefeaturesofMrs。Eddy\'sremarkablemake-up:herbusiness-talentandherknowledgeofhumannature。
ShedoesnotbeseechandimplorepeopletojoinherChurch。Sheknowsthehumanracebetterthanthat。Shegravelygoesthroughthemotionsofreluctantlygrantingadmissiontotheapplicantasafavortohim。Theideaisworthuntoldshekels。Shedoesnotstandatthegateofthefoldwithwelcomingarmsspread,andreceivethelostsheepwithglademotionandsetupthefattedcalfandinvitetheneighborandhaveatime。No,shelooksuponhimcoldly,shesnubshim,shesays:
\"Whoareyou?Whoisyoursponsor?Whoaskedyoutocomehere?Goaway,anddon\'tcomeagainuntilyouareinvited。\"
ItiscalculatedtostrikinglyimpressapersonaccustomedtoMoodyandSankeyandSamJonesrevivals;accustomedtobrain-turningappealstotheunknownandunendorsedsinnertocomeforwardandenterintothejoy,etc。——\"justasheis\";accustomedtoseeinghimdoit;accustomedtoseeinghimpassuptheaislethroughsobbingseasofwelcome,andlove,andcongratulation,andarriveatthemourner\'sbenchandbereceivedlikealong-lostgovernmentbond。
No,thereisnothingofthatkindinMrs。Eddy\'ssystem。Sheknowsthatifyouwishtoconferuponahumanbeingsomethingwhichheisnotsurehewants,thebestwayistomakeitapparentlydifficultforhimtogetit——thenheisnosonofAdamifthatappledoesnotassumeaninterestinhiseyeswhichitlackedbefore。Intimethisinterestcangrowintodesire。Mrs。Eddyknowsthatwhenyoucannotgetamantotry——freeofcost——anewandeffectiveremedyforadiseaseheisafflictedwith,youcangenerallysellittohimifyouwillputapriceuponitwhichhecannotafford。When,inthebeginning,shetaughtChristianSciencegratis(forgoodreasons),pupilswerefewandreluctant,andrequiredpersuasion;itwaswhensheraisedthelimittothreehundreddollarsforadollar\'sworththatshecouldnotfindstandingroomfortheinvasionofpupilsthatfollowed。
WithfineastutenessshegoesthroughthemotionsofmakingitdifficulttogetmembershipinherChurch。Thereisatwofoldvalueinthissystem:itgivesmembershipahighvalueintheeyesoftheapplicant;
andatthesametimetherequirementsexactedenableMrs。Eddytokeephimoutifshehasdoubtsabouthisvaluetoher。Awordfurtherastoapplicationsformembership:
\"ApplicationsofstudentsoftheMetaphysicalCollegemustbesignedbytheBoardofDirectors。\"
Thatissafe。Mrs。EddyisproprietorofthatBoard。
Childrenoftwelvemaybeadmittedifinvitedby\"oneofMrs。Eddy\'sloyalstudents,orbyaFirstMember,orbyaDirector。\"
ThesesponsorsarethepropertyofMrs。Eddy,thereforeherChurchissafeguardedfromtheintrusionofundesirablechildren。
OtherStudents。ApplicantswhohavenotstudiedwithMrs。Eddycangetinonly\"byinvitationandrecommendationfromstudentsofMrs。Eddy……orfrommembersoftheMother-Church。\"
Otherparagraphsexplainhowtwoorthreeothervarietiesofapplicantsaretobechallengedandobstructed,andtelluswhoisauthorizedtoinvitethem,recommendthemendorsethem,andallthat。
Thesafeguardsaredefinite,andwouldseemtobesufficientlystrenuous——toMr。SamJones,atanyrate。NotforMrs。Eddy。Sheaddsthisclincher:
\"ThecandidatesbeelectedbyamajorityvoteoftheFirstMemberspresent。\"
Thatisthearistocracy,theaborigines,theSanhedrin。ItisMrs。
Eddy\'sproperty。SheherselfistheSanhedrin。NoonecangetintotheChurchifshewishestokeephimout。
Thisvetopowercouldsometimeorotherhavealargevalueforher,thereforeshewaswisetoreserveit。
Itislikelythatitisnotfrequentlyused。Itisalsoprobablethatthedifficultiesattendantupongettingadmissiontomembershiphavebeeninstitutedmoretoinvitethantodeter,moretoenhancethevalueofmembershipandmakepeoplelongforitthantomakeitreallydifficulttoget。Ithinkso,becausetheMother。Churchhasmanythousandsofmembersmorethanitsbuildingcanaccommodate。
ANDSOMEENGLISHREQUIRED
Mrs。Eddyisveryparticularasregardsonedetailcuriouslyso,forher,allthingsconsidered。TheChurchReadersmustbe\"goodEnglishscholars\";theymustbe\"thoroughEnglishscholars。\"
SheisthussensitiveabouttheEnglishofhersubordinatesforcause,possibly。InherchapterdefiningthedutiesoftheClerkthereisanindicationthatsheharborsresentfulmemoriesofanoccasionwhenthehazyqualityofherownEnglishmadeunforeseenandmortifyingtrouble:
\"UnderstandingCommunications。Sec。2。IftheClerkofthisChurchshallreceiveacommunicationfromthePastorEmerituswhichhedoesnotfullyunderstand,heshallinformherofthisfactbeforepresentingittotheChurch,andobtainaclearunderstandingofthematter——thenactinaccordancetherewith。\"
Sheshouldhavewaitedtocalmdown,then,butinsteadsheaddedthis,whichlackssugar:
\"FailingtoadheretothisBy-law,theClerkmustresign。\"
IwishIcouldseethatcommunicationthatbrokethecamel\'sback。Itwasprobablytheonebeginning:\"Whatplaguespotorbacilliweregnawingattheheartofthismetropolisandbringingitonbendedknee?\"andI
thinkitlikelythatthekindlydisposedClerktriedtotranslateitintoEnglishandlosthismindandhadtogotothehospital。ThatBylawwasnottheoffspringofaforecast,anintuition,itwascertainlybornofasorrowfulexperience。Itstempergivesthefactaway。
ThelittlebookofBy-lawshasmanifestlybeentinkeredbyoneofMrs。
Eddy\'s\"thoroughEnglishscholars,\"forinthemajorityofcasesitsmeaningsareclear。ThebookisnotevenmarredbyMrs。Eddy\'speculiarspecialty——lumberingclumsinessesofspeech。Ibelievethesalariedpolisherhasweededthemalloutbutone。Inoneplace,afterreferringtoScienceandHealth,Mrs。Eddygoesontosay\"theBibleandtheabove——
namedbook,withotherworksbythesameauthor,\"etc。
Itisanunfortunatesentence,foritcouldmisleadahastyorcarelessreaderforamoment。Mrs。Eddyframedit——itisherveryown——itbearshertrade-mark。\"TheBibleandScienceandHealth,withotherworksbythesameauthor,\"couldhavecomefromnoliteraryvacuumbuttheonewhichproducedtheremark(intheAutobiography):\"Irememberreading,inmychildhood,certainmanuscriptscontainingScripturalSonnets,besidesotherversesandenigmas。\"
Weknowwhatshemeans,inbothinstances,butalow-pricedClerkwouldnotnecessarilyknow,andonasalarylikehishecouldquiteexcusablyaverthatthePastorEmeritushadcommandedhimtocomeandmakeproclamationthatshewasauthoroftheBible,andthatshewasthinkingofdischargingsomeScripturalsonnetsandotherenigmasuponthecongregation。Itcouldlosehimhisplace,butitwouldnotbefair,ifithappenedbeforetheedictabout\"UnderstandingCommunications\"waspromulgated。
\"READERS\"AGAIN
TheBy-lawbookmakesashowypretenceoforderlinessandsystem,butitisonlyapretence。Iwillnotgosofarastosayitisaharum-scarumjumble,foritisnotthat,butIthinkitfairtosayitisatleastjumbulaciousinplaces。Forinstance,ArticlesIII。andIV。setforthinmuchdetailthequalificationsanddutiesofReaders,shethenskipssomethirtypagesandtakesupthesubjectagain。Itlookslikeslovenliness,butitmaybeonlyart。ThebelatedBy-lawhasasufficientlyquietlook,butithasatonofdynamiteinit。ItmakesalltheChristianScienceChurchReadersontheglobethepersonalchattelsofMrs。Eddy。Whenevershechooses,shecanstretchherlongarmaroundtheworld\'sfatbellyandflirtaReaderoutofhispulpit,thoughhebetuckedawayinseemingsafetyandobscurityinalostvillageinthemiddleofChina:
\"InanyChurch。Sec。2。ThePastorEmeritusoftheMother-Churchshallhavetheright(throughaletteraddressedtotheindividualandChurchofwhichheistheReader)toremoveaReaderfromthisofficeinanyChurchofChrist,Scientist,bothinAmericaandinforeignnations;ortoappointtheReadertofillanyofficebelongingtotheChristianSciencedenomination。\"
Shedoesnothavetopreferchargesagainsthim,shedoesnothavetofindhimlazy,careless,incompetent,untidy,ill-mannered,unholy,dishonest,shedoesnothavetodiscoverafaultofanykindinhim,shedoesnothavetotellhimnorhiscongregationwhyshedismissesanddisgraceshimandinsultshismeekflock,shedoesnothavetoexplaintohisfamilywhyshetakesthebreadoutoftheirmouthsandturnsthemout-of-doorshomelessandashamedinastrangeland;shedoesnothavetodoanythingbutsendaletterandsay:\"Pack!——andasknoquestions!\"
HasthePopethispower?——theotherPope——theoneinRome。Hasheanythingapproachingit?Canheturnapriestoutofhispulpitandstriphimofhisofficeandhislivelihoodjustuponawhim,acaprice,andmeanwhilefurnishingnoreasonstotheparish?NotinAmerica。Andnotelsewhere,wemaybelieve。
Itisoddandstrange,toseeintelligentandeducatedpeopleamongusworshippingthisself-seekingandremorselesstyrantasaGod。Thisworshipisdenied——bypersonswhoarethemselvesworshippersofMrs。
Eddy。Ifeelquitesurethatitisaworshipwhichwillcontinueduringages。
ThatMrs。EddywrotethatamazingBy-lawwithherownhandwehavemuchbetterevidencethanherword。WehaveherEnglish。Itisthere。Itcannotbeimitated。Sheoughtnevertogototheexpenseofcopyrightingherverbaldischarges。Whenanyonetriestoclaimthemsheshouldcallme;Icanalwaystellthemfromanyotherliteraryapprentice\'sataglance。ItwaslikehertocallAmericaa\"nation\";shewouldcallasand-baranationifitshouldfallintoasentenceinwhichshewasspeakingofpeoples,forshewouldnotknowhowtountangleitandgetitoutandclassifyitbyitself。AndtheclosingarrangementofthatBy-
lawisintrueEddysonianform,too。InitshereservesauthoritytomakeaReaderfillanyofficeconnectedwithaSciencechurch-sexton,grave-digger,advertising-agent,Annex-polisher,leaderofthechoir,President,Director,Treasurer,Clerk,etc。Shedidnotmeanthat。Shealreadypossessedthatauthority。Shemeanttoclotheherselfwithpower,despoticandunchallengeable,toappointallScienceReaderstotheiroffices,bothathomeandabroad。Thephrase\"ortoappoint\"isanothermiscarriageofintention;shedidnotmean\"or,\"shemeant\"and。\"
ThatBy-lawputsintoMrs。Eddy\'shandsabsolutecommandoverthemostformidableforceandinfluenceexistentintheChristianSciencekingdomoutsideofherself,anditdoesthisunconditionallyand(byauxiliaryforceofLawsalreadyquoted)irrevocably。Still,sheisnotquitesatisfied。Somethingmighthappen,shedoesn\'tknowwhat。Thereforeshedrivesinonemorenail,tomakesure,anddrivesitdeep:
\"ThisBy-lawcanneitherbeamendednorannulled,exceptbyconsentofthePastorEmeritus。\"
Letsomeonewithawildanddeliriousfancytryandseeifhecanimagineherfurnishingthatconsent。
MONOPOLYOFSPIRITUALBREAD
Veryproperly,thefirstqualificationformembershipintheMother-
ChurchisbeliefinthedoctrinesofChristianScience。
Butthesedoctrinesmustnotbegatheredfromsecondarysources。Thereisbutonerecognizedsource。ThecandidatemustbeabelieverinthedoctrinesofChristianScience\"accordingtotheplatformandteachingcontainedintheChristianSciencetext-book,\'ScienceandHealth,withKeytotheScriptures,\'byRev。MaryBakerG。Eddy。\"
Thatisdefinite,andisfinal。Therearetobenocommentaries,nolaboredvolumesofexpositionandexplanationbyanybodyexceptMrs。
Eddy。Becausesuchthingscouldsowerror,createwarringopinions,splitthereligionintosects,anddisastrouslycrippleitspower。Mrs。
Eddywilldothewholeoftheexplaining,Herself——hasdoneit,infact。
Shehaswrittenseveralbooks。Theyaretobehad(forcashinadvance),theyareallsacred;additionstothemcanneverbeneededandwillneverbepermitted。Theytellthecandidatehowtoinstructhimself,howtoteachothers,howtodoallthingscomprisedinthebusiness——andtheyclosethedooragainstallwould-becompetitors,andmonopolizethetrade:
\"TheBibleandtheabove——namedbook[ScienceandHealth],withotherworksbythesameauthor,\"mustbehisonlytext-booksforthecommerce——
hecannotforageoutside。
Mrs。Eddy\'swordsaretobethesoleelucidatorsoftheBibleandScienceandHealth——forever。Throughouttheages,wheneverthereisdoubtastothemeaningofapassageineitherofthesebookstheinquirerwillnotdreamoftryingtoexplainittohimself;hewouldshudderatthethoughtofsuchtemerity,suchprofanity,hewouldbehaledtotheInquisitionandthencetothepublicsquareandthestakeifheshouldbecaughtstudyingintotext-meaningsonhisownhook;hewillbeprudentandseekthemeaningsattheonlypermittedsource,Mrs。Eddy\'scommentaries。
ValueofthisStrait-jacket。Onemustnotunderratethemagnificenceofthislong-headedidea,onemustnotunderestimateitsgiantpossibilitiesinthematteroftroopingtheChurchsolidlytogetherandkeepingitso。
Itsquelchesindependentinquiry,andmakessuchathingimpossible,profane,criminal,itauthoritativelysettleseverydisputethatcanarise。Itstartswithfinality——apointwhichtheRomanChurchhastravelledtowardsfifteenorsixteencenturies,stagebystage,andhasnotyetreached。ThematteroftheImmaculateConceptionoftheVirginMarywasnotauthoritativelysettleduntilthedaysofPiusIX。——
yesterday,sotospeak。
Asalreadynoticed,theProtestantsarebrokenupintoalongarrayofsects,aresultofdisputesaboutthemeaningsoftexts,disputesmadeunavoidablebytheabsenceofaninfallibleauthoritytosubmitdoubtfulpassagesto。Aweekortwoago(IamwritinginthemiddleofJanuary,1903),theclergyandothershereaboutshadawarmdisputeinthepapersoverthisquestion:DidJesusanywhereclaimtobeGod?Itseemedaneasyquestion,butitturnedouttobeahardone。Itwasablyandelaboratelydiscussed,bylearnedmenofseveraldenominations,butintheenditremainedunsettled。