Illuminating research on the period 1889 to 1913

Joyce Voysey

So, what did I discover about our book from re-reading Historical Sketches from the life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science by Clifford P. Smith?  Mary Beecher Longyear was the woman who spent the winter in Dresden, became acquainted with Christian Science, and “did some healing and three informal talks on Christian Science which were attended by American, English and German people.” It was she who persuaded practitioner and teacher Laura Lathrop to encourage someone to go to Dresden to establish Christian Science there.  She also furnished financial support for the work for several years.

Mrs. Longyear’s name continues to be prominent in Christian Science circles because of the Longyear Foundation* that she and her husband established to make Christian Science landmarks available to the public.  There is a Longyear Museum.  One can still find the Longyear name when looking up our book Christian Science in Germany on the Internet.

 

[Ed - *http://www.manta.com/c/mm2lcm8/longyear-foundation says: “Longyear Foundation in Chestnut Hill, MA is a private company categorized under Museums. Our records show it was established in 1934 and incorporated in Massachusetts.”]

 

I wonder if I can compile a sort of Timeline from dates for the progress of Christian Science in Germany furnished by Clifford Smith’s Historical Sketches.  I will try:

 

1860s
1866	Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science.
1870s
1875	Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures first published
1880s
1889	Hans Eckert of Cannstatt, Germany, began to study CS.  He could read and speak English.
1890s
1892	Hans took class instruction and became a member of The Mother Church.
1894	Hans returned to Germany.
1894-1904	Sunday services held; Hans did translations.
1894	Frau Bertha Günther-Peterson began study of CS – she could read and speak English.
1894	Bertha became a member of The Mother Church.
1896	Bertha had class instruction in New York.
1896	Frances Thurber Seal was healed of failing eyesight and threatened blindness, after interview with Laura Lathrop, and being loaned Mrs. Eddy’s No & Yes, read it three times; had class instruction very soon after her healing.
1896/7	In Dresden, Mrs. Mary Beecher Longyear did some healing and gave three informal talks on CS attended by American, English and German people. Back in New York she arranged for Frances to go to Dresden to establish CS there.  She supported Frances financially for several years.
1897	Frances travelled to Dresden. She could not read or speak German.
1897	Bertha returned to Hannover to make CS known in Germany.  Her card, as practitioner, appeared in Christian Science Journal in October. Services were held in her home and she translated and acted as Reader.
1898	Services were held in Dresden beginning in January; conducted only in English, but by September they began to be conducted in German.
1898	Frances advertised in the Journal as a practitioner; opened a CS Reading Room in the sitting room of her lodging house.
1898	Attendance of 15 in Hannover.  First Christian Science Church in Germany
1898	Healings brought interest and now Bertha had patients from 18 different cities or towns and “the healings they reported became known to many people in many districts of Germany”.
1898	Hannover church now First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hannover.  Audience of 300-400, but only 12 members because of difficulties in withdrawing from the    “established” church.
1899	Bertha was authorized as teacher by special permission from Mrs. Eddy.
1899	Miss Emily Cotton card in Journal in November – Dresden
1899	Frances moved to Berlin, as she had obtained her teaching certificate with the expectation that she would establish the practice there.  Her teacher was Edward Kimball, the first to teach after Mrs. Eddy.
1899	Fräulein Johanna Bruno was admitted to The Mother Church – first German in Berlin to become a Christian Scientist. She read both English and German and so did the translating.
1899	Services held in Berlin 1st Sunday October. Readers Mrs Seal and Miss Amy Bentnick-Beach, both having come from Dresden.
1899	Berth has interview with Mary Baker Eddy.
1900s
1900	Johanna Bruno Journal-listed practitioner
1900	Mrs Eddy gave $1,000.00 to First Church, Hannover, for its building fund.
1900	First Church of Christ, Scientist, Dresden, organized
1900	September - First Church, Berlin, organized
1901	Hannover church bought ground.
1902	Hannover church dedicated the completed church building, the first Christian Science church built in Europe.
1902	Frances has interview with Mary Baker Eddy.
1903	German Herald first published – a monthly publication made up of translations from the English CS Journal.
1904	Christian Science Society, Stuttgart: card in The Christian Science Journal.  Hans Ekert was advertised in the Journal as First Reader.
1906	Bertha received a teacher’s certificate from the Board of Education after having attended one of the Board’s Normal classes.
1906	Frances felt her work accomplished and left Germany to go back to US.
1910s
1912	Science and Health first published in German with English on opposite pages.
1913	First Church of Christ, Scientist, Stuttgart

 

A re-reading of the book has brought lots of points that are important to my understanding, e.g. Mrs. Seal neither read nor spoke German, and she puts this as seeing no personality.  How important is that?

 

All patients were healed during the persecution period.

 

A question I am left with is: Why did Mrs. Longyear not give Mrs. Seal letters of introduction to the people she had talked to about Christian Science?  —