Australia and the cross of Calvary

Joyce Voysey

Before I start on Luke, may I add a few facts I found when consulting Historical Sketches by Clifford Smith?  Mr. Smith starts out by talking about New Hampshire the way it was in Mrs. Eddy’s early days – in 1840 to be precise. 

He says there were 5,000 inhabitants in Concord, the capital of the state.  Concord was famous for its stagecoaches; it had a number of societies, agricultural, musical, Bible, and missionary, besides four or five bookstores, at least three newspapers, and a literary journal!!!

In 1840 Bow, which was the Baker’s town, had 1,000 inhabitants, a meeting house, ten district schools, and fifteen mills of different kinds.  (As an Australian, I can’t but want to compare those figures with towns of similar size in Australia.  I wonder how I would go about doing that for Brisbane in 1840.)

What a vibrant mental atmosphere was prepared in New Hampshire for the reception of Christian Science by one of its offspring!  However, one wonders what God has prepared for Australia, which has “the Southern Cross in its skies, - the Cross of Calvary, which binds human society into solemn union” Science &Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p.475:30-32.