Eddy's "oceanic correspondence" and other observations

The opening paragraph on page 215 of Robert Peels' Mary Baker Eddy - The Years of Trial, reminds me of the disciple Peter's mother-in-law. It seems to me that her fever could have been brought on by concern about her son-in-law's leaving his trade and going off to follow an itinerant preacher. Jesus healed her, and “she arose and ministered unto them.” (See Matt. 8:14, 15.) Here Peel is talking about family ties and being a prophet, and how the ties are undone in almost every case.

Mention is made of Mrs. Eddy's sister-in-law, Mary Ann Cook Baker, on pages 216 and 364. Mrs. Baker wrote in praise of Mrs. Eddy's Christianity. If only the Christian world would recognise and celebrate Mrs. Eddy for the outstanding Christian she was!

Peel says Mrs. Eddy had "oceanic correspondence": all hand-written in those days, with a steel-nibbed pen!

Here we read about outstanding men; students that were coming to the fore. Hanover P. Smith, Alfred Farlow, Stephen A. Chase, Joseph Armstrong, Edward Bates, and Edward A. Kimball, are all mentioned on page 219.

Peel writes that “...by the turn of the century, [Kimball and Farlow] "would stand before the general public as Christian Scientists more prominently than anyone save Mrs. Eddy herself”: Kimball as practitioner, teacher, writer, thinker; and Farlow as the first Committee on Publication, with great talent for correcting false notions in the press about Christian Science.

There was an amazing array of mind-curers coming on the scene with their magazines. Page 227 lists some of them: Mental Healing Monthly; Church of Divine Unity; Mental Science Magazine; Truth, A Magazine of Christian Science; The Chicago Christian Scientist; Messenger of Truth. These were inclined to steal from Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. There was plenty of work for Alfred Farlow!

This morning, in my consecutive reading of Mrs Eddy's Prose Works, I came to Miscellaneous Writings, p. 269:25-26, which satisfies my thought on this business: “Christian Science may be sold in the shambles, Many are bidding for it, – but are not willing to pay the price.”

I love this on page 234 of Peel's book. Talking of a Mrs. Gestefeld's "Statement of Christian Science", a correspondent to The Christian Science Journal wrote, “I recognize the same difference between Mrs. Gestefeld's lectures and your book, that I do between the zeal of Saul and the zeal of Paul. Her Lectures lack regeneration. She has not yet been to Damascus.”

Joyce Voysey