War Relief Fund established

Here is a figure which interests me greatly. “In the year 1918 more than six million copies of The Christian Science Monitor were distributed.”  This is on page 17 of Christian Science War Time Activities.

War was declared in August 1914. A War Relief Fund was established by the Board of Directors of The Mother Church on October 24! There seems to be a thought that they rather dallied in taking that step! All of two months!

Page 24. The Monitor was always in the American Embassy in Paris.

William D. McCrackan was sent by the Board of Directors to Europe to coordinate the distribution of the War Relief Fund, where it was needed, by the CS churches. Churches in England, Germany, France and Switzerland were helped.US$82,104.62 was the total of the Fund. The figure reflects the careful bookkeeping that is emphasised in the book.

Beside that, $29,154.90 was collected for those other than Christian Scientists needing help. Holland, England, France and Switzerland are mentioned. All but $4,508.51 was used up and a call was made for further contributions. The two funds would soon merge into one.

Here is an interesting point about the British Colonies.

Although Christian Scientists in the United Kingdom and the Colonies were naturally most anxious to contribute to The Mother Church Relief Fund, it was then impossible for them to do so under the Defence of the Realm Act, inasmuch as a portion of the fund would be used to aid sufferers in the countries with which the United Kingdom and her Colonies were at war.   Page 30

Now, I find mention of the Defence of the Realm Act fascinating, but I have not found out exactly what this means. At the time the book was written, no doubt it was so well known as to need no explanation.

It is enlightening to read of the type of help given to people in businesses which failed due to the war. Dressmakers, artists and musicians, boarding-house keepers at seaside resorts. Sound slightly familiar? Many who were helped rose up and were able to later contribute to the Relief Fund themselves.

By 1918 the fund was distributing money to help only those who were in actual destitution. Lack of work had been met by work provided in munition factories and kindred activities. We are told that often the relief work healed the destitution. This is where we find that wonderful quote from page ix in the Preface to Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896 by Mary Baker Eddy:

A certain apothegm of a Talmudical philosopher suits my sense of doing good. It reads thus: The noblest charity is to prevent a man from accepting charity and the best arms are to show and to enable a man to dispense with charity.

I am up to page 34.

Joyce Voysey