What's the mental atmosphere in your town?

 The prophet Micah lived around 700BC, was a contemporary of Isaiah, and prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He lived near Jerusalem in Judah.

I've just read his short book from my beautiful pink-bound and tabbed New Living Translation version which I love using. I have also studied the first 8 paragraphs of Thomas Leishman's article about Micah titled "Micah: the peasant seer" from the September 1969 edition of The Christian Science Journal. It was part of the brilliant series The Continuity of the Bible which was later printed as a series of books. (Some Christian Science Reading Rooms may have copies of these books for interested readers.) 

Leishman speaks of Micah as comparing the downfall of Samaria to a contagion - a downward spiral created by rampant idolatry.

Micah also warns against the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and, with tongue in cheek, he identifies various places with their mental animus. Leishman quotes from Moffatt's Bible, and readers will surely enjoy his translation:

     "Weep tears at Teartown ... grovel in the dust at Dustown ... fare forth stripped, O Fairtown ...! Stirtown ... dare not stir" (Micah 1: 10 - 11).

It bears wondering if we today are alert to the mental atmosphere surrounding us. The Discoverer of Christian Science, uses the phrase "mental atmosphere" in her writings, e.g.

    Let no clouds of sin gather and fall in mist and showers from thine own mental atmosphere. (Miscellaneous Writings 1883--1896, p. 355: 26-28 Let)

and

    ... the reformer continues his lightning, thunder, and sunshine till the mental atmosphere is clear. (Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 9: 14-16)

But Micah's message was not all thunder and lightning, as we shall see as we read on.

Julie Swannell

Taking class instruction with Mary Baker Eddy

Ongoing work of The Mary Baker Eddy Library team includes publishing digitally all of Eddy's correspondence. 

Of course, Mrs. Eddy's vast correspondence was either hand-written or -- with the invention of the typewriter in 1870 -- typed by her secretaries, who over the years included her students such as Calvin Frye, Irving Tomlinson and Adam Dickey. Additionally, the faster method of telegraph was used when the matter was urgent. 

Some research reveals that letters were either hand delivered or sent via the United States Postal Service, which used trains to carry the mail at a distance. Interestingly, Benjamin Franklin was this institution's first Postmaster General, a position he had accepted in July 1775. At that time, George Washington had sought to champion "the free flow of information between citizens and their government as a cornerstone of freedom" (thoughtco.com article by Robert Longley, updated July 28, 2021).

While we might think that with tools such as email, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and SMS available to us today, communication has become speedier, we might ponder the speed at which Mrs. Eddy responded and corresponded with two prospective students: Mrs. Ruth Ewing, wife of the US District Attorney for Illinois, and a Miss Willsi. Here is what the article "From the Papers: A letter that launched two careers" on the Mary Baker Eddy website reports:

Ellen Brown Linscott, who had taken Eddy’s Primary class in 1883 and Normal class in 1885, was actively healing and teaching in Chicago. On August 19, 1886, she wrote this in a letter to Eddy:

I think I wrote you about two ladies who wish to join your first class in Sept. One of them Mrs. Ruth or rather, Mrs. W. G. Ewing is the wife of the United States District Attorney for Illinois. Just such a woman as you want, one who is able to talk, write, and will make a fine healer too. The other is Miss. Willsi a lovely character, and both are people of social position: Will write you their addresses….1

The class Linscott referred to began on August 30, 1886—only 11 days later. Nevertheless, on the day the class began, both Ruth B. Ewing and Lucinda Willsie were in attendance. And they both went on to have significant careers that contributed much to the cause of Christian Science over the following four decades.

It seems these ladies were on fire and time disappeared in their quest to take forward steps in Christian Science.

"All God's servants are minute men and women." (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 158: 19 (only))

  Julie Swannell

One world

Libraries are vital parts of their local community.

In July this year, the Mary Baker Eddy Library hosted a Community Arts Program called ONE WORLD 2024, a series of events and activities highlighting four diverse part of the globe, for their local neighbourhood. 

The program ran over four Tuesdays from 10am to 1pm each week and included indoor and outdoor activities.

Indoors, one could visit the Mapparium and the How do you see the world exhibit, watch a video of kid-friendly stories from around the world sourced from The Christian Science Monitor*, and enjoy free book-giveaways.

Outdoors, one could watch dance and listen to stories from Japan, Jamaica, Ireland and India or be part of a team of painters working on a mural designed by Alex Cook. The project was led by local artist Josh Winer.

The promo says that children were drawn to the vibrancy of it all. I like that.

Julie Swannell

* Read or buy The Christian Science Monitor at Christian Science Reading Rooms. This amazing, trustworthy, thoughtful, uplifting, and informative news source is also available online for a very reasonable price by subscription.