Woman's Rights

 Some years ago in Queensland the Premier’s wife, Florence Bjelke-Petersen, was elected to be a Senator in the Federal Parliament. 

She was a religious person, and I felt she would need spiritual support in taking on this responsibility. She was more famous for her Pumpkin Scones than her politics!

So I sent her a copy of Mary Baker Eddy’s poem Woman’s Rights. Here are the words:

WOMAN’S RIGHTS

Grave on her monumental pile:

She won from vice, by virtue’s smile,

Her dazzling crown, her sceptred throne,

Affection’s wreath, a happy home;

 

The right to worship deep and pure,

To bless the orphan, feed the poor;

Last at the cross to mourn her Lord,

First at the tomb to hear his word:

 

To fold an angel’s wings below;

And hover o’er the couch of woe;

To nurse the Bethlehem babe so sweet,

The right to sit at Jesus’ feet;

 

To form the bud for bursting bloom,

The hoary head with joy to crown;

In short, the right to work and pray,

“To point to heaven and lead the way.”

Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, pp. 388:14 - 389:4

I had a very gracious reply from Mrs. Bjelke-Petersen in which she acknowledged Mrs. Eddy’s place. I am sorry that I didn’t keep a record of that reply.

Joyce Voysey

Immediate Action

"The thread that traces the history of man's worship of God is spun of many strands. One of the longest, perhaps the strongest, is poetry." – from the Forward to Ideas on Wings (Christian Science Publishing Society, 1978)

One poem that has inspired and encouraged me is by Marcella Krisel. I'll share the first half here, but I would encourage you to find it on jsh-online.com or ask for a copy from your local Christian Science Reading Room.

Believe me—it wasn't easy

by Marcella Krisel from The Christian Science Journal, January 1977

---

For far too long
I played host to a problem
That I thought was up to me to solve.
I wrestled with it daily—
Denouncing, entreating, resenting it.
Unfortunately, it thrived
On all this attention
And the free room and board.
Finally, at a particularly low point
Of human discouragement
I was spurred into immediate
Action of a different sort
By a flash of insight:

"I can of mine own self do nothing."** 

....

The Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy encourages us: “Individuals are consistent who, watching and praying, can “run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint,” who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement.” (SH 254:2–6)

Julie Swannell

*See posts on Ideas on Wings (available in most CS Reading Rooms) from August 2016 - here's a link.

** John 5:30

A holy air

 I was talking with a friend earlier this evening when she burst out with the first few lines of a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal with such fervour it almost took my breath away.

    "A holy air is breathing round" she began.

    "A fragrance from above" she continued.

We looked it up in the hymn book and found it is number 4!

We completed the verse:

    "Be every thought from sense unbound, / Be every action love."

The joy of the verse spilling out from my friend reminded me of a time, some years ago, when our little congregation in Sydney substituted the recitation of a poem for the usual sung solo in the Sunday church service. The result was uplifting and much appreciated.

The words of the hymn, called "Pater Noster" - "Our Father" - are by Dr. Abiel Abbot Livermore (1811-1892). The very useful Concordance to Christian Science Hymnal and Hymnal Notes (available in most Christian Science Reading Rooms) explains that Dr. Livermore "was a Unitarian minister of Keene, New Hampshire, who later became president of the Theological School at Meadville, Pennsylvania."'

The music, by Dr. Percy C. Buck, employs a "free rhythm melody". Dr. Buck "believed that here was an opportunity to advance the music [at Harrow, where he taught] beyond the square-cut form of the conventional hymn tune" (ibid p 177). "After he left Harrow Dr. Buck found that many of his old boys remembered these tunes and even asked to include them in other hymn books" (ibid).

This might encourage congregations to have a new look at Dr. Buck's hymns. And to revisit hymn 4! Thank you DJ.

Julie Swannell