Books as Pastor; Unlabored Motion and Mr Norwood's watch

In 1892 Septimus J. Hanna (referred to as Judge Hanna) and his wife Camilla were called by Mrs Eddy to be Editor and Assistant Editor of The Christian Science Journal.  They had not been class-taught by Mrs Eddy, so she gave them private instruction to ready them for this important task.  Mrs Eddy’s instruction was in the form of seven two or three hour sessions (p. 235). 

Judge Hanna was also the First Reader of The Mother Church at the time of Mrs Eddy’s ordaining the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Pastor over The Mother Church. (ed. See Church Manual p. 58:6.) 

Hanna makes a point of interest about the Christian Science Pastor: “In 1894 I was called to the pastorate of The Mother Church, continuing in this capacity until the change in the method and order of church services occurred, when I became [the] Reader, conducting two services as such and reading discourses made up of alternate Biblical and correlative references from Science and Health.  It was extremely interesting and instructive to find what a consistent and harmonious discourse could thus be prepared.  Then came the order for two Readers and sermons compiled substantially as they are now” (p. 236).

I hadn’t realised that there had been that interim period after the declaring of the Pastor to be the two books.  How grateful we must continue to be for this faithful follower of Mary Baker Eddy for the foundation work he carried out in these two areas!  What a servant!

Edward Norwood gives us a definition of activity.  When, during class with Mrs Eddy, he had a new vision of reality, he was able to write: “I understood somewhat what our Leader means by the “unlabored motion of Mind” [see Science and Health, p. 445].  And [I saw] that what mortal mind calls activity is lethargy, inaction, inertia, and is the seeming obstruction in the way of the operation of divine law” p. 271.  There are some beautiful thoughts on pages 270-271.

Our editor will be interested in Mr Norwood’s comments about overseeing the re-printing of Science and Health in 1906; I certainly am, having had much to do with printing in our family business.  Norwood writes: “We had to correct some paragraphs as many as thirty times”!!  See beginning page 276.

On page 280, Norwood adds a delightful note on regulating: “It may be of interest to note that during this time, my watch, a very good one, began to gain in time, until it was three hours a day.   Regulating did it no good, so I let it go, and as soon as the work was finished, it resumed its normal condition.  Mr. Armstrong told me he had the same experience in the building of The Mother Church, and the jeweler told him, “It is you, not the watch.”  [See Mr.Armstrong’s book Building of The Mother Church.]

The reader will surely love this quote from Mrs Eddy: “Mrs Eddy told a student that if he desired his neighbor’s children to succeed and prosper at school and elsewhere, his own would also” p. 183.

And another note regarding weather: “The weather expresses our concept of it and can be handled as any claim if you do not hold it as something apart from you, governed by some other power or almanac.  God governs all.  This is the way Jesus stilled the tempest.”

Joyce Voysey