POWs receive The Christian Science Monitor

On page 41¹, distribution of the Monitor is mentioned. [Ed. This refers to The Christian Science Monitor, which at that time, was published as a daily print newspaper. Today, this international newspaper appears daily online and in a weekly printed magazine.]

The Swiss Committee of the War Relief Fund was sending packages to English prisoners-of-war. Handkerchiefs and washing gloves (?) were particularly needed, and each package included 100 copies of the Monitor. “The latter we are sending to them now regularly and receive letters of appreciation. In a similar way we are working with the French and German prisoners.”

The Committee at Geneva was rewarded with letters which expressed grateful thanks for “the good we have received spiritually and financially.”

This theme of folk in need financially being helped with cash is quite a revelation to me. I don’t recall this angle being mentioned in the he 2^nd Wartime Activities book.

One gratitude letter gives thanks for the spiritual food provided for the family through the Christian Science Textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

War Relief also went to Italy, through the Christian Science church in Florence. A visitor saw:

“Old men and women, young soldier’s wives with tiny babes, whose pensions, pitifully meager at the best, had not even as yet been allotted, discharged soldier who had contacted diseases in the army, mothers of large families seeking eve trifling aid, were each in turn seen and comforted and sent away rejoicing, giving voluble expressions of gratitude” (p. 48)

Of course France, which suffered the most from all the devastating destruction caused by the deadly fighting, is given a lot of space to tell of the work of the War Relief committee. Whole towns, many of which had been flattened, were given assistance, in addition to the assistance given to individuals.

I have now come to the Chapter Helping Halifax, beginning on page 61. I would encourage readers of the blog to get on to the site and read this report. Here is the link: https://archive.org/details/christianscience00firs/page/60/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater

 

Joyce Voysey

¹ Christian Science Wartime Activities: A Report to the Board of Directors of The Mother Church by The Christian Science War Relief Committee, published by The Christian Science Publishing Society 1922