gratitude to her for her great work, and those who do not understand it
will, in the fulness of time, see and acknowledge it. In the measure in
which she has unfolded and demonstrated divine Love, and built up in human
consciousness a better and higher conception of God as Life, Truth, and
Love,--as the divine Principle of all things which really exist,--and in
the degree in which she has demonstrated the system of healing of Jesus and
the apostles, surely she, as the one chosen of God to this end, is entitled
to the gratitude and love of all who desire a better and grander humanity,
and who believe it to be possible to establish the kingdom of heaven upon
earth in accordance with the prayer and teachings of Jesus Christ.
* * * * *
[_Concord Evening Monitor_, March 23, 1895]
TESTIMONIAL AND GIFT
TO REV. MARY BAKER EDDY, FROM THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN
BOSTON
Rev. Mary Baker Eddy received Friday, from the Christian Science Board of
Directors, Boston, a beautiful and unique testimonial of the appreciation
of her labors and loving generosity in the Cause of their common faith. It
was a facsimile of the corner-stone of the new church of the Christian
Scientists, just completed, being of granite, about six inches in each
dimension, and contains a solid gold box, upon the cover of which is this
inscription:--
"To our Beloved Teacher, the Reverend Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer and
Founder of Christian Science, from her affectionate Students, the Christian
Science Board of Directors."
On the under side of the cover are the facsimile signatures of the
Directors,--Ira O. Knapp, William B. Johnson, Joseph Armstrong, and Stephen
A. Chase, with the date, "1895." The beautiful souvenir is encased in an
elegant plush box.
Accompanying the stone testimonial was the following address from the Board
of Directors:--
Boston, March 20, 1895.
_To the Reverend Mary Baker Eddy, our Beloved Teacher and
Leader_:--We are happy to announce to you the completion of The
First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston.
In behalf of your loving students and all contributors wherever
they may be, we hereby present this church to you as a testimonial
of love and gratitude for your labors and loving sacrifice, as the
Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, and the author of its
textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
We therefore respectfully extend to you the invitation to become
the permanent pastor of this church, in connection with the Bible
and the book alluded to above, which you have already ordained as
our pastor. And we most cordially invite you to be present and
take charge of any services that may be held therein. We
especially desire you to be present on the twenty-fourth day of
March, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, to accept this offering,
with our humble benediction.
Lovingly yours,
IRA O. KNAPP,
JOSEPH ARMSTRONG,
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON,
STEPHEN A. CHASE,
_The Christian Science Board of Directors_.
REV. MRS. EDDY'S REPLY
_Beloved Directors and Brethren_:--For your costly offering, and kind call
to the pastorate of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," in
Boston--accept my profound thanks. But permit me, respectfully, to decline
their acceptance, while I fully appreciate your kind intentions. If it will
comfort you in the least, make me your _Pastor Emeritus_, nominally.
Through my book, your textbook, I already speak to you each Sunday. You ask
too much when asking me to accept your grand church edifice. I have more of
earth now, than I desire, and less of heaven; so pardon my refusal of that
as a material offering. More effectual than the forum are our states of
mind, to bless mankind. This wish stops not with my pen--God give you
grace. As our church's tall tower detains the sun, so may luminous lines
from your lives linger, a legacy to our race.
MARY BAKER EDDY.
March 25, 1895.
* * * * *
LIST OF LEADING NEWSPAPERS WHOSE ARTICLES ARE OMITTED
From Canada to New Orleans, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean, the
author has received leading newspapers with uniformly kind and interesting
articles on the dedication of The Mother Church. They were, however, too
voluminous for these pages. To those which are copied she can append only a
few of the names of other prominent newspapers whose articles are
reluctantly omitted.
EASTERN STATES
_Advertiser_, Calais, Me.
_Advertiser_, Boston, Mass.
_Farmer_, Bridgeport, Conn.
_Independent_, Rockland, Mass.
_Kennebec Journal_, Augusta, Me.
_News_, New Haven, Conn.
_News_, Newport, R.I.
_Post_, Boston, Mass.
_Post_, Hartford, Conn.
_Republican_, Springfield, Mass.
_Sentinel_, Eastport, Me.
_Sun_, Attleboro, Mass.
MIDDLE STATES
_Advertiser_, New York City.
_Bulletin_, Auburn, N.Y.
_Daily_, York, Pa.
_Evening Reporter_, Lebanon, Pa.
_Farmer_, Bridgeport, Conn.
_Herald_, Rochester, N.Y.
_Independent_, Harrisburg, Pa.
_Inquirer_, Philadelphia, Pa.
_Independent_, New York City.
_Journal_, Lockport, N.Y.
_Knickerbocker_, Albany, N.Y.
_News_, Buffalo, N.Y.
_News_, Newark, N.J.
_Once A Week_, New York City.
_Post_, Pittsburgh, Pa.
_Press_, Albany, N.Y.
_Press_, New York City.
_Press_, Philadelphia, Pa.
_Saratogian_, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
_Sun_, New York City.
_Telegram_, Philadelphia, Pa.
_Telegram_, Troy, N.Y.
_Times_, Trenton, N.J.
SOUTHERN STATES
_Commercial_, Louisville, Ky.
_Journal_, Atlanta, Ga.
_Post_, Washington, D.C.
_Telegram_, New Orleans, La.
_Times_, New Orleans, La.
_Times-Herald_, Dallas, Tex.
WESTERN STATES
_Bee_, Omaha, Neb.
_Bulletin_, San Francisco, Cal.
_Chronicle_, San Francisco, Cal.
_Elite_, Chicago, Ill.
_Enquirer_, Oakland, Cal.
_Free Press_, Detroit, Mich.
_Gazette_, Burlington, Iowa.
_Herald_, Grand Rapids, Mich.
_Herald_, St. Joseph, Mo.
_Journal_, Columbus, Ohio.
_Journal_, Topeka, Kans.
_Leader_, Bloomington, Ill.
_Leader_, Cleveland, Ohio.
_News_, St. Joseph, Mo.
_News-Tribune_, Duluth, Minn.
_Pioneer-Press_, St. Paul, Minn.
_Post-Intelligencer_, Seattle, Wash.
_Salt Lake Herald_, Salt Lake City, Utah.
_Sentinel_, Indianapolis, Ind.
_Sentinel_, Milwaukee, Wis.
_Star_, Kansas City, Mo.
_Telegram_, Portland, Ore.
_Times_, Chicago, Ill.
_Times_, Minneapolis, Minn.
_Tribune_, Minneapolis, Minn.
_Tribune_, Salt Lake City, Utah.
_Free Press_, London, Can.
THE PLIMPTON PRESS NORWOOD MASS USA
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote A: See footnote on page nine.]
[Footnote B: This sum was increased to $5,568.51 by contributions which
reached the Treasurer after the Dedicatory Services.]
[Footnote C: Steps were taken to promote the Church of Christ Scientist in
April, May and June; formal organization was accomplished and the charter
obtained in August, 1879.]
[Footnote D: NOTE:--About 1868, the author of Science and Health
healed Mr. Whittier with one visit, at his home in Amesbury, of incipient
pulmonary consumption.--M.B. EDDY.]
[Footnote E: At Mrs. Eddy's request the lamp was not kept burning.]