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 text-book, "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,
WILLIAM B. JOHNSON,
JOSEPH ARMSTRONG,
STEPHEN A. CHASE,
_The Christian Science Board of Directors_.