The age-herald., 1901-06-24
MRS. EDDy IS
 WORTH MILLIONS
Former Publisher Tells the Story of How She Be-
 Lcame Wealthy


 Boston. June 4--William O. Nixon,
 whose testimony yesterday in the libel
 suit brought by Mrs Josephine c. Wood
 burg against Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy
 the Mother of Christian Science" caused
 a panic in the camp of the defendant
 said today that, although he did not have
 the slightest pecuniary interest in the
 outcome of the case, he would like to see
 the inside workings of the Christian
 Science movement exposed.
 In view of the fact that MT. Nixon
 was Mrs. Eddy's publisher for more than three years 1t is likely that he himself could tell great deal of interest If he | did not feel that 1t would be violation | of business ethics On the witness stand 1 he testified that he was Christian Scien- | tist at the time he was Mrs. Eddy's pub | fisher, but was now no longer Chris 1 tian Scientist. He was in hopes counsel 1 for Mrs. Eddy would ask him why he | was no longer a Christian Scientist, but l they were not so easily entrapped. l Mir. Nixon is now treasurer of the Shaw | Motor Vehicle Company, 15 Court Square, | this city. When asked today privately 1 to explain whatever induced him to be- l come a Christian Scientist, and how he came to lose faith in the movement, he | said:
 Drawn Into the Movement. "I was drawn into the movement, like others, because I believed that Christian | Science had the power to heal l was
 never healed of anything myself. but l had friends who attributed their cures to | the Science. When I became Christian | Scientist 1 firmly believed that it could | do in the way of healing diseases all that | Mrs. Eddy said 1t could. I was cashier of | a bank at Pierre. s. D., and I was in | duced to come on to Boston and take $500 | worth of Christian Science lessons from | Mrs. Eddy Then went back to Pierre, | and after the lapse of several months, | when I saw a favorable opportunity to pull up stakes, did so, and came to Bos- | ton to accept the proposition of Mrs. | Eddy to publish her writings
 Tn September, 1889, I took hold of the publication business for her, and conduct ed 1t until January, 1893 When l took hold the concern was in a bad way finan- cially It had several hundred dollars of
 liabilities outstanding against 1t, and
 practically nothing 10 meet the payments. When I quit-for conscientious reasons--I left a balance of STOOD in the treasury. Of course all that was published did not go to Christian Science.
 Mrs. Eddy's Science and Health, With Key to the Scriptures was published by me on a royalty. The volumes cost 47c to produce, and sold from 8 to s6. accord ing to the binding. Thus, If Mrs. Eddy s recent published statements be correct that she had sold over 100000 volumes--she must have cleared from ss00,000 to $4O0, ,OO0 net on the sale of her Science of Health alone.
 She Is Worth $2,ooo, 900. And if her other published statement is correct-t1at she has personally taught 4.OOO Christian Science pupils, all of whom must have paid $500 each and many who paid more-she has cleared over sl, O0( in her lessons to pupils. We would roughly estimate that she has taken in | round numbers s2, 900 900. AS Mrs Eddy is l very matter-of- fact woman in all ma llterialmatters except her theory that there is no matter. and has invested in land ex- tensively she can easily be rated now as very substantial millionaire
 But what caused you to lose your faith in Christian Science?" he was asked.
 My knowledge of the inside workings of the publication of the Eddy works forced upon me the overwhelming conclu- sion that the whole thing was but one gigantic money-malSing scheme. I lost all faith in the theory itself from having become acquainted with Its innumerable failure to cure disease, I also lost all confidence in Mrs. Eddy as the divine revelator of any spiritual message. 1 still had confidence in the well-known psychic law that many persons afflicted with SUD- posed constitutional troubles would get well if only sufficient confidence could be aroused in them to make them get up and bestir themselves take exercise and stop thinking of Illness.
 Cures From Natural LaWs. "But I saw that those cures were the result of natural laws irrespective of any Christian Science. then attributed Mrs. Eddy's success in her so-called cures to her knowledge of the same psychic law, obtained. no doubt, from her former as-
 sociate, Dr. Quimby, and to her slight knowledge of homeopathy.
 q found that one could not remain in a position of responsibility in connection with the movement without intrigue and hypocrisy; and saw that the only honset persons in the movement were those who were blinded by the same delusions which tricked me into the fold in 1889. For a long time before decided to give up the whole thing my doubt was growing. Each day 1t got stronger, until at last found I could no longer remain Chris tian Scentist. accepting money for the teaching of one of the most pernicious delusions of modern times. But as for any real Christian spirit that might be supposed to be in the movement. that is Illustrated by the way in which. Mrs. woodbury was treated.
 Indian More Mereiful.
 T am not here to defend Mrs Wood bury but I do say that in dealing with her they did not initiate Jesus of Naza- reth They did not try to throw away Christian mantle of charity over this unfortunate woman. They did not even treat her with the rudimentary justice of an Indian. I have lived among the Sioux Indians and l verify believe that the Sioux Indians show more genuine Justice in dealing with their victims than did the Christian Scientists with Mrs. | woodbury; for the Sioux Indians always grant to the accused the right of speech | to state his side of the case. Tn Mrs. | Woodbury's case she was excommuni- | cated forever without any opportunity to | be heard.
 "Believe me, as one who was once on | the inside. one who went into the move- ment honesty and could not conscien- | tiously remain in it-Christian Science is | g. monumental humbug. It has seen its | greatest prosperity as money-making | enterprise and a few more trials like | this will lay bare it's skeleton closets. Mrs Eddy dares not, in my opinion, | go through the ordeal of a cross-examin- | ation She is old and feeble, in spite of | her constant teaching to the contrary, ! Concord is only a two hours trip from | Boston According to her Christian Sci | ence teaching, she cannot be ill., or old. | or feeble. and should have nothing to 1 fear. Yet she will not come to the trial,
 hoping that by staying away she may