Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-08-23

SeH' StTCCIGTy senior OOuNbGl TOT IUG
Christian Science Leader, Makes an
lmpassioned Plea-The Masters Ap-
pointed by the Court Make Ruling
That They Were Without Authority
to Continue the investigation.
Concord, N. H.-Ex-Senator William
e. Chandler on Wednesday forenoon
filed in the superior court a motion
that the suit in equity which the So
called next friends of Mrs. Mary
Baker G.. Eddy, the dlscoverer and
founder of Christian Science. had
braa,sht I'm her name on March l to
declare her incompetent to manage
her business affairs and to secure the
appointment of a receiver, should be
dismissed. Coincidently, Mr.. Chand-
Ter appeared before the board of three
masters charged with the determina-
tion of Mrs. Eddy's mental capacity
for business on March l, and an
nounced the filing of the motion.
Formally and legally the suit in
equity cannot be dismissed from the
calendar until the superior court sits
in October, but actually the hearing
came to an abrupt end when Mr..
Chandler had made his announce
ment, and 1t did not continue except
as as a matter of courtesy beyond that
moment, although Gen. Frank s.
Streeter, senior counsel for Mrs.
Eddy, made an impassioned plea
against the abandonment Of the suit,
unless the masters might have an op-
portunity of reporting to the superior
court as to the mental responsibility
of Mrs. Eddy, of which neither her
counsel nor any of her friends have
the slightest doubt,
The masters ruled, speaking through
Judge Edgar Aldrich of the United
States District court, who was chair
man of the board, that they were
without authority to continue the in
vestigation, notice having been served
upon them that the suit In equity,
under which their commission as mas
ters had been issued, had been with
drawn, and the proceedings which
have interested the entire civilized
world for six months came to an alb
rupt end.
There is but one conclusion which
may fairly be put upon the action of
the counsel for the next friends,
headed by Ex-senator Chandler in
thus formally withdrawing the suit In
equity and abandoning the effort to
prove that Mrs. Eddy Is Incapable,
mentally, of managing her own af-
fairs, and that is that counsel for the
next friends have admitted that they
had no case, no basis for the charges
------a----s--I---4- tl.s-iNaSlas'=
of the Christian Scientists, and that
getting out of the action, without eX-
PLANTATION or apology, Is confession
that they were and had been in the
wrong.
Naturally, when case of this
Importance is suddenly dropped, and
without what most folks would re-
gard as sufficient explanation OF the
reasons for it, there are and Will
be indefinite charges from various
sources that the case was settled, was
COMPROMISED, or that a money con-
sideration was involved in it's dis
missal. Any such charge is entirely
unfounded, without basis, and should
be given no credence.
It Is a fact that counsel for the next
friends endeavored to show before the
masters that Mrs. Eddy's religious
beliefs were evidences Of insanity,
and when 1t was ruled by the masters
that testimony as to delusions, wheth-
er religious or otherwise, were not ad-
missible unless they could be directly
connected with evidence that they ar
fected the business judgment Of Mrs
Eddy. the counsel for the next friends
realized more fully than ever before
the hopelessness of their case. There
fore, they abandoned 1t.
INSPIRED, no doubt, by someone at
least pretty close to the counsel for
the next friends, 1t was announced
that, in effect, realizing the hope
lessness of the contention on which
the suit in equity was based, the coun-
sci had abandoned it, but for the pur-
pose Of hereafter attacking the will OF
Mrs. Eddy.
This announcement was, no doubt,
made for effect, for 1t is a moral GER
tainty that with the enlightenment as
to the situation of Mrs. Eddy which
has come to them through the action
which they voluntarily dismissed,
the counsel for the next friends,
at least the present counsel for the
next friends, will never undertake to
make a contest of the will of Mrs. |
Eddy.
In one way the bringing out of the
suit has been a distinct advantage to |
Mrs. Eddy and her friends, for 1t has
as no other event Of re-
cent years has, that the great body of |
the American people are tolerant of
the religious views of others, no mat
ter how much they may differ from
.hem, personally, and that belief in
any particular faith is not generally
regarded as an evidence Of insanity
by followers Of others religions, sim
ply because it differs from their
views.