Evening journal., 1907-07-23
MRS. EDDY HAS
100000 A YEAR
Highly Regarded at Her Con-
C)Td Home, Where She Has
Spent Her Entire Life

CONCORD, N. H., July 23-Accord-
ing to the estimates Of financial men
In Concord, Mrs. Eddy IS worth about
100000, which is invested in Boston
and Concord real estate and in stocks,
bonds and mortgages. Her home here
Is valued at $4,000. II IS believed that
she has between 100000 and 100000
In mortgages and an equal amount in
gilt-edge securities She keeps a ball
ance of about $4,000 cash in the
bank, Her income Is believed 10 be
about 100000 a year and is derived
from the interest upon her investments
and from the sale Of her books, which
are published from her own printing
establishment in Boston. She has sold
not less than 100000 copies of Science
and Health" at S5 a copy since il was
written, and the sale is still very large.
II has passed through many editions.
Her next best seller is volume OF
miscellaneous writings which has run
through eight or ten editions with
total number of about 100000 volumes,
which have brought her SO each. Her
"Retrospection and Introspection" has
sold almost as well and has probably
reached 100000 copies.
Mrs Eddy is the largest taxpayer
in Concord and is assessed at $4,000
There has been some complaint that
this is too small and 1 understand that
they are going to raise her assessment
to sSO,OOO
Her Concord Followers.
The Christian Science congregation
here is composed of about two hundred
and fifty intelligent, well-to-do people,
with a sprinlSling of what Is usually
termed the upper classes" Many, per-
haps a majority, Of Mrs. Eddy's fol-
lowers have known her, or their par
ents have known her. from childhood.
1t must be admitted by her critics and
opponents that when she began what
Is called her career of imposture, she
made her own home the scene Of the
attempt and invited her old neighbors
TO become the participants and spec
tators. IL would have been natural
for fakir to go where she was un-
known. A prophet is usually not with
out honor save in his own country.
Mrs. Eddy was born within sight OF
her present residence. Her grand
father had a farm of about 500 acres
in Bow township, across the Merrimac
river from Concord, and 100 acres of
that farm is still owned and occupied
by her cousin, James Baker, a WELL
known member of the community. An
other cousin, Henry NJ Baker, repre-
sented this district in Congress for
several years and is now living in
Washington.
Her father was Mark Baker. an un-
pretontious but respectable man, and
is well remembered by the oldest in
habitants. Her mother was Abigail
Ambrose daughter of Deacon Nathan
iel Ambrose Of Pembroke, a village
ladjoining Concord on the south Her
brother, Albert Baker. graduated at
Dartmouth in 1884. read law with
franklin Pierce, succeeded 10 the lat
ter's practice when he was elected
President of the United States, occu-
pied his law Office and inherited his
library. Albert Baker served in the
legislature for two terms and IN 1871
was elected to Congress by the largest
majority ever given to a candidate in
this state. He died a few weeks be-
fore the session began.
She Is highly respected by the en-
tire community, almost without excep-
tion. have not heard an unlSind WORD
spoken against her. and while many
her $1,000 followers throughout the
United States are laboring under de-
lusions, those who make this assertion
nevertheless speak OF her respectfully
and declare that she is a great deal
better than her critics. The editors OF
the two daily papers both testified tc
me of her high character and extra
lordinary ability, While neither of them
is believer In her doctrines, both in
sisted that she is one of the most re-
markable women that ever lived. anc
that she has been wise enough and
farsighted enough to supply a substi-
tute for other forms of religion to a
multitude Of people whose faith had
been unsettled and whose souls hao
been unsatisfed with the teachings OF
the orthodox theologians. No other
woman. they asserted, could have done
such thing, and none but a pure ano
liable leader could have maintained
such extraordinary pretensions so long
A clerk in drug store, replying &c
lmy questions, said: Mrs. Eddys all
fright; she is a good woman; she makes
lots of money and has the reputation
lof being the richest person in New
Hampshire; but every dollar of it is
honest money, and she got it straight
1 belong to the Methodist Church, and
have never had anything to do witt
christian Science, but / know that 9
large number OF the best people In
this community believe in Mrs Eddy
and so to her church. This fight or
her is being made by the newspapers
Wv. Il. Curtis in the Chicago Record
Herald.