Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-06
FOUNDER LEADS
UNSFLFISH LIFE
WRITES OF CHRISTIAN SCI
ENCE LEADER
REFUTEs ASSERTIONS MADE BY
IGNORANT
Head Of Great Religious Movement
Renders Great Service to HUI
manlty and Seeks No Wealth
In Return

IN heLuTn
Bx REV. ARTHUR REEFS vosBURGH.
o. 8. ID.
MO GREAT character is ever meas
~ ured Alright by his own genera
A-N tion.- In the distance and per-
spectiye hat is given to after-time
there comes the opportunity of truer
measurement, and the men of the later
day look back with wonder at the de-
tractors of the former time, and say,
"If we had been In the days OF our
fathers, we would not have been par
takers with them in the blood of the
prophets" Then each succeeding gen.
GRAFTON comes and goes. stones its own
prophets, and builds the monuments OF
those who have gone before. There are
always some who recognize the crowned
one when he comes, always some who
have ears to hear and eyes to see when
the seer declares his vision, or the poet
sings his song; but through all the
years these have almost invariably been
the minorities, and to the men Of an
other generation comes the vision Of the
glory that its own generation could 80
little see.
The great reason-or unreason-of
this seems to be that anyone who ac-
complishes anything worth while Is al
ways disturber of the peace: and the
disturbance of his work Is always pro-
portioned to it's value. 1t has been said
that nothing is 30 painful as a new
idea; and the newer, more radical,
and far-reaching the idea the moro pro-
nounced the disturbance that must
come as 1t displaces the more imperfect
ideals Of the old.
Enough time has gone by, and
enough of definite result has appeared
nrid To a
Christian Science leader, Mrs. Eddy. q
need of greatness. However men may
regard her work, or Judge or misJudge
her motives, there is no question as to
her being one of the most important
figures in the worlds throught today.
No Mercenary Motive
This article Is not written with the
purpose Of dealing at all with what
Mrs. Eddy has taught, or with the
merits of her work. It is its purpose
to look simply at one line of the his
tory OF this remarkable woman. line
which has furnished the occasion OF
carping and cruel criticism, and which
even to kindly and broad-minded ones,
seem open to criticism. The question
has been raised: Is Mrs. Eddy q mer-
cenary woman7 Or, II this be putting
It a little brusquely and bluntly, Is
there running through all Mrs. Eddy's
work, however high its intention,
shrewd. moneymaking motive7 This
criticism of Mrs. Eddy Is SO frequently
met that every thoughtful, fair-minded
person will be glad to know what con-
clusion the facts really warrant, not to
give Mrs. Eddy defense, which she
does not need, but to give the one who
desires 20 know q knowledge by which
q true Judgment may be reached.
Mrs. Eddy has shown clear capabil-
ity In managing her own temporal af-
fairs, as she has In directing the in
terests OF her church. But, judging
Mrs. Eddy by all tho standards by
which the actions of men are tested,
a careful survey of the facts OF her
life history can leave only the convio-
ton that on the financial side Of her
work. as surely and purely as on its
strictly ideal side, her entire motive
has been as absorbed devotion to the
cause of Christian Science; that the
cial returns have been taken in the In
terests of this work, and not for the
sake OF the money they would bring.
Early Work oratuitous
Mrs. Eddy's early work was done in |
poverty and privation. For years she |
healed the sick gratuitously and re-
ceived but slight returns from a few |
students taught. When Mrs. Eddy |
first published her book, Science and |
Health" there was nothing in an ex-
ternal way to encourage, and every
thing to discourage, it's publication. |
The early editions were a trouble and |
expense that more than offset their |
revenue. There was then little de- |
mand for the book, and critics who |
deigned to notice it said it would never |
be read.
But beyond ali this--and hero is the |
really salient point--those who wished |
to undertake to exploit tie work of |
Christian Science for what there was |
in It, urged against the publication of |
the text book, on the ground that 1t |
would be more profitable to monopolize |
its teachings. and not disseminate them |
to the world.
Now it is notorious that a mercenary |
view is a narrow, shortsighted view; |
and IL the leader OF Christian Science |
had at this time been in quest of the |
dollar she would certainly have fol-
lowed the counsel that said keep this |
in your own hands and make a mo- |
not give 1t to the world. |
The book has now q wide circulation |
and large sales; but from any worldly |
point of view--and a mercenary motive
always gives this point of view-this |
could not then be foreseen.
In 1881 Mrs. Eddy opened the Mass
achusetts Metaphysical College for stu
dents. The tuition fee was q generous
one, three hundred dollars for course
lasting barely three weeks. This seems
a large sum If the estimate is simply
an ordinary computation of the amount
OF time involved; but those who re-
ceived this teaching were more, vastly |
more than satisfied as to the value re-
ceived.
The real point involved, however, is |
this-what other guarantee could well |
be given, that the students who sought |
instruction in Christian Science were |
earnest seekers, rather than curious in |
quirers and experimenters?
Has Moderate Wealth
After about eight years. work, the |
College was closed, and at a time when, |
as Mrs. Eddy has said, It's prosperity |
was Overwhelming" Now 1t is cer- |
tain that the desire for money is a |
appetite-it increases by what |
it feeds on. But when the applications |
for entrance to the College were null |
tiplying, and the demand, was for Mrs. |
Eddy's personal instruction.; when a |
golden harvest of financial returns was
ready to be poured at her feet, she |
closed the College, and withdrew en-
tirely from public work, except an oc- |
casional public appearance. From our
knowledge of the way i'll which the
human mind and its motives have all |
one whose motive was mercenary would |
have taken this step.
AS the years have gone by, and the !
..,<, IL sxP fsbrfcffan Gnfapoa hoe oryOxuv, |