The New York herald., 1921-10-02

"Some years ago you stated in
writing that you would, on reason
able notice, remove this fence.
whenever the Church was ready tc
extend the westerly wall of the
garage in southerly direction"
l also acknowledge receipt of your
letter of September 2, 1921, refusing
my written request of August 20, 1921,
that 1 be supplied with copy of my
written statement, mentioned in the
above quotation.
My statement, to which you refer,
was an immediate reply to commu-
nication from former board of trus-
tees, and was written before recalled
a contract between myself and the trus-
tees who built the Church and dedicated
it in 1908, and which mutually involves
their and my honor and interests.
Therefore I cannot give my consent to-
your proposition.
Under date of April 19, 1920, wrote
a letter to Mrs. Sheldon, then Clerk of
the Church, in response to her letter Of
April Is, 1920, in which somewhat
different request, regarding my fence,
was made of me. In my reply to her
letter | stated:
"The entire land, the Church edi-
flee which stands upon it, and the
home are one demonstrations
gift from my Father-M Mother God,
and He will protect and defend it,
%lo of
all things. My dear Mrs. Sheldon,
this is my final reply to any
further communications. / leave it
all with God"
feel that you do not have before you
my letter Of April 10, 1920, to Mrs.
Sheldon, or that you have not read it
understandingly, and I am therefore
appending copy of it for your infor-
nation.
l am advised, and your letter to me
of August "a, 1921, intimates, that you
are also cognizant of the fact, that the
Church cannot legally compel me to re-
move the fence, which was properly
placed in it's present position by me and
my students, who erected the tribute to
Mrs. Eddy.
The present members of First Church
of Christ, Scientist, New York City,
cannot, without my consent, remove the
fence, nor build such wall as they pro-
pose, on the easterly side of my home,
which the Church agreed before / con-
sented to build, would be closed. The
proposed action would violate the ex-
~, oF +1a nofc
into between myself and the Church at
the time my home was built, and would
greatly decrease the value of my prop
erty.
Your proposed changes pertain only
to the delivery, or service entrance to
the Church, which /, with the trustees
and members who built First Church,
and who were all my students, made as
delivery, or service entrance for the
convenience Of the employees of our
Church. The four entrances-three on
Central Park West and one on Ninety
sixth Street-were intended for the
congregation, and the delivery, or SER
vice entrance was for the employees, or
church officials, If they preferred to en-
ter by the service door. There already
is a suitable entrance to the Church
from Ninety-sixth Street, and this is
only few feet distant from the site of
the proposed new entrance, or covered
passageway, mentioned in your letter.
Again repeat, the execution of the
plans you propose would greatly injure
me, by closing openings previously con-
sented to by the Church, and by cutting
off my enjoyment of light and air, the
right to which belongs to me by agree
ment and purchase; and the permission
you ask cannot be granted.
Your proposed plans form parallel
case to an attempt Of some members of
the material organization to take down,
or change the architecture of the orig
inal edifice of The Mother Church in
Boston, or to erase, by another struc-
ture, Mrs. Eddy's first demonstration,
or type and symbol of The Mother
Church, the Church Triumphant The
great Leader of Christ's Christianity,
or Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy,
forbade this. Spiritual sense revealed
to her, and to her advanced students,
that nothing could be taken from. nor
added to a scientific demonstration. or
revelation of spiritual idea. The
Il III 4.