Milford chronicle., 1929-06-28
Member of Notable Class


profound gratitude on my part tina
l was a member of that class. 1t wa;
! the last one she ever taught, held il
1898, and for many reasons was es
teemed by her as peculiarly notable
It had enrolled in it students from
Canada, England and Scotland, an(
as it numbered exactly 20, she like(
to draw the parallel between it ant
the 20 disciples whom the Master
sent out to preach and to hea
throughout the land of Palestine.
"In addition to my observation o.
her as the teacher of this class
had been able to be of service wher
there appeared to be danger thai
the development of the State Fail
Grounds near her house at Pleasant
View might affect the latter unfa'
vorably. In her endeavors to ad-
just the matter was impressed by
her reasonableness, restraint ano
serenity:
Indeed, she was always the most
reasonable of women-that, and an
invariable serenity, were her CHIEF
characteristics.
"Her family was of good old New
England stock-the sort that does
not lend itself to pretense or hypoc-
risy. She may have been mistaken
in some of her convictions-or right
for all 1 can say-but one thing is
sure, and that is that her conv1c-
tions were her own, not borrowed,
but worked out arduously by her
own mental efforts.
Proved Her Competency
81 had long known her before the
effort was made to prove her men
tally competent-unable to handle
her own affairs. You doubtless re-
call the case. There was evidence
and legal argument a-plenty, but
what really settled the case was her
| own testimony before the three mas
ters to whom the case was referred.
Edgar A. Aldrich, district judge,
had appointed three associates to
conduct the inquiry with him. She
appeared and sustained a most
searching inquisition, at her own
home. 1t was an ordeal before
which any woman might have
shrunk-certainly one which none
not equipped with a keen intellect
and ready wit could have undergone
with success. But her responses to
the inquiries put to her, her COM
posed attitude, her clear compre-
hension of the position in which she
was placed, and the quiet and con-
vincing way in which she defended
herself made an indelible impression
on those coldly legal minds.
after that episode nobody around
Concord ever ventured to question
Mrs. Eddy's complete sanity, nor
the entire sincerity Of her convic-
tions.
81 hear that some of those who
have been attacking the Christian
Science organization have turned
their guns on Mrs. Eddy. can only
say that if they had lived in Con-
cord when she did, and had known
her as l knew her, they would not
question her sincerity of conviction,
her honesty or her ability to express
her views in clear, straightforward
English of her own.
"At one time 1 used to aid her in
preparing matter for publication
and my knowledge Of her power OF
self-expression, and the wide range
of her reading and information IS,
therefore, at first hand and exact.
PunctiIiOus in Use OF Words
"She was punctilious, even fn1cky
in her choice of language. 1 remem-
ber once sending back paper she
had written with some suggestions
as to a change in adjectives. When
it returned to me for the printer 1t
bore evidence that she had tried
each of my suggestions and rejected
them all in favor of another adject-
i've which was clearly just the right
word. It is impossible for one who
worked with her as 1 did to credit
any charges of slovenly work or
borrowed thoughts.
"You won't expect me to accept
her theories, but you can quote me
as saying that 1 believe them to
have been her own, alike in sub
stance and expression"
In 1906, when a savage and un-
justified journalistic attack was
made upon Mrs. Eddy, Senator Mos
es, then editor of the Concord Moni-
tor and Statesman, was among the
neighbors and fellow-townsmen of
Mrs. Eddy who united in affidavits
testifying to her high social and bus
mess character, and to the effect
that she at that time was con-
ducting her business affairs her
self, driving out daily, and rece1v-
ing bankers and other business as
sociates.
At that time Mr.. Moses declared
that he had more than 100 letters
from Mrs. Eddy in her own hand
writing, which he now possesses,
many dealing with printing and pub
lication matters which he had per-
formed for her, and all of which |
showed the possession of a clear |
and active mind.
Today, after the lapse of more
than two decades, Senator Moses
looks back upon his friendship for
Mrs. Eddy and the confidence that
she reposed in him as among the
most happy features of an interest
ng life spent so largely in public
service. He repeatedly declared in
his high appreciation
If her intellectual honesty and sim
,erity, and her capacity for dealing
With the affairs of the world