The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-06
Christian Scientist
 AnnualMeeting T oday
Ralph Hastings Knapp, C. S., of Needfam, Mass,
 Elected President of Mother Church for Year

A1VNSVu | ASSAUNut UA M
 Boston, Mass, June GA warning to nations "whose governments have been conceived largely in sell fish ambition and brought forth by human force" was issued here to- day at the Annual Meeting of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, The Mother Church, by The Chris ton Science Board of Directors who declared the lessons of history show such governing bodies to be "of few days and full of trouble"
 Reports disclosed continued growth of the Christian Science movement, increasingly higher stan- dards for authorized periodicals, and larger number of requests from groups of Scientists for repre- sentative Christian Scientists to ad- dress them.
 Election of Ralph Hastings Knapp, c. S., of Needham, Mass, as President of The Mother Church was announced. He succeeds Judge Clifford P. Smith of Newton, Mass achusetts. Edward L. Ripley of Brookline and Ezra w. Palmer of Marshfield were reelected Treasurer and Clerk of the Church respec- lively. The President is elected by The Christian Science Board of Directors to serve for one year. His duty is to be presiding officer at the Annual Meeting.
 MT. Knapp is a son of Ira O. Knapp and Flavia s. Knapp, two of the 12 called upon by Mrs. Eddy to reorganize the Christian Science Church in September, 1892. When a young boy, MT. Knapp and his mother were healed in Christian Science and through this healing the entire family became interested. He has served First Church of Christ, Scientist, Needham, Mass, as reader, director and president. He is on the teaching faculty of Mechanics Arts (TechnicaD High School in Boston.
 Directors Report
 MT. Palmer, reading the state ment from the Directors, reported that The Mother Church has grown substantially in numbers during the past year; is united, harmonious, and without debt. Then continuing on the theme of world relations he read, in part:
 More important than all, how ever, is the marked success with which the healing ministry of Christian Science is being practiced throughout the world. It also indi- cates that the day is approaching when responsible heads of govern ments will see that undue reliance upon material means and methods to accomplish their ends inevitably results in failure and defeat. They will then realize that no nation is stronger than the moral fiber of its people, and that @ natin can becme truly great and permanently endure only to the extent that spiritual qualities are cultivated in the thoughts of its citizens and per- mitted freely to operate in the gov- ernment of their lives"
 The Directors further called the attention of Christian Scientists to the responsibility they have in re- spect to upholding such fundamen- tai issues of life as cultivation of good will and preservation of a system of government protecting the civil rights of it's people and ensur- ing to them freedom of speech, of the press, and of religious worship.
 While we should not magnify error or become unduly alarmed by the preSent-day suggestions of war and disaster aggressively presented through many channels" 1t was de- clared, Eve must be keenly alert not to allow a false sense of security to lull us to sleep and make us indif- ferent to situation of national and | international character which, un- less corrected are destined to affect our interests as directly as if the scene of their action were within the bounds of our own community"
 MT. Palmer, delivering his own report as Clerk, cited prayer as the practical means of stilling the tumult of the world. "The members of The Mother Church need to | pray HiuCll, llc Sdlu. fTdycTS sane tifies thought and lifts one in conscious harmony with God"
 MT. Knapp as incoming President expressed the need for spiritualizing consciousness. "The way of accom- plishment," he said, "is through re- neWed conservation; greater puri- f1cation of sense and self; more love for God and humanity"
 Incidents of Healing
 Judge Smith, retiring President, related several incidents of healing in which Mrs. Eddy's work as a prac- titioner of Christian Science was demonstrated. In one instance, he said, about 1872 when Mrs. Eddy lived in Lynn, she heard that an ac- quaintance named Mrs. Edgecomb was in great trouble, and went to see her. The trouble was that her little boy was extremely i'll from what 8 |