Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1941-06-05

Some 5000 Christian Scientists
from many parts of the world
gathered in annual meeting June
2 in Boston and were called upon
by The Christian Science Board
of Directors to consecrate them
selves to the defense of the dem
ocratic system of government as
the best human instrument for
preserving the basic rights of
mankind to "life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness"
In thus definitely allying this
worldwide religious movement
with the defenders of democracr
everywhere, the Directors stated
that it was their conviction that
if social and political freedom is
to be preserved democratic
forms of government must be
maintained"
Directors Report
The occasion for the stirring
message of the Directors was the
annual meeting IF The Mother
Church, The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, in Boston,
Mass. The Directors stated:
We are moved not by a desire to
voice our own views, but to let
the world know that we share
with our Leader, Mary Baker Ed
dy, her confidence in the immor-
tality of the sentiment expressed
in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence that "man is endowed
with certain inalienable rights,
among them which are life, Ii
berty and the pursuit of happi-
ness"
Continuing the Directors said:
"The preservation and incorpor-
alton of these fundamental ele-
ments of true democracy in the
basic law of every nation is a
cause to which all Christians are
morally committed, and which
we as Christian Scientists are
determined to defend.
"This cause, it must be under
stood, is primarily religious in
character and involves something
more, much more, than mere
political question. 1t is, in fact,
nothing less than the sacred
cause of religious freedom and
individual salvation to which the
Master himself committed all be-
levers in the Christian faith al
most two thousand years ago. In
the fulfillment of that obligation
we must not and we will not fall
ter"
Referring to the aggressive
forces in action today through
out the world, the Directors
pointed out that "history plain
ly teaches that when a nation
chooses to ignore God and to
make matter the foundation
stone of it's government, such ma
tion commits it's cause to failure,
and at the same time provides
the means for it's ultimate de-
feat and undoing.
Incoming President
The Directors also announced
the election of John Randall
Dunn of Boston and Centerville,
Mass, as President of The Moth
er Church for the ensuing year.
The chief duty of the President
is to preside at the Annual meet
ing.
The new President is the son
of James Randall Dunn, long
identified with the United States
immigration Service. He is a
native of Massillon, Ohio, re-
ceiving his schooling there and in
San Francisco and from private
tutors. For a few years he was
in the service of the government,
but gave up his work for the
healing ministry of Christian
Science. He has served this
movement many years in a
large variety of positions includ-
ing First Reader of The Mother
Church and as a Christian
Science lecturer, during which he
carried the message of Christian
Science into all parts of the
world.
The incoming President accen-
tuated the theme of spiritual pro-
gress with the reassuring state
ment that "the present mighty
world upheaval does not portend
the breaking up if Christian ci-
vilization or the plunging of
humanity into chaotic darkness"
He viewed the present conflict
in the light of a world house
cleaning, during which individ-
ual and national sin, tyranny,
greed, self-will, and lust for
power are being brought to the
surface of world thinking, ripe
for destruction. And these ills,
rather than world civilization,
are the things that will be des-
troyed.
What does the Discoverer and
Founder of Christian Science
"tell us of the problems which
confront us at this troublous
hour? And he answered: eff
ty years ago, with marvellous
prophetic vision she wrote: "This
material world is even now be-
coming the arena for conflicting
forces. On one side there will be
discord and dismay; on the 9TH
er side there will be Science and
peace. The breaking up of ma
terial beliefs may seem to be
famine and pestilence, want and
woe, sin, sickness, and death,
which assume new phases until
their nothingness appears"
(Science and Health with Key to