The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-06-11
Annual Meeting of The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts,

task now confronting a liberated
America, which more than three
quarters of a century ago fought
a four-years wal to free the slaves,
is to aid in working out the free
dom of the whole world from slav-
cry, The Christian Science Board
of Directors told several thousand
Christian Scientists gathered in an
nual meeting in Boston June g..
Declarin, that this would be the
sentiment expressed by the Ma
tons martyred President, Abra-
ham Lincoln, were he here today,
the Directors pointed out that
Through the ages tyrants have
endeavoreC to govern and control
men by engendering fear" and
quoting from Mary Baker Eddy's
work, miscellany" (p. 1917, they
further say, Persecution is the
weakness of tyrants cngendered bv
their fear, and love will cast it
out"
The Directors statement was
the high light of the Annual Meet
ing of The Mother Church, The
First Church of Christ, Scientist,
in Boston, Massachusetts,, which
annually draws thousands of Wis
itors to the Hub City from all
parts of the world. This year,
however, the audience was more
localized due to unprecedented
world conditions that keynoted
most of the reports to the meeting.
The Directors emphasized the
worldwide emergency as presag-
ing a nor universal turning to
spiritual enlightenment as the
pathway to future world peace.
Meeting in their Mother Church
under the world-enveloping shad-
ow of what is probably the gravest
threat to political and religious
freedom since the advent of Chris
tianity, the visitors were reminded
in a report by The Christian
Science Board of Lectureship that
the union of Britain and America
was %foreseen forty-four years ago
by Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer
and Founder of Christian Science,
as the instrument through which
the rights of free people every
where might be permanently es-
tablished and protected.
This welding together of the
two great democracies, under the
impact of an international crisis,
said the Lecture Board, is the
contamination of the fond hopes
of all Christian Scientists. The
Board alluded specifically to a
poem written in 1898 by the
Leader of this worldwide re-
ligious movement, Mrs. Eddy,
which reads in part as follows:
"Brave Britain, blest America!
Unite your battle-plan;
Victorious, all who live it,
The love for God and man."
Other prophetic statements of
Mrs. Eddy fortelling the troublous
times of today and giving assur-
ance that the forces of right would
inevitably win the day were cited
by the Board of Directors. Partic-
ularly pertinent to the times was
this one:
"The voice of God in behalf of
the African slave was still echoing
in u land, when the voice of the
herald of this new crusade sound
ed the keynote of universal free
dom, asking a fuller acknowledge
ment of the rights of man as a Son
of God, demanding that the letters
of sin, sickness, and death be
stricken from the human mind and
that its freedom be won, not
through human warfare, not with
bayonet and blood, but through
Christ's divine Science.
"God has built a higher plat
form of human rights, and He has
built it on diviner claims. These
claims are not made through code
or creed, but in demonstration of
ON earth peace, goodwill toward
mem" (Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures, p. 226).
The Directors also announced
the election of Mrs. Elizabeth F.
Norwood of Brookline, Mass, as
President of The Mother Church
for the ensuing year. The chief
duty of the President is to pre-
side at the Annual Meeting.
The new President is the daugh-
ter of Isaac Paul Gragg, who
served throughout the Civil War
and was given the rank of Captain
by Brevet for gallant and meritor-
ious service. Her mother, Mrs. Ell
dora O. Gragg, C. S. D., was one
Of twelve students of Mrs. Eddy's
chosen by her to form The Mother
Church. She vas also the first wo-
man Reader in the Church.
Mrs. Norwood was born in Rox-
bury, Mass, and received her ear
ly education in the Girls Latin
School of Boston and in private
schools. She was a member of
the Normal Class of the Board of
Education of the Massachusetts,