But it is also commanded that when a member publicly
quotes “from the poems of our Pastor Emeritus”
the authorship shall be named. For these are
sacred, too. There are kindly people who may
suspect a hidden generosity in that By-law; they may
think it is there to protect the Official Reader from
the suspicion of having written the poems himself.
Such do not know Mrs. Eddy. She does an inordinate
deal of protecting, but in no distinctly named and
specified case in her history has Number Two been
the object of it. Instances have been claimed,
but they have failed of proof, and even of plausibility.
“Members shall also instruct their students”
to look out and advertise the authorship when they
read those poems and things. Not on Mrs. Eddy’s
account, but “for the good of our Cause.”
1. Mrs. Eddy gave the land. It was not
of much value at the time, but it is very valuable
now. 2. Her people built the Mother-Church edifice
on it, at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. 3. Then they gave the whole property
to her. 4. Then she gave it to the Board of
Directors. She is the Board of Directors.
She took it out of one pocket and put it in the other.
5. Sec. 10 (of the deed). “Whenever
said Directors shall determine that it is inexpedient
to maintain preaching, reading, or speaking in said
church in accordance with the terms of this deed, they
are authorized and required to reconvey forthwith
said lot of land with the building thereon to Mary
Baker G. Eddy, her heirs and assigns forever, by a
proper deed of conveyance.”
She is never careless, never slipshod, about a matter
of business. Owning the property through her
Board of Waxworks was safe enough, still it was sound
business to set another grip on it to cover accidents,
and she did it. Her barkers (what a curious
name; I wonder if it is copyrighted); her barkers
persistently advertise to the public her generosity
in giving away a piece of land which cost her a trifle,
and a two—hundred—and—fifty—thousand—dollar
church which cost her nothing; and they can hardly
speak of the unselfishness of it without breaking
down and crying; yet they know she gave nothing away,
and never intended to. However, such is the
human race. Often it does seem such a pity that
Noah and his party did not miss the boat.
Some of the hostiles think that Mrs. Eddy’s
idea in protecting this property in the interest of
her heirs, and in accumulating a great money fortune,
is, that she may leave her natural heirs well provided
for when she goes. I think it is a mistake.
I think she is of late years giving herself large
concern about only one interest-her power and glory,
and the perpetuation and worship of her Name—with
a capital N. Her Church is her pet heir, and I think
it will get her wealth. It is the torch which
is to light the world and the ages with her glory.
