TO-DAY is one of much interest to the Christian Scientists of the metropolis, inasmuch as they will open the first church edifice owned by their denomination in this city. This edifice is the property of the oldest organization of Christian Scientists in the city, and is at No. 137 to 143 West Forty-eighth St., known as First Church of Christ, Scientist, which was organized and chartered as a church in 1887. The services of this congregation were first held in the hall of the Columbia Institute. From there the society moved to a small hall opposite the Windsor Hotel, on Fifth Ave. They next occupied Hardman Hall, and, outgrowing this, leased Scottish Rite Hall. Here the church has worshiped up to the present time. From the beginning of its organization it has enjoyed substantial and steady growth.
From 1887 until 1895 the Rev. Augusta E. Stetson was pastor of the church. In 1890 Carol Norton became identified with the society, and in 1892 was made assistant pastor. In 1895 a change in the order of conducting services was instituted by the founder of Christian Science, the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy. This change consisted of designating the two textbooks of the movement, the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mrs. Eddy, the pastor over all the Christian Science churches of the world. Those who had heretofore been known as pastors were hereafter to be known as readers, their titles to be First Reader and Second Reader, and were to be officially appointed by the church. The sermons consist of references read from these two books, without comment, on a given topic chosen by a Central Bible Lesson Committee in Boston for each Sunday in the year. The new order has already become a marked success, and makes a beautiful discourse. The rest of the service consists of congregational singing, with anthems and solos, silent prayer with the audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer, with its spiritual interpretation as found in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
The service to-day will be the usual one for this date, except that the sermon will be specially adapted to the opening of the new edifice, the subject of which will be "The House of the Lord." The same service will be repeated this evening at 8 o'clock. The readers of Metropolitan Third Church of Christ, Scientist, will assist at the evening service. Many visiting Scientists are in the city. The acquisition of this church is one of a number of like purchases of recent date by Scientists. The mother church of the denomination is known as The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, and was erected at a cost of over $200,000. The edifice of this church is a testimonial of love and gratitude to the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy from the Christian Scientists of the world, and was dedicated in January, 1895. Christian Science was founded by Mrs. Eddy. In 1870 she published the first edition of its text-book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which is now in its 111th edition of a thousand copies each. This, with her other works, constitutes the standard literature of the movement. The denominational life of the body is simple. While the mother church in Boston has no official control over any of the branch churches, yet these churches reproduce almost in detail the government and conduct of the parent church. There is thus evolved a marked degree of unity and harmony. —New York Tribune, Sunday, Sept. 27, 1896.
