IN June, 1894, a lady from Atchison, Kansas, came to me for Christian Science treatment, returning home at the end of two weeks greatly benefited, and a few weeks later was perfectly healed. The following October, three persons who had known of her healing, came to me in Kansas City, Mo., and asked me to go to Atchison, as a number would like to be treated. I said, "Is there no Scientist there?" And they replied, "No; we never heard of any." Then I got the Journal, October, 1894, and there being no card there I said, "I will consider the matter for a day or so and let you know." The call came so earnestly and urgently that I decided to go there two days in each week, and continued doing so for about one year. The field was ripe for Truth, and responded liberally in healing and demand for literature.
In April, 1895, seven students and myself procured a charter as "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," of Atchison, Kansas. We began with holding our meetings in my office rooms. In December, 1895, after we had procured our charter with the above-named title, in reading the revised Mother Church Manual, I noticed that no branch church could take the title, "The First church of Christ, Scientist." Our reason for using the article "The" in the first place was that the laws of the state of Kansas regulating incorporated organizations require all corporations to use the word "The," and to make it a part of the name of the incorporation. For instance, "The Atchison Gas Co.." or "The Atchison Coal Co.," etc. In reading the Manual I felt that something must be done that our church might follow the order prescribed in the Manual governing Christian Science churches. I then sent for our attorney, through whom we had procured the charter. I read to him the instruction given in the Manual on church titles, saying it was evident that in order to follow the Manual, the word "The" would have to be legally stricken from our title. I explained to him the reason. He said, "Well; but you don't understand; the laws of the state of Kansas demand this." I replied that the Divine law demanded our first obedience. I insisted that obedience to the demands of Christian Science adjusted every question in the growth of Christian Scientists, and would adjust this one if we did our work right. He then left the office, looking as if he thought the whole matter was simply a woman's whim. I went home satisfied that God would give us our title according to the Divine order, and that neither human law nor mortal mind could interfere. Then occurred to me the circumstance that material law had once questioned the title of our Mother Church. I got the Journal containing the history of that event, and read and re-read it, feeling that all would work out right.
It seems that the lawyer about this time began looking over the amendments of the laws of the state of Kansas, and found one allowing religious and charitable institutions to omit the article "The." He immediately made known this discovery, and we decided to ask permission of the State to drop the word "The" from our title. The request was granted.
