Sunday was an unusual day for Christian Scientists, and as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in this city is the Mother Church, the building at the corner of Falmouth and Norway Streets was the centre of attraction for believers in this faith from all over the country. At both morning and afternoon services the capacity of the church was tested to the utmost. Every seat was filled, and in addition to the eleven hundred people thus provided for, there were about five hundred others at each service who stood at the rear and sides of the auditorium, or beside the bounteous display of potted palms, hydrangeas, and pinks which surrounded the platform and reading desks. The reason for the unusual gathering was that the day was being observed as the semi-annual communion, the other similar service of the year coming on the first Sunday in December. Great numbers of non-resident Christian Scientists make a point of being members in the Mother Church, and many come to this city from all over the country to attend these semi-annual communion services. The membership of this Boston church, as announced yesterday, is now about eleven thousand three hundred, and over thirteen hundred new members were received at this communion. For the benefit of the nonresident members, those from this city and vicinity remained away from the morning service and attended in the afternoon; so that in the morning congregation were members from New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Los Angeles, and from almost every state, as well as one lady from Florence, Italy.
The first part of the service, as usual, consisted of Scripture reading from Genesis, 1: 26, 27; Proverbs, 8: 22—30; the Lesson-Sermon consisted of John, 14: 1—11, with correlative passages from the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," by Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy. The lesson was specially chosen for the day. The Scripture was read by Judge S. J. Hanna, the First Reader, while Mrs. Eldora O. Gragg, Second Reader, read the passages from the text-book. This reading closed with this definition of the Christian Scientists' communion from the Christian Science text-book:—
"This spiritual meeting with our Lord, in the dawn of a new light, is the morning meal which Christian Scientists commemorate. They bow before Christ, Truth, to receive more of his re-appearing and silently commune with the divine Principle thereof. They celebrate their Lord's victory over death, his probation in the flesh after death, its exemplification of human probation, and his spiritual and final ascension above matter, or the flesh, when he rose out of material sight. Our baptism is a purification from all error. Our church is built on the divine Principle of Christian Science. We can unite with this church only as we are new-born of Spirit, as we reach the Life which is Truth and the Truth which is Life, by bringing forth the fruits of Love,—casting out error and healing the sick. Our eucharist is spiritual communion with the one God. Our bread 'which cometh down from Heaven,' is Truth. Our cup is the cross, our wine the inspiration of Love,—the draught our Master drank, and commended to his followers."
