The announcement in the Sentinel of January 30, of a new edition of the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," was doubtless news to most of our readers, although it has been generally expected that, sooner or later, such an event would occur. It has been foreshadowed by Mrs. Eddy for several years. The old type which has for many years done such faithful duty, had become so worn that new type became an absolute necessity. Further postponement was out of the question. This accounts for the appearance of the new book at this time.
As stated in the Publisher's notice, the book is now printed from new plates, with the lines numbered on the margin of each page, while many important verbal changes have been made. These changes consist of additions as well as eliminations, the evident purpose of which is the simplification of the text, expecially in its definitional phases. The sense of the text, particularly in its Scientific or spiritual import, remains wholly unchanged. Yet the addition of a word or clause here, and an elimination there, will enable the student and investigator more readily to grasp the author's true meaning. To illustrate: The word "divine" has been placed before the word "Principle" in many places where the latter stood alone as a synonym for Deity; while the words Love, or Truth, or Life—one or all—as synonyms for God, are frequently substituted for Principle.
Throughout the entire book the verbal changes are so numerous as to indicate the vast amount of time and labor Mrs. Eddy has devoted to this revision. The time and labor thus bestowed is relatively as great as that of the committee who revised the Bible. The moments moments for so great an achievement must have been almost snatched from the midst of her other multiplied and onerous labors. Thus we have additional evidence of the herculean efforts our beloved Leader has made and is constantly making for the promulgation of Truth and the furtherance of her divinely bestowed mission; and thus, too, should we be reminded of the renewed obligations resting upon all of us to aid her, in every possible way, in carrying out her regenerative, health-giving, and life-saving evangelism.
