On Monday last the action which was commenced in Mrs. Eddy's name by so-called "next friends" was formally dismissed, and with the exception of the formalities attending the taxing of costs this suit is a thing of the past. Those who instituted it have gained nothing by the procedure, and we fail to see how they can be in the least comforted by the verdict of popular opinion which has been so freely expressed in the newspapers of the country.
One result of the proceedings has been an emphatic restatement of the doctrine that courts must not interfere with the religious views of any person, and that they cannot be used for the purpose of abridging the liberty of the individual to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. This result seems to have been entirely unexpected by the "next friends" and their counsel. Another result, equally unexpected, has been the increased interest awakened in Christian Science. Never have the church services been attended by so many earnest inquirers as now, and never have Christian Scientists been so busy in answering the questions of their friends who are seeking information regarding Christian Science and its Discoverer and Founder.
In the early days of the suit some came to scoff, but a vast majority of these have remained to pray, and while this has added to the ranks of Christian Science we must not be blind to the iniquity of the whole affair. Christian Scientists hold neither bitterness nor resentment for those who have assailed their Leader as Mrs. Eddy has been assailed in this action, but they have no good word to say for the suit itself or for the malice which prompted it.
