Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy has had an especial honor bestowed upon her by the French government through the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, M. Briand, by being decorated as Officier d' Academie, Officer of the French Academy, in recognition of distinguished services.
The certificate of decoration was sent by the French government to Dr. Wm. H. Tolman, Commissioner General of the American section of the International Book and Paper Exposition recently held in the Grand Palais, Paris. Dr. Tolman, accompanied by his wife, came from New York to make the presentation. He was received at Pleasant View, Saturday afternoon, and formally presented the certificate to Mrs. Eddy in person. Mrs. Eddy received the visitors cordially and expressed her appreciation of the honor conferred, and desired that her thanks be extended to the French government.
Mrs. Eddy is the first woman to receive the decoration Officier d' Academie.A correction was made in the January 1908 Journal: "In the December Journal we copied from the Concord Patriot a news item concerning the decoration of Mrs. Eddy by the French government, in which the statement was made that Mrs. Eddy was the first woman upon whom the distinction of Officier d'Academie had been conferred. We learn that the Patriot was misinformed on this point, as there are several other eminent women who have been thus honored. Mrs. Eddy has requested us to make this correction, and we gladly do so." It is an official recognition of the value of her work. The Christian Science Publishing Society had an exhibit of Mrs. Eddy's works at the recent Exposition in Paris, for which Mrs. Eddy was awarded a grand prize, and received also a diploma of honor as the Founder of the Christian Science movement.
