NATURALLY the to which Mrs. Eddy here makes reference has called out considerable newspaper comment, and the following, from an editorial in the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, is indicative of the broader view which is becoming more and more general:—
Whether one agrees with her [Mrs. Eddy's] teachings or rejects them, there must be universal agreement that her influence has been for good, and that she has developed possibilities latent in men and women that otherwise might have lain forever dormant. The several hundred thousand communicants of Christian Science churches throughout the nation testify that she was instrumental in supplying them with a new perspective, opening closed avenues of spiritual beauty. It is not material whether established creeds would have done as much for them. The point is that Christian Science gave them the solace that is theirs, and whoever and whatever renders such service is doing the work of heaven.
The above is a fair statement of the results of Mrs. Eddy's work as seen by one who seems to be an impartial observer, one who has judged her labors by their fruits rather than from a superficial study of her writings; and this is really the only way in which the worth of her achievements for humanity can and should be estimated.
