ONE of the most, frequent criticisms of Christian Science made by those ignorant of its spiritual understanding is that Mrs. Eddy's name is too prominently used in the church services, and in the Christian Science literature as well. It is perhaps difficult for a citizen of the material world to comprehend the exact place occupied by Mrs. Eddy in the thoughts and affections of those who have profited by her teaching. As the revered Leader of Christian Science, as well as the Discoverer of the truth which has transformed and enriched thousands of lives, many of whom were lifted from unspeakable wretchedness and despair, she stands alone among mankind today as one who sacrificed all worldly pleasure and ambition that she might by the giving of her very self benefit the whole human race.
From the nature and broad scope of her talents in a day when woman in the intellectual field was much rarer than at the present time, Mrs. Eddy might readily have taken a high place in social and intellectual circles. She was, however, most simple and unpretentious, seeking and demanding retirement and quiet that she might the more readily work out the problems confronting her life work in its relation to the public; alone with God, who was her only adviser and counselor. Pride of place and power had no part in that consciousness, filled as it was with compassionate love for humankind. Indeed, her writings contain frequent cautions as to the needless and dangerous practice of too great regard for personality, while warnings to turn the thought to God and His work rather than to herself are interpolated throughout her communications to the world at large as well as to near friends.
Mrs. Eddy gave to the world the most valuable contribution, even in a scientific way, which has been made since the time of Christ Jesus. She restored to humanity the pure religion of the Master, unadulterated and undefiled by material sense. She pointed the way to perfect freedom from self and the illusions of mortal belief with their accompanying misery. She exposed the enemies of mortal man as those "of his own household" by showing them to be but the idle claims of such belief. She showed the natural and inalienable right of mankind to happiness, health, and prosperity. By her work "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" she illumined the Bible to such an extent that it has become a source of continual inspiration and an ever-present help in time of stress and suffering, whatever its nature. In short, her teachings have made possible to mankind the realization and demonstration of that "dominion . . . over all the earth," which the creator had bestowed upon man, but which, through material belief, had become in the main a mere utterance of idle words.
