WHEN Mary Baker Eddy was working out the form of the services for her church, one of the problems before her was that of finding hymns which were in accord with the new teaching. It is not surprising that the wordings of many familiar hymns which she wished to use were not consistent with the teaching of Christian Science.
The Christian Science Hymnal, used today in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, contains poems, each of which has been well scrutinized to ensure that it agrees with the teachings of Christian Science. Some of these have been written especially for the purpose by Christian Scientists, and some are poems written by Mrs. Eddy, our dear Leader. Others have needed slight adaptation to render them consistent with Christian Science; these are distinguished by an asterisk beside the author's name. Yet other poems have needed substantial adaptation to attain that consistency; these are designated as "adapted."
When the original wording is known to us, a comparison can often be instructive. I have found it of value to know of the change of just one word in one of our hymns. The first stanza of Hymn No. 258 in our Hymnal begins:
