One way of governing a large body of persons pursuing the same objectives is to organize under a constitution which sets forth laws needed for carrying out designated affairs.
The Manual of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, was provided by Mary Baker Eddy as the constitution for the governing of her Church. Mrs. Eddy says of the Rules and By-Laws of the Manual (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 148): "They were not arbitrary opinions nor dictatorial demands, such as one person might impose on another. They were impelled by a power not one's own, were written at different dates, and as the occasion required."
Any constitutional government is administered by the incumbents in office. But the power of administration remains in the constitution. The Manual of The Mother Church governs that Church. The Christian Science Board of Directors administers the Manual; it acts strictly within the authority vested in it under the Manual. It is the vested right of the Board to determine the extent and meaning of each By-Law and to carry out its provisions. How else could the Manual be administered?
