In the previous segments of this series on The Herald of Christian Science, we've seen how the German edition grew out of demand from individual Christian Scientists in Germany and how the French edition was forged in wartime. The Scandinavian edition — which later became three separate editions (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish with a Finnish section) — came about through the persistence of the branch churches of Christ, Scientist, in those countries. It is, perhaps, a measure of The Church of Christ, Scientist's, progress that these spiritual communities had grown large enough to petition The Christian Science Publishing Society as groups rather than as individuals.
In the 1920s, ominous signs appeared even as prosperity seemed to be firmly entrenched in many quarters. Financial speculation, an increasing number of bank failures, and other signs of economic instability in the United States indicated that this prosperity rested on a weak foundation. In 1927, as Allied military control of Germany ended, the German economy collapsed. For many people, it was a grim time. But both Americans and Europeans got a lift that same year when Charles Lindbergh, with the help of his single-engine plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, became the first man to fly alone nonstop across the Atlantic. This achievement and its aftermath had a huge impact on global communication and transportation.
Global communication was very much a part of the thinking in both political and religious organizations around the world, and The Christian Science Publishing Society was one of the voices participating in an increasingly worldwide dialogue.
