Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton walked into his interview with Mary Baker Eddy in August 1907 "decidedly prejudiced" toward finding her mentally incompetent. The renowned expert on mental illness had spent the last 30 days investigating her case, including the allegations against her in the "Next Friends" lawsuit, which claimed that the 86-year-old leader of the worldwide Christian Science movement was unable to manage either her own affairs or those of her Church.
But the half hour Dr. Hamilton spent with Mrs. Eddy at her home totally upended his opinion. He later told The New York Times that she was unquestionably lucid, competent, and in command of her life. And something else struck Dr. Hamilton about Mary Baker Eddy: her extraordinary altruism. She was, he told The Times, "since in all she . . . does . . . unselfishly spend[ing] her money for the perpetuation of a church which, in her estimation, is destined to play an important part in the betterment of humanity." The New York Times, Aug. 25, 1907 "Dr. Alan McLane Hamilton Tells About His Visit to Mrs. Eddy."
Just days later Mrs. Eddy had a resounding victory in the court case. At that point W.T. MacIntyre of the New York American interviewed her again. He declared that she was "entirely mistress of her mentalities and both physically and mentally a phenomenon." Like Dr. Hamilton, he was impressed with Mary Baker Eddy's overriding commitment to humanity. He quoted her as saying:
