When Mary Baker Eddy issued instructions to begin publication of a daily newspaper, she made a significant statement, notable both for what it did not say as well as for what it did.
What Mrs. Eddy did not say is that journalism demands The Christian Science Monitor, though there is no doubt that, having been the frequent object of unfair press attacks, she was keenly aware of the need to uplift the standard of American news reporting. What she did say is, “The Cause demands that it be issued now” (from her letter to the Board of Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society, August 8, 1908, L07268, © The Mary Baker Eddy Collection).
The statement invites special reflection since, on the face of it, it seems unlikely that a newspaper would be central to the prosperity of a church. It also invites consideration of how different the Cause of Christian Science would be without The Christian Science Monitor.
