Article August 1, 1908 Issue

"Woman's Cause" is the question of the day, and one's...

Irish Society

"Woman's Cause" is the question of the day, and one's thoughts naturally turn to the inquiry, "Who are the leaders of thought amongst women now?" In the different departments of business, society, art, literature, philanthropy, and religious activity, each of us will think of the leader who appeals to us individually. In physical science, the name of Madame Curie stands as one who is said to have made a discovery in chemistry which has revolutionized the theories of the age. But a still greater discoverer has appeared in Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, whose discovery in the domain of metaphysics is being corroborated and proved by the experience of thousands. Her statements, first published in 1875, like the announcements of all the great pioneers, have been combated, but the evidence to support them is overwhelming, and the story of this great woman's life-work is well worth studying. Three incidents in her career have impressed me; shall I tell them?

The first is told in her autobiography, and "Retrospection and Introspection," and brings a picture before one's mind—a sorrowful scene—of a young widowed mother, obliged, with bitter tears, to part with her only child, her tenderly-loved little son, having no means of making a home for him, and prevented by ill health from using her cultivated literary talents to earn a living. Her husband had died, after a few months of married life, in one of the Southern States, where he had just taken up a large contract to build a cathedral.

The second picture I want you to see, shows Mrs. Eddy as the messenger of health and happiness to others, after she had made the great discovery of her life. It is a dark and rainy afternoon, and in a house filled with sadness and fear the loved little daughter, four years old, is lying ill with a raging fever. A gentle lady comes to the door and asks to see the little girl, saying that she can be healed; this the wondering parents allow. After sitting by the bedside in silent prayer, Mrs. Eddy asks, "May I dress the little one?" "Yes." So the child, who is now quiet and happy, is taken up and dressed, and Mrs. Eddy leads her down-stairs and out into the roadway. The child's father thinks it very rash, but he does not interfere, and soon the little girl is brought in, perfectly restored to health. Her father added—for it was he who told us the story—"She is now a happy woman with children of her own."

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