Article April 13, 1912 Issue

INDIVIDUAL OBLIGATION

WILLIAM LLOYD.

Do any of us realize what we owe to our splendid church organization? Let us consider a little and think where the Christian Science movement would be if our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, had contented herself with writing Science and Health and her other publications and then stopped. We would be without our central organization, without our state publication committees, without our local churches, our reading-rooms, our Sentinel, Journal, Herold, and Monitor, without a list of practitioners, without cohesion or adhesion. Each Christian Scientist would be an isolated unit, without the benefit of the mutual helpfulness and support which he now enjoys. Think of what a contrast the present situation affords, just because of our Leader's tireless labors and wise provisions for our needs.

To illustrate: A young girl unaccustomed to travel, starts on a trip across the continent. A bridge is washed out, and she has a three-day enforced stopover. Is she frightened or embarrassed? Not at all; she takes her Journal, turns to the index, goes to the local reading-room and finds herself among friends who will give her every needed attention. Thus in almost every town and village the Scientist may find himself at home among friends, and when traveling how ready we are to avail ourselves of this privilege which is made possible by the local organization, for the reading-room is made possible by the church, the church by its membership, and the membership is made more generally effective through its business meetings. The average Christian Scientist thinks attendance upon the Sunday service not only a pleasure, but a duty. He thinks the same of the Wednesday evening meetings, and he should regard the business meeting in the same whole-souled, loyal manner; and for the reason that the business meeting is of equal importance with the Sunday or Wednesday service, for without it these others would not be provided for. Each branch church is an oasis in the wilderness, a city of refuge, into which the weary, sick, and discouraged can fly and find peace and safety. Then, as we accept in stange cities the benefits of others' work, we should certainly give our best support to our own.

Dear reader, do you attend your business meetings? Do a majority of the membership in your city attend, or is the work left to the "faithful few" while the many enjoy the Sunday and Wednesday meetings made possible by their work? I wish I had eloquence to bring this home to those who need to be awakened. To describe how the officers and boards of our churches can but feel when, having spent hours in the preparation of a careful review of the past year, and prayerfully thought out recommendations for future work from which great good may come, they go to the meeting expecting a full attendance, a free discussion, whole-souled support—and then find only the "faithful few" who are already doing all that in them lies. If all could but know how the sense of discouragement tries to find entrance—the thought of the year's faithful work for those who do not care enough to give a few hours each year to hear the result and help plan for future work,—if all could realize this, surely every one would make it a point to attend the business meeting.

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