Article April 13, 1912 Issue

Yesterday we went to the Christian Science church,—The...

Lydia Avery Coonley Ward

Wyoming (N. Y.) Reporter

Yesterday we went to the Christian Science church,—The Mother Church, as it is called. It is an immense edifice, and though we were early, people were pouring in,—men and women ascending the stairs, children entering the Sunday school room. Kindly smiles and recognition greeted us everywhere. We were given excellent seats and had time to look about the impressive building. It is an immense auditorium, seating five thousand, and there must have been nearly that number present, for there were no vacant seats on the floor and few in the galleries. Entering, we faced the wide, generous pulpit with the organ's golden pipes rising in groups above. The seats form a semicircle with the pulpit as pivot; opposite the pulpit are three galleries, with two on each side—seven in all. The body of the house is a rotunda, its great dome lighted by many windows, through which the sunlight was streaming. The coloring is all soft warm gray, relieved by the deep red of the mahogany pews. The windows are of clear leaded glass, with borders of a rich design in yellows,—very beautiful. There is no sense of coldness, even though the interior is entirely of stone, with many pillars, square and round, each with a richly carved capital. The floor is of asbestolith, gray to match the stone. This is the best floor I have ever seen in a public building,—pleasant to walk on, not cold, and easily kept clean.

But it was not the edifice which touched my heart to its depths and blinded my eyes with tears. It was the congregation, the like of which I had never before seen. Think of the drawing together of such a multitude simply and solely to learn and to obey the laws of Jesus. Men and women, almost as many men as women, were there. "See all the young men," said Mary. "See all the gray-haired men," said I. An indescribable sense of happiness is in the atmosphere. As I looked about, I saw each face shining with the inner radiance that gives beauty to the plainest features. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." It is certainly a religion of joy that rules in this house.

I remember that Professor Ward said he would like to show, as typical of American churches, a Christian Science congregation to his foreign friends, for he had never seen any other so impressive. Nor have I anywhere, either in size or in quality. The men are men of strength, come from the world of action and of power, and the women are not inferior. After all, the important thing is to achieve spiritually what these people have achieved,—joy, peace, contentment. There is no gainsaying this fact. Many are antagonized by the human personality of the Founder of the Christian Science church. But that is a narrow view. There is power unspeakable in a religion which draws together multitudes of men and women and holds them year after year. A window has been opened into heaven,—what matters it who opens it! Let us rejoice that it is opened and that hundreds of thousands see the glories it reveals. It is the window into heaven that you and I want to find—need to find—what difference does it make whether you lift the latch, or I, or some one else? Therein is the peace that passeth understanding, and the fulfilment of the heavenly promises. We came home with sunshine in our hearts to match the outer sunshine.

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