Article August 21, 1926 Issue

The other day you published a dispatch from London...

Judge Chifford P. Smith, Committee on Publication for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts,—New Bedford

Times

The other day you published a dispatch from London which read as if a lady, named Mrs. Annie C. Bill, had just formed an organization having some relation to Christian Science. The same dispatch described Mrs. Bill as "a keen believer in the Christian Science movement," and quoted her as claiming that the United States prohibition law is "against the direct teachings of Mrs. Eddy." In fact, Mrs. Bill withdrew from the Christian Science Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, and from a branch of this church in London, in 1910, while Mrs. Eddy was still actively the Leader of the Christian Science movement. And Mrs. Bill has carried on an independent or opposing activity from that time until now. Some indication as to whether her activity has been independent or opposing may be inferred from the circumstances that Mrs. Bill assumed Mrs. Eddy's official title, copied the name of Mrs. Eddy's church (substituting London for Boston), and counterfeited or imitated certain of the periodicals issued by The Christian Science Publishing Society, until this Society obtained the equivalent of an injunction by an action in the English high court of justice.

These circumstances and others that could be mentioned also furnish some indication as to whether Mrs. Bill is a keen believer in what is commonly and correctly known as the Christian Science movement. Evidently she is doing her utmost in opposition to this movement as founded by Mrs. Eddy. Kindly allow me to add, for the information of your readers, that Mrs. Eddy was a prohibitionist, and there is not a word in her writings that can be fairly construed as being in favor of legalizing the liquor traffic. Mrs. Bill is against prohibition but is for temperance, while Mrs. Eddy's teaching is that "strong drink is unquestionably an evil, and evil cannot be used temperately" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 289).

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