Items of Interest July 7, 1934 Issue

Items of Interest

Branch churches are finding ground floor Reading Rooms, with display windows on the street, to be very effective agencies for bringing to the attention of the public the truth that Christian Science literature offers. Some Reading Rooms, not on the street floor, but located on important thoroughfares, report good results from the maintenance of display windows or cases. Some nine months ago Ninth Church, London, England, established a display window in connection with its Reading Room. Since then its librarian has reported a large increase of inquiries about Christian Science and its literature.

Only a few days after this display window began operating a woman came into the room and asked if she might buy the newspaper which she saw in the window, as there was an advertisement in it which she thought might help her. She bought it, applied for the position, was successful, and afterwards became a regular user of the Reading Room. A girl entered the librarian's room, saying that she had been standing at the window for some time reading the literature displayed therein, and asked if she would find the same books should she go to the reading section. She entered the room reserved for quiet study, later brought a friend for the same purpose, and both are now earnest students of Christian Science and attendants at church services. A young German girl on Christmas Day found herself miserable and homesick. Seeking to attend a church service where she hoped to find comfort, she was told that no service was held there on that day. She passed the Christian Science Reading Room, saw the display of literature in the window, and lights burning within; so had her first introduction to Christian Science. After reading for a few minutes at the window she entered the Reading Room and began to read "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." She received so much benefit therefrom that she spent a good part of each day thereafter earnestly studying in the Reading Room until she was enabled to return to Germany. But before leaving she purchased a copy of the textbook to send to her parents, and told them of her new-found happiness.

First Church, London, which also has display windows in its Reading Room, has reported similar interesting results. A lady from Switzerland told the librarian that while she was waiting about ten minutes opposite the windows for a bus, she watched with great interest several people reading the literature in the display cases. It is said that hardly a minute during the day or the evening passes without one or two people reading the literature displayed in the windows, and often five or six are to be seen spending a moment there. Some enter the Reading Room, asking for a particular copy of the Sentinel, or for some other periodical containing an item in which they had had a glimpse of some truth that interested them.

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