Item of Interest April 3, 1937 Issue

Item of Interest

In 1930–1933, The Mother Church was invited to buy what was offered as proof that Mary Baker Eddy got some two hundred lines for "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (which contains eighteen thousand lines) from an admirer of Hegel's philosophy. The alleged proof consisted of two handwritten papers: (1) a purported article or essay headed "The Metaphysical Religion of Hegel by Christian Herrmann"; (2) a purported letter dated April 21, 1866, addressed "Friend Hiram" and signed "Christian Herrmann." The letter purported to be from a man of German birth, hard pressed for money, who was returning to Germany after a long stay in the United States. "Friend Hiram" was said to be Mrs. Eddy's first pupil, Hiram S. Crafts.

Not at all convinced by the papers in question, the Directors of The Mother Church declined to consider buying them.

In 1936, there was published in Great Britain and in the United States a book by an author who participated in the foregoing attempts to sell. It included the following features, described as "newly discovered": (1) a purported article or essay headed "The Metaphysical Religion of Hegel by Francis Lieber—'Christian Herrmann'"; (2) a purported notation on the cover of the same paper, as follows: "N.B. This is Metaphysical Basis of Healing and Science of Health. Same as 'Christ-power' and 'Truth-power' Mary Baker"; (3) a purported letter dated April 7, 1866, addressed "Mr. Hiram Crafts Secretary of Kantian Society Boston Lyceum. Friend Hiram" and signed "Francis Lieber 'Christian Herrmann.'" The book included what were represented as exact reproductions of the foregoing features in type and in handwriting. The author also asserted that the first and third of the foregoing features were written by "none other than the noted publicist and educator, Dr. Francis Lieber."

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