Article July 13, 1968 Issue

A Friend Forever

L. IVIMY GWALTER

It is sometimes felt that Christian Scientists deify Mary Baker Eddy, but this is not true. They love her, yes, but they do not worship her. Who does not love a benefactor who has brought into his life a light that has completely changed his course, dispelled his fears, brought comfort to his sorrow and surcease to his ills?

Mrs. Eddy was not motivated by personal ambition. She did not yearn for fame or glory. Born and reared, as she had been, on an obscure New England hilltop, her early life held forth no promise of these. Yet it is not hard to believe that it was on this obscure hilltop, with its vistas of surrounding mountains, its wide expanse of sky, its rigorous winters, its springtimes of promise and autumns of harvest, that the Christ, Truth, germinated in the heart of the little child.

The parental home was one of stern Protestantism, strict morality, and sterling worth. From early childhood an innate love of God enriched her affections, a desire for learning inspired her reading, a spiritual hunger spurred her education. She loved good literature; she loved the Bible; she loved mankind. In spite of delicate health, there were happy times during her childhood and adolescence, but her early womanhood was fraught with illness, grief, frustration, and defeat.

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