Extracts from Reports of Christian Science Committees on Publication for the Year Ended September 30, 1926

Northumberland, England.

During the year under review no special case has arisen in the county which required the Committee to intervene. The Committee, however, would again remind the field that constant watchfulness and wisdom are necessary to obey the law of the land. The various editors in the county have, during the year, always accorded justice to Christian Science. On no occasion has there been a refusal to print a letter written in defense of our Cause. We all have cause for deep gratitude, and a call to greater consecration, because our church is progressing more rapidly than ever before, and because its members realize that this progress can only continue through their growth in grace and in the knowledge of God and His creation, and the demonstration of this knowledge in daily affairs. The various lectures delivered in the county have been well attended. A full report of one of these was printed in one paper, and was distributed to the field through the churches. Growth in the interest in Christian Science is manifest by the constantly increasing attendance at our lectures.

Victoria, Australia.

The Committee on Publication is greatly aided in the efficient performance of his duties by the cooperation of his assistants, who scrutinize newspapers and periodicals and forward to the Committee clippings of all items which mention or refer to Mrs. Eddy, Christian Scientists, or Christian Science. Messrs. Gordon and Gotch give a list in their directory of two hundred and forty-nine city, suburban, and country newspapers published in Victoria. With a corps of sixty-eight assistants and scrutineers, we are able to keep seventy-seven of these papers under survey. This is in addition to the five daily and five weekly metropolitan papers, which receive special attention. It will be seen from this that while considerable progress has been made, we are far from the goal of efficiently watching the Victorian press. It is hoped that the coming year will see a big onward step in this branch of the work. Many Christian Scientists are subscribing to country papers, with the sole object of scrutinizing them for the Committee.

The attitude of the newspapers shows continued improvement and a juster estimate of Christian Science. Some of the metropolitan papers have voluntarily applied to the Committee for information concerning Christian Science, and have also asked for data to deal with references to Christian Science made at church conferences, and so forth. In last year's report it was mentioned that the Board of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Melbourne, had given free subscriptions of The Christian Science Monitor to several Melbourne daily papers. As Mrs. Eddy said, "The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353); and the Committee feels that the Monitor is fulfilling this mission by the change in the attitude of editors. The reprinting of articles from the Monitor is greatly on the increase. It is intended to extend this gift of free subscriptions to the editors of the weekly papers. Actual attacks on Christian Science are practically confined to clergymen and doctors, and usually appear in reports of sermons and addresses. Editors generally cut out such references. During the year there were nineteen instances in which a corrective letter was necessary and was published.

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