Mary Baker Eddy's history is unique. As a pilgrimage from sense to Soul it points the way for all Christian Scientists. None are called upon to drink the cup she drank, but many may find encouragement and inspiration from a study of the experiences through which she passed, and thereby learn how to meet and overcome their own difficulties.

Students of Christian Science may even pass through similar experiences. For instance, they may encounter the clash of personalities, the menace of false systems, persecution, or its opposite, popularity. They may be despised because of their poverty, preyed upon for their riches, or laughed at for their faith.

These and similar trials were met and mastered by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who invariably rose to the occasion and came out stronger because of the ordeal. Mrs. Eddy's autobiography, entitled "Retrospection and Introspection," gives in her own words a brief account of her human history. In this volume the material record sinks into the background, and the foreground is filled with spiritual ideas, deductions, and admonitions which make it of great value to every student of Christian Science.

Probably no autobiography has ever been written which contains less of the personal element. Mrs. Eddy's purpose was not to exalt human personality, but to place on record a just account of the footsteps which led her to the discovery of Christian Science. Mortal history is a dream, a dream soon told, but spiritual history is without beginning or end. She gave more prominence to the spiritual record than she did to her material history, and this fact should be taken into account when studying her autobiography.

The fundamental teaching of Christian Science is to be found in "the scientific statement of being," as given on page 468 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." the first lines of which read as follows: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." Before she presented this statement of being, Mrs. Eddy passed through experiences which impelled her to accept the premise and conclusion it contains. Her human experience taught her to reject the belief that there is any permanent peace in material things. It led her on to see that material existence is a mistaken sense of being. It urged her forward to accept the substance of Spirit, and to prove the allness of God, good, and the unreality of matter. She proved material loss to be spiritual gain, and learned to lay aside human will and rely implicitly on God's guidance and control as understood in Christian Science.

As is well known, the revelation of God's healing power came to her in February, 1866, at Lynn, Massachusetts, and through the spiritual illumination it brought she was enabled spiritually to interpret the Scriptures in the years immediately following.

When her life had been despaired of, Mrs. Eddy opened her Bible at the ninth chapter of Matthew and read the account of the healing of the palsied man by Jesus. As she read, the Scriptural narrative was illumined, and through a realization of the presence and power of God she was instantaneously restored to health. This event, so little noticed at the time, was destined to revolutionize the world. When Jesus healed the palsied man, it will be recalled that he uttered those memorable words. "For whether is easier, to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" thus indicating that the healing of sickness and the overcoming of sin are synonymous.

Historians record that for three hundred years after the resurrection of Christ Jesus, Christians healed the sick and even raised the dead by spiritual means. It is also clear that during the succeeding centuries the dogmas and doctrines which were introduced into the church obscured the primitive purity of the Master's teaching, and thus separated religion and healing. The physician then became the healer of the body, the priest the healer of the soul. The seamless garment was rent in twain, and the stone was again rolled before the sepulcher. What a tragedy for humanity! But in February, 1866, this tragedy was redeemed, and primitive Christian healing was again discovered and made available. Thus was restored the long-lost truth that true theology and medicine are one, and that the Christ is the only physician.

Revelation, reason, and progressive demonstration were steps which led Mrs. Eddy to the understanding of Christian Science. Her life is an example of unswerving obedience to God and consistent devotion to her ideal.

The goal of Christian Science is not attained without the preliminary footsteps. We must tread the foothills in order to ascend the heights. Just as the mountain climber, confronted with a range of dazzling peaks, cannot reach his objective without first traversing the valley, the foothills, and the lesser peaks, so Mrs. Eddy attained the heights of divine Science by first treading patiently and conscientiously in the way of highest humanhood. She taught her followers to be faithful to the moral qualities, such as unselfishness, humility, honesty, compassion, kindness, courtesy, and so on, foothills of character on which our Leader herself daily and hourly trod.

The mountain climber requires strict training and preparation for his task. The metaphysician likewise must constantly practice what he has learned, in order to be fitted for his mission. It was thus, namely through practice, that Mrs. Eddy was prepared for her stupendous task of discovering and founding Christian Science. She practiced what she taught, proving for herself the accuracy of all she had discovered. On page 486 of Science and Health she has written. "Earth's preparatory school must be improved to the utmost." The object of a preparatory school is to fit the pupil for a university. The university is but a further step, leading to a career. Mrs. Eddy has taught us how, by improving and transforming human character, we may readily accept and assimilate the priceless treasures of Christian Science. A child under instruction leaves the preparatory school because he knows too much to remain there, and therefore must go on to higher tasks.

Jesus parted with "earth's preparatory school" in just this way. He did not regard death as the door to freedom; rather did he insist on dominion as the way. Mrs. Eddy followed in the Master's footsteps and pointed the way for us throughout her published writings. Mrs. Eddy opened a door which no material sense can close. She revealed life as ageless, deathless, spiritual. She taught and demonstrated the perennial perfection of man.

Can we do better than prayerfully study the life of our great Leader? The lessons we shall learn from such a study are of incalculable value to our progress in Christian Science. As a deeper appreciation of her lifework is obtained we no longer regard her merely as a human personality to whom we owe much, but looking deeply into Truth and Love, we discern more clearly not only her place in history and in Bible prophecy, but also the significance of her true identity as the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. On page 120 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," she has written: "Those who look for me in person, or elsewhere than in my writings, lose me instead of find me. I hope and trust that you and I may meet in truth and know each other there, and know as we are known of God."

Copyright, 1943, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, One, Norway Street, Boston 15, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918. Published every Saturday.