Were had been a Moses at one time, and only one; there had been a Jesus
at one time, and only one; there is a Mary and “only one.” She is not a
Has Been, she is an Is–the “Author of Science and Health; and we cannot
ignore her.”
1. In 1890, there was but one Mother Mary. The President said so.
2. Mrs. Eddy was that one. She said so, in signing the telegram.
3. Mrs. Eddy was not that one for she says so, in her Associated Press
utterance of January 17th.
4. And has “never claimed to be “that one–unless the signature to the
telegram is a claim.
Thus it stands proven and established that she is that Mary and isn’t,
and thought she was and knows she wasn’t. That much is clear.
She is also “The Mother,” by the election of 1895, and did not want the
title, and thinks it is not applicable to her, end will excommunicate any
one that tries to take it away from her. So that is clear.
I think that the only really troublesome confusion connected with these
particular matters has arisen from the name Mary. Much vexation, much
misunderstanding, could have been avoided if Mrs. Eddy had used some of
her other names in place of that one. “Mother Mary” was certain to stir
up discussion. It would have been much better if she had signed the
telegram “Mother Baker”; then there would have been no Biblical
competition, and, of course, that is a thing to avoid. But it is not too
late, yet.
I wish to break in here with a parenthesis, and then take up this
examination of Mrs. Eddy’s Claim of January 17th again.
The history of her “Mother Mary” telegram–as told to me by one who ought
to be a very good authority–is curious and interesting. The telegram
ostensibly quotes verse 53 from the “Magnificat,” but really makes some
pretty formidable changes in it. This is St. Luke’s version:
“He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent
empty away.”
This is “Mother Mary’s” telegraphed version:
“He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the sick hath He not
sent empty away.”
To judge by the Official Report, the bursting of this bombshell in that
massed convention of trained Christians created no astonishment, since it
caused no remark, and the business of the convention went tranquilly on,
thereafter, as if nothing had happened.
Did those people detect those changes? We cannot know. I think they
must have noticed them, the wording of St. Luke’s verse being as
familiar to all Christians as is the wording of the Beatitudes; and I
think that the reason the new version provoked no surprise and no comment
was, that the assemblage took it for a “Key”–a spiritualized explanation
of verse 53, newly sent down from heaven through Mrs. Eddy. For all
Scientists study their Bibles diligently, and they know their Magnificat.
I believe that their confidence in the authenticity of Mrs. Eddy’s
inspirations is so limitless and so firmly established that no change,
however violent, which she might make in a Bible text could disturb their
composure or provoke from them a protest.
Her improved rendition of verse 53 went into the convention’s report and
appeared in a New York paper the next day. The (at that time) Scientist
whom I mentioned a minute ago, and who had not been present at the
convention, saw it and marvelled; marvelled and was indignant–indignant
with the printer or the telegrapher, for making so careless and so
dreadful an error. And greatly distressed, too; for, of course, the
newspaper people would fall foul of it, and be sarcastic, and make fun of
it. and have a blithe time over it, and be properly thankful for the
chance. It shows how innocent he was; it shows that he did not know the
limitations of newspaper men in the matter of Biblical knowledge. The
new verse 53 raised no insurrection in the press; in fact, it was not
even remarked upon; I could have told him the boys would not know there
was anything the matter with it. I have been a newspaper man myself, and