Mrs. Eddy — The Woman

IT is by no means an easy task to write about the personality of any one who has become known to the world through his or her achievements, for the latter always seem to eclipse the former; and yet it must ever be true that the achievements spring from the personality, that what one does is the result of what he is. Long ago the great Teacher said that a tree is known by its fruit,—not by its stem, its leaves, its branches, or its root; and whatever we may choose to think or say, the test of the Master is inevitably the final test for every human being.

Of Mary Baker Eddy much has been written by both friends and foes; in all cases because she is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science and the author of its text-book, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.” No one, however, can truly know Mrs. Eddy who does not understand in some degree this Science to which she has devoted her life, she herself having for long years given priority to her work over all personal considerations, these receiving attention only when their relation to this work was obvious.

It is not the purpose of the present article to deal with the question of Mrs. Eddy’s earlier years, but to speak of her at her maturity, as she appeared when actively engaged in the work of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, in the ’80s, and also in later years. Her personal appearance at that time was very remarkable. Although she was then over sixty-five years of age, her hair was abundant and beautiful, of a rich brown color, while her complexion was as fresh as that of a woman of twenty-five, her figure erect and graceful, and her arms and hands exquisitely molded. It would have been extremely difficult to have guessed her age at this period, as there was a freshness not always seen even in very young persons, but there was also a sort of mental maturity to which few people attain, and that spiritual poise which is not swayed by the passing of the years, but which betokens a reflection of the changeless life of the Spirit. We have St. Paul’s word for it that when the veil of material sense is taken away, those who behold the glory of the Lord “are changed into the same likeness;” and while the primary signification of this likeness is undoubtedly that of mind and character, it must also be expressed by the face, as in the case of Moses, when he caught foregleams of man’s immortality in the holy mount.

It was the present writer’s good fortune to receive Mrs. Eddy’s personal instruction, and in those class days, sitting at Mrs. Eddy’s feet, it was not difficult to believe what is recorded in the Bible of those who were divinely guided in the olden time, for with rare spiritual genius she lifted her students’ thoughts to the heights of inspiration, and never was their credulity taxed by the inconsistent statement that what was once true is so no longer. No! It was unchanging God and unchanging law —the light growing clearer as men drew nearer to the ineffable presence, nearer to Truth and Love.

It is not possible to speak of Mrs. Eddy without referring to the subject of religion, because she is by nature religious in a most essential and vital sense, yet there is in her character an entire absence of that sanctimoniousness which is often mistaken for spirituality. Sometimes, in her teaching, she would turn a flash of playful raillery upon some materialistic dogma, only to leave the truth which it parodied more sacred to her listeners, when it was stripped of the trappings of mere belief. The keenness of her intuition made her quick to detect insincerity, but there was an indescribable something in her analysis of her students’ answers which made them, when in her presence at least, desire to be, not merely to seem. To her, real things were real, sacred things sacred, and shams merely the shadows which should vanish before the light of Truth. Her acquaintance with the Bible was unique in its character. Some passage, involving a deep moral question which had escaped the notice of learned commentators, would be explained by her, in response to a student’s question, in a never-to-be-forgotten way,—the spirit which “giveth life” being with her the all-important consideration.

Long ago King Solomon gave a line word-picture of the ideal woman, and among other things he said: “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” Before I had the pleasure of knowing Mrs. Eddy I met in the West a lady who had been in her home as a guest for over a year, and who had also been taught by her gratuitously, and this at a period when Mrs. Eddy’s means must have been very limited. This impressed me very greatly at the time, and I was no less impressed by what the lady told me of the spiritual sense of the Scriptures which she had gained under Mrs. Eddy’s tuition. Later, when I myself met Mrs. Eddy, I was deeply touched by her great human kindness. It was a bitterly cold morning when I first met her, and as I looked with some awe at the woman whose teachings were even then revolutionizing the world’s thought, she said in a kind, motherly way, as she took my hand, “Aren’t your hands cold?” They were at that moment but in an instant they glowed with a warmth which was felt over the entire body, and with it came a sense of healing which remained and left the sweet impress of divine Love,— God nearer and dearer than ever before. Many years have passed since then, but when in more recent times a guest in Mrs. Eddy’s home, I saw that same loving-kindness expressed in her unusual consideration for the comfort of her visitor. And not only is she thoughtful for those of her household, but who that has lived near her in later years does not know of her goodness to the needy?

We are all familiar with the adage, “Order is heaven’s first law.” This law is most scrupulously obeyed in Mrs. Eddy’s household. The cleanliness and order which find expression in every department of her home life radiate from her pure and orderly thought. Not only is this true of her home, but it is also true of the Christian Science churches and reading-rooms everywhere, her followers instinctively responding to these characteristics of their Leader’s mentality and her teaching. Excellence in all work is the demand wherever her influence is felt, and this demand is based upon the fact that the ideal man has infinite capabilities and possibilities, which all men may express in the ratio of their understanding of God,—infinite intelligence. Mrs. Eddy is deeply interested in all that relates to the advancement of women, and this interest was recently expressed in a generous donation to the New England Woman’s Press Association.

Not only does Mrs. Eddy insist upon order in all things, but she also insists upon that which is of even greater importance, namely, purity in thought, word, and deed, and absolute faithfulness to the marriage covenant. In the chapter on marriage in her book, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” she says, “Home is the dearest spot on earth, and it should be the center, though not the boundary of the affections” (p. 58). On the preceding page she says, “Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress. Without it there is no stability in society, and without it one cannot attain the Science of Life.” Mrs. Eddy loves little children and says, on page 62 of the same volume, respecting them, “The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease.”

Very few people understand why Mrs. Eddy lives in such seclusion from the world. They fail to see that besides the ceaseless demands of the movement which she has established, and which she directs, she has the temperament of a spiritual seer, and this constantly impels her to turn away from material things to spiritual realities. Without this communion with the divine Mind she could not have given to the world Christian Science, nor had the ability to direct the activities of the movement, ofttimes in the face of exigencies which call for more than human wisdom and endurance. We may remember that the world’s great spiritual thinkers had very often to withdraw from the “busy haunts of men” to commune with the divine Principle of the universe. Victor Hugo says that “Solitude generates a certain amount of sublime exaltation. It is like the smoke arising from the burning bush. A wonderful lucidity of mind results which converts the student into a seer, the poet into a prophet.” (To Toilers of The Sea). Of course solitude alone would never convert the ordinary mortal into a saint or a seer, and it is not every one who cares to be often alone with God and himself. Jesus left his disciples and went up into a mountain to pray. When his vigil was ended he came to them “walking upon the sea,” and stilled the storm which had hindered their progress. One who has the true motive in withdrawing from the world is not a mere visionary: rather does he gain that “wonderful lucidity of mind” which can master every human problem with “the wisdom that is from above”

In the Bible we are told that “without faith it is impossible to please him [God]:” and Christ Jesus demanded a vital faith on the part of all who claimed to be his followers. Faith in God and in the power of good may be said to be the chief characteristic of Mrs. Eddy’s whole career. This faith has no relation to blind credulity, but instead springs from her clear recognition of the eternal spiritual law and order which were revealed in the so-called miracles of Jesus and his apostles, and again brought to light in the healing work of Christian Science,—a faith which finds its fulfillment in the “works” that Jesus demanded as evidence of discipleship. Nor is this faith separated from love in Mrs. Eddy’s character and life. Her’s is indeed the charity (love, the Revised Version better translates it) of which St. Paul says that it “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. … never faileth.” History offers no parallel to Mrs. Eddy’s patience with detractors and calumniators, save the example of the Master, “who, when he was reviled, reviled not again.” No one connected with the Christian Science publications is ever permitted to reply to an attack in any other way than that of Christian courtesy.

A student once asked Mrs. Eddy in class respecting some book. She paused a moment, then said thoughtfully that we must test books and people by their influence over us, and that as results might not appear at once, great care was needed in the choice of both books and friends. One at least of those present began to apply the test then given to Mrs. Eddy herself and to her writings, the result being that their entire influence has been felt as a ceaseless stimulus in the line of spiritual endeavor and of worthy attainment in everything undertaken, and this would assuredly be the verdict of the unnumbered thousands who know this wonderful woman personally and through her teachings. It is this which crowns her life today,—a noble purpose grandly realized,—the vision dearer, the heights nearer, and to her apply Whittier’s words:—

Beyond a narrow-bounded age Stretches thy prophet heritage; Through Heaven’s dim spaces, angel-trod. Through arches round the throne of God! Thy audience worlds!—all Time to be The witness of the Truth in thee.