In his opening Address to that Convention of 1890, the President recognized this Mary—­our Mary-and abolished all previous ones.  He said: 

“There is but one Moses, one Jesus; and there is but one Mary.”

The confusions being now dispersed, we have this clarified result: 

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.