She was not able to think of a “financial equivalent”—­meaning a pecuniary equivalent—­for her “instruction in Christian Science Mind-healing.”  In this emergency she was “led” to charge three hundred dollars for a term of “twelve half-days.”  She does not say who led her, she only says that the amount greatly troubled her.  I think it means that the price was suggested from above, “led” being a theological term identical with our commercial phrase “personally conducted.”  She “shrank from asking it, but was finally led, by a strange providence, to accept this fee.”  “Providence” is another theological term.  Two leds and a providence, taken together, make a pretty strong argument for inspiration.  I think that these statistics make it clear that the price was arranged above.  This view is constructively supported by the fact, already quoted, that God afterwards approved, “in multitudinous ways,” her wisdom in accepting the mentioned fee.  “Multitudinous ways” —­multitudinous encoring—­suggests enthusiasm.  Business enthusiasm.  And it suggests nearness.  God’s nearness to his “little one.”  Nearness, and a watchful personal interest.  A warm, palpitating, Standard-Oil interest, so to speak.  All this indicates inspiration.  We may assume, then, two inspirations:  one for the book, the other for the business.

The evidence for inspiration is further augmented by the testimony of Rev. George Tomkins, D.D., already quoted, that Mrs. Eddy and her book were foretold in Revelation, and that Mrs. Eddy “is God’s brightest thought to this age, giving us the spiritual interpretation of the Bible in the ‘little book’” of the Angel.

I am aware that it is not Mr. Tomkins that is speaking, but Mrs. Eddy.  The commissioned lecturers of the Christian Science Church have to be members of the Board of Lectureship. (By-laws Sec. 2, p. 70.) The Board of Lectureship is selected by the Board of Directors of the Church.  (By-laws, Sec. 3, p. 70.) The Board of Directors of the Church is the property of Mrs. Eddy. (By-laws, p. 22.) Mr. Tomkins did not make that statement without authorization from headquarters.  He necessarily got it from the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors from Mrs. Eddy, Mrs. Eddy from the Deity.  Mr. Tomkins would have been turned down by that procession if his remarks had been unsatisfactory to it.

It may be that there is evidence somewhere—­as has been claimed—­that Mrs. Eddy has charged upon the Deity the verbal authorship of Science and Health.  But if she ever made the charge, she has withdrawn it (as it seems to me), and in the most formal and unqualified; of all ways.  See Autobiography, page 57: 

“When the demand for this book increased . . . the copyright was infringed.  I entered a suit at Law, and my copyright was protected.”

Thus it is plain that she did not plead that the Deity was the (verbal) Author; for if she had done that, she would have lost her case—­and with rude promptness.  It was in the old days before the Berne Convention and before the passage of our amended law of 1891, and the court would have quoted the following stern clause from the existing statute and frowned her out of the place: