But it is also commanded that when a member publicly quotes “from the poems of our Pastor Emeritus” the authorship shall be named.  For these are sacred, too.  There are kindly people who may suspect a hidden generosity in that By-law; they may think it is there to protect the Official Reader from the suspicion of having written the poems himself.  Such do not know Mrs. Eddy.  She does an inordinate deal of protecting, but in no distinctly named and specified case in her history has Number Two been the object of it.  Instances have been claimed, but they have failed of proof, and even of plausibility.

“Members shall also instruct their students” to look out and advertise the authorship when they read those poems and things.  Not on Mrs. Eddy’s account, but “for the good of our Cause.”

THE CHURCH EDIFICE

1.  Mrs. Eddy gave the land.  It was not of much value at the time, but it is very valuable now. 2.  Her people built the Mother-Church edifice on it, at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 3.  Then they gave the whole property to her. 4.  Then she gave it to the Board of Directors.  She is the Board of Directors.  She took it out of one pocket and put it in the other. 5.  Sec. 10 (of the deed).  “Whenever said Directors shall determine that it is inexpedient to maintain preaching, reading, or speaking in said church in accordance with the terms of this deed, they are authorized and required to reconvey forthwith said lot of land with the building thereon to Mary Baker G. Eddy, her heirs and assigns forever, by a proper deed of conveyance.”

She is never careless, never slipshod, about a matter of business.  Owning the property through her Board of Waxworks was safe enough, still it was sound business to set another grip on it to cover accidents, and she did it.  Her barkers (what a curious name; I wonder if it is copyrighted); her barkers persistently advertise to the public her generosity in giving away a piece of land which cost her a trifle, and a two—­hundred—­and—­fifty—­thousand—­dollar church which cost her nothing; and they can hardly speak of the unselfishness of it without breaking down and crying; yet they know she gave nothing away, and never intended to.  However, such is the human race.  Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.

Some of the hostiles think that Mrs. Eddy’s idea in protecting this property in the interest of her heirs, and in accumulating a great money fortune, is, that she may leave her natural heirs well provided for when she goes.  I think it is a mistake.  I think she is of late years giving herself large concern about only one interest-her power and glory, and the perpetuation and worship of her Name—­with a capital N. Her Church is her pet heir, and I think it will get her wealth.  It is the torch which is to light the world and the ages with her glory.