Solo Singers.  Mrs. Eddy has contributed the words of three of the hymns in the Hymnal.  Two of them appear in it six times altogether, each of them being set to three original forms of musical anguish.  Mrs. Eddy, always thoughtful, has promulgated a By-law requiring the singing of one of her three hymns in the Mother Church “as often as once each month.”  It is a good idea.  A congregation could get tired of even Mrs. Eddy’s muse in the course of time, without the cordializing incentive of compulsion.  We all know how wearisome the sweetest and touchingest things can become, through rep-rep-repetition, and still rep-rep-repetition, and more rep-rep-repetition-like “the sweet by-and-by, in the sweet by-and-by,” for instance, and “Tah-rah-rah boom-de-aye”; and surely it is not likely that Mrs. Eddy’s machine has turned out goods that could outwear those great heart-stirrers, without the assistance of the lash.  “O’er Waiting Harpstrings of the Mind” is pretty good, quite fair to middling—­the whole seven of the stanzas—­but repetition would be certain to take the excitement out of it in the course of time, even if there were fourteen, and then it would sound like the multiplication table, and would cease to save.  The congregation would be perfectly sure to get tired; in fact, did get tired—­hence the compulsory By-law.  It is a measure born of experience, not foresight.

The By-laws say that “if a solo singer shall neglect or refuse to sing alone” one of those three hymns as often as once a month, and oftener if so directed by the Board of Directors—­which is Mrs. Eddy—­the singer’s salary shall be stopped.  It is circumstantial evidence that some soloists neglected this sacrament and others refused it.  At least that is the charitable view to take of it.  There is only one other view to take:  that Mrs. Eddy did really foresee that there would be singers who would some day get tired of doing her hymns and proclaiming the authorship, unless persuaded by a Bylaw, with a penalty attached.  The idea could of course occur to her wise head, for she would know that a seven-stanza break might well be a calamitous strain upon a soloist, and that he might therefore avoid it if unwatched.  He could not curtail it, for the whole of anything that Mrs. Eddy does is sacred, and cannot be cut.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

It consists of four members, one of whom is President of it.  Its members are elected annually.  Subject to Mrs. Eddy’s approval.  Art.  XXX., Sec. 2.

She owns the Board—­is the Board.

Mrs. Eddy is President of the Metaphysical College.  If at any time she shall vacate that office, the Directors of the College (that is to say, Mrs. Eddy) “shall” elect to the vacancy the President of the Board of Education (which is merely re-electing herself).

It is another case of “Pastor Emeritus.”  She gives up the shadow of authority, but keeps a good firm hold on the substance.