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Answers to questions our research team has received.
The Color of Mary Baker Eddy’s Hair and Eyes
Eddy's hair color was dark brown, and by 1891, when she was 70, her hair was white. Her eye color, however, is harder to determine. In her reminiscence, Mary Stewart described Eddy's eyes as "blue...which changed as she talked - sometimes looking almost gray and...
“The Right Princess,” Chapter XXIX: “Whither thou goest”
In an interview given to the Portland [Maine] Evening Express and Advertiser in 1912, American author Clara Louise Burnham…
Technology in Mary Baker Eddy’s Household
Airplanes: “Calvin Frye was much interested in mechanical developments and was a steady subscriber to technical magazines. When it was announced that an airplane meet would take place at Squantum, Massachusetts, Mr. Frye and other members of the household very much...
Article XXIII, Section 1: “Local Self-government”
To best answer this inquiry, we have prepared a chronology of this By-Law’s development. To read the full text please download the PDF.
Mary Baker Eddy’s Experience During the Civil War
The U.S. Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, had a profound impact on the lives of every American who lived through it. Eddy was no exception; both her son and several friends served, and she herself lived through incredible hardships at a time when the entire country was...
“Present Order of Services”
"Order of Services," (Church Manual 120-121), was originally published in the Christian Science periodicals. In August 1889 Mary Baker Eddy introduced a notice in The Christian Science Journal that, for the first time, mentioned the order of services.Mary B. G....
Mary Baker Eddy and John Greenleaf Whittier
Eddy was a lifelong admirer of the work of Whittier (1807-1892). An avid scrapbooker, she clipped his poems out of literary magazines, and later quoted his words in her own published writings. The archives also contain an unpublished poem she wrote sometime before...
What are the “blue book” and the “red book”?
Read about our exploration of the history and authenticity of these widely circulated compilations.
The “Great Litigation”
The litigation consisted of two lawsuits: Eustace vs. Dickey, and Dittemore vs. Dickey. The first lawsuit was between the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society and the Christian Science Board of Directors; the second was between John V. Dittemore, a...
Christian Science Reading Rooms 1887–1910
(Updated January 2019)The beginnings of Christian Science Reading Rooms can be dated to January 1887. According to a later article in The Christian Science Journal, in that month the “Free Dispensary of Christian Science Healing” opened in Boston, possibly...
What is the background of the Bible Lesson subjects?
Here’s what we know about the 26 topics and their arrangement.
What is the history of Christian Healing?
Here’s background on Mary Baker Eddy’s first publication following Science and Health.
Is The Mother Church’s finial a pineapple or a pine cone?
Read up on a question of debate that dates to the 1930s.
Was there a chapter in Science and Health titled “Imposition and Demonstration”?
Find out about this name and how it evolved.
Did Eddy read the works of Swedenborg?
Read about her exposure to the Lutheran theologian’s ideas.
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