From the Papers: How our glossary of terms can help you

The Mary Baker Eddy Papers wants users to get the most meaning from the letters that Mary Baker Eddy sent and received. 

In order to provide historical context and additional helpful information, we often include the equivalent of footnotes that annotate events, organizations, and more obscure terminology. When we need to repeatedly use the same footnotes in annotating multiple documents, we often turn them into glossary terms, so we can easily point to them and provide consistent referencing. 

Here are several examples of how these terms can be helpful:

• The glossary provides background on the Christian Scientist Association. This was Eddy’s own association of students. You can go to our glossary list, click to read an essay about this organization, and access the many letters that reference it.
• The glossary provides a thorough history of Eddy’s work “Defense of Christian Science.” You can follow along as it made its way from an article, to a pamphlet, to the book she titled No and Yes. Click here to read the background, and then click on the many letters that make reference to it.
• We’ve provided a glossary explanation to help users understand the term mind cure—the generic name for a variety of mental healing methods. This gives context and explains why  Eddy saw the need to separate Christian Science from these methods. 

We’ll be adding more glossary terms as we work our way through Eddy’s correspondence. If you see a subject that could use more explanation, let us know by contacting us at [email protected].