Page:The Life of Mary Baker Eddy (Wilbur).djvu/356

312 It is possible that he was more strongly attracted to Christian Science than some of his worldly associates knew. In one of his articles in the Journal, “Heard at the Clubs,” he tells how a political discussion in which he was interested was interrupted by a reference to Christian Science and how an editor, an actor, and others testified to its benefits to the astonishment of a noted literary divine from Great Britain. He declared, “the talk everywhere turns on Christian Science and whoever has met the founder has been impressed with her integrity of purpose.” His various articles may be found in volumes three and four of the Journal.

Men of great parts have elsewhere and often been attracted to a cause, served it for a time earnestly and faithfully, and then fallen away from it. But in such instances it is seldom asserted that they gave it its life blood and then grew ashamed of it and ridiculed it. Such men do not give life blood to anything. They may be clever and gifted, but they are never the inspiration of a movement.

After Mr. Wiggin had handled Mrs. Eddy’s manuscript for the sixteenth edition of her book this announcement was made in the Journal for January, 1886: “Attention is called to this volume. It is worth the notice not only of Christian Scientists, but of all who are interested in the progress of truth. It is from the University Press, Cambridge, and this is a guaranty for its typographical appearance. All the material of other editions is herein retained, but all of it has been carefully revised and rewritten by Mrs. Eddy, and greatly improved. The ar-