Page:The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy.djvu/540

480 A practitioner is not permitted to sue a patient to recover payment for his services, and he is required to "reasonably reduce" his fee in chronic cases, and in cases where he has not effected a cure.

The result of Mrs. Eddy's planning and training and pruning is that she has built up the largest and most powerful organisation ever founded by any woman in America. Probably no other woman so handicapped—so limited in intellect, so uncertain in conduct, so tortured by hatred and hampered by petty animosities—has ever risen from a state of helplessness and dependence to a position of such power and authority. All that Christian Science comprises to-day—the Mother Church, branch churches, healers, teachers, Readers, boards, committees, societies—are as completely under Mrs. Eddy's control as if she were their temporal as well as their spiritual ruler. The growth of her power has been extensive as well as intensive.

In June, 1907, the membership of the Mother Church, according to the Secretary's report, was 43,876. The membership of the branch churches amounted to 42,846. As members of the branch churches are almost invariably members of the Mother Church as well, there cannot be more than 60,000 Christian Scientists in the world to-day, and the number is probably nearer 50,000.

In June, 1907, there were in all 710 branch churches. Fifty-eight of these are in foreign countries: twenty-five in the Dominion of Canada, fourteen in Great Britain, two in Ireland, four in Australia, one in South Africa, eight in Mexico, two in Germany, one in Holland, and one in France. There are