Christian Science War Time Activities/Chapter 06

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Christian Science War Time Activities
First Church of Christ, Scientist, War Relief Committee

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Boston, U.S.A.: The Christian Science Publishing Society, pages 211–248; plates

2371630Christian Science War Time Activities — England's Answer to the CallFirst Church of Christ, Scientist, War Relief Committee

VI

ENGLAND'S ANSWER TO THE CALL

The war drew from civil life into the British army and navy countless men who had to face undreamt-of hardships and dangers for which they were quite unprepared. From north, south, east and west there came to British shores men ready to sacrifice their all for the freedom of the world. In a very short time Great Britain was turned into a vast training camp filled with men removed from all home influences and often dreading the experiences in front of them, and there seemed very little to alleviate the situation and give any real comfort and support.

Between the last months of 1914, when it was recognized that the war would not be of short duration, and the summer of 1915, many Christian Scientists had asked themselves if something special could not be done to make Christian Science available to the numbers of newly made soldiers whose needs seemed to be so desperate. At the semi-annual meeting of First Church of Christ, Scientist, a resolution was passed which eventually resulted in the formation of a committee of delegates from the churches in the London district.

The work in other parts of the country was undertaken in the early years of the war by single churches or groups of churches forming committees to supervise the work in their own localities, and every step was a demonstration of the value of faith, as there was no precedent by which to steer the course, nor any experience by which to justify it.

The first idea was to gain permission to establish Christian Science Reading Rooms with the B. E. F. in France, but after interminable correspondence with War Office officials, this course was abandoned, and the London Committee turned its efforts to the military centers in the south of England, where proximity to a town would permit of premises being taken without military sanction.

COLCHESTER

After some deliberation Colchester was chosen as being suitable for the purpose. It was at that time not only a permanent garrison town, but some twenty or thirty thousand troops were constantly being drafted in and out, and it maintained besides a large convalescent military hospital. The town of 40,000 inhabitants is about fifty-five miles from London and while there is no organized Christian Science work there, the little community of Christian Scientists proved itself a most valuable coadjutor in the work.

At first the Committee only ventured on two small rooms in a little house opposite the Public Library, taking them on a three months' trial. These rooms were made comfortable and attractive, and were opened just before Christmas, 1915, the hours being from twelve to nine daily, and on Sundays from three to nine. All Mrs. Eddy's works, and the books marked for the lesson-sermon, were laid out and tables were provided with everything required for writing. The writing facilities were the great attraction in the early days to many men who enjoyed the peace and quiet, instead of the racket of the usual places provided for them. As time went on, they began to take an interest in the Monitor, the periodicals, and finally in the textbook, in a way in which perhaps they might never have done except for the opportunity thus given to them.

The result of this first venture so far exceeded anticipation that the Committee were encouraged to make a second attempt, and on July 26, 1916, similar rooms at Bedford were opened, to be followed at varying intervals by others at Aldershot, Dover and Chatham.

BEDFORD

Bedford, which is a residential and educational town, and which had, until that time, been considered famous for its orderliness, suddenly found itself converted into a military center. All available houses were taken as billets for soldiers, and several large camps outside the town had come into existence. In the early summer of 1917, the division which had been in Bedford since the opening of the Room was moved away, and the town became a large training center for the Royal Engineers and also for the Flying Corps. In addition to these, another division was moved in, and there was great activity.

With the opening of the Room the men streamed in in batches of five or six, many of them recruits still in civilian clothes. The news went quickly round the billets that the Christian Scientists had opened a room where soldiers could read and write their home letters in peace, and many men found their way there within a few hours of arriving in Bedford. Three boys, for instance, came in one day shortly after their arrival and could hardy credit that such comfort and accommodations were intended for private soldiers. Next evening they returned bringing seven friends with them, and these ten came regularly thereafter, except when detained by military duties. An interesting man who had been for some years Honorary Secretary of a London branch of the Y. M. C. A. which deals with boys under sixteen years of age, also became a regular visitor. He was hugely appreciative of the Room, its peace, quiet and comfort, the more so as he carried on a large correspondence with his old boys, many of whom were in the army like himself, and wrote to him for counsel and encouragement. He said one night to the Worker:

“We owe an immense debt of gratitude to your Committee, and to whoever first thought of providing such a restful place for soldiers.”

ALDERSHOT

As the rooms already established in these places were attracting large numbers, the Committee felt it was very important that a similar room should be opened at Aldershot, the largest permanent military center in England. On making inquiries, a suitable hall was found to be available, and negotiations were at once entered into, with the result that these premises were arranged as reading and writing rooms, and opened in April, 1917. With the exception of one camp, which is practically in Aldershot, the barracks and camps were scattered around the town, and the restrictions with regard to the men being on leave in the town were very great. This may account in some degree for the fact that the largest number of men using the Room in a month was 1688, not so high a monthly figure as in other places. But excellent work was done and good cases of healing were reported from these Rooms.

A man who had used the Room while stationed at Aldershot, sent a card from France saying that he was grievously wounded and asked for help. The doctors said he could not be moved, and that a severe operation would have to be performed. Treatment was given, and after a few days, he was able to be moved to a hospital in England, and in less than a month he was dismissed without an operation, and wrote, saying:

“I cannot tell you how wonderful it has all been to me, and I should like the doctors who attended me in France to see me now.”

Much of this sort of work was done for the men from the time the Rooms were first opened, and large numbers were kept in touch with, letters and papers being sent to them at frequent intervals. They wrote with great gratitude and appreciation of the friendly interest shown in their welfare.

DOVER

In the summer of 1917 the work began at Dover, which, owing to its exposed position on the southeast coast of England, was subject to constant air raids and to bombardments from the sea. The military authorities took entire possession of the town and the civil population in great part moved away in order that the houses might be available for sailors or soldiers. Dover soon became a veritable fortress, into which no one could enter without a passport. The Workers in the Rooms there found themselves, to all intents and purposes, in a war zone, and constantly had the opportunity of helping men who were actually engaged in some of the most important and dangerous operations carried out during the war.

Among the soldiers stationed at Dover from time to time, some were already interested in Christian Science and these became regular frequenters of the Rooms during their stay. But at the same time, out of the 31,582 visits paid to the Dover War Relief Rooms between August, 1917, and the end of November, 1918, it is probable that many men paid only one visit, as the troops were constantly changing, and it is known that over four million men passed through the town.

CHATHAM

The work next opened up at Chatham, which is a large naval base on the south coast, with barracks for the naval forces and also for the Royal Engineers. Many soldiers were also quartered there during the war, and the streets of the town were so crowded that it seemed a very suitable place in which to start the work. A large hall was offered to the Committee and proved to be very satisfactory.

Many soldiers who had made use of the Dover Rooms were transferred to Chatham and in this way the work begun at one Reading Room was carried on in another. The Rooms at Chatham were opened in March, 1918, and the highest monthly attendance was 2636, reached in January, 1919, since which time demobilization caused a reduction.

An extract from a report states:

“Sailors have come into the Rooms through having seen the literature on their ships, one from having been introduced to it through Scientists at Durban, South Africa. Soldiers have seen it in camps or have been attracted by the notice boards. One man came across it in the trenches, where a companion received the Monitor regularly and passed it round for all to read.”

There were good cases of healing recorded in Chatham, but it is noticeable that many men quickly learnt to do their own work, when once they started reading the books.

Among many interesting points which came up in the course of the unfoldment of the work, was the increasingly rapid recognition of each Room as these were opened in different centers. At Colchester twelve days elapsed before any soldier ventured to step across the threshold, but at each subsequent opening the time was less and less until at Dover, a man came in to use the Room before the lettering was finished on the window.

Rooms of a similar nature were opened by the Yorkshire churches at Ripon, in February, 1916, at Newcastle early in 1917 by First Church of Christ, Scientist, in that town, at Dublin in September, 1917, and Bexhill and Edinburgh in 1918.

RIPON

The needs of the soldier in Yorkshire were first recognized by two of the churches in that county, and in January, 1916, a small room in a central position, well lighted and warmed and provided with writing tables, was opened in Ripon, where it was roughly estimated that never less than 20,000 men were stationed. Very soon good proofs were forthcoming of the practical value of the work to those it was intended to bless. Through this Room, many men were led to the study of Christian Science, and some interesting cases of healing took place. In many instances fear of going to the front was eliminated. One man writes:

“I am greatly thankful for what knowledge I have got of the truth, and although I miss the Reading Room, I don't miss God. I feel I have got a good hold, and I am sure nothing will shake me off. I feel as happy as possible with this lesson, knowing that God is with me wherever I go.”

The attendance grew so rapidly that it was soon felt that there was a call for a much larger thought and a grander and wider view of the infinite possibilities of the work, and all the churches and societies in the county were invited to cooperate. A whole house was taken, providing more adequate accommodation, and many were the expressions of gratitude for the quiet, order and restful atmosphere prevalent. The military police were particularly struck with the order and refinement of the Rooms, one of them remarking, “You do get the best men here.”

The attitude of the soldiers in using the Rooms was invariably one of gratitude and courtesy, manifested in such practical ways as taking the mud off their boots at the door, and in their extreme care of the chairs and tables provided. Many of the men sent home some of the literature to their wives and relatives, and in this way interest in Christian Science has spread, accompanied in many cases with quick healing results. One soldier who attended the Rooms sent a beautiful testimony expressing his gratitude for many benefits received through Christian Science—his wife was healed of an internal trouble of seven years' standing, and also of baldness—he, himself, of chronic rheumatism, and he finished his testimony by saying:

“In domestic affairs, in the care of our children, and in our relations with that larger family of God's children, in fact, wherever there is discord, the learning of, and humble obedience to, the teachings of Christian Science promise us great blessings.”

Another man so treasured a Journal which he had been given that he wrote to say he carried it about next his shirt, because he had no pocket large enough to put it in.

Approximately 10,450 men visited the Rooms at Ripon in six months and genuine appreciation and gratitude for the great benefits received were daily expressed.

On October 17, 1918, the first Sunday service was held in one of the largest rooms of the Ripon house at 3 o'clock. An officer and a private acted as First and Second Readers, and there were eight or ten soldiers present besides a few civilians. The numbers attending steadily increased, the last two Sundays, the Room being nearly full. A young officer, in expressing appreciation of these Rooms, said:

“How the work done here will fill your churches. Men get a firm grip on Christian Science in these Rooms, and it is bound to bear fruit wherever they go.”

NEWCASTLE

In Newcastle large numbers of soldiers were stationed for the purpose of coast defence, and early in 1917, the members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, realized that a quiet room for reading and writing was greatly needed to serve the men billeted in the town. The church board room was set aside for this purpose, and was soon overflowing with men grateful to find such a haven of rest. During the earlier hours of the day, the Room was full of convalescent soldiers, who greatly appreciated the Monitor and carried it back with them to their hospitals. The Room was open for rather more than two years, during which period more than 21,000 British soldiers made use of it.

DUBLIN

Later in the same year First Church of Christ, Scientist, Dublin, Ireland, took steps to open a War Relief Room for the large number of soldiers and sailors stationed in or passing through the town. The work was successful from the beginning, but when it was placed under The Mother Church scheme in 1918, there was a marked increase in the attendance, and it was found necessary to open larger premises to accommodate the men. The Rooms undoubtedly filled a great need, as was evidenced by the universal expressions of appreciation which came from the soldiers, for the comfort and rest found there, for the ample supply of writing materials, for the opportunity of reading the Christian Science publications and for the friendly welcome extended to all comers. Many liked to talk and unburden their troubles, or to ask questions regarding the teachings of Christian Science. An American soldier, now returned to the States, wrote to a member of the War Relief Committee:

“My worries all vanished into nothingness through the much-needed Christian Science treatments which you gave me and the kindness you showed me while in your city, for which I thank you more than I can express with a pen, and which I will never forget. If it had not been for Christian Science I do not know what I would have done, but it has met my every need.”

A number of aviators regularly made use of the Rooms as well as members of the Queen Mary Army Auxiliary Corps, of the Women's Royal Naval Corps, and of the Women's Legion. Several boys used the Rooms for quiet study in preparation for examinations and said that they could learn more there in ten days than anywhere else in a month. As the time given was quite inadequate for the amount of work to be done, the Rooms were a huge help to such boys.

BEXHILL-ON-SEA

The War Relief Room opened at Bexhill-on-Sea on the coast of Sussex accomplished valuable work especially for the Canadians, who were stationed in large camps or billeted in the town. Healing took place from the beginning of the work, and quite a number of men became interested in Christian Science. They were especially glad to find a friend in the Rooms to whom they could talk of their dear ones at home. On one occasion a man asked the Worker if she could help his child in Canada, who had consumption. Treatment was begun and some weeks after, the soldier brought in a letter from his wife, saying that the child had been passed by the same doctor as perfectly well.

EDINBURGH

In July, 1918, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Edinburgh, Scotland, opened a War Relief Room to serve the needs both of the military forces stationed in the town and of the fleet operating from Rosyth naval base in the Firth of Forth. Large numbers of men from the British Colonies came to spend their leave in this old historic town and some found their way to the Rooms. Many interesting experiences are on record of conversations with men from different parts of the world, with whom the Workers had the opportunity of breaking the bread of Life.

LONDON

The unflagging interest and support given to these early efforts by the contributing churches was noteworthy. The cost of each Room reached a sum of some £500 per annum, but the members of the different churches were always ready to encourage any increase of the work in every possible way. With the incoming of the men of the American army and navy the London churches were desirous of doing something to welcome especially the Christian Science soldiers and sailors. The delegates of the churches in the London district met in conference and the first proposal was to open a welcome bureau where men and officers could get any information they might require, and where they would be introduced to Scientists who would show them hospitality. As the idea developed, it was decided to open a hostel where sleeping accommodations should be provided. Accordingly a large and beautifully furnished house, close to the headquarters of the American army and navy, was rented and opened on August 1, 1918. The dining room was used as a quiet reading room, with all Mrs. Eddy's books and the current literature displayed. The two large drawing rooms, the windows of which looked out onto the Eaton Square Gardens, were arranged as a social room with writing tables and comfortable chairs.

A great number of men, some resident in London, and some coming from the camps, foreign service and ships, where quiet in which to study was almost impossible to obtain, expressed great gratitude for the opportunity afforded them by the Welfare House. Many who were not Christian Scientists stayed there and received their first introduction to Christian Science, and some became earnest students.

An American who knew very little of Christian Science was most impressed with the kindness and hospitality he received, and said: “We had the impression that the English were a cold, reserved, inhospitable race, but your welcome to us has been warm and generous beyond words. You folks in this place have done more towards removing international prejudices than you can ever dream of.” On many occasions men from America, Canada, Scotland, England, Australia and South Africa were seen conversing together, in practical demonstration of the drawing together of all the great English-speaking peoples in one great unity of purpose.

THE MOTHER CHURCH SCHEME

In July, 1918, a War Relief Committee for Great Britain and Ireland was appointed by the Christian Science Board of Directors to supervise all the existing War Relief activities in the United Kingdom and to extend the work to localities where a need was manifest. For this purpose a branch of The Mother Church War Relief and Camp Welfare Fund was opened and administered in this country by the newly appointed Committee. Prior to this date the expenses in connection with the ten Rooms opened for the use of the men in the service had been met entirely by the Christian Scientists locally. After the announcement of the scheme for the whole country the Committees which had already initiated and carried on the work gave their loyal support to the general plan and in a short time the work was adjusted and was progressing most satisfactorily. The decision to include the Reading and Writing Rooms for soldiers and sailors already existing in Great Britain, as part of The Mother Church scheme was fraught with great blessing, for the work leapt forward in a most wonderful way. War Relief Committees were quickly formed up and down the country, and within eight months, twelve additional War Relief Rooms had been opened, which, with the Welfare House in London, brought the number up to twenty-three, with a total staff of forty-nine workers.

The ideal held clearly all through the work was found in a measure in the meaning of the word relief itself, which is defined variously as succor, support, deliverance, refreshment, consolation, comfort. The War Relief scheme of The Mother Church was recognized as bringing the message of the Comforter right down into the urgent problems of the hour. This ideal so inspired the work that all over the county men have looked on the War Relief Rooms as their home, and have turned there for help and encouragement. The endeavor was to place in charge workers who were practical Christian Scientists, who would be ready to take any opportunity that might present itself of serving the men, or the women in the auxiliary service, and equipping them to meet the experiences which lay before them. Every imaginable problem, mental, moral, physical, financial, has been laid before these workers and with remarkable success in the healing of the different conditions.

A special effort was made in the later development of the scheme to provide for the needs of the Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and South Africans stationed in this country, and for this purpose War Relief Rooms were opened at several places used as American naval bases, or as Canadian or other camps. Many of these men who came thousands of miles overseas to fight for their highest ideal of good, have, through the War Relief Rooms, found the source of all such ideals.

After the signing of the armistice in November, 1918, a review of the conditions in Great Britain and Ireland revealed the fact that there still remained work of great importance to be done on behalf of the men in the navy and army, and that new opportunities were opening before the Workers for presenting the availability and steadfastness of Principle in this time of transition. In the ensuing six months several Rooms were opened and although only in operation for a short period of time, they accomplished excellent results.

INVERNESS

The first urgent demand for a War Relief Room came to the new Committee from the Highlands of Scotland, where a large American naval base was situated quite near the town of Inverness. In the vicinity there were also detachments of the Royal Defence Corps, Royal Army Service Corps, agricultural companies and a Canadian Forestry Headquarters. Most suitable premises were found just opposite the American Y. M. C. A. in the center of the town. The first Christian Science service held there was conducted by the Christian Science chaplain attached to the United States Navy, and was attended by American naval men of various ratings. Since that day in September, 1918, services were held regularly and conducted by the men themselves until the Room closed in April, 1919.

As there was no local Christian Science organization, a Worker from the north of England was appointed, and he and his wife set off as pioneers, in a true missionary spirit. They were equipped with special military passes, since the north of Scotland was a prohibited area under the Defense of the Realm Act.

The boys of the United States Navy, operating with the Mine fleet, quickly found their way to the Room, seeking comfort and relief from the hard and stressful work in the North Sea, when the great mine barrage was being laid. At times the War Relief Room was crowded with boys who found in its quiet atmosphere the needed mental rest and peace. Some had a good understanding of the teachings of Christian Science and could apply it, but many more had little or nothing to turn to in an hour of need. These boys found in the Rooms a “home from home,” and again and again were encouraged to return to their duties with a new strength born of an understanding of the omnipotence and everpresence of God.

During the influenza epidemic the Y. M. C. A. premises and the cinemas were closed, and the War Relief Room was crowded by the men. An American sailor, looking very ill, came into the Room one afternoon. He asked for treatment for influenza, which was immediately given to him, as he said he was feeling “all in.” The Worker was then called to attend to the wants of other men and left the boy sitting there. In less than an hour he left, saying, “I am quite well now, and am going straight back to my duties.”

PLYMOUTH

Shortly after the decision to open the work at Inverness, the needs of a town of naval importance in the south of England were brought up and plans were soon in hand to start the work in Plymouth. An American naval base had been established there in June, from which a force of sixty-six submarine chasers operated under the general direction of the British naval Commander-in-Chief at that port. There were also a number of permanent camps round the town, as well as the dockyards, forts and naval and military hospitals spread over a wide area. War Relief Rooms were accordingly opened on the direct road between Plymouth and Devonport, along which hundreds of British and American bluejackets passed daily. Situated as they were in the very center of a neighborhood which offered numerous doubtful amusements to the sailor on shore, these Rooms had the opportunity and privilege of saving many mere boys from temptations of various kinds. In this connection a sailor writes:

“Oh, what a Godsend the Christian Science War Relief Rooms have been to me. Those most perfect evenings spent there while in the service have been of endless help and comfort. I recollect well how I fought with myself one evening between going to a Variety show and the War Relief Room, and the latter won. It was a long fight but the reward has been great. Since my first visit to the Room the Variety has had no attraction whatever for me.”

A marine said to the Worker:

“I cannot tell you how grateful I am for these Rooms. They have saved me from so much I could only regret. Not that I am naturally vicious, but I had nowhere I cared to go, and in the streets temptation was flung at me from every corner.”

The advent of such a quiet and uplifting rendezvous quickly became known at the large dockyards, and the members of the various forces soon began to show their appreciation of this new provision for their spiritual as well as their physical welfare. Many proofs were soon forthcoming of the practical value of the work in healing sickness. On one occasion a non-commissioned officer received an instantaneous healing of influenza and was able to go on the range in charge of a firing party with no bad results. Other cases of influenza, violent toothache, hemorrhage, colds, etc., were healed by treatment or through the spoken word. The Worker writes:

“From the first day, we placed the work of the War Relief Room in the care and under the guidance of divine Love, and ever since it has been a guiding star to a large number of men and women, who have either directly or indirectly, through the war, been taken away from home influences. Many of those who have taken advantage of this latest gift to humanity knew little if anything about Christian Science or its Founder, Mrs. Eddy, and without exception, all have been grateful to hear about a religion which offered such a practical proof of its right to their earnest consideration. One of the chief American Y. M. C. A. workers here stated a few days ago that he had seen and heard enough about the Christian Science War Relief Rooms in Union Street to prove that they were indeed a blessing. With the cessation of hostilities the work has undergone a certain change but continues its healing activity just the same, for to use the words of a clergyman who called in to inquire about our work, ‘The moral effect of such a Christlike effort is bound to be great.’ ”

BRIGHTON

In October the War Relief Committee for the county of Sussex reported the urgent need of a room in Brighton for the use of men from the large camps round the town, amongst whom some splendid distribution had been done. The Christian Scientists were in this way already in touch with numbers of Canadian and British soldiers who, it was believed, would quickly find and value a War Relief Room. In and around the town itself there were a large number of hospitals full of Canadian and American wounded men, and the streets were thronged with convalescents in blue hospital uniforms.

Very attractive Rooms were opened in November, and on the first day several wounded men from the hospitals found their way in. Soldiers from the surrounding camps soon followed and the Rooms became a center especially for the Canadians and Americans. One day a Canadian soldier wounded on Paaschendale Ridge came in, saying that he was a Christian Scientist from New York City. His joy at finding the War Relief Rooms was touching. The following account is given by the Worker:

“In the heart of Brighton, a town well known for its temptations these Rooms are quietly and unostentatiously sending out their loving invitation to those who will hear. Limbless men from the Pavilion Hospital are coming more and more, also many Red Cross men. The news seems to be spreading like wildfire amongst the hospitals just lately and we feel very delighted that this is so. A Los Angeles man, at present in one of the hospitals, comes regularly to fetch the latest Monitor. He is so grateful and declares that the Monitor is the best paper in the world, and that he always finds news of home. It is a great joy to realize what these War Relief Rooms have done in extending help to many who are lonely and in need of kindness.”

The Workers were in close touch with the hospitals from the beginning, and were called on several occasions to cases of men wishing Christian Science treatment, particularly in the American hospitals. At one of these the matron asked for four copies of Science and Health to lend to the men under her charge as she had had several requests for Christian Science literature.

LIVERPOOL

In October, 1918, a War Relief Worker was appointed for Liverpool, and the first week was spent in visiting daily the large American camp at Knotty Ash, which accommodated 60,000 men, and learning the situation of the various quarters, the military regulations, and the names of the officers in charge. In this way information was obtained which afterwards proved most valuable, as to the correct authorities to apply to in order to expedite operations. In accordance with instructions received from the Commanding Officer, the first distribution of Monitors and Sentinels at this camp, was carried out with the cooperation of the Y. M. C. A. Every kindness was received from the officials here and had the armistice not intervened, Christian Science services would have been held in the Y. M. C. A. tent within the camp. But the armistice was the signal for the immediate reduction of the camp, in order that the men should be sent home as quickly as possible. Permission had already been obtained from the Commanding Officer of Debarkation for the distribution of the literature at the different stations and boats to the men coming into Liverpool, and signed permits to enter docks, embarkation stage, and stations were given to each distributor. Therefore, when the return home of the troops commenced there was no delay. A neat little American Red Cross hut, which was not in use, was kindly lent by the Cunard Steamship Company, in which to store our papers, and permission was given to have our name displayed on the building.

Amongst the thousands of men who passed through Liverpool weekly, the Monitor was well known and appreciated and the remark was often heard, “It is a good paper, take one.” On this recommendation the Monitor was taken by those who until then had not known of it. At each distribution, from four hundred to seven hundred Monitors were taken on board the ships by the men themselves. This personal method of distribution provided an opportunity for those in need of help to come forward and ask for treatment before going aboard, and letters of gratitude have been received from those benefited in this way. On one occasion a young sergeant was about to embark, but on seeing the Monitor held up, he asked if it were possible for him to obtain a textbook, as he had left his own with a man who seemed to need it more than he did. The vest-pocket Science and Health was at once given him, and was received with joy, and he said, “I knew divine Love would meet my need.” Several officers have come up and asked for the literature and sometimes have told of the help and comfort they have received through Christian Science. The Sentinel was also asked for, and many men patted their vest pockets as they marched by, to show where “the little book” was treasured. From November, 1918, until April, 1919, 29,366 Monitors and 1521 Sentinels and pamphlets were distributed at Liverpool amongst troops consisting of Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Maoris and home-coming Britishers from the East.

On one occasion a body of 11,000 men, mostly from Boston and its districts, passed through on their way to embark for the East, and when they saw the Monitors, the distributors were nearly mobbed. The officer in charge came up and smilingly offered an apology for his men. He said they were nearly all from Boston, and knew and appreciated The Christian Science Monitor and thanked us for giving it to the men. Whilst they were lined up, the officer helped to distribute the literature and the Workers were glad to be able fully to supply the demand. The friendly feeling between the men and their officers was very noticeable as expressing harmony and confidence. When they marched towards the ship, Christian Science came in for an enthusiastic three cheers.

The first call for hospital treatment in Liverpool came at the outset of the work there, and since then several cases received Christian Science treatment. One of these was a soldier from California who was given up by the doctors on account of his excessive weakness. When the Worker reached his bedside, he seemed past speaking, but treatment was given immediately and two days afterwards he was taken to another hospital, his pulse and heart having regained sufficient strength for the doctors to operate. This man never looked back but gained health and strength rapidly and was soon discharged, finally returning home full of gratitude. Another man was distraught with pain for which the doctors could give him no relief, and he was considered to be beyond hope of recovery. He asked a Y. M. C. A. worker to find a Christian Science practitioner, as he wanted to try Christian Science as a last resort. The War Relief Worker at once visited him and gave him the help he needed, with the result that he was relieved of pain for the first time since he had been wounded. He has gone on steadily and is now buoyant with hope and cheery with gratitude, gaining strength daily.

BELFAST

The War Relief Committee for county Antrim in Ireland, reported in the autumn of 1918 that a large number of troops were stationed in and around the town of Belfast, and that there were no less than fifteen camps within easy reach of the town, filled with English and Scottish troops, all the Irish troops having been withdrawn on account of the Sinn Fein disturbances. The ground had been well prepared for the establishment of a War Relief Room by the very thorough distribution of literature on the docks among the war and merchant ships, and throughout the camps. Passes were obtained giving entrance to every part of the docks on both sides of the river, even to the sections where men were working at high pressure, building war ships and repairing and camouflaging boats. The need for a War Relief Room became still more evident with the appearance of the American men-of-war in Belfast harbor. Whenever the broad-brimmed cap of the American sailor was seen in the streets of Belfast, the Workers set off to the docks to find the ship and supply it with Christian Science literature. Many of the military hospitals in the town were filled with American convalescent troops. Belfast also attracted many Colonials who spent their leave there. After the War Relief Rooms were opened soldiers and sailors alike soon found their way in and it quickly became a much appreciated meeting place.

Many of the visitors had not even heard of Christian Science though they had traveled all through the war area, so that it was comforting to know that in opening these Rooms, even at the eleventh hour, Belfast had its part in introducing Christian Science to numerous soldiers. All the men went away happy and cheerful, saying they felt quite at home. One Irish soldier who was a frequent visitor, said he had no friends since his return, as they had all become Sinn Feiners and he felt very isolated because they would have nothing to do with anyone who had worn the King's uniform. He expressed his gratitude for the use of the Rooms and the friendliness of the other soldiers.

GLASGOW

In November the War Relief Committee for the county of Lanarkshire in Scotland opened a Room in a street adjoining a crowded thoroughfare in Glasgow, and good work was done there, especially for demobilized men. Several cases are on record of assistance being given to men in the problem of finding work, with very satisfactory results.

On one occasion a man came into the Room in great distress of mind on account of the unhappy circumstances he had found in his home when he returned on leave. During his absence his wife had got into undesirable company and had practically broken up the home. He had brought her into town with their children and taken a little house for them, feeling that it would be easier for her to make a fresh start in different surroundings, but he was full of fear on her account. The Worker talked with him and helped him and gave him some literature, promising to go to see his wife. She visited the home next day, talked to the woman and gave her a pamphlet to read. Work was speedily found for her and she is now going on quietly building up her little home again. The Monitor and the Sentinel are sent regularly to the man, and in a recent letter he expressed his deep gratitude for the papers and for the help his family had received.

The Rooms were also used by men from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, many of whom were either students of Christian Science or had relatives who were. Some of these men had found themselves forced to look into the subject for themselves by the difficulties they encountered in their army experience.

BUXTON

The work opened up next at Buxton, which, before the war, was a fashionable watering-place with numerous hotels and hydropathics situated among the hills of Derbyshire. During the war the nature of the place completely changed, invalids and pleasure-seekers being replaced by many hundreds of men in khaki and hospital blues. Buxton became one of the discharge depots for the Canadian forces, and in particular for married men who, with their wives, awaited transport home, for periods varying from two weeks to several months. The hotels were converted into hospitals and convalescent homes for the wounded, large numbers of whom were to be seen strolling the streets with very little to occupy them. In January, 1919, the Rooms were opened by the War Relief Committee, and the Canadian flag was hung outside as a sign of welcome. The men began to come in at once, and within a fortnight the Rooms were occupied to their full capacity, and the Committee were obliged to consider the provision of further accommodation.

Although the Rooms were advertised as open between twelve and nine p.m., before nine in the morning the men were at the door begging for admission. It is estimated that within two months of the opening of the Rooms, over a thousand men had made use of them.

The Worker writes :

“There seem to be a great many new men in Buxton, and they find their way down here the first night. This week the attendance has been over three hundred. There are a number of men studying in the quiet room, and several have had talks with me, and say they want to begin at the rock bottom of Christian Science, so of course they have been referred to the textbook. The work gets more and more interesting and the men seem to be growing more and more receptive. They come in like hungry children waiting to be fed, and the way they come and ask to be helped is simply wonderful.”

Men who have heard of Christian Science for the first time in Buxton, have returned to Canada with the determination to find a Christian Science Church and learn more of Truth. Many asked for copies of the textbook to study on the voyage home, for they have found that there is after all a “balm in Gilead” which can be applied to every problem.

SEAFORD

In January, 1919, a War Relief Room was opened in Seaford in Sussex to extend the work already begun by the local Scientists on behalf of the Canadians stationed in the adjoining camps. These camps contained about 30,000 men and much excellent literature distribution had been carried on for some time. In this way the existence of the Rooms was brought immediately to the attention of the men, with the result that many times there were not enough chairs for all the men who flocked in. Within a few minutes of the actual opening of the Rooms a case was brought to the Worker for treatment. Since then much good healing has taken place. One man who had studied Christian Science long enough to be convinced of its truth, asked for help for a cold he had had two months, and was instantaneously healed. He then asked for treatment for his knee, which had been strained four months previously, and this trouble also yielded quickly. A shell-shock patient bordering on melancholia, and manifesting unhealthy conditions, came to the Rooms for healing, after reading Science and Health, lent him by a Christian Scientist in the same hut. He was in Seaford for five days and took away a copy of the textbook, intending to study it faithfully during his leave. He has since written to tell of his healing and says he feels perfectly well and is happy and contented. The Room has been a home to many Canadians who have greatly appreciated the loving sympathy shown them at all times.

PORTSMOUTH

The needs of Portsmouth were next urgently brought forward as being those of a large naval base, which was at the same time the headquarters of two great branches of the marines and of a branch of Garrison Artillery. The town was also one of the American military hospital bases. Accordingly in the spring of 1919, a War Relief Room was opened and promptly made use of by men in all branches of the service. A large percentage of these men came in to write their letters, but remained to read. Many of them made friends with the Worker in charge and brought him their problems for solution.

A gunner came in one day and said he wanted to know about Christian Science, and would like the textbook. It appeared that before going to France, he had been stationed in a fort where one of the garrison was a Christian Scientist. He became friendly with this man and was very much struck by his earnestness, for, though often subjected to chaff and ridicule, he would stand up and say that Christian Science was the thing he valued more than anything else in his life. The example of this man had such an effect on the gunner that when he saw the notice of the War Relief Rooms put up in the barracks, he determined to go and learn something of Christian Science. He inquired immediately for the textbook, saying he was going on night duty and very much wanted to read it. Through the study of Science and Health he was healed of the smoking habit and of severe pain in his hand and arm caused by a gunshot.

A sailor came into the Portsmouth Rooms one day and told the Worker that during the war, Monitors were sent regularly to his ship. He used to look through them casually, but one day was attracted by the Home Forum page and read an article called “Heaven.” This so took hold of him that he borrowed Science and Health from the ship's library and commenced to study. He said that there were about twenty Scientists on his ship, consisting of all ranks from the commander to the pantry boy. This man had learned of the War Relief Room from one of the notices in the mess. He longed to possess a copy of Science and Health and study the lesson-sermons, for he had been unable to read regularly since leaving his ship. A vest-pocket edition was accordingly given him, together with the Bible and Quarterly, and he left the Room delighted at the prospect of being able to read and study once more.

READING

The necessity of starting a War Relief Room in Reading, Berkshire, lay in the fact that several thousands of soldiers were billeted or stationed in that town and that a large number of hospitals for wounded men were in active operation. While there were one or two Y. M. C. A.'s and Church Army Rooms, there was a great desire amongst the men for a quiet place in which to read and write. From the moment the decision was made to establish such a room, all the arrangements developed most harmoniously and rapidly. On the day of opening, the Room was used at once in the luncheon hour by men from an adjoining military office. One young soldier who had found little to mitigate the rigors of military life, wrote shortly after the opening:

“Fortunately a Christian Science War Relief Room has been opened here quite recently, just outside the Army Service Corps offices, as luck would have it, and I go over there of an evening and my friends come with me, including M. and several others who love to sit by the warm fires. . . . Certainly the fires and cozy carpeted floors of these Christian Science Rooms, to say nothing of the loving help of the ladies in charge, have been a Godsend to me and poured oil on the troubled waters. These places are all over the shop now.”

The county Committee for Berkshire says in one of its reports:

“There have been many expressions of gratitude for these Rooms, for the quiet and comfort found there. Many men come regularly and new ones are constantly finding their way here. A man came in to write a letter one evening, and thanked the Worker before he left, saying he had not spent such a comfortable evening in Reading before, and added, ‘We could not do without these places.’ An army chaplain came in to write some letters and said it was very kind of us to have such nice places for the men, and he hoped they were appreciated. It is interesting to see the help the men get, and how they gradually begin to get freer. One evening a man, suffering great pain, came in and had a talk with the Worker. A passage from Science and Health was given to him to study and the next day he came to say he had been healed. Another man who could hardly keep his foot still on account of pain caused by a sword wound, came to the Room. The next time he appeared he said he had had no pain since the day he visited the War Relief Room.”

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Distribution of Christian Science literature had been steadily carried on during the war amongst the soldiers stationed at Tunbridge Wells in the county of Kent, and in the spring of 1919, efforts were made to obtain premises for a War Relief Room. The same conditions obtained here as in the other towns, namely, that all available places were under the control of the military authorities who would not release them, but at last suitable rooms were secured and opened late in March.

The first case of healing in the Rooms was that of a man who had been badly hurt by a kick in his side at football. He asked for Christian Science treatment, and came back to the Rooms two hours later to say that all was well, and there was no occasion for any more work to be done for him.

A soldier who had been in similar rooms at Newcastle and Ripon, came in and after writing a letter, stated that he anticipated spending most of his afternoons there reading Science and Health. He expressed much gratitude for the good he had received in the War Relief Rooms, and said how very much he had been helped to overcome bad habits.

A corporal came in one day and gave an excellent account of the support Science had been to him in France. He told how he had been able to hearten men who were to go “over the top” and how many a time—in the tightest places—he and all his men had come back safe, which he attributes entirely to his knowledge of Christian Science and that of the numerous Scientists among his men. He had been originally in the navy and was an engineer on board the Crecy when she was torpedoed, and all through that trying experience he had felt entire confidence in the power that saved him.

With the opening of the Rooms the increase of interest in Christian Science amongst the civilian population at Tunbridge Wells was very marked and the whole day long, men, women and children were to be seen reading the literature which was attractively displayed in the window. Many came in to ask questions and were sent to the Christian Science Reading Rooms of the local society. The local Scientists themselves feel great gratitude on this account, and know that, although the War Relief Rooms were open only for a short time, they fulfilled their mission.

BLANDFORD

At Blandford in the county of Dorset, a new camp to accommodate about 18,000 men was opened early in the war and eventually taken over by the Royal Air Force. The camp, which extended over a wide area and was very isolated, included also a large number of the members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and of the Women's Royal Air Force. The good work of a small group of local Christian Scientists culminated in the appointment of the first and only Christian Science Welfare Worker officially permitted to live and work inside a military camp in Great Britain. The advent of the Worker was warmly welcomed by the General in command, who placed a large vacant hut on one of the main roads inside the camp at the disposal of the Committee for Great Britain and Ireland, and offered every facility in the way of labor and materials towards converting the hut into a suitable Reading Room.

With the exception of not having a commission, the status of the War Relief Worker was in every respect that of a chaplain. He was given an open camp pass, a free permit to ride on any War Department vehicle and was an honorary member of the officers' mess. At mess there was often a good deal of banter about Christian Science, but this was always readily answered and very often led to earnest inquiry and in some cases to a request for metaphysical help and a grateful acknowledgment of instantaneous healing. On one occasion the Worker was sent for to help at an officers' sing-song where much drinking was going on. His influence and knowledge of music so improved the situation that the drinking ceased.

Everyone in the camp, Padres and officers included, cooperated with the Worker and showed many signs of their appreciation of the Room. A portion of the hut was partitioned off at the special request of their commanding officer for the use of recruits under eighteen years in training for the Royal Air Force. These boys, who were arriving in weekly drafts of from two to three hundred, were quite undisciplined and many of them drawn from the slums. This officer started a system of certificates for good conduct to be issued on the recommendation of the non-commissioned officer and signed by the officer in charge, entitling the bearer to the use of the War Relief Room. These permits became a great incentive to good behavior amongst the boys. All the old Christian Science Monitors were eagerly sought after by one of the officers in charge of the boys' section, who wrote:

“May I ask a favor? A few weeks ago you gave me some Christian Science papers (Monitors) which I distributed amongst the boys. Ever since I have been importuned for your papers, and should esteem it a favor if you could possibly send me thirty copies a week.”

The Room was in constant use from early morning until late in the evening, by both men and women, and work of a most valuable and far-reaching character was carried on. Services were held twice on Sundays and notice of these appeared in the general military orders issued on Fridays. These orders contained a list of the recognized religious services permitted in camp, for which leave from army duties was granted without question. The lists were hung in every orderly room throughout the camp.

Large drafts for overseas service passed through Blandford camp and these men and women, en route for Italy, France and Russia, asked for the Christian Science Room because it had become widely known that nothing was too much trouble to the Workers, and many and varied were the services rendered to these passing visitors.

A W. A. A. C. who was going on five days' leave, came in and told the Worker she felt so ill she would never be able to make the journey. She received help and called next day to say she was fit and well. She sent a postcard three days later to let the Worker know all was going splendidly.

The staff of the Y. M. C. A., when the Worker called with a supply of Christian Science Monitors one day, insisted on keeping him to lunch, saying as they were reaping of his spiritual gifts he must at least share their material ones. The Padres of other denominations were also very happy about the advent of the War Relief Room at Blandford, and not only did they frequently visit it themselves, but they were anxious their boys should do so. So in the words of the Worker:

“We are all just one big happy family working together for God, if through different channels, still with the same spirit, trying to remember that ‘God ordains no other bands, than united hearts and hands’ ” (Christian Science Hymnal).

The men and women who have heard of Christian Science through the War Relief Rooms and have taken up the study have, in frequent instances, not only been healed themselves, but have carried the good news back to their homes and have there demonstrated the understanding gained. The story is recorded of a young soldier who, with only a dawning knowledge of the teachings of Christian Science, healed instantaneously two of his mates who were ill with influenza. Another man returning home on leave found his wife seriously ill, and after telling her of his new-found knowledge of God, and reading to her passages from the textbook, to his great joy she declared she was healed and able to attend to her work again. Many accounts have come in of men who “facing fearful odds” on land and sea, have come through unscathed and who attribute their safety to their understanding of Christian Science. The Workers in the different Rooms testify that the men have seemed as though they were literally hungering and thirsting after righteousness and that, having received the bread of life, they have in their turn “borne this bread from house to house, breaking (explaining) it to others” (Science and Health, page 33).

A record of the work in Great Britain and Ireland would not be complete without reference to the splendid literature distribution that has been carried on throughout the country since the early days of the war. This was first made possible through the generosity of the Trustees under the Will of Mary Baker Eddy, and later through the War Relief Fund. Quantities of Christian Science literature have been distributed far and wide to the army and navy and in this way have reached the training camps, the Y. M. C. A. huts, the hospitals, the trenches, the fleet on patrol in the North Sea, and the vessels of the mine-sweeping fleet all round the coast. Numbers of letters have been received from men engaged in many widely differing war time vocations in different parts of the world, telling of the timely help and comfort which have so often come to them through the literature. Early in 1917 permission was obtained to send literature regularly to a number of British and Canadian prisoners of war in Germany and to men interned in Holland. Literature has also been supplied to German prisoners of war in internment camps in Great Britain and many of the men who have been repatriated have gone back to Germany with Christian Science literature in their pockets.

In the spring of 1919 it was clearly recognized that the emergency that had brought the War Relief scheme into being was fast disappearing and that much of the splendid work undertaken by the Committees could be transferred to the Christian Science churches and societies. It was felt that the time had come to put the work back onto a peace basis and to link up the soldier, sailor or demobilized man, who so desired, with the existing Christian Science organizations. In many places the local churches recognized the opportunity and opened their Reading Rooms to suit the convenience of the men after the closing of the War Relief Rooms, and in this way have undertaken the work of assisting the soldiers back to civil life. An enlarged concept of what War Relief work has meant to the movement and of what the movement can do for humanity has in this way been gained. From different parts of the country evidence has come in to show that the War Relief work has greatly strengthened the churches in the different localities. In some instances Christian Science Societies have been formed in towns where the War Relief activities have drawn the Scientists together and encouraged them to go forward. And not only have groups of Christian Scientists been drawn together in this service to their fellow men, but there has grown up a clearer consciousness of the unity of the whole Christian Science movement and of its great mission for the salvation of mankind.

The gathering of the harvest of the War Relief work is an impossible task, for like the good seed of the parable, the multiplying is beyond possibility of record, but there is manifold evidence that these activities have brought nearer the day when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”