II
HANDS ACROSS THE SEA
ENGLAND
When the cataclysm of August, 1914, shook human consciousness to its depths, and revealed as never before the precariousness of all merely material dependence, humanity found itself face to face with such unprecedented difficulties and hitherto unconceived terrors that “men's hearts failed them for fear.” This upheaval, however, brought with it a more comprehensive revelation of the compassionate mission of Christian Science and provided an opportunity for Christian Scientists to serve mankind in many ways that might never have arisen otherwise. The first evidence of this was the establishment in December, 1914, of The Mother Church Relief Fund to aid sufferers through the war. A representative was sent by the Christian Science Board of Directors of The Mother Church to Great Britain and Ireland to initiate the work. This representative formed a series of committees consisting, all told, of nineteen delegates from various sections of the United Kingdom, all under the chairmanship of the District Manager of Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland. Grants from the fund were sent from Boston and distributed to the committees in accordance with requests received from them. During a period of three and a half years, from January, 1915, to July, 1918,
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