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there is no way to find a thing one wants without reading the book
through。 If ever I inspire a Bible…Annex I will not rush at it in a
half…digested； helter…skelter way and have to put in thirty…eight years
trying to get some of it the way I want it； I will sit down and think it
out and know what it is I want to say before I begin。 An inspirer cannot
inspire for Mrs。 Eddy and keep his reputation。 I have never seen such
slipshod work； bar the ten that interpreted for the home market the 〃sell
all thou hast。〃 I have quoted one 〃spiritual〃 rendering of the Lord's
Prayer； I have seen one other one； and am told there are five more。 Yet
the inspirer of Mrs。 Eddy the new Infallible casts a complacent critical
stone at the other Infallible for being unable to make up its mind about
such things。 Science and Health； edition 1899； page 33：
〃The decisions； by vote of Church Councils； as to what should and should
not be considered Holy Writ； the manifest mistakes in the ancient
versions： the thirty thousand different readings in the Old Testament and
the three hundred thousand in the Newthese facts show how a mortal and
material sense stole into the divine record； darkening； to some extent；
the inspired pages with its own hue。〃
To some extent； yesspeaking cautiously。 But it is nothing； really
nothing； Mrs。 Eddy is only a little way behind； and if her inspirer lives
to get her Annex to suit him that Catholic record will have to 〃go 'way
back and set down；〃 as the ballad says。 Listen to the boastful song of
Mrs。 Eddy's organ； the Christian Science Journal for March； 1902； about
that year's revamping and half…soling of Science and Health； whose
official name is the Holy Ghost； the Comforter； and who is now the
Official Pastor and Infallible and Unerring Guide of every Christian
Science church in the two hemispheres； hear Simple Simon that met the
pieman brag of the Infallible's fallibility：
〃Throughout the entire book the verbal changes are so numerous as to
indicate the vast amount of time and labor Mrs。 Eddy has devoted to this
revision。 The time and labor thus bestowed is relatively as great as
that of the committee who revised the Bible。。。。 Thus we have
additional evidence of the herculean efforts our beloved Leader has made
and is constantly making for the promulgation of Truth and the
furtherance of her divinely bestowed mission；〃 etc。
It is a steady job。 I could help inspire if desired； I am not doing much
now； and would work for half…price； and should not object to the country。
PRICE OF THE PASTOR…UNIVERSAL
The price of the Pastor…Universal； Science and Health； called in Science
literature the Comforterand by that other sacred Name is three
dollars in cloth； as heretofore； six when it is finely bound； and shaped
to imitate the Testament； and is broken into verses。 Margin of profit
above cost of manufacture； from five hundred to seven hundred per cent。；
as already noted In the profane subscription…trade； it costs the
publisher heavily to canvass a three…dollar book； he must pay the general
agent sixty per cent。 commissionthat is to say； one dollar and eighty…
cents。 Mrs。 Eddy escapes this blistering tax； because she owns the
Christian Science canvasser； and can compel him to work for nothing。
Read the following commandnot request fulminated by Mrs。 Eddy； over
her signature； in the Christian Science Journal for March； 1897； and
quoted by Mr。 Peabody in his book。 The book referred to is Science and
Health：
〃It shall be the duty of all Christian Scientists to circulate and to
sell as many of these books as they can。〃
That is flung at all the elect； everywhere that the sun shines； but no
penalty is shaken over their heads to scare them。 The same command was
issued to the members （numbering to…day twenty…five thousand） of The
Mother…Church； also； but with it went a threat； of the infliction； in
case of disobedience； of the most dreaded punishment that has a place in
the Church's list of penalties for transgressions of Mrs。 Eddy's edicts
excommunication：
〃If a member of The First Church of Christ； Scientist； shall fail to obey
this injunction； it will render him liable to lose his membership in this
Church。 MARY BAKER EDDY。〃
It is the spirit of the Spanish Inquisition。
None but accepted and well established gods can venture an affront like
that and do it with confidence。 But the human race will take anything
from that class。 Mrs。 Eddy knows the human race； knows it better than
any mere human being has known it in a thousand centuries。 My confidence
in her human…beingship is getting shaken； my confidence in her godship is
stiffening。
SEVEN HUNDRED PER CENT。
A Scientist out West has visited a booksellerwith intent to find fault
with meand has brought away the information that the price at which
Mrs。 Eddy sells Science and Health is not an unusually high one for the
size and make of the book。 That is true。 But in the book…tradethat
profit…devourer unknown to Mrs。 Eddy's booka three…dollar book that is
made for thirty…five or forty cents in large editions is put at three
dollars because the publisher has to pay author； middleman； and
advertising； and if the price were much below three the profit accruing
would not pay him fairly for his time and labor。 At the same time； if he
could get ten dollars for the book he would take it； and his morals would
not fall under criticism。
But if he were an inspired person commissioned by the Deity to receive
and print and spread broadcast among sorrowing and suffering and poor men
a precious message of healing and cheer and salvation； he would have to
do as Bible Societies dosell the book at a pinched margin above cost to
such as could pay； and give it free to all that couldn't； and his name
would be praised。 But if he sold it at seven hundred per cent。 profit
and put the money in his pocket； his name would be mocked and derided。
Just as Mrs。 Eddy's is。 And most justifiably； as it seems to me。
The complete Bible contains one million words。 The New Testament by
itself contains two hundred and forty thousand words。
My '84 edition of Science and Health contains one hundred and twenty
thousand words just half as many as the New Testament。
Science and Health has since been so inflated by later inspirations that
the 1902 edition contains one hundred and eighty thousand wordsnot
counting the thirty thousand at the back； devoted by Mrs。 Eddy to
advertising the book's healing abilitiesand the inspiring continues
right along。
If you have a book whose market is so sure and so great that you can give
a printer an everlasting order for thirty or forty or fifty thousand
copies a year he will furnish them at a cheap rate； because whenever
there is a slack time in his press…room and bindery he can fill the idle
intervals on your book and be making something instead of losing。 That
is the kind of contract that can be let on Science and Health every year。
I am obliged to doubt that the three…dollar Science and Health costs Mrs。
Eddy above fifteen cents； or that the six dollar copy costs her above
eighty cents。 I feel quite sure that the average profit