Time-Line of Events

Time-Line of Events.

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January 25, 1898

Mary Baker Eddy prepared a Deed of Trust without the Board of Directors knowing. She did this as a “check and balance” against ecclesiasticism and greed. A copy of the “Deed of Trust” is included on this website.

February, 1916

A joint conference was held between the Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Publishing Society. There arose the demand to acknowledge the directors as the supreme governing power of the Christian Science movement, thus attempting to nullify the “checks and balances” that Mrs. Eddy put in place.

September 11, 1918

Another joint conference was held where the Board of Directors made demands on the Publishing Society Trustees.

September 30, 1918

The Trustees of the Publishing Society wrote a letter to the Directors defining the true democracy of Christian Science (also known as the Second Declaration of Independence.)

March 17, 1919

The Board of Directors voted to remove one of the Trustees from office.

March 6, 1920

Judge Dodge found the Trustees correct “in all the essential facts and made his rulings of law in conformity with those facts.” The Trustees won!

1920

The Directors appealed to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts.

November 23, 1921

A new decision reversed the previous rulings, deciding for the Board of Directors.

November/December, 1921

“WE LAY DOWN OUR TRUST” was written. A copy of this can be found on this website under the tab “Deed of Trust”.

January 30, 1922

The Board of Trustees were released from all responsibility as Trustees of the Christian Science Publishing Society.

October, 1922

Mr. Eustace was excommunicated forever.

Herbert W. Eustace , C.S.B., goes into the details of the Great Litigation in his book
“Christian Science Its ‘Clear Correct Teaching'”.

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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
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During the Litigation years, books were mutilated, people were told not to buy periodicals, subscriptions plummeted, and employees quit. A small group of workers stayed on to publish the periodicals. Frederick Dixon “held down the fort” with the help of Joseph E. Johnston, Gustavus Paine, Gertrude D. LaMotte, Samuel Greenwood, Clarisse Hale and others. Elsie Farr was the confidential secretary of the Trustees before and during the litigation. Herbert Eustace was the “Heavy Hitter” in the Trial, as well as publishing the correct teaching in the periodicals: the Christian Science Journal, the Christian Science Sentinel and the Christian Science Monitor. [The Christian Science Monitor articles have been put in book form as “Footsteps Of His Flock®”.]