Mary Baker Eddy is a notable example of the emergence of women in significant leadership roles. Her works are visible today in virtually every country in the world. She is the discoverer of Christian science; the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and other works; the founder of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and the Christian Science Publishing Society. In her late eighties, she established the Christian Science Monitor, a respected international daily newspaper.
Mary Baker was born in 1821 and grew up on a farm in Bow, New Hampshire. She married in 1843, but her husband died less than a year later. Poor health, separation from her only child and other misfortunes caused her to turn more and more to the Bible for comfort and guidance. In February 1866, she suffered a severe injury from a fall on the ice. She was healed while reading about one of Jesus' healings. She spent the next few years searching the Bible for laws underlying spiritual healing. From a humble, poverty-stricken and sickly beginning, she rose to the strong leadership of multitudes through inspired thought. In 1877 she married one of her students, Asa Eddy. She died in 1910 after being active into her ninetieth year. It was said, "Mrs. Eddy lived in the nineteenth century but her thought embraced all centuries." 5/19/94 |
