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July 30, 1919 Mrs. Knott Sworn (page 643) Ques. Will you state what has been your relationship to Christian Science, or the Christian Science movement? Ans. [By Mrs. Knott] I became interested in the fall of 1884, and in 1885 became a practitioner. I went from Chicago in February, 1885, to Detroit, Michigan, and was engaged in the work there until I was called to Boston to be an associate editor of the Publishing Society in the summer of 1903. I was a Pastor in the Christian Science church, as we were called in the early years, before we had Lesson Sermons. I did that work at Mrs. Eddy's request, as she was my teacher, and I have letters from her addressed to me as Rev. Annie M. Knott. I became a member of The Mother Church in October, 1892. I signed my name at a meeting held on the 5th of October, 1892, reference to which was made in some of these hearings... On the day immediately following this meeting I was invited by some one present to go to Mrs. Eddy's home, Pleasant View, Concord, New Hampshire, the next day, and, with seven other persons, who were Mrs. Eddy's normal students, as I myself was, Mrs. Eddy talked to us for about two hours on that day respecting the organization of the Church and the difficulties which she had in convincing even friendly lawyers that this form of organization was possible, and she insisted upon it for some time— Mr. W—Just a moment, Mrs. Knott, please... we will come back to that, Mrs. Knott, and take it up a little later. Will you go on and state what other experience you have had in the Christian Science movement? Mrs. Knott.—I was appointed a member of the Lecture Board of The Mother Church of Christian Science during the year 1898, and remained a member of that board until I was called to be an editor in 1903. I was a teacher and practitioner also, during the years that I have mentioned, and was for a number of years First Reader in First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Detroit, Michigan, where I resided.... Ques. Now, Mrs. Knott, will you state the conversation [what Mrs. Eddy said at that meeting in October, 1892, in regard to the organization of the Church]? Mrs. Knott.—Mrs. Eddy said she wanted to have The Mother Church modeled as closely as possible after the early Christian church and after Jesus' teachings, and the Church to be as free as possible from the trammels of material organization. That is the most important thing that I can remember. Ques. Do you remember her talk in regard to the friendly lawyers? Mrs. Knott.—She said they told her that it was not humanly possible to organize a church in the way that she proposed; that is, The Mother Church being governed by a minority, so to speak, although the provision was made for the branch churches to be governed in the usual way, by the votes of all members. But she said she saw the impossibility of having The Mother Church governed by or controlled by the votes of members, as they would be in all parts of the world, and that she insisted, in meeting with her lawyers, that such a form of organization as she proposed was possible; and at length that one of the lawyers had discovered a statute, in the statutes of Massachusetts, which made this possible, and that they proceeded to work it out from that basis. (pages 643-4) Ques. Now, coming down to the time when you were editor, I want to ask you whether or not you received a notice of election as editor or associate editor? Mrs. Knott.—I was called from Detroit by a telegram some time in June, 1903. The telegram was from Mr. William B. Johnson, who was then clerk of the Church, also a director, and the telegram asked me to report at his office as soon as possible after my arrival in Boston. This was a day or two before the annual meeting of The Mother Church. When I went to his office he informed me that I had been appointed one of the editors of The Christian Science Journal and Sentinel and Der Herold der Christian Science. Ques. Did he inform you as to who had appointed you? Mrs. Knott.—Yes. He told me that I had been appointed by the Board of Directors on Mrs. Eddy's request. (pages 644-5) Ques. While you were editor do you recall any special conference with Mrs. Eddy at which the directors were present? Mrs. Knott.—Yes. Ques. And will you state when and where? Mrs. Knott.—I think the date was the 3rd of October, 1905. Mr. McLellan came to my house in the morning and said that he had received a telegram from Mrs. Eddy asking us to be at Pleasant View at 2 o'clock that day, and he wished me to get ready and go there, which I did. Ques. And who was there? Mrs. Knott.—All the members of the Board of Directors as then constituted, and the three editors, including myself. ... Ques. Will you state what was said at that interview by Mrs. Eddy in the presence of yourself and the directors? Mrs. Knott.—She began by asking the directors if they read carefully all the articles published in the Journal and Sentinel. She addressed them individually by name, asking each one if he did so, and they replied that they endeavored to do so. Then she called attention to a passage in a recent issue of the Sentinel, and read this passage over, one sentence, and asked each one individually if he approved it, and they all said they did, until it came to myself, and I said I had stumbled over it several times but had decided to let it go through. Mrs. Eddy expressed a good deal of condemnation of that, and said that she thought that we all ought to have been enough awake to see that it was not a proper statement to send out; and she talked with us all together about two hours on the great need of keeping the teachings of Christian Science pure, and especially the need of keeping them close to the teachings of Christ Jesus. She said that a false estimate of his mission and his teachings would constitute a serious error; that we must study constantly his teachings and his healing work and endeavor to keep our periodicals up to that high standard. (pages 645-6) |
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