Back in about 1951 just before I was recalled for Korea, the COP in NYC told me the following: In the 1920's when the Board was a Board, it arranged for certain foreign students, mainly Japanese, to come to Principia on scholarship. One was a Japanese baroness who became lady-in-waiting to the Empress on return to Japan. If I recall she worked briefly as an Assistant COP (Committee on Publication) for Rhode Island. I may be wrong. But I met her in the Tokyo church when I was stationed in Japan. Her name as I recall it was Takaki. They verified this story. At the end of the war in 1945 the Emperor was pressured by the military to continue fighting until the bitter end. The baroness and the Empress had been reading the lesson all through the war smuggled in by the Swedish Ambassador who was a Scientist. The two women prevailed on the Emperor to stop the war who agreed, defying the military. I don't know why TMC has buried this but as far as I know it is true.

In May of 1952 my destroyer was operating in enemy waters in North Korea. We ran guerilla raids ashore. One night we moved deep into an enemy harbor under cover of a heavy fog. I came to the bridge for the midnight watch. The enemy counter radar was locked on us meaning they had their guns on us. It also had guns in fixed positions in the mountains which could pepper the sea with fire making us run the gauntlet. I thought my chances of living were nil. At that point out of the heavy fog I heard the singing as audibly as if I were in the Mother Church; voices coming out of the fog singing "O GENTLE PRESENCE" (one of the hymns written by Mary Baker Eddy) I knew at that moment Christian Science was true and real. We managed to back out of the harbor without incident. It was the protection of Christian Science which saved us and me. I will never forget it.

During WORLD WAR 1 Frederick Dixon (a student near Mrs. Eddy's time) was close to Woodrow Wilson and was among other things as private advisor. From him came the arming of merchant just before we entered the war.....My dad used to teach choral conducting at Union Theological Seminary in NYC. There was a man named Woodworth who became an ordained minister. Was raised in China spoke Chinese and was chaplain to Chaing Kai Sheck's Army. During the Korean war there was a time when North Korean prisoners were given the choice of returning to Communism or Taiwan. Woodworth heard that a communist agitator in the prison camp was planning to murder the North Korean head wanting to go to freedom. He called the prisoners together not knowing what to say. Speaking in Chinese he quoted Paul in Acts, I haven't it in front of me, but it is something like you slew a man in your anger. During his speech the Communist agitator came forward in tears. Reaching into his boot he pulled out a knife. Pointing at the other man he admitted he was going to murder him. He gave the knife to Woodward and then said ,"if this is freedom then I want to go to it." Fred Stoessel This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.