To Miss Hall for her kind words of me, & to you for the compliment you have paid me in noticing them, I am exceedingly thankful. To you first; to Miss Hall & her good Mother next I owe much. As the author of Christian Science you afforded me the only genuine understanding of Truth I have ever been able to reach. Through Mrs Hall & her daughter I experienced the practical demonstration of that Truth. While I may not be able to avail myself of your very flattering invitation to come to you for further Light & advancement (a thing I would gladly do were it possible) I thank you heartily for the kindly feelings which prompted you to extend it. My heart is in this work, & ever shall be, & whether my stay on Earth be long or short, I will continue, as far as my poor abilities will aid me, to do all in my power to advance it & defend it & its author from falsehood & imposition. Being aware of the many inflictions that are being daily & hourly [?] Unclear or illegible  heaped upon you through ingratitude (worst of sins) & misrepresentation, within & without your fold, I dislike to add to the number by conveying to you thoughts of the discord existing here. Several of Dr. Sherman's brightest pupils (bright in worldly knowledge & theory) have wandered off into occultism, Astralism & various other isms much to there Corrected: their own detriment & to the detriment of Christian Science generally. There has been, without doubt, much undue influence at work in the midst of the ScientistsEditorial Note: Christian Scientists here to have brought about the present state of feeling among them. The latest attack upon us, which being within the ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science itself, & to me has [?] Unclear or illegible the appearance of downright charlatanism, I look upon, as do others here, as a matter fraught with serious forebodings to the Harmony of the Science both here & elswhereCorrected:elsewhere, if not speedily checked. I mean the lecturing & teaching by a so-called & self authorizedCorrected:self-authorized normal student of Christian Science, displaying a certificate to that effect from a BostonEditorial Note: Boston, Massachusetts Christian Science Metaphysical school & signed by a Mrs — Read & Dr — Buswell – the holder, Lecturer & teacher being a Mrs H. A. Heathwood, alias "Madame Jerome" of this CityEditorial Note: Denver, Colorado. I was considerably worked- up, as were some few others, over the published notice of this womans Corrected: woman's first lecture here, the early part of this month; believing as I did, that the statement contained in the notice that she was a Normal student of yours & "taught at your College," was a lie. I desired to place the matter before you fully & ask your authority to stamp out the imposition that I discovered had been & was about to be practiced by a designing woman upon those ignorant of her true status in the Science. I felt that something ought to be done to stop it, but hesitated from motives of delicacy, to push myself forward in your eyes, while there were others here, older in the Science & better known to you than I, & whose duty it was to take steps in the matter. I wrote to Mrs Hall & Miss Minnie about it, & in compliance with their request seconded by my own wish as to what I deem is right, I now lay the subject before you for consideration & advice:

The notice of Mrs Heathwoods Corrected: Heathwood's lecture appeared in the Sunday morning issue of the Rocky Mountain News (July 4th) among Society matters. (I inclose Corrected: enclose you the clipping".) The lecture was given in the parlers Corrected: parlors of Mrs. A. C. Fisk 116- Lincoln Avenue - a lady standing high in Society- herself a Christian Scientist - pupil of Dr. Sherman – & from all I can learn a pure & noble woman justly loved by all who know her - Error in this case, appeared fully clothed in the habiliments of Truth as you will observe. I called at "Madame Jeromes'Corrected:Jerome's Pompein Corrected: Pompeian Parlors" twice before seeing her; finally found her in – I did not tell her I had taken the course in Mental Healing – My purpose being to interview her, & be satisfied as to her position in the Science & her intentions, before publishing her, which I fully intended to do. I refered Corrected: referred to the notice of her lecture; saying I was not aware Mrs Eddy had taught a Normal class since the one Miss Hall was in. The statement that she had taken the Normal course from Mrs Eddy was, she said, a mistake of the Reporter. She had been instructed at Mrs Reads Corrected: Read's College in Boston, a much better & higher school in Christian Science than Mrs Eddys' Corrected: Eddy's & held in greater esteem by all classes in Boston & by Scientists everywhere, she remarked, & "this was the only reason why she gave Mrs Reads Corrected: Read's College the preference to Mrs EddysCorrected:Eddy's"– "Mrs Eddy was not a satisfactory teacher to any oneCorrected:anyone & those going through her classes knew very little about the Science when they left her, as she failed to make things clear by declining to explain the main details" etc etc – I said I was not wholly uninformed on this subject of Christian Science, healing teaching &c having read Mrs Eddys Corrected: Eddy's work, Prospectus of her College, some Copies of the Science Journal &cExpanded:et cetera & had some thought of taking up the further study of it, but wished to do soproperly-& for that reason called upon her for information. I was led to believe that none but Normal Students of Mrs. Eddy were authorized to teach Mental Healing & that she reserved exclusively to herself the right to teach the Normal Course. Striking a position in the center of the room that recalled visions of Charlotte CushmanEditorial Note: Charlotte S. Cushman (1816-1878) was a famous American actress., she [*]Archival Note: A metamark that looks like an X appears at this point in the manuscript. exclaimed: "Shall we be denied the right to teach the Truth, simply because we will not be bound by Mrs. Eddys' Corrected: Eddy's strictures, a crabbed old woman more than seventy years of age from whom one by one all the best & brightest [*]Archival Note: A metamark that looks like an X appears at this point in the manuscript. minds among the Scientists were departing"? And she here repeated many names of persons prominent in Society & Letters whom she had conversed with, in New York & Boston & who had given her valuable information & advice, among them a Mrs Hopkins, former Editor of your Journal, a Mrs Dr Lawrence Brown an author poetess & Lecturer, who made, she told her, fifteen thousand dollarsEditorial Note: $15,000 in 1886 is the equivalent of $452,560.67 in 2022. last year teaching christian Science (She teaches the Normal course too, she says) [*]Archival Note: A metamark that looks like an X appears at this point in the manuscript. Dr Buswell for a year & a half your Secretary & the occupant of your pulpit, and Mrs. Read for two or more years your first Assistant at the Boston- Metaphysical College & with whom she (Mrs Heathwood) studied two years ago, while she (Mrs R.) was there your Assistant & was reviewed by you personally in the work. [*]Archival Note: A metamark that looks like an X appears at this point in the manuscript. I remarked as to the self assertedCorrected:self-asserted right of others to teach; that if I were to answer from my conviction of justice in the matter I would say that as Mrs Eddy is the Author of this Science, & is alone held publically Corrected: publicly responsible for its teachings, –, alone held up to scorn & ridicule on its account,– none would question her retaining to herself the exclusive privelege Corrected: privilege of selecting & instructing her own teachers. She was inclined to be a little angry with me, but controlled her feelings, she was no doubt convinced that I called more for the purpose of criticizing her position in the Science than from any desire for information, I asked if she could give to her pupils any certificate that would entitle them to recognition by you or those taught by your regular Normal students,a or admit them as Members of any legal organization or association, local, State or National, of Christian Scientists recognizing you as the head? She answered why shouldn't they be recognized & admitted- Can any oneCorrected:anyone keep me out of the National Association? I was not, I said, conversant with the Constitution & By LawsCorrected:By-Laws of the National or other Association of C.SExpanded:Christian Science, but having some knowledge of the protecting & governing principles of other organizations, being a Mason for over twenty years, I could say, that were this thing Masonry & she stood in the same light to it, that she now stands to Christian Science, she would be deemed spurious, in that she would be looked upon as having obtained the degrees illegitimately & could not be recognized either by the order or its members. I saw her Certificate, it is similar in form & wording to my own: The head lineCorrected:headline "Metaphysical School". in Simi circleCorrected:Semicircle.– Read and Buswell in small type underneath. In the body of the instrument is left two blank spaces (dash rules) In the first is written the word "Mental Healing," in the second "Normal," followed by the printed word course with the letter "s" added. It is signed by Mrs— Read & Dr– Buswell (I have forgotten the initials,) but with no C.S. or C.S.B, following their names – a point that appeared to confuse the Madame when I called her attention to it, & which she accounted for as but an "evident oversight on their part, for both she claimed are Normal students of yours. I wrote a card for publication in the News the following day, but before handing it in, deemed it but just to call on Mrs Fisk first & if she too, had been imposed upon by this womans Corrected: woman's misrepresentations, it would afford her the opportunity of setting herself right before the Scientists, by joining me in the Card. For as the case stood. any showing up of Mrs Heathwood must necessarily reflect upon Mrs Fisk, in whose parlors she was first introduced. I was not a little amazed to find Mrs Fisk in full accord, seemingly with Mrs Heathwood & her methods. I pictured to her the womans Corrected: woman's correct status, the misrepresentation, falsehood & deceit, of which she had been guilty – the motives which alone prompted her to go to Boston & obtain illigitimately Corrected: illegitimately that which she knew she was not morally fitted to receive legally from the author of the Science - that she never had -& was incapable of so doing - demonstrated the Truth that she was usurping the right to teach – that with a knowledge of its theory only, & possessing an oily tongue, attractive presence & fluent speech, she had taken up this thing purely & soley Corrected: solely for the money she saw to be easily & quickly made, in forming classes & teaching it, at a hundred dollarsEditorial Note: $100.00 in 1886 is the equivalent of $3,113.36 in 2022., more or less per head. The woman had already made business propositions to several practicing Scientists here to "join her in the Enterprise"= She to do the teaching, they the healing, & with this travelling Corrected: traveling combinations, visit the several towns throughout this & adjoining States, lecturing, forming classes, teaching & healing, as "Normal" Students of Christian Science. Mrs Fisk could see nothing wrong in Mrs Heathwoods Corrected: Heathwood's teaching the Science, She knew, she said, that she had never practiced Mental Healing, but believed that she had received the Normal course properly from Mrs Read, whose school she hadheardspoken of in the highest terms, & who no doubt had full power to teach that course - Mrs Heathwood she said had studied with Mrs Reed towo years ago that when that lady was Mrs Eddys Corrected: Eddy's first Assistant in her College & had been reviewed by Mrs Eddy herself - who compliments her upon her understanding of the work. Mrs Fisk thought Mrs. Heathwood, a bright, brilliant woman & one calculated to make a grand teacher of the Science I informed her that Mrs Heathwoods Corrected: Heathwood's statement to her & others that Mrs Read was an Assistant of Mrs Eddy & that Mrs Eddy had reviewed her (Mrs H.) was an unmitigated falsehood & I stated so from facts, not hearsay (I had seen a letter from you to Miss Hall denying it) Mrs Fisk, is, I feel, a pure & true woman whose sympathies have been played upon by some trumped up stories of this womans Corrected: woman's financial troubles etc – she can notCorrected:cannot & or will not see the hypocracyCorrected:hypocrisy & deceit at the bottom of it in the attempt to create discord by turning the Science into a purely money making enterprise, I went over the entire ground with her, making plain, what I believed were your rights, what the demands of the Science itself & what were the duties & requirements of Mrs Heathwood & all like her, to both you & the Science before assuming to represent you as a teacher of it. All, I fear, to very little purpose. I felt, & feel now, that some undue influence of some sort had been brought to bear to cause her to look so lightly upon so grave a wrong. I read her the card I had written for the News, informing her that I should give it to Arkins on my way home. She said Mrs Heathwood had promised her to deny it herself the following Sunday, & at her request I agreed to wait until I read her denial on Sunday before appearing in print against her. She also suggested that I write Mrs. H. a letter, (Her place being public, a discussion with her then was not out of the question) setting forth my views on the matter, as firmly & pointedly as I thought the case demanded, for I had already informed Mrs. F. that, if Mrs Heathwood persisted in her determination to teach Christian Science in this City & State, I would denounce her through circular or otherwise at my own expense & by Mrs Eddy's authority – as a person not qualified or authorized to teach the Science - (Intending to at once place the matter before you & obtain your sanction to the placing of this womans Corrected: woman's proper Status before the publics in so far as you & the Science were concerned.) I sent her such a letter, a synopsis of which I inclose Corrected: enclose you, also a copy of the card, I had written for the News, a copy of which I also sent her with the letter. Mrs Fisk is a close student she tells me & that Mrs. H, is ditto – They both "believe in reading Evans or anything else that will throw light upon this subject regardless of Mrs E's strictures in the matter." I am not conversant with Evans, but they claim he is "sublime" - "wholly denies matter" etc. This may possibly be one bond of sympathy between these deep readCorrected:deep-read students, one at least of whom finds more interest & principle too in the tree of Knowledge than in the Tree of LifeGen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Gen 3:9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Gen 3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Gen 3:13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Gen 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Gen 3:22 ¶And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Gen 3:23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. . Mrs Fisk, she tells me, thinks of going through your class or classes in the Fall – May the inspiration of your teachings lift her out of this darkness, & strengthen her to resist the erring influences of those who would use her generous nature & high standing as stepping stones to vicious & mercenary ends.

I have not heard from Mrs. F. or Mrs. H. since my visit to each, as stated- The latter has rented a private house, furnished, said to have drawn out from the Pompein, cheek-wash & pimple-destroying business in favor of her late partner, & on one evening this week gave her "second lecture at her own parlors"; this time upon what she is pleased to term: "the popular Science of Mind." – I was not invited. & feel hurt - I have not learned whether or not she had succeeded in forming a class to teach as yet - These lectures are of course intended for such a purpose. She stated to one of our students who called upon her, that she hoped to teach a Normal Class here shortly – With the present state of feeling & the discord existing in the local Association among Dr Shermans Corrected: Sherman's pupils – & there are some seventy fiveCorrected:seventy-five or eighty of them – I have little doubt that this woman could, if she worked her cards properly, organize a large class from them, to be taught by her the Normal course, so great appears the desire on the part of many to teach &, as they say, "get their money back". I will here give this woman's claims: "Mrs Read & Dr Buswell, both Normal students of yours, preside over a "legally authorized Christian Science School of Mental Healing Teaching" (see inclosed Corrected: enclosed clipping from News of July 12th - her card) They teach the Normal course as well as Mental Healing without any secrecy whatever attached to their so doing, & without any question on the part of yourself or the National Association, publically Corrected: publicly or otherwise, as to their right of teaching the Normal course. This being the case, they being recognized teachers, can the right of their pupils to teach what they have been taught be denied by any oneCorrected:anyone outside of yourself & the Association – If Mrs Read, Dr Buswell, Mrs Laurence Brown & others can teach the Normal course (and their doing so is not denied or questioned by the power having jurisdiction in the matter) why has not she (Mrs Heathwood) equal rights & privileges & all persons taught by her the same?" I hold of course that this woman not having practiced mMental Healing was not eligible to receive the normal course & is not competent nor qualified to teach, she being in no sense of the term a Christian Scientist; and this really, as far as I can see, is the only legal point that can be raised against her, in the absense Corrected: absence of the condemnation by yourself & the National Association of the persons who confered Corrected: conferred upon her the right to teach in violation of your just & proper rules & regulations. If Mrs Heathwood can receive from Mrs Read or others the normal course & right to teach it, without having practiced Mental Healing, or ever having taken the Mental Healing course, can notCorrected:cannot all who may decline to be bound, not only by "your strictures", but by the strictures of the Science itself, do like wiseCorrected:likewise? The interest which is everywhere being manifested in the Science is the great incentive to those would-be theoretical-practitioners to fill their pockets from it, & unless it be checked, & that very soon, it is not difficult to predict what the Lowest will be. Well how can this charlatanism be stamped out? By acting as quickly as possible upon your suggestions to Miss Minnie Hall, contained in a letter to her, shortly before the family departed for California, which she read to me, but owing to their going away the matter was postponed – I mean the establishing of Christian Science Schools – this matter of Mrs Heathwoods Corrected: Heathwood's very nearly caused me to call a meeting of Miss Minnie's pupils (there are eleven of us) elect a President & Board of Directors & incorporate a branch college of the Mass, Met. College – But the right & honor of such a step belongs to Miss Hall your pupil & on my advice & suggestion she, with her Mother & Sister will soon return & I hope the matter will then take shape- To have incorporated a school without her, would be like casting the play of Hamlet, with the character of Hamlet left out- 'Twould be a school minus the teacher. I have suggested the incorporating of the Colorado Metaphysical College – Branch of the Massachusetts Met.Expanded:Metaphysical College – Christian Science & Mental Healing- The teachers of which shall be the only recognized & authorized instructors of the Science in this State – That this fact shall be embodied in the Prospectus of the College, sanctioned by you, & from time to time inserted in the leading State papers, that all interested in the Science may be warned against travelling Corrected: traveling imposters. That the teachers of the State College shall, at stated intervals visit the several cities and towns in the State, start travel schools or teach classes, granting to each pupil so taught the certificate of the State College, which certificate alone will be recognized as entitling the holder to class membership in the local or State Associations of Christian Scientists. The line must be drawn tightly between promiscuous & legitimate teaching – If those interested in taking up the Science could be informed before-hand Corrected: beforehand as to the distinction between the true & the false, the qualified & the unqualified teachers, the latter would die a natural death from lack of patronage & following. I have made legal enquiries about incorporating a branch of another State College, without stating what the college was to be from motives of policy – & was told that the safest & better way would be to obtain a copy of the papers (charter, filing papers, affidavits or such) touching the incorporation of the Original College, in order that our filing papers may be drawn in harmony with them. If you will therefore have Copies of such papers relating to chartering or incorporating of your College that you think would aid us in the matter, made & sent to me at an early date, I will endeavor to have all ready to start this ball in motion on the return of the Halls to Denver, which I now look for in two or three weeks. Please aid us also with your advice & suggestions I am not at all conversant with the laws & powers of the National Association, its relation to you & your College & to the subordinate outside Associations generally- I have heard some complaints here among what might be termed dissenters, that certainly appeared to me very absurd ones. The National & subordinate Associations must work in harmony with you & your College, or all will be discord & chaos very soon – I am led to believe so from the mixed up state of feeling I witness here. – But more anon on this subject. What I can, I will do, earnestly, to aid Miss Hall & her Mother in their efforts to protect you & your great work from quackery & imposition I am doing some satisfactory work, healing, in a quiet (non chargableCorrected:nonchargable) way; but am not doing all I might & would wish to do, by reason of yet remaining physical beliefs & drawbacks. Meta"physician Corrected: "Metaphysician heal thyself" I dread to have said to me by a patient in whose presence I might be forced to cough - I am of course a new person, physically & otherwise, to what I was five months ago, when I commenced treatment under Mrs. Hall & her daughter. When I entered Miss Minnies Corrected: Minnie's Class on her return from your college I was comparatively a well man. My cough had ceased, the pains in my breast & lung wholly disappeared & the chronic troubles, contracted in the army & from which I had suffered for some twenty threeCorrected:twenty-three years had been entirely healed- I have experienced a return of the cough & soreness in the breast & lung within the last three or four weeks & the mortification of being forced to outwardly acknowledge what inwardly I know to be a falsehood so worries & annoys me as to prevent my doing all I desire to do. Physically, therefore I feel that I am about as much of a misnomer in Mental Healing as I would be as proprietor of a Hotel- Weighing, as I do. but 92 1/2 lbs to my 5 ft 5 in. in length. I do not grieve so much over the loss in flesh, as there is the less to "war against the Spirit, & I will continue to fight against these beliefs until they are conquered & destroyed- There has been considerable influence at work against us here lately of a hurtful & vicious nature. "Ahus",, Liddell, & others to say nothing of Madame Jerome, (bad as any of them) and they do sometimes catch us off our guard – Ahus delivered a lecture here a short time ago in the parlors of Mrs. Prentiss, another enemy of ours – He was to teach a class whether he is here yet, I do not know.

I will "go on strengthening" until I overcome these erroneous beliefs & be enabled I hope to come to you for more of the Understanding & the Light.

Again thanking you for your kind letter & trusting you will advise u [?] Unclear or illegible s, in this, Read- Brown- Heathwood teaching matter, as well as the College proceeding, I am - with best wishes