
Frank E. Mason (1853-1906) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and died
in Saint Remy, New York. He married Harriet E. Mason (b. Sands) in Providence, Rhode
Island, in 1877. He followed in his father's profession of civil engineering for a
number of years before becoming a student of Mary Baker Eddy's and completing the
Primary class in May 1887, the Normal class in October 1887, and the Obstetrics class in
October 1888. He became a member of the Christian Scientist Association in June 1887,
and he was a member of the National Christian Scientist Association as well as the
Christian Science Mission and Dispensary Association. After living there for almost four
years, Eddy sublet 571 Columbus Avenue (also the home of the Massachusetts Metaphysical
College) to Mason in January 1888. That same year, Mason was made assistant pastor of
the Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston. As Eddy's assistant pastor, Mason preached at
services when Eddy could not be there and also came up with lessons of his own. An
announcement in the June 1888 issue of
The Christian Science
Journal (of which Mason was a frequent contributor) explained that the new
lessons would be "notes on the International Sunday-school Lessons." International
Sunday School lessons were popular public study guides to Bible texts that Mason would
use as the basis for Christian Science lessons. Like Eddy's lessons, Mason's notes were
sermon-like commentaries. He probed the symbolism and spiritual meanings of Bible
narratives, and generally included specific references to
Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures. Mason served as manager of The Christian
Science Publishing Society from August 1888 to June 1889. In 1888, The Christian Science
Publishing Society published his
Birdseye View of Christian Science: An
Address Given at the National Christian Scientist Association Chicago June 14,
1888. When Eddy resigned the pastorate of the church in May of 1889, Mason's
resignation as assistant pastor was also accepted. Mason became pastor of First Church
of Christ, Scientist, Brooklyn, New York, in October 1889 for a short time before
leaving Christian Science. He organized the Francis E. Mason Publishing Company and
carried on his own version of Christian Science ideas in a magazine called
The Seed (later known as
The Rostrum,
followed by
The Healer, and
Dominion)
and published articles aimed at discrediting Eddy. Mason became pastor of his Church of
the Independent Dominion in Brooklyn and is associated with the New Thought movement. He
was president of the Brooklyn Public Health Society.
See more letters.