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The office of the First Reader was evidently chosen for this task of chief-disciplinarian, because of the deep connection of the performance of this office with the fundamental principles of Christian Science. The Christian Science church maintains no personal pastor. The Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, are the pastor of this church. The services consist of readings from these books according to predefined topics that are, of course, related once again, to the matrix of the structure for the Key of David. The two books are read by two readers. The person who reads the Christian Science textbook to the public is called the First Reader. Now, it is he who reads the textbook to the public, who has also been chosen to be the chief disciplinarian. Could anything be more natural than this? Obviously, this officer cannot fulfill his task with honor, reading the principles of Christian Science to the public, if he had not the authority and the mandate to make sure that the principles that he speaks to the public about are in fact the governing force within the church itself. In symbolic terms, the First Reader has been named the protector of the Common Wealth of humanity, which are the fundamental principles of reality. No other Wealth exists that mankind can own, than its scientific awareness of fundamental principles on which civilization is established.
This direct mandate for individual responsibility is unique to structures of scientific government. The fulfillment of the office of Pastor Emeritus not only requires scientific spiritual alertness, and individual responsibility, but requires also a good measure of moral courage. After all, the person who serves as First Reader has been appointed to this position by the board. It takes a good measure of moral courage, therefore, to stand up and call for discipline on that board. In fact Mary Baker Eddy was evidently aware that moral courage is a central requirement for maintaining any form of scientific government, for she put a direct reference to it right in the middle of page 385 of the textbook, which corresponds to the address of the "house of the Pastor Emeritus" on Commonwealth Ave. She writes the following on page 385: "Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself."
It has been recognized that Spiritual alertness, Individual responsibility, Moral courage, and Discipline to Principle are fundamental aspects of any form of scientific government. If any of these qualities is lacking, scientific government cannot stand, but erodes into oligarchism. Not a single constitution of any nation is safe without these qualities to guard it, to support it, and to implement its provisions. No Renaissance can occur without them.
Discipline to Principle is absolutely required to provide a safeguard against the growth of such structures as are shown on the fourth row in Appendix A5, which must be eliminated wherever they are found to exist.
Moral courage is required on the broad platform of humanity in order that it may project its principle-supported demand for upwards moving growth.
Also, it is self-evident that none of the structures on the fourth row can be eliminated by force. They can be 'starved' out of existence, however, by mankind's staunch refusal to 'feed' them; by mankind's refusal to subject itself to their demands and their ideologies; to dance to their tune, to be impressed by their glitter and their self-assumed titles of greatness; to admire their so-called glory.
Individual responsibility, is the mainstay of any Renaissance. It not only protects but also drives scientific progress. It not only heeds already established fundamental principles, but drives further discoveries. Discoveries are never won by committee, or self-appointed elites, but by individual dedication to the principles of discovery and to creative advances in knowledge and understanding on the whole plain of universal humanity.
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