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Show Dl RECTOfl S FfiGE SUITJNJ0U1TY EORTO.V, March 2S. Ths First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Nashville. Tenn.. and Henry M. Masor, and Annie- O. Mason of N'aalivillo tiled petitions ir. equity today in tho supreme court acalnst the directors of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Boston, and the trustees of the Christian Science Publishing Pub-lishing society. Tho petitions charge breach of contract by tho trustees of tho publishing society and allese that the directors of the mother church of Boston induced this action. An order of notice was issued returnable April S, when a, preliminary hearincr will be held. -It is claimed by tho petitioners that the directors of the mother church of Boston a few years no illetfallv encouraged some or the members of the First church of .Nashville to leave, its membership nnd form a "so-called Chrisitan Science society." so-ciety." The petitioners claim that the directors of the mother church ordered th. Nashville church to recognize the Christian Science socletv. and, upon refusal re-fusal of the, directors of the church to doso, the directors of the mother church ordered the Nashville church stricken from tho list of churches in the official publication of the Christian Science church. Samuel T. Towers, who is conducting the case for the petitioners, charfres in tho petitions of the Masons that the directors di-rectors of the mother church ordered them to use their influence to have the Nashville church recognize the Christian Science society, and, upon their refusal to do so, the directors ordered their names stricken from the list of practitioners. prac-titioners. Mr. Powers claims that as practically all the churches and practitioners are included In the lists of the church publication, publi-cation, the exclusion of the Nashville church and of the Masons raises the question of the standing of the church and of the Masons as practitioners. H is declared that the officers of the mother church are claiming absolute power, "although the by-laws of the mother church expressly provide that the mother church shall assume no general control of other churches and that each branch shall have its own form of government gov-ernment in consonance with the manual of the mother church." The temporary injunction restraining the directors of the First Church of i.hnst. Scientist, from interfering with the trustees of the Christian' Science Publishing society in the discharge of their duties was today otdered continued, pending a hearing on tho merits of the case. The construction of two trusts created by the late Marv Baker G. Kiddy, founder of the church, is involved in-volved in this action, which was brought by the trustees of the publishing society. It is alleged in the bill that the directors of the church, since the death of Mrs. Eddy, "have been gradually gradual-ly endeavoring to assume and exercise powers with regard to the publishing society which the directors never assumed as-sumed or attempted to exercise" during her lifetime. After hearing brief arguments of attorneys. attor-neys. Supreme Court Justice H. K. Braley ordered the pleadings to be completed com-pleted on or before April i, after which a master in chancery will be appointed by tiie court to hear the facts, unless counsel In the meantime agree upon a master. |