The Onward and Upward Chain

This historical documentary, produced by Longyear Museum, brings to life the history and the growth of Christian Science in the 1880s, 1890s and early twentieth century. It vividly recounts the stories of some of the early workers who tirelessly and courageously took the healing message of Christian Science to the American Midwest. It begins with two little-known figures - William D. and Bertha Hinchsliff, a husband and wife of the American frontier - ordinary farm people with an extraordinary story. The Hinchsliffs were part of a chain of healing work, linking several early students in the Midwest - including Janet Coleman, Alfred Farlow, Joseph and Mary Armstrong, and James Neal - to each other and to Mary Baker Eddy in Boston. The accounts of these people are brought to life by historical photographs, details of letters, newspaper clippings, artifacts and brief impressionistic video images, which have been staged to suggest actual moments in history.