What was the Next Friends Suit of 1907 involving Mary Baker Eddy?

The "Next Friends Suit" of 1907 was an unsuccessful legal challenge orchestrated by Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper, the New York World, which sought to question the mental competence of Mary Baker Eddy.1

The lawsuit was part of a period of mounting public controversy surrounding Eddy, whose religious teachings and growing influence posed practical challenges to conventional religion and medicine. The legal action was ultimately unsuccessful in its attempt to undermine her authority or capacity as the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist.1