William Dennison McCrackan (1864 – June 12, 1923) was an American journalist and author of books on history and travel. In 1900, he converted to Christian Science and became a Christian Science practitioner, teacher and lecturer.

Life

McCrackan was born in Munich, Germany. His great-grandfather was Scottish and immigrated to New Haven, Connecticut around the time of the French and Indian War."A Lecture On Christian Science"
''The Cambridge Chronicle'' (March 18, 1905), p. 10. Retrieved June 22, 2013 He graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire"The Readers of The Mother Church"
''Christian Science Journal'' (July 1905). Retrieved June 22, 2013 and Trinity College in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

in 1885, afterward traveling to Europe to continue his education at the

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

in Germany. Peel, Robert, ''Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority'' (1977), p. 193 He lived in Europe for several years before returning to the United States. He lectured, particularly in New York, and became known for his books on history and travel. Politically progressive, he was well known in literary circles, was a member of the Authors' Club in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and was friends with

Hamlin Garland Hannibal Hamlin Garland (September 14, 1860 – March 4, 1940) was an American novelist, poet, essayist, short story writer, Georgist, and psychical researcher. He is best known for his fiction involving hard-working Midwestern farmers. Biogra ...

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

and

Lord Bryce James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce, (10 May 1838 – 22 January 1922), was a British academic, jurist, historian, and Liberal politician. According to Keoth Robbins, he was a widely-traveled authority on law, government, and history whose expe ...

. McCrackan was an opponent of the slogan "

a land without a people for a people without a land "A land without a people for a people without a land" is a widely cited phrase associated with the movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine during the 19th and 20th centuries. Its historicity and significance are a matter of conten ...

". He said, "We used to read in our papers the slogan of Zionism, 'to give back a people to a Land without a People,' while the truth was that Palestine was already well-peopled with a population which was rapidly increasing from natural causes." McCrackan converted to Christian Science in 1900Gottschalk, Stephen. ''Rolling Away The Stone'' (2006) Indiana University Press. pp. 56-57. and became active with the church organization, first serving as Committee on Publication for the state of New York for three years. In that function, he wrote two articles for the ''

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at ...

'' addressing articles they had recently published by Mark Twain, which had ridiculed Christian Science. He sent his articles to Twain, which Twain replied he had read "with admiration and with profit". McCrackan later called on Twain, and though they remained in disagreement regarding religion, they developed a cordial relationship. The last time McCrackan met with Twain, his wife was very ill and Twain, who wrote numerous articles critical of the religion, told McCrackan that he would gladly ask McCrackan to pray for her, except that his wife would rather die. McCrackan, a

Christian Science practitioner A Christian Science practitioner is an individual who prays for others according to the teachings of Christian Science.Vitello, Paul"Christian Science Church Seeks Truce With Modern Medicine" ''The New York Times'', March 23, 2010. Treatment is non- ...

and teacher, began lecturing on the religion in 1904 and was elected First Reader of The Mother Church in 1905."A Historical Perspective"
''Christian Science Sentinel'' (May 28, 2012). Retrieved June 22, 2013 He later became an associate editor of the ''

Christian Science Sentinel The ''Christian Science Sentinel'' (originally the ''Christian Science Weekly'') is a magazine published by the Christian Science Publishing Society based in Boston, Massachusetts. The magazine was launched by Mary Baker Eddy in 1898. It include ...

''. In 1919, McCrackan had a major role in founding the ''

Jerusalem News The ''Jerusalem News'' was the first English-language newspaper in Jerusalem, existing for around six months during the British Mandate for Palestine. The ''Jerusalem News'' was established in 1919 under the auspices of the Christian Science mov ...

'', the first English-language newspaper published in Palestine, and was a major contributor to it - though not physically present in Jerusalem. He died in New York on June 12, 1923.

Published work (partial list)

Articles

"Our Foreign Policy"
''

Arena magazine ''Arena'' was a British monthly men's magazine. The magazine was created in 1986 by Nick Logan, who had founded '' The Face'' in 1980, to focus on trends in fashion and entertainment. British graphic designer Neville Brody, who had designed '' ...

'', (1893), pp 145-150
"Andreas Hofer, The Hero of the Tirol"
''New England Magazine'', (March 1896 - August 1896), pp 548–559
"Emancipation"
''Christian Science Journal'', (1919)

Books

*
The Rise of the Swiss Republic
' (1892) *
Little idyls of the big world
' (1895) *
The Huntington letters
' (1897) *
The Fair Land Tyrol
' (1905) *
Christian Science: Its discovery and development A.D. 1866
' (1915) *
The Spell of the Italian Lakes
' (1918) *
The New Palestine
' (1922) *
An American abroad and at home, recollections of W. D. McCrackan
' (1924) *
Mary Baker Eddy and Her Book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
' (1925)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrackan, William D. 1864 births 1923 deaths American Christian Scientists American male journalists American non-fiction writers Converts to Christian Science Christian Science writers