Articles

Sir :— The writer, who is not a member of the class called Christian Scientists, but who believes in consistency and fair play, desires, along with many others who think likewise, to know why it is that people are allowed to die under the ordinary and recognized practices of medicine at such a wholesale rate while failures to cure under mental treatment are quite rare, and when they do occur must be subjected to so much unfavorable comment, persecution and even prosecution? This prosecution, too, must be founded on evidence brought forward by the class of practitioners who are notoriously unsuccessful in their own way, and when sued for malpractice depend on the school of their kind for defence and thereby escape the punishment which, but for their confederates, would be sure to follow at the hands of justice. The plan pursued by Christian Scientists is a revival of ancient and successful methods of healing through influencing the mind, and mainly differs from ordinary medical practice in being more free from fraud.

It may not be so generally known that recent post-mortem examinations of the bodies of the blind reveal the fact that in the nerves at the ends of the fingers well-defined cells of gray matter had formed, identical in substance and in cell formation with the gray matter of the brain. What does this show? It proves that a man can think not alone in his head but all over his body, and especially in the great nerve centers like the solar plexus, and the nerve ends, on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.

The words of this beautiful hymn suggest such a train of thought, that one knows not where to begin; but the word Bethany on the page means much. What a heavy cross the sisters of Lazarus were called to bear there, but had they seen the end from the beginning— the raising of the loved one— might they not, and truly have sung, "e'en though it be a cross that raiseth me," for surely they did go higher in seeing the power of God made manifest when Life was demonstrated to them.

The Scriptures tell us that God is Love. When we become acquainted with God as Love, and Man "made in His image and likeness," we know that it is a divine command for man to reflect Love.

It is often remarked by the Christians of to-day, that healing is not necessarily a part of Christianity at the present time— that healing was only for Jesus and his time. Since I have taken up the study of Christian Science, I cannot see how Christianity and healing can be separated, if we can take the definition of the word Christian from the Bible Dictionary—as our authority—which is as follows: "Christian,—Follower of the highest and best known divine laws as taught by Jesus Christ.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. " Psa.

I Have been a teacher in day school for over six years, and am ashamed to think I never heard of Christian Science until in Nov. '94; then only heard my mother had been treated by a Scientist and received much benefit.

Doubtless the first desire of each individual who has been healed through Christian Science is to know more of the divine Principle which can produce such results in the face of discord, fear, and oftentimes, long-abandoned hope, and thus be able to prove, or demonstrate, for himself the power of Truth. This desire is the still, small voice of Truth.

We read in Mark 6 that Jesus had sent out the twelve disciples, two by two, commissioned to preach the gospel of the Kingdom,— the rule and reign of universal harmony,— to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils. " The record tells us "they went out and preached that men should repent, and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

The case of the late Secretary Gresham was the occasion of one of those outbreaks that frequently occur between the pathies. A homeopathic physician attended the secretary in the beginning of his illness, and diagnosticated the case.