The manner of Hypnotism we point out in the following instance of its effect on mortal mind. A lady who intended to enter our college was influenced, instead, to study mortal mind-cure. To effect this purpose this lady—an author, and head of an institution—was influenced against the President of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, until the hatred, to her more refined nature, made her sick. She tried all the mind-cures, but they gave up her case, and advised consulting a regular physician. He worked awhile, and declared she could not live but a short time. She then sent for Christian Scientists several times before one consented to treat her case, but in a few treatments she was cured. Nevertheless, when she talked of Christian Science, or of its Discoverer, this lady set herself blank against them, even after Science had healed her. This is not a normal mental condition.
Scientists have received letters threatening their lives, if they did not renounce the Discoverer. In the recent attempt to break up the oldest organization of Christian Science, one student reports that it seemed a matter of life or death "for me to remain in our Association."
Where a Scientist has a very desirable patient, and one of the malpractitioners wants the case, he goes to work upon the patient's mind with a counteracting thought, to establish the old symptoms in an aggravated form, by making the patient believe that he has taken poison. The same influence fixes the belief that the patient can not get help till he sends for the malpractitioner. He does so, and then all the malpractitioner has to do is to arrest his own work, and the patient recovers. In this way the malpractitioner keeps himself before the public as a remarkable healer. The patient is unconscious of any foul work. He may ask a genuine Scientist to explain his present condition. Accounting for it as above is of course unsatisfactory, owing to general incredulity as to what mortal mind is doing. The Scientist is therefore dismissed and his reputation damaged.
