COMPLYING with the request of some that know my case, and in the hope of liberating "pot-bound" theologians particularly, it affords considerable pleasure to record what made me a Christian Scientist. I say "made me" advisedly, for it is not I that have taken hold of Christian Science, but Christian Science has taken hold of me! As when fishing in the beautiful river of my native Stratford-on-Avon, our English bream, by its splashing and squirming, would give unmistakable demonstrations that it was "hooked;" so the effect of the attempts to get Christian Science up to my theology continued to chemicalize me, until able to appropriate Caesar's last words as my first words in Christian Science, viz.: "Thou hast conquered, Oh, Galilean!"
"Second-hand prejudice" was the beginning of my knowledge about Christian Science, through the repeated denunciations of a preacher who by some is regarded as the monopolist of a special "corner" on whatever sanctity exists in this "Hell-bound New York." By him, Christian Science was purposely (but erroneously) classed with theosophy, mind-cure, spiritualism, hypnotism, witchcraft, etc., as of "their father the devil," in order to bring out into bolder contrast an alliance of his own verbosity with whatever he could make use of from Science and Health, without acknowledging his indebtedness to the woman described in Rev. 12, "whom the world knows not" and "of whom the world is not worthy."
Attending a Christian Science testimonial service, my clerical criticism was disarmed by the resistless evidences of such "children of the devil" as testified of changed and Christly lives, permanent healing, unbounded love, and positive triumph over sin, sickness, and death! Bewilderment yielded to desire.—
