My Dear Brother:—The Stars and Stripes I have come to love long ago, because in spirit I am an American, though born a South African. My love for your wonderful land of liberty has actuated and increased my interest in all things American, and for the greatest of all these I am devoutly thankful, and as I write my heart is thrilled with gratitude. I refer of course to the revelation of Christian Science. I love the Stars and Stripes and the Boston post-mark on my letters. Yesterday I received but one letter. I had just returned from Johannesburg, where I had left my dear wife behind, and arriving here I felt lonely and yearning for human fellowship—the fellowship of love. I expected nothing definite from the post-office, but my heart leaped for joy when I saw the Stars and Stripes and the Boston post-mark. And my heart was thrilled in reading your loving letter, for which I thank you most sincerely. As I was passing the Square this evening coming to my rooms, the church bell was ringing. There is a Wesleyan service tonight. Without knowing it I was reasoning with myself.
"Ah, I do love the Lord Jesus Christ, and his Gospel is the life of my soul! Ah, if some simple man, without titles or gowns, but whose word the Lord confirms with signs following the living Gospel, were to stand up in some lowly place to-night to preach the true Gospel, which is a power divine unto salvation, how gladly, how naturally the steps of all the sin-laden, weary ones in this town would turn to where the glad tidings are heard! I mused, and musing came to my rooms, and yearning for the true fellowship of those who have fellowship with the Father, my thoughts turn gladly and naturally to Boston. Knowing little of Science, and having experienced less of the sweet joys that follow the demonstration thereof, I thought that life according to Science would be chilly, devoid of ecstatic emotion, arithmetically severe. I even went so far as to caution my wife against our interpretation of Science. You see the pendulum has gone over to the other extreme.
Formerly we lived religiously in, by, and for, so-called "revivals." It was all superficial excitement, a running to and fro, one crying one thing and another another, ever learning and never coming to a knowledge of the Truth. But now that the Truth is dawning upon my consciousness in the appearing of Christian Science, I have lost interest in the formal preaching of the word of Life and these mad, deceptive revivals. But my caution to my wife, though well meant, was groundless. Why, when I was "converted," some eleven years ago but could not discover that I was converted and persisted in doubting—"of course, how could I, in my open honesty but persist in doubting—that the great transaction was done), one of the signs whereby I was to discern my standing in religion I was told would be this: "Do you love those who love the Lord? I did love those who followed with us. But as for loving Roman Catholics, High Churchmen, Unitarians, Free Thinkers, etc., nay; whereas before my conversion I was simple in heart and knew naught about eternal damnation to those who followed not us; after my "conversion," my soul was burdened with the awful responsibility of trotting every man that did not belong to our church converted, lest he be eternally damned. I was unconsciously being trained into the evil habit of judging other men. How little did I know about the teaching of Jesus! And alas, how little (now that I look back from my slight elevation in Christian Science), how little did those around me know about the life-giving Principle of the Gospel! Clearly I did not love those who love the Lord. And oh the joy that Christian Science brings to me in this direction! I love Mrs. Eddy with a deep, warm love, and respect her as I can but respect a human being for revealing the liberty of the seeker after God the privilege which every sincere man and woman enjoys, the inalienable light of working out his or her own salvation. I love Mrs. Eddy for making clear to our consciousness and understanding that God is not the person of creeds and churches, but that Love, and Life, and Truth, are God. Now this perplexity, this burden of responsibility about the eternal damnation of those who follow not the historical Christ and the Christ of creeds and churches, has fallen from me." I breathe freely the pure atmosphere of Christian Science, and more than ever I yearn now that all men may come to the knowledge of the Truth as it is revealed in the teachings of Christian Science.
